SPA Modeler

I got nothing except...

Looking really good here with all the chipping effects and weathering. Glad you got the indicator decals straightened out. Looking forward to the fix on the chipping repair and hope that turns out good for you. Sounds like a good plan.

Holy moly.

Thanks for the comments guys! That's a great photo, Bruce and great confirmation that the combat flaps COULD be found in the lowered position when the aircraft was on the ground!

The chipping repair didn't go very smoothly at all. First of all, Micro Mask, as a chipping medium, doesn't work well at all. After application with a sponge, I was hoping to simply rub off the Micro Mask and reveal some chipping underneath. But it didn't want to budge. I had to resort to picking it off with the tip of my x-acto. It was a very small area so I was able to get the chipping done. But... I made a mistake and tried to seal the chipping effects with Alclad Aqua Gloss thinned with Mr Leveling Thinner. MLT is a pretty "hot" thinner and can penetrate right through the paint layer to the hairspray underneath. The result was a funky crackle finish...


So repairs were necessary. I taped off the green portion of the flaps and then wiped away the clear and green with a paper towel moistened with iso alcohol. It almost left the Tamiya AS-12 Silver intact.


I decided to spray the AS-12 again and re-do the hairspray chipping.


This time I sealed the work with Aqua Gloss thinned with iso alchohol only. The stabilizers and flaps have been given a pastel wash and flat coat but I still need to do some post-shading and salt fading.

Great recovery! Results are looking quite nice.

Its always a headache to have to redo something like this but I know you will have it done in no time. Also I've never thinned aqua gloss it's already so thin I spray it straight out of the bottle.

Thanks guys! I usually thin every paint and clear that I use, with the exception of the Alclad metallic colors. I want to ensure that I don't plug up the fine rivets that I've applied.

Getting closer to attaching the clear parts. So I've finally glued the gun sight and the wood headrest into place. Final views of the cockpit before the clear parts go on permanently.

Very nice looking woodgrain on the headrest

Very nice looking office. The wood grain looks stunning.

Ooooohhh, that's nice!