SPA Modeler

Thanks guys! It looks like the instruments are not quite centered within the dial faces but I think that is simply the camera perspective. But I'll have to double check.

I've gone through several frustrating rounds of painting the cockpit tub.

First Try...
I painted the seat and footrest area Tamiya AS-12 Silver and the bucket was handbrushed in brown to replicate wood construction. I then applied MiG Scratches Effect and then RLM 66 over everything. The chipping from the MiG Scratches Effect was way too extreme (big chunks) and so I started over.

Second Try...
This time I used good old hairspray but forgot to paint the bucket brown. I was going to accept that mistake since the harnesses would cover most of the seat anyway. The chipping started really good but I got overly aggressive in one area and ruined it.

Third Try...
So I wiped it away and started over with the AS-12 for the third time. By this time, all of this wiping had started to reveal the repair seam on the seat back. So I started a round of sanding/filling.

I'm halfway through the process of repairing that seam and I'll be applying the base silver on the cockpit tub for a FOURTH time. I'll try to remember to paint the seat bucket brown.

How does the cheesecloth idea work with the hairspray technique?

Despite its name, this is extremely gentle!

I'm still not sure how the cloth relates to the hairspray chipping technique. Normally, I use a stiff paint brush dipped in water to slowly loosen the paint layer above the hairspray. Are you saying you use the polishing cloth instead of a brush?

Using the small bulge pieces from a new 109G-6 donor kit, I've glued the upper wings together so that I can address the riveting prior to gluing the wing halves together. This is a good candidate for riveting due to the lack of panel lines on the wing surface. Riveting will add some sorely needed depth/detail to the surface.


Using some left over Quickboost resin gun barrels, I've grafted new barrels to the kit gun barrels.


I've completed most of the painting on the Aires resin cockpit parts. I've dressed it up a bit with a few Airscale placard stencils.

That is just fantastic work John!

Nice n' busy in there John. Worn areas look well balanced. Not to much and not too little.

Thanks guys! The Aires cockpit has some of the finest wiring detail that I've seen in resin and the detail painting has been challenging. And I'm consciously trying to incorporate more weathering into my cockpits.

Ooops.... I just found out that I've used the wrong cannon breech cover so I'll set this one aside for a future build.

Amazing details in that cockpit and amazing paintwork as well!

Have never had an Aires AM cockpit myself.. yet.

- Kari