SPA Modeler

jkim wrote:Dude... you had me thinking you had some super ninja thing going with your airbrush. "John, it's all about airbrush control! I don't freakin need to mask."

Ok... I'm gonna say it so please don't take it the wrong way. I love what you are doing but that silver color is bothering me. I know it will only peek through the chipping but there are much better metallic paints out there. Please give the Tamiya AS-12 a try! Alclad is good too but it needs a black base coat. I'm only saying this because your work deserves better.

Fair enough, fair enough. Let me ask this- does Alclad come in bottles? No need to decant? What turned me off about AS-12 was the decanting from the rattlecan -no mi gusta, meine freund. I don’t mind spraying over black (heck, I love spraying over black). So what’s the deal with this Alclad stuff? Give me your impression. Because I want to do something special for my forthcoming 1:32 Zeke which I’ll be taking delivery on tomorrow.

Also John! And this is important! Can you thin Alclad with Mr. Leveling Thinner?
If so, count me in.

I had to buy groceries and it was 72 degrees outside and I was checking the milk for freshness at my local Ralph’s, wondering if AlClad (which I know nothing about) was thinned with anything besides AlClad’s own house blend. That was wild. I was feeling like the Dude, man, that the AS-12 too shall pass, but not by Ken’s hands. There was a part about Nietzsche in there as well and I could really use a good sarsaparilla right now, friend. It was the fact that John wrote “Dude,” then I remembered he was a surfer, too and then I was thinking how everything tonight relates to the Big Lebowski and I could not stop that. The next thing I knew I was running on the street being chased by nihilists wielding God Hands clippers...

Dude... you are too funny, Bruce! I love the Coehn Bros!

Kenny... Those are only the two that I'm personally familiar with. There are others that I haven't tried by Mr Hobby, MIG and AK to name a few. I have uses for both AS-12 and Alclad and wouldn't give up one for the other. AS-12 is nice as a chipping layer because I find that hairspray and chipping effect solution sticks better to finishes that have a hint of grain versus a totally polished finish. Decanting is easy... I just spray a tad directly into the airbrush cup. It's actually easier than going from bottle to airbrush. Yeah, a little silver paint gets on my trigger finger but it's not as messy as you might think. You can spray it straight without thinner but I like to put a little (Tamiya Lacquer Thinner or MLT) to make it last a little longer (think watering down whiskey).


Alclad is a line of lacquer-based metallics. They come in tall bottles and shoot straight without any thinner. I've never thinned any of the Alclad metallics. They are meant for airbrushing and I don't think they can be brush painted. Their high polish finishes such as Chrome, Aircraft Aluminum, Polished Aluminum, etc, produce a grainless mirror-like finish, the shine is which is dependent on how shiny your glossy black base is. They also have less shiny colors that can produce a grainy sheen similar to AS-12 (such as White Aluminum). I haven't done many metal finishes so I don't have a good example of what Alclad is capable of but I do use it on my oleo struts to make em shiny.


Alclad dries quickly and is fairly strong. If you want max shine, you want it stand alone... spraying any clear, even gloss will impact the shine. I treat it like any other color. My only NMF aircraft was done with Alclad and AS-12 on the wing bottoms to depict a doped finish but all of it was given a flat coat to kill the shine.

That is some beautiful silver, John. I like spraying AS-12 straight from the can, too. The straight no chaser approach I guess!


Moon Bus Landing Gear

I hasten to add if it’s not your thing it’s not your thing, Ken. Now friend, you have any of that good sarsaparilla?

Thank you for the breakdown, John. You’ve given me much food for thought. I appreciate it. The fact that your AS-12 behaves it’s self when sprayed directly into the airbrush cup is a plus. Shoot. I reckon I’ll just order both, and experiment with them.

Bruce, your comment made me chuckle. Just as long as the nihilists didn’t catch you

A really interesting discussion to follow - all things to file away for the day I get an airbrush, until then, I'm wondering... Can you brush Alclad i feel another test coming on.

metallic paints aside, I just wanted to say Kenny how much I love the look of what you're doing. The Zero is such a gorgeous looking aircraft anyway - I think you're really doing it justice. Please finish this one - I',m looking forward to seeing it all together.

Bruce - Great post. I've never actually seen that film so I'll have to check it out. I do however want that Walkman.

I’m gonna have to try that Alclad stuff one day. I have some for a “Deals Wheels” kit that is sidelined.

Stuart, I highly recommend that you see “The Big Lebowski”. A most entertaining film. Very quirky, and not more of the usual fare from Hollywood.

Bruce, I hope that you’re evening of abiding ended well.

Stewart,

Carlos is right. It’s a very quirky, entertaining film. It’s hilarious actually. A favorite of mine.

Also, thank you for the stopping in with the good word. You know, I’ve really grown to like this aircraft. You’re right, the Zero is a nice-looking bird. Beautiful lines.

I took some time early this morning to finish the underside. Here’s some shots:







I’m pleased with this. All this work, along with the top-side Hinomaru will be getting a coat of Super Clear tomorrow. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s: Protect Your Work.

I’ll probably shoot some more Super Clear topside where I plan to chip too. Just another insurance policy. I’m hoping to start the dark green on Thursday, so we’ll see.

This looks great! Panel line and shading/wash are done with "taste", as it were. It looks like you would expect this to look. Well done, sir. Well done.