SPA Modeler

portman wrote:Cool! thanks for that. The foil is a good suggestion and I might well try that on my next build (I had loads of Champagne foil ).

What do you think of Mr Mark Softer? I've never used it but have just hit the Spitfire decals with it as the Micro-sol wasn't doing it.

I like the Mr. Mark Softer for temperamental decals. I needed an option that was one above nuclear for some of Tamiya’s thicker decals... I have noticed though that it works even better when the surface is pre-treated with Mr. Mark Setter before the decal is applied. I brush a small bit of it where the decal goes, then lay the decal down. Then let it dry and then bust out the Mr. Mark Softer. Worked well on my 1:72 Zero, and I used that system on my Corsair as well. So far no hassles!

Ah that's good to know - I have the setter as well. I was using mico set/sol but I might give the Mr stuff a go on a few kits and see how I get on. It's doing a good job of the spitfire next to me.

Stuart,

I found out about that stuff a while back in a thread about Tamiya decals which i dug up while doing a rather exhaustive search on Google. The guy who recommended it said thusly:

“Use the Mr. Mark Setter/Softer, or be the guy who’s always complaining about Japanese decals.”

Apparently they’re good on Hasegawa decals too, though I have not tried. They’ve tapped out the majority of the Tamiya decals I’ve used them on though.

Zeke Jr. got a pin wash earlier this morning, after waking up at 3AM in a coughing fit. This chest cold is a real SOB, man. Thankfully the malaise that came with it lifted several days ago.

A word or two about the pin wash. I used Mig’s “Neutral Brown” panel line wash, because to my eye it complements the kustom Ameiro color as opposed to straight-up contrasting with it. As I’ve mentioned before, in terms of the personal style I’m developing for myself, “Subtlety In Effects” are my watchwords and that goes double for Zeros, especially the early ones.

This is one place where my vision diverges from “verisimilitude.” The surface details on this kit are very nice. I wanted to call them out, but do it in a manner that was just a shade or two above perceptible in most places. I went heavier with it around the cowling area because there’s a lot of really nice detail up there to call out, and it also stands to reason with me that even on well-cared-for airplanes, you’d still get a little dirty up there especially with a radial engine involved. I went heavier but not bananas with it. I also called out certain other areas a shade or two more than others, but was careful not to overdo anything. Here’s some photos:














I think one of the reasons why I’m enjoying this particular variant of the Zero is what good shape they were in. Not too long after I got started with models I began to gravitate toward heavily weathered aircraft. This is not a bad thing. But like I said before, when I look back on that work I get a sense that I was overdoing it. But that’s okay too because I’m happy with the new, more subtle, more disciplined, more balanced direction I’m going in. So no complaints. I’m enjoying this, especially this 1:72 in particular, because it allows me to try my hand at making a shiny, new aircraft while also teaching me how to restrain and control the effects I use.

Looking very nice Kenny. I agree with your approach or restraint on the washes for detail.

Thank you Carlos, and thank you for al the feedback you’ve given me because it’s helped me formulate what I want to do with this stuff moving forward.

Incidentally, my A6M3 replacement kit arrived in the mail. I’m excited to start on it but I’m not going to at the moment. There’s a lot of work on these and other projects I want to do, as well as a lot of experimentation left to do to see if I can better refine and discipline my approach to things like fading and chipping. I’ll be working on miles quite a lot before I start on that one.

KennyX wrote:I’m enjoying this, especially this 1:72 in particular, because it allows me to try my hand at making a shiny, new aircraft while also teaching me how to restrain and control the effects I use.

Wait, what ? 1/72 ?

Catching up some posts of the pass week and only noe "realised" this white bird is scale 1/72 !
Just kept on seeing it as a 1/32 without really having the reflect to see it's a few times smaller...
Missed clearly this picture...



Looking extremely good, both ones!


- Kari

That is looking excellent Kenny - I much prefer subtle weathering anyway.

Sorry I forgot to ask the other day - is this the Tamiya kit?

Thank you for your great reply to mine Kenny. Yes, I love 1/72 scale aircraft; for the most part I can complete them fast. However, I haven't the skill to do such refined washes and weathering details as you've just done. Nor do I have the funds for Mig products so I stay with more generic and easily mixed solutions from everyday products or inexpensive art supplies. This is sensationally amazing work. Keep it coming!