SPA Modeler

I masked off a finite area containing the errant markings to rubbed down. This will protect the surrounding areas and saving me from additional re-painting. Using Micro Mesh #6000, the black areas are rubbed away. Complete removal is not necessary but I want to make sure that there are no paint edges. After the #6000, I used #8000 to smooth out the general repair area. After the rub-down, the masking tape is removed and the area is carefully cleaned with a damp cloth.



The area is masked again in preparation for re-painting.



Key to this repair is the paint that I am using. I've found that AK Real Metal White Aluminum is VERY opaque, even in thin layers and lays down very wet. This quality allows even small amounts to blend in perfectly with areas previously sprayed. So I knew going in that I had a very good chance at a seamless repair.



These areaw will be sealed with a gloss coat before any masking is attempted again. Looks good except I've lost some of the rivet detail under the starboard wing.

Now that the error has been corrected, I can start to re-do the masked markings. Comparing with the decal to make sure the size is right!


I've also decided to do the small 2-color aircraft codes on the fuselage at the same time as the underwing codes.





Forgot to take pics of the completed underwing codes but they came out ok. I moved on to the Royal Indian Airforce roundels next. I mixed the orange and green to match the color of the decals. The green is a 3:1 mix of Tamiya Green and Neutral Grey. The orange is a 8:1 mix of Tamiya Orange and Red. I've decided to go from outside to inside so starting with the orange.


After the orange, the white area is masked and sprayed next.



After the white, the green centers complete the roundels.


Any raised edges of paint is smoothed down using 8000 Micro Mesh.



The port fin flash has some color bleed along the edges so I'm going to correct that.


The final Q marking is masked.


Tamiya tape is used to mask off the fin flash correction and AK Extreme Metal White Aluminum is used to make the correction.



The major markings are now finished!

All those minute corrections have made this a masterpiece again. Fabulous

Incredible work...

Wow! That looks great!!

Thanks guys! Appreciate the check-in with this build.

After the painted markings are finished, I applied the stencil decals. I just could not get the clear decal film carrier to budge on my test mule so I decided to just apply them straight. A combination of Mr Mark Setter and Mr Mark Softer did a good job of pulling down the decal enough so the carrier was not too noticeable.




The appearance of the clean, NMF is pretty appealing but I've made the decision to impart wear on this model so we move on to the pastel wash process. I prepared a custom wash mix using water and pastel chalk. Starting with the bottom of the plane, the wash is liberally applied to all of the recessed and raised details.



After the wash dries, it is wiped off using damp, not wet, paper towels.


I've noticed right away that I am getting some funky stains from the wash. I'm not sure what is causing it but it seems to align with the masking. Maybe the adhesive from the Post-It is still causing a reaction with the AK Extreme Metal through the Tamiya LP-9 clear gloss layer.


The upper wings are exhibiting a different kind of stain, which seems to follow the original disruption caused by the Post-It adhesive on the AK Extreme Metal.



Either way, I am not too worried about it. I can remove some of it and the remaining can be incorporated into the wear effects, I think.






I'm going to sit on this stage for a few days and make sure I clean up the wash and any exaggerated stain effects. A flat coat will lock everything into place.

Do you usually put a drop of dish soap when mixing chalk and water for your custom wash? What is your usual go-to color preference chalk when making your own wash? What is your usual chalk : water ratio? Sometimes I feel I didn’t scrape enough chalk when mixing with water and a single drop of Dawn dish soap. It know it’s all about trial and error to find that sweet spot when brewing your own custom wash.

I have on occasion made my own wash but I usually use black for most, sometimes dark grey on some depending on the subject. I had thought about getting brown but wished I had. Have you used brown chalk wash on some subjects?

I, too tried wiping it away with a towel squeezed til damp, but I wondered why most of it were wiped away. Now I learn you let it dry completely before wiping away excess wash. Then again, I probably wiped it off with towel too damp.

I’m curious what chalk color you used on the Tempest II kit. It looks really great.

This WIP will become my instructions when I'm going to build mine. Such a great rescue of the "brain fart".

BlackSheep214 wrote: ↑Mon May 20, 2024 8:08 pm Do you usually put a drop of dish soap when mixing chalk and water for your custom wash? What is your usual go-to color preference chalk when making your own wash? What is your usual chalk : water ratio? Sometimes I feel I didn’t scrape enough chalk when mixing with water and a single drop of Dawn dish soap. It know it’s all about trial and error to find that sweet spot when brewing your own custom wash.

I have on occasion made my own wash but I usually use black for most, sometimes dark grey on some depending on the subject. I had thought about getting brown but wished I had. Have you used brown chalk wash on some subjects?

I, too tried wiping it away with a towel squeezed til damp, but I wondered why most of it were wiped away. Now I learn you let it dry completely before wiping away excess wash. Then again, I probably wiped it off with towel too damp.

I’m curious what chalk color you used on the Tempest II kit. It looks really great.

Hi Tom! Thank you for asking questions about the pastel wash. I'm not sure where it originated but I remember reading about it and deciding to try it. I've been using these pastel chalks by Sargent Art but I'm sure other chalk products would work just as well as long as they are not oil-based.


Since a good result requires the wash to be very opaque, I've learned to work with VERY small amounts of water. 3-5 drops. Otherwise, you'd have to scrape up a ton of chalk particulates to make the wash effective. You want the wash liquid to be opaque without transparency. The effect is created by the chalk particulates left behind in the recessed detail so you want want as much chalk as possible. I add a dab of dishwashing soap to help suspend the particulates in the water.

I rarely use blacks or greys but prefer to use brown shades for my washes. Most common is a mixture of black/brown for the majority of WW2 camo schemes. I like browns because the panel wash process will inevitably leave traces of the chalk outside of the recessed details, sometimes slightly staining the paint. The brownish residue adds a subtle layer of wear/tear to the model, which I like. I used a black/brown mix for this Tempest build.

The wash is applied over the model using a small paint brush. Because of the small amount of available wash, I typically try to trace the rivet and panel lines instead of just applying over the entire surface. Allow this to dry completely before proceeding to the next step.

To remove the excess wash from the model, I use a small piece of paper towel folded up to about a square inch in size. You want this to be slightly damp, not wet. Water will displace the chalk particulates from the model and you don't want to remove the chalk from the recessed areas. I typically dab the piece of paper towel on my tongue to moisten it. Wiping will immediately load the paper towel with chalk so I will open and re-fold the paper towel piece as necessary.

mostrich wrote: ↑Tue May 21, 2024 2:56 am This WIP will become my instructions when I'm going to build mine. Such a great rescue of the "brain fart".

Thanks Torben! I am king of the brain farts!

Thank you for your response. This is a great learning experience. Now I understand your method. Gotta write this down in my notebook.