SPA Modeler

The rudder looks excellent!

Nice kill marks!

Thank you! That means a lot because I had a Dickens of a time painting it up how I wanted it. And I’m glad I did it separately, because I’d have had a hard time getting the job done on that if it were attached.

I’m listening to a terrible punk band from Austin, TX and working on a few the stencils tonight, beginning with the propeller. I used the lines on my cutting mat to line them up how I wanted. And on Carlos’ and Bruce’s suggestion, I’m using the Micto Set/Sol on them. So far, so good.



Also, in terms of the clear coat, I definitely like Tamiya Clear better than the Teator’s gloss coat from a rattle can which I was using. This is much better. I mixed it up around 2.5:1, thinner to paint respectively. Sprayed very well. Got a nice protective gloss on there without it being super-shiny. And from what I’ve observed so far, the setting solution isn’t interfering with the finish.

If it’s Tamiya, it’s probably far superior... I am not a fan of Testors Clear Coat products.

Carlos, mmmhm. Back when I was brush painting the models, it worked okay but I can’t go back. The rattle can isnfar too uncontrollable. And the Tamiya clear, like all of the Tamiya paints I’ve used so far, reduce very well and I like that a lot. I like to build it all up gradually, in a controlled manner.

Emil is shaping up very nicely. The prop is well done and it'll look even better once the decals go on... gonna be a big improvement over the first Emil.

Took some time off this morning to stick it to the man and get more decals in-place.

I’ve come to really enjoy this process. No casualties this time like with my last Emil. That makes me happy.

I apply Micro Set with a small, fine brush where the decal will go. If the decals are small, I carefully brush those into place. If they’re large, I carefully use my fingers to manipulate them into place. Once positioned, I use more Micro Set, brushes onto the decals, just like Carlos and the instructions say to. These Eduard decals are no joke. I’m noticing them conforming very nicely to the surface of the aircraft, and the panel lines and fine details are showing through just fine without the use of Micro Sol. This is good, because as I have discovered in my experiments, that Micro Sol will eat into Tamiya Clear, as well as Taniya paint a little bit.

To Mr. John, thank you buddy! I’ve tried really hard to improve and it’s really nice to see improvements, and even nicer to hear people I look up to tell me they see me improving! Much appreciated.

To Bruce, man those are some crazy rabbit holes to fall down. I like Bradbury. And I’m a big fan of Marilyn. And today I’m listening to Afghan Whigs, as well as Greg Dulli’s new band Twilight Singers. Both perennial favorites.

Right on Kenny! I see you have an Optivisor! Good magnification is a must for serious modelers, IMO. My modeling took a big leap when I started using a simple magnifying glass. The visors free up your hands and allow more flexibility in that you are not physically restricted to putting some under a mounted glass.

Some decals are good and will conform nicely without too much help. After the Microset, I usually use the Microsol to snuggle the decals into the recesses AND will use an x-acto blade if necessary. I also have Walters Solvaset, which is similar to Microsol but is noticeably "hotter" and must be used with caution or it can damage some decals. Pay special attention to white as this is usually a bit thicker than other colors because it is needed to provide the necessary opacity so the underlying colors don't show through. White decals and white portions of decals are usually the most stubborn in terms of not conforming.