Thank you very much for this advice. I've read the whole thread and can't wait to get started. I just need some free time...
Airfix
- Thread starter agnes
- Start date
Thank you very much for this advice. I've read the whole thread and can't wait to get started. I just need some free time...
I bought a cheap airbrush & compressor with tank off ebay (it was around £70). I used that for most part. Then a brushes for fine detail, washing, dry brushing and highlighting the panel lines.
The paint I used were Mr Hobby / Gunze Sangyo, had a very good experience with them and would recommend them.
Did a lot of reading while doing the model which helped a lot.
I've got a FW190D-9 here to do next, looking forward to it as I really enjoyed building the spit.
Associate
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- 3 Sep 2003
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- 1,699
I have one of those spray booths myself. It works well with filtering out the smell of tamiya acrylics & thinners, even without using the ducting to extract to an outside window.
Oh, and white tack seems to leave less residue on plastic than blue tack.
Oh, and white tack seems to leave less residue on plastic than blue tack.
Built my first model for over 20 years over the last week or so.
Its the first time I've painted a model, previously I've just glued them together and that's it.. but I was only around 10.
Overall i'm happy, still a few little things to finish but its pretty much done.
that is a very nice effort considering its your first in 20 years, and I also virtually exclusively use Mr Color paint, very easy to spray, goes on nice and dries to a very tough finish. I've also built that Eduard Spitfire mk IX meself a few months back, very nice kit and the most accurate 1/48 scale representation of a spit you can get.
Cheers mate, my first time using an airbrush as well, the finish you get is fantastic.
I had a bit of a nightmare with the gloss coat I put on to cover the decals, I spray near the back door of the house and had to pop out into the garden, leaving the door open. The clear coat contracted and cracked quite badly so I spent a lot of time sanding everything back.
Had to re-paint the invasion stripes, which is why you can see a slight colour overlap on the tip of the port wing.
The next nightmare came when removing the masking tape from repainting the invasion stripes, doing so pulled half of the roundel decal off. Ended up having to try and match the colours mixing some artists acrylics and paint half of it back on by hand. I'm really pleased with the result you can barely tell.
I had a bit of a nightmare with the gloss coat I put on to cover the decals, I spray near the back door of the house and had to pop out into the garden, leaving the door open. The clear coat contracted and cracked quite badly so I spent a lot of time sanding everything back.
Had to re-paint the invasion stripes, which is why you can see a slight colour overlap on the tip of the port wing.
The next nightmare came when removing the masking tape from repainting the invasion stripes, doing so pulled half of the roundel decal off. Ended up having to try and match the colours mixing some artists acrylics and paint half of it back on by hand. I'm really pleased with the result you can barely tell.
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I've noticed an awful lot of people use "Johnson's Klear" or some other form of coating to protect the paint finish and to add a nice gloss finish for the decals to adhere to and so prevent "silvering"
I must be the only person around who doesn't any form of gloss finish, I just apply the decals straight over the paint after having first applied the wash to pick out the panel lines. Mr Color paint, being the old Gunze Sangyo gear, is really good in this respect and even though its a semi matt finish, its really smooth and will accept decals really well, so no silvering but I still use plenty of setting solution so the decals grip well and where possible, I only use quality decals, Eduard's own, Cartograph, Eagle Cal, etc.
Heres a coupla pics of the same Spitfire as yours, even in the same markings.
Caporegime
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- Welling, London
I know it's not strictly Airfix, but here's how one of my ships is coming along. Still rough around the edges, but there's a lot of work and improvements to be done yet. The hull is basically there though.
Soldato
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- 27 Apr 2004
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- Doncaster, S.Yorks
Ive recently got my mojo back and started on some of my models again, kinda helped by my girlfriend buying me a few model things for christmas, the one im tackling is the Airfix Merlin HC.3, its a big helo thats for sure, only issues ive run into so far is the colours, i dont use Humbrol and finding the right colour in Revell is a pain in the back side, so its kinda sitting untouched at the moment - Next up is a Tamiya Ford Capri and a Tamiya Skyraider A-1H with motorised props and base 
Still to complete
Tamiya - Ducati 916, Skyline R33, R34, R35, NSX none type r version, Mclaren MP4/5B (not going to get finished as cant find marlboro decals), XJ220, Lexus LFA, F40, Challenger 2, Super Pershing, Chieftain mk5, Skyraider A1-H, Ford Capri
Revell - Typhoon, M48 Patton, 3 Tornado's, B2 Stealth Bomber, Harrier, BF109 E
Airfix - Lynx AH-7, Landrover set, Merlin HC.3, couple of Spitfires and a P40 warhawk.
Eduard - 109 E4 Profipack
Still to complete
Tamiya - Ducati 916, Skyline R33, R34, R35, NSX none type r version, Mclaren MP4/5B (not going to get finished as cant find marlboro decals), XJ220, Lexus LFA, F40, Challenger 2, Super Pershing, Chieftain mk5, Skyraider A1-H, Ford Capri
Revell - Typhoon, M48 Patton, 3 Tornado's, B2 Stealth Bomber, Harrier, BF109 E
Airfix - Lynx AH-7, Landrover set, Merlin HC.3, couple of Spitfires and a P40 warhawk.
Eduard - 109 E4 Profipack
Pieman, that 109 K4 you build previously is it a Hasegawa? Where did you get it from and what's the cockpit like?
From looking at models in shops I have to say I'm becoming a bit of a fan of Eduard Profipacks. The photoetch makes a big difference.
Willing to try new things though, I want to build a 1/48 109 E4 or K4 just looking for the right model.
From looking at models in shops I have to say I'm becoming a bit of a fan of Eduard Profipacks. The photoetch makes a big difference.
Willing to try new things though, I want to build a 1/48 109 E4 or K4 just looking for the right model.
The only place you'll get hold of a late G-6, G-10, G-14 or K-4 is via Ebay or direct from China or the USA. they're a bit expensive and shipping costs a bit higher than normal and theres the obvious longer delivery time than usual.
That K-4 of mine is a hasegawa in 1/48 scale and was sent to me by a mate in Canada.
Wrt Eduard, you really can't go wrong here, great fit, lots of detail and parts for a few variants, but the build process can be very fiddly at times but well worth the extra work and their Bf109E models look superb when built just straight from the box and can be amazing when a load of Eduard after market goodies are thrown at them.
Funnily enough, the "new tool" airfix 1/48 Bf109E are absolute gems considering the price, though not quite as nice as the Eduard versions, and Eduard do make after market P/E parts for these kits, so you'd end up with a sort of "Airfix Profipack" as it were.
You lucky bugger, where'd you find it?
Feel free to ask anything here or even drop me an email via ocuk trust and Ill see if I can help.
Caporegime
- Joined
- 1 Dec 2010
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- 53,766
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- Welling, London
Ive recently got my mojo back and started on some of my models again, kinda helped by my girlfriend buying me a few model things for christmas, the one im tackling is the Airfix Merlin HC.3, its a big helo thats for sure, only issues ive run into so far is the colours, i dont use Humbrol and finding the right colour in Revell is a pain in the back side, so its kinda sitting untouched at the moment - Next up is a Tamiya Ford Capri and a Tamiya Skyraider A-1H with motorised props and base
Still to complete
Tamiya - Ducati 916, Skyline R33, R34, R35, NSX none type r version, Mclaren MP4/5B (not going to get finished as cant find marlboro decals), XJ220, Lexus LFA, F40, Challenger 2, Super Pershing, Chieftain mk5, Skyraider A1-H, Ford Capri
Revell - Typhoon, M48 Patton, 3 Tornado's, B2 Stealth Bomber, Harrier, BF109 E
Airfix - Lynx AH-7, Landrover set, Merlin HC.3, couple of Spitfires and a P40 warhawk.
Eduard - 109 E4 Profipack
What colour are you after?
Depending on the version depicted, RLM 74, 75, 76, 82, 83, 70, "77" (this color was used very late on in the war for the wing upper surfaces and is the pale grey on the wings model in me pics of the K-4 and D9) and theres also a very pale yellow/ green color that was used for undersides and fuselage sides though I don't know the RLM number for it.
I'd check out "ModelRgo" and have a look at tghe Mr Color range they sell.
Hope this helps.
Soldato
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- 25 Sep 2011
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- 3,859
Use to build them all the time with my dad as a kid.. still got them in a box somewhere after they all use to hang from my bedroom ceiling
I built a quick Mig last year and really enjoyed it again bringing lots of memories back!
However.. I am absolutely shocking at painting. Im like a 4 year old dipping half a potato in a paint pot and just smashing it on. And because of this, it just puts me off getting back into it as I know ill only be dissapointed at the end! lol!
I built a quick Mig last year and really enjoyed it again bringing lots of memories back!
However.. I am absolutely shocking at painting. Im like a 4 year old dipping half a potato in a paint pot and just smashing it on. And because of this, it just puts me off getting back into it as I know ill only be dissapointed at the end! lol!
I've not read the 17 pages fully, but i'd seriously recommend using acrylics over enamels (going off previous AirFix experience here, and many other model miniature painting/building experiences!). AirFix used to always supply/recommend the enamel paints with their kits, and it was terrible in every sense - bad for brushes, bad for the model (course texture), bad for mistakes and bad for those accidental spillages.
Acrylics are waterbased so allow dilution and cleaning to occur, as well as providing a far neater finish.
You can get matte and gloss varnish to seal the model after painting too.
For engines and exhausts, i'd recommend a fast an effective process known as 'drybrushing'; first with a dark metallic silver, then with orange/brown mix; it'll give a great worn look to the model.
Bullet holes and impact marks can be achieved through liberal use of a scalpel/craft knife and pin-vice drill, depending on the impact and penetration of the round, you can create some masterpieces of battle-damage.
Faces on pilots/drivers/troops are best off with a form of layering; go for a black undercoat, then brown basecoat, then layer up after that, be sure to leave the crevices in the face with a touch of dark/shadow effect in them. Alternatively you can start off light, and use watered down 'washes' which should pool into the nooks and crannies of the faces.
Eyes, red-dot sights, optics etc are easier to do too - big white dot of paint on eye (or blue for optics), then with a pin, a tiny blue/black/green dot for the pupils. It sounds straight forward, but i've seen so many people try to paint an eye ball like:
[White dot] blue dot [white dot] - you'll be forever perfecting the eyeball as each side-by-side layer will bleed over and not ever look quite right!
As seen by the excellent painted Spitfire above, you can use ultra-low-tac masking tape, and also spray paint to achieve straight lines. Where possible though, try to line up the ailerons and raised/lowered surfaces away from the edges of any striping/camouflage (centrally is best) - that's a minor nitpick though!
Acrylics are waterbased so allow dilution and cleaning to occur, as well as providing a far neater finish.
You can get matte and gloss varnish to seal the model after painting too.
For engines and exhausts, i'd recommend a fast an effective process known as 'drybrushing'; first with a dark metallic silver, then with orange/brown mix; it'll give a great worn look to the model.
Bullet holes and impact marks can be achieved through liberal use of a scalpel/craft knife and pin-vice drill, depending on the impact and penetration of the round, you can create some masterpieces of battle-damage.
Faces on pilots/drivers/troops are best off with a form of layering; go for a black undercoat, then brown basecoat, then layer up after that, be sure to leave the crevices in the face with a touch of dark/shadow effect in them. Alternatively you can start off light, and use watered down 'washes' which should pool into the nooks and crannies of the faces.
Eyes, red-dot sights, optics etc are easier to do too - big white dot of paint on eye (or blue for optics), then with a pin, a tiny blue/black/green dot for the pupils. It sounds straight forward, but i've seen so many people try to paint an eye ball like:
[White dot] blue dot [white dot] - you'll be forever perfecting the eyeball as each side-by-side layer will bleed over and not ever look quite right!
As seen by the excellent painted Spitfire above, you can use ultra-low-tac masking tape, and also spray paint to achieve straight lines. Where possible though, try to line up the ailerons and raised/lowered surfaces away from the edges of any striping/camouflage (centrally is best) - that's a minor nitpick though!