I am doing a P-51 and painted it Tamiya X-11 Chrome silver. Will the water used in decal application ruin the finish? Can I paint it again using model master Chrome silver FS17178?
When people talk of applying Future, do they mean with an airbrush?
I NEED an Expert here, what is the best way to achieve a nice finish?
Thank you so very much in advance. I have alot of time invested in this and it is a gift for my father. Thanks again, Cliff B. Knoxville TN.

Hi Cliff

Welcome to Aeroscale - it's great to have you with us.

So long as the Tamiya acrylic silver is thoroughly dry, water won't effect it. When you apply the decals, you should mop up any excess water with a cotton bud, because the decal adhesive that get's mixed into it may dry to leave faint marks (this is true on any paint finish).

Future (or Klear) can be applied with an airbrush or by hand with equally good results. I use a soft medium brush and gentle strokes to avoid causing any bubbles as you pass over panel lines and other details.

All the best

Rowan

Hi there, welcome to Aeroscale I hope you enjoy your time here. For natural metal finishes, I can't recommend enough using Polly Scale railroad colors, aluminum; or Model Master Acryl aluminum which is what I have been using lately.

These types of paints dry quickly and give a good finish for the most part. Occasionally I have had a bit of a rough finish with the Acryl but that was on a very large aircraft model and I suspect the paint was drying before reaching the surface of the model. My fault there. Otherwise have at it, they are both great lines of paint. Hope this helps you out some. Russell

P.S. Here are two photos of natural metal aircraft I did with Model Master Acryl....hope this helps you decide which way you want to go.







P.S.S. Acrylic paints are easy to use, easy to clean up and are safer to use than some of these enamel, read oil based, paints. A good mask with organic vapor filters can be a great help no matter what kind of paint you are using.