Hi Joel,
Again I am very grateful for your help and encouragement. At this stage of my experience I wont both doing different colour panels. I will just keep the A101 colour over all. My present plan is to give the Alclad a bit of a buff. The Micro Mesh liquid I told you about. I used on the black gloss seemed to work well so I intend to use that. It cuts a little but comes to a very smooth shine. I will have to be very careful not to knock off the antennaes etc as I fitted them before painting. I will then spray the Alclad Kleer Gloss over the whole model. I assume you then apply the decals onto that coat of Kleer and then apply another sealing coat over the whole decaled model. Is that a good procedure?
I take it the Kleer Kote doesnt have any little tricks with the airbrush.

Regards

Laurie

BTW I just did a bit of googling re Alclad top coats. Most say dont apply one. Some said apply some pledge. So my thoughts have changed. Perhaps I will polish the Alclad and then apply the decals and then spray on some pledge. Does that sound alright.
I also saw some videos on the Alclad site which I did see before. I recall you telling me and I went in and just read the written instructions. I found the video very informative. For normal finish they just used grey primer but for highly polished surfaces they used the black gloss undercoat and then sprayed the Kleer Kote over the top of the black gloss undercoat.

Laurie,
U Tube has dozens of vids on Alcad applications. I've watched some, and the ones with the biggest views are generally the better ones.

Like I've said, there's generally more then one way to do most things in modeling, including how to apply and finish Alcads.

You only need a primer coat to apply Alcads, but I prefer to also use a Black Gloss base as well, as I really don't like how it looks just over gray primer. Their sealer is very thin, and to me doesn't change the appearance of the metal finish so it looks like paint. I don't use a heavy coat of sealer for decaling, but since I'm sealing Tamiya paints as well, I just air brush the entire model. If I wasn't gong to decal over paint, I most likely wouldn't seal the Alcad finish before hand either. And I always seal my decals. Like I said, there is a yellowing issue down the road if you don't.

I've heard and seen Future/Pledge used as a over coat. Not my preferred method. Honestly, I wouldn't go that route. You need to really thin the Future like 20/80 or the coating is too thick, and somewhat tricky to air brush without runs and or puddles. And the Alcad will most likely look like a painted on surface. I rather use their clear coat #310 straight from the bottle. Never had any issues with it.

I also weather over the clear coat as part of my finishing procedures, so I need to seal the decals. This way I can treat and handle the Alcad like regular paint, and it still looks like a metal finish.

In the Aeroscale Beginner's forum, there is an excellent blog by Nigel Julian on how to use and apply Alcad. He does 5 different types of finishes with Alcads from highly polished to really weathered. Don't know if you ever read through it, but it's worth your time.

As I said at the start, no matter what type and color paint you're air brushing, you need to develop a procedure that you can duplicate over and over. That's the real goal. Honestly, these 1st few models will end up relegated to the "back burner" as you develop your building and painting skills. For most of us it's all about the over all finish. When non-modelers look at your models, they really won't be looking into the cockpit and be in awe of the details, nor how you produced perfect exhaust cans, or a detailed engine. They'll just assume that's it's part of the kit. Even when you explain what you've done to improve the model, they're impressions of what you've accomplished is from the overall view of the finished model. That should always be your number 1 goal.

Every model I've built since I've gotten back into the hobby, is in a display case. Rarely do I take them out, turn them over, and look at the details I've added to the wheel wells, or peer into the cockpits. I just look at them as finished display pieces. God forbid I see some decal flash, or something that I missed. I promise myself that I'm going to fix it. And, I do have several early builds that I cringe at every time I look at them. Most likely they'll be replaced if I can't bring them up to my current standards.

Joel

Hi Joel and ors.
Bugger I just about completed quite a long post and suddenly my finger got stuck in between keys and the whole lot was deleted. Is there a save mechanism somewhere on these posts?. Anyway I will repeat. Nearly completed this model. Airbrushing went great with the Alclad. Getting more comfortable with the airbrush. Love the Alclad. How great is the finish. Had one problem which I am not sure of but suspect it may be that my cleaning of the parts on the sprue may not have been good enough. I found that in the groove where the strut on top of the wing meets the wing that the Alclad lifted a little. I just applied a little more alclad with a fine point brush and you dont notice it.
I didnt apply any clear coat. I just polished it with a liquid abrasive. It came up very smooth. I applied the decals and I am in the process of apply an acrylic water based gloss finish over the top to stop the yellowing you advised me of. Hope it turns out ok.
Only one other problem was with a couple of parts that were too fine that they kept breaking when removing them from the sprue. They were very fine struts that attached to the wheel supports and the wing. They have a little U shaped end. They were about as thin as a mosquitos leg. The clear edition has two of them so I thought I got away with it. But the second ones broke when I was holding them with a pair of needle tip pliers and trying to fit them. Not sure if the lacquer paint I put on them weakened them further but they just seem to melt away in the tips of the pliers. So I just didnt bother with them.
I recall you picked up with your eagle eye that I didnt paint the seams on the canopy. I indicated previously that I wasnt going to worry bbut I changed my mind and decided to give it ago. It has worked out reasonably well and I will attach some photos after they dry.
Here are the photos with the decals applied. I didnt apply any sealer on the Alclad. I read a lot of posts that said not to. So I thought I would try. As I polished the paint up with the liquid abrasive the finish had a good shine anyway. I am in the process of apply a thin layer of water based acrylic gloss finish which I have used before with success to seal the decals. I recall you last comment about yellowing possibilities.
Here are the photos.
Post more later.


Regards

Laurie

Laurie,
Congratulations!! The Mig 15 is turning out super. You're making great progress in you model building skills.

As for deleting your post, there is no save button or key that I know of. And yes, I've done that very thing dozens of times. What I do now when I know that I'm going to be typing and correcting a longish post, is to 1st type it in Word text doc. When done I just copy it, not cut it, and paste it in a reply box. Then make the final changes. If I screw up and accidentally delete it, I still have the original. Unfortunately, I don't do follow my own advice all the time.

As for sealing the Alcad, as you found out, you don't have to. I seal it before decaling because there are other painted areas I will be decaling over. I seal the whole lot with Alcad Kleer Kote. I've never used Future/Pledge or Glosscoat on Alcads. It's a mineral spirit base, and very thin. I also seal the decals and the Alcad finish as I'm going to be weathering as a general rule. My brother doesn't as he prefers a museum finish on his 1/32 scale models.

Removing small parts is a whole different ballgame. I try to use a razor saw to cut them off, or clip the sprue section off, then saw off the parts. I'm only successful about 50% of the time.

Glad you decided to paint the canopy frame. It will make a big difference.

Joel

Hi Joel,
Thanks again for the encouragement. I am glad it is not only me that makes mistakes or has difficulties with some areas. I am very impressed with this model. I have read that generally Tamiya makes good models. I have an examination coming up so my model building will have to wait for a few weeks. I am in the process of ordering a couple of kits from Japan.
Just heard the news that Australia is on alert to go with the US into Iraq. Super Hornets are being fuelled up. I would like build a Hornet down the track.
Will hopefully finish the canopy today which will complete the model

Regards

Laurie

Laurie,
Good luck on your exams.

Personally, like so many Americans, we've been waiting for our troops to finally come back home. Now it looks like it's starting all over again.

Joel

Hi Joel
Well the MIG is now complete. I dipped the canopy into some Klear and let it dry for 24 hours and then fitted it. I found a good article on how to do that and it worked great. Amazing how it brings up the canopy.

Sorry about the lighting. I have to read a bit about how to get the better pictures.
I read your review of the Eduard Spitfire IX (?) I have always had a passion for spitfires and I thought the experience of doing a camourflage paint job would be good. I also have a Starfighter I also ordered a F100F Sabre by Trumpeter. I think I might do a shiny metal finish such as chrome or polished aluminium on one of those.
Thanks heaps for your help on this build and I learnt so much.

Regards

Laurie

Laurie,
That's #2 in the books. The one picture is a little hard to really see the final results. Please post more pictures when you get a chance.

Those are two good choices. I would go for a camo pattern paint finish this time so you can learn a few new painting skills.

Joel

Hi Joel
Here are somhttp://s1293.photobucket.com/user/Laurie_Hallam/media/001_zpsf9891608.jpg.htmle better photos

Laurie,
Very impressive NMF build. I'm not only proud of you, but impressed with your newly acquired skills. You've taken to air brushing like a pro. See, it's a lot easier then it looked.

BTW, the link doesn't work till I deleted the e at the very end of it.

Ok. Now it's time to kick it up another few notches.

Your next build will be done with a camo paint scheme. More air brushing skills to learn. There is a huge difference in technique between a fine line and a soft edge.

Now all those small bits and pieces need to be on the finished aircraft model.

Start looking for what went wrong, or didn't turn out as you wanted it to, and figure out how to correct it for your next build. You already learned how to mask a canopy, and it looks way better then if you didn't mask it.

And it's time to learn the basics of weathering, as it will make a huge difference in the finished model's presentation. Just a pin and sludge wash will drastically change the appearance. How much or how little is totally up to you.

Joel

Thanks for the encouragement Joel.
I have put the Mig on the shelf next to the Sabre. Assuming the scaling is correct on both models I didnt realise the difference in sizes. The MIG is so much smaller than the Sabre.
I think I will camo the Spitfire. My memory tells me that most were painted in camo
One area that I need to get better at is fitting those small parts. I assume the right glue is Super Glue in most cases. On this model I tried to just use such small amounts but it seems to leave a blemish where it is fitted. Do you just sandpaper it out?

I will be ordering the models from Japan today and will be starting work after 9th September.
Thanks for all your help on this build

Regards

Laurie

Laurie,
Nice going with two in the books. There are dozens of Spitfire 1/48 scale kits on the market, I would suggest Eduards XIVc either early or late version. The interior is simply amazing. You'll even learn how to work with PE seatbelts and harnesses.

As for small parts, I carefully add them using Extra thin on the part, as it eats right through paint. I don't like using CA glue for the very reason you pointed out. The only time I really use it is for PE parts. I've used it for sealing Green Stuff, but primer does a better job of it, and is much easier to sand and polish.

Joel