Hi guys, I have just finished my I-153 build.

Can you please take a look and point out the mistakes? Please pull no punches, I want to learn. I am not going to get offended.

About the model:
It came in a Hasegawa set of two Polikarpov fighters: I-16 and I-153, but the Chaika was an ICM production down to a logo etched in a sprue frame.
It is the model of I-153 flown by mjr Pyotr Biskup of 71 AIP.
It was built out of the box with some minor changes to the suggested paint scheme that I've made while studying the photos of the real "silver 102".
I was over-ambitions with this one. The model is clearly not a newbie set and I found myself struggling very badly. I broke pretty much every tiny piece I tried to work with (combination of clumsy hands, bad tools and incredibly fragile plastic). I'm not too happy with the end result, but I have learned a lot and hopefully the next one will be better. I would apreciate any criticism that would help me progress. I already know the following:
- I messed up the decals. I need to trim closer.
- The RS-82 rickets and the launchers are terrible. I am thinking about removing them altogether.
- I messed up very badly with the first few strings until I found out a clean way of attaching them (I used EZ line as per Gary "Gazza"'s suggestions - thank you so much for that tip, the stuff is amazing!)
- It's all paintrbrushed, and I can see some paint strokes myself, but I am not giving in. I find paintbrushing pleasant whereas airbrushing is a nasty chore for me. I know the results are worse, but I am going to stick to my brushes anyway.
- Colours might be off. I was aiming at AMT-4/faded AMT-6 camo with AMT-7 underside, but I was mixing the paints myself and being a little bit colour-blind I don't know if I got close enough.
- photos are bad. The lighting is terrible, but I've already waited two days for a tiny bit of sunshine without any success.

Thanks
Shrimpman

Hello,

Wahoo, cool résult on a tricky build (I guess). I'm always fascinated by biplanes builds, as I would make an alignement mess of these wings, landing gears and stuff
Relly nicely done !

Best,

Stef (#6)

I'm really not very knowledgeable about Russian aircraft, but over all the model looks pretty good in your pictures. Since you wanted a dead on honest critique, my main concern is your painting.

I know that you rather hand paint then air brush, but there are methods you can use to end up with a painted finish almost as smooth and consistent as one that is air brushed on, but it takes a lot of effort.

For the demarcation lines use masking tape. Many of your lines aren't straight as they show the unevenness of hand shake. Same for the black bands on your bombs, (decals would have been a lot easier). Use masking tape for a sharp clean demarcation line. Burnish down the tape, and apply a light coat of a clear from a rattle can. it will seal the edges so you won't get any paint leaking under the tape.

Let each color coat dry for several days, then polish out. Even an old cotton cloth will help to smooth out the brush strokes. I've used a very light polishing compound being careful not to rub over any raised areas or corners. There the paint is very thin, and you'll rub it right off. Dust will require a heavier hand and even light sanding and repainting. But dust is a universal problem for all of us. If it doesn't bother you, then just let it be.

The smoother the surface, the better the decaling will turn out. There is two non-airbrush methods to apply the gloss coat. Hand brush a product such as Pledge, when dry it also needs a polishing out. Or use a rattle can from Model Master as an example. Decal using the Micro system to start with. When dry, seal with Gloss and once again lightly polish with a dry cotton cloth.

The overall finish is 90% of the build, and it's what everyone sees 1st when viewing your models.

I hope this helps and is the type of feedback you're looking for.

Joel

I've only noticed the reply now. Thanks for the advice, I really appreciate this! I've never even thought of that polishing technique to smooth out the brush strokes. I am still trying out different ratios of paint/thinner to thin down the paint and I often find my paint too thick, that's where I get the worst brush strokes.
I got very intrigued about the masking part, I never attempted to mask off the really small pieces, because I inevitably end up with an ugly ridge as the paint builds up against the edge of the tape. Would you have any tips on how to avoid that?