Hi,

I've finished painting my Hellcat in overall Glossy Sea Blue. However, I am a little confused as to what step to do next.

AFAIK, this is the recommended sequence:
1. Apply washes.
2. Apply decals.
3. Drybrush.
4. Apply stains- exhaust and gunpowder.
5. Apply a matt finish.

Is this OK? Or should I do 2 before 1? What I'm worried about is, if I apply decals b4 washes, then the areas behind the decal will not have a wash, and would look odd. Also, I don't have decal setting solution, and will be applying the decals as-is.(BTW, can I use nail polish remover as a setting soln? Anybody tried this out )

Also, if I drybrush on decals, will I ruin the thing?

And, finally, is step 5 reqd for the Hellcat? Since the colour is Glossy blue, i don't think it is reqd.

Advice appreciated. TIA...

BP.

Hi BP.

It's probably best to glosscoat, decal and seal with another gloss and matt coat before starting the weathering. Washes generally flow better on a matt finish, and pastels adhere a little better on matt finishes. I do broad, fading drybrushing after decaling, sealing and washes, but before any pastel work. After removing excess pastels, then I seal with a final matt coat.


HTH

Hi Mike,

Thanks for your inputs, I hear you. But I saw some posts here, as well as articles on the web which say washes go better on glossy coats, but matt tends to spread them out.

Also, I checked up on some pics of the F6F, and some models related articles, which said that the finish given finally was glossy, not matt. So I've decided to go in for a mix of 50-50 Gloss - Matt final coat.

Rgds, BP.

Under NO circumstances put nail polish remover on you model. This is generally heavy in toluene. Remember the scene in Alien when they cut through the face hugger's leg? That's how toluene affects plastic.

AL, I was going to try a technique I read about using nail polish remover and putty. After u put on the putty and its semi hard, dip a q-tip in remover and swab the putty and it will wipe away the excess putty and voila, NO SANDING!! Will it also eat my model?? Thanks for saving me from a disaster.

That's been my experience BP - a Matt Finish spreads out the wash. Could be a typo in the original post...

Gunnie

The active ingredient in the old tube cement and many liquid cements as well as some putties, such as Squadron's Green Stuss, is toluene. That's what causes plastic to melt and bond. Very light and judicious use along a seam line will smooth the putty and thus will reduce sanding time. It it drips down, it may craze the plastic. It is a solvent for just about any paint you use on plastic. It'll also break down cyanoacrylic glues. I've used this to clean brushes that had dried on paint and that had their bristles bonded with super glue.

I should clarify on the wash/matt finish issue. I use water-detergent-based washes that allow you to wipe off excess easily, and I've always found them to me more controllable on a matt clear-coated finish and less likely to bead up on a gloss surface or even in a gloss-coated recessed line. But then again, that's just my experience and others may have had a better experience.

And yes, you're on target on the Hellcat finish. It started out glossy from the factory but weathered rapidly into a satin finish at sea .

HTH

Hmm, that's a bunch of pretty good inputs from everyone. Thanks a lot guys !

BP