The Hasegawa 1/32 D-9, OOB, except for scratched belts and brass tube guns. Tamiya acrylics and matted with Polyscale.





Steve

Very nice Dora Crockett!
When someone does a build like this as clean as yours it means there was little to hide or cover up. That's pretty much why my planes tend to have mud, dirt, soot and chipped paint everywhere. I can't imagine right now doing something like your Dora and leaving it as clean as this one. :-)
Nice job on the antenna. So the decals are OOB Hasegawa as well?

Nice! I like it alot
Hermon

Absolutely beautiful build Steve.
How did you do the markings on the spinner, as it looks like a masking nightmare. Even if its a decal it looks like a lot of fun to apply.
I was about to comment on the antenna being slack, then noticed the canopy was open .Not only going senile but need glasses as well :-) .
Thanks for posting the pics.
Andy (++)

Thanks guys,

Hermon: Yes they are OOB, the #10 was snatched from the spares box, it should be yellow, and there should be a "spade" in a diamond below the cockpit, but.......By the way, these decals are ULTRA THIN and barely tolerate micro set. Do not even think about Solvaset here, it is way too aggressive.


Andy: the spinner was brush painted. I drew the pattern with a 5mm pencil on cured future and slowly painted in between the lines with Gunze gloss white thinned with Windex.

Thanks again guys:

Steve

Hi Crockett,

A great looking model, crisp and well defined.

Are there any tips you can give on airbrushing the mottled camo scheme if possible please.

Many thanks

Mark

Hi Mark,

Ever since I switched to a double action airbrush (Badger 360), mottling has been a joy and is quite easy. I took some advice from a professional airbrush artist-I leave the regulator at 18 to 20 psi and never touch it! Just load the cup with properly thinned Tamiya acrylic and depress the plunger for full airflow, then pull back just a hair for a little bit of paint. The high pressure atomizes the paint and creates the perfect effect.

Regards,
Steve

18 to 20 lbs. huh?
Everything I've ever read said to back down the pressure to around 5lbs for detail work like this. The high pressure certainly did'nt seem to harm your mottled camo though.
Thats some pretty good advice. I've been looking into stepping up to a double action AB the last few weeks. You guys make it sound like a wise investment. Up till now I've had pretty crappy luck with my single action and Tamiya paints.

Thanks for the advice. I think that was the straw that broke the camels back. Now, how do I explain to my wife that I need to make yet another trip to the LHS and pick up another AB?

Hermon

A loverly Dora I have one of these which I hope to build soon, now sooner rather than later Any tips? Or I guess none are required 'cos it looks pretty straight forward.
Very nicely done camo, it's interesting to hear that you spray acrylics at relatively high pressure through a very small appature. Do you have any problems with the paint drying on the tip? This is why I don't use acrylics. I get similar results using very low pressure (1/2 a bar or less, 7psi down to unreadable on my regulator) with enamels and find this method to be very, very controlable with never a sign of the paint drying on the tip.
What have you used for the antenna wire, looks good?
Mal

Hello Mal,

The secret to acrylics at this pressure is to lube the needle. I use petroleum jelly. The antenna is 2lb fishing wire with clear parts cement globs for tensioners......

Regards,
Steve

I use high pressure and Tamiya ( or increasingly Vallejo) too, mainly because my compressor has no regulator. . Using a DA brush gives me all the control I need ( I paint a lot of German Camo, freehand).
Pleas elaborate on lubrication the needle, I mean do you 'lube' the tip of the needle or do you mean the parts inside?

Good job on the Dora by the way..

Cheers
Henk

Henk,

Yes I mean the whole needle. It promotes smooth operation (a must when dispensing micro amounts of paint with the double action feature,) plus prevents paint from "sticking" to the tip. Before doing a paint job, I usually pull the needle, lube and re insert. This is a snap with the Badger 360.

Steve

Thanks Steve, I'll give that a go.


Cheers
Henk

do you know if this will work with enamels? I understand the reason for doing it when using acrylics and I assume that you don't get the petroleum jelly squirting out with the paint. Does the petroleum jelly react differently with enamel paints and/or thinner?
Intrigued
Mal

Top quality Dora! Nice and clean build!

Cheers!

Hey Mal,

I use the lubed needle for both, acrylics and enamels. The petroleum Jelly is just a thin film applied along the entire needle. It is resistant to laquer thinner up to a point, but it works well. The method gives extreme control of overspray and enables free hand camo with the double action brush, as well as precise touch ups without masking.

Steve

Cheers Steve, I'll give it a go. I'm quite at ease doing freehand airbrushing, but anything that will make life easier will get my vote
Mal

Great build Steve! and I really enjoyed ready the threads about lubing the needle. Do you know if regular airbrush needle lubing oil would do the same thing?
Leon

Hi Leon,

Yes I'm sure the storebought stuff is great, but, as a low cost alternative, I go with the petroleum jelly. I go to Walgreens or CVS pharmacy and get the generic paetroleum jelly. One tube will lube the brush for a lifetime!

Steve