England - North West, United Kingdom
Joined: September 06, 2006
KitMaker: 252 posts
AeroScale: 162 posts
Posted: Monday, January 01, 2007 - 10:08 PM UTC
These two puppies are the subject of a future article aimed at beginners/newcomers to our hobby. Basic procedures/methods are described and a single action 'cheap' airbrush is used. The article will also cover techniques such as using Alclad, Blu-tack, future/klear, washes, dry-brushing, set/sol etc.
The kits in question are both 1:72 scale - Academy for the P-51D and Revell for the Bf109G-10. The base is unfortunately 1:48 as I don't normally build 1:72
The article will be ready soon (about half completed) and when finished (and when Rowan has the time :-) ) it will be posted.
For now, have a look at the pics and see what you think.
Thanks,
Lee
Lee Jackson - Modeller/Retailer
Money can't buy you hapiness - but it can buy you the kind of misery you prefer!
Nothing in life is so exhilarating as to be shot at without result - Winston Churchill
Scotland, United Kingdom
Joined: June 01, 2006
KitMaker: 1,707 posts
AeroScale: 1,119 posts
Posted: Monday, January 01, 2007 - 10:29 PM UTC
Niiiiiice work Lee! I'll be following this thread as a "re-offender" (right word?) and I'm looking forward to it....
:-)
"I´m going back to the front to relax"
"THE BLACK CATS FLIES TONIGHT"
"Find your enemy and shoot him down - everything else is unimportant"
"When you're out of F-8's... You're out of fighters!"
England - East Anglia, United Kingdom
Joined: November 09, 2006
KitMaker: 295 posts
AeroScale: 276 posts
Posted: Monday, January 01, 2007 - 10:37 PM UTC
Ahh excellent, I'm looking forward to that as I'm putting off starting a P-51D as I've no idea on alclad.
Thanks, from another re-offender.
H
P.S thanks for your companies GREAT service over the christmas period. I'll be looking for more paints and bits soon.
England - North West, United Kingdom
Joined: September 06, 2006
KitMaker: 252 posts
AeroScale: 162 posts
Posted: Monday, January 01, 2007 - 10:49 PM UTC
Hi Howard,
Glad you are happy with our service
Alclad is pretty easy. In simple terms -
1. Apply undercoat (I use Halfords grey car primer)
2. Leave overnight
3. Spray lots of thin coats of Alclad (I normally use between 5 and 10 coats!)
4. Leave overnight
5. Seal with Klear (apparently this step is not a must but I do it anyway)
6. Leave overnight
7. Carry out the rest of your paint job.
Here are two pics from stage 1 and 3 -
Regards,
Lee
Lee Jackson - Modeller/Retailer
Money can't buy you hapiness - but it can buy you the kind of misery you prefer!
Nothing in life is so exhilarating as to be shot at without result - Winston Churchill
England - East Anglia, United Kingdom
Joined: September 04, 2006
KitMaker: 89 posts
AeroScale: 77 posts
Posted: Monday, January 01, 2007 - 11:17 PM UTC
Love the P51. I've recently fininshed one and it's rubbish in comparison. Looking forward to the rest to pick up some tips.
If in doubt get as much lead down the range as possible.
#041
Kobenhavn, Denmark
Joined: July 20, 2006
KitMaker: 10,069 posts
AeroScale: 3,788 posts
Posted: Tuesday, January 02, 2007 - 12:41 AM UTC
Great jobs. I am all new to the alclad thing. What is it? I guess I will know from the article
Looking forward to see and read more.
Five stars for the good initiative
Campaign'oholic - 252+ campaigns completed
England - East Anglia, United Kingdom
Joined: November 09, 2006
KitMaker: 295 posts
AeroScale: 276 posts
Posted: Tuesday, January 02, 2007 - 12:50 AM UTC
Thanks Lee, I hear it shows up all the marks and blemishes is that correct?
H
England - North West, United Kingdom
Joined: September 06, 2006
KitMaker: 252 posts
AeroScale: 162 posts
Posted: Tuesday, January 02, 2007 - 01:02 AM UTC
Yes, it can show up the blemishes but to be honest the primer will do that first so you can correct anything before you get around to the Alclad coats.
I have only ever had 2 problems with Alclad -
1. I once tried Tamiya gloss black as an undercoat (as recomended for the Chrome). I tried it under Aluminium - it took at least 15 coats of Alclad but I still wasn't happy with the finish.
2. It once crazed very slightly when applying over the grey car primer - it has only done this once and I really dont know why - it was probably either atmospheric conditions (temperature or humidity) or perhaps the primer wasn't fully hardened. Its not done it to me since and I still use the same methods so.......
Lee
Lee Jackson - Modeller/Retailer
Money can't buy you hapiness - but it can buy you the kind of misery you prefer!
Nothing in life is so exhilarating as to be shot at without result - Winston Churchill
England - North West, United Kingdom
Joined: September 06, 2006
KitMaker: 252 posts
AeroScale: 162 posts
Posted: Tuesday, January 02, 2007 - 01:07 AM UTC
Quoted Text
Great jobs. I am all new to the alclad thing. What is it? I guess I will know from the article
Looking forward to see and read more.
Five stars for the good initiative
Hi Jesper,
Alclad is a lacquer - not a paint. It comes in a variety of colours including Aluminium, Chrome, Jet exhaust, Duralumin etc. It contains millions of tiny particles suspended in the clear lacquer (shake well
). the lacquer will disolve plastic over time hence the need for an undercoat/primer.
Have a look at their site -
http://www.alclad2.com/alclad-home.html Regards,
Lee
Lee Jackson - Modeller/Retailer
Money can't buy you hapiness - but it can buy you the kind of misery you prefer!
Nothing in life is so exhilarating as to be shot at without result - Winston Churchill
#042
England - North East, United Kingdom
Joined: November 18, 2006
KitMaker: 2,828 posts
AeroScale: 1,720 posts
Posted: Tuesday, January 02, 2007 - 01:39 AM UTC
I too swear by Alclad for NMF and it's dead simple to use once you get a grasp of it and produces some amazing effects. The only thing to remember is when using certain finishes (Chrome, Polished Aluminium and the Prismatic Colours) is to use an ENAMEL gloss black paint for the coat between. I've tried acrylics and Halfords gloss black and the laquer just seperates and crazes.
Here's one of my P-47D's done in Alclad. The pics not the best (still expertimenting with my digital SLR) but you can see the various panels were done with Aluminium, Dark Aluminium and Duraluminium
Modellers Creed: This is my toolbox. There are many like it, but this one is mine. My toolbox is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life. My toolbox, without me, is useless. Without my toolbox, I am useless.
Washington, United States
Joined: October 05, 2003
KitMaker: 588 posts
AeroScale: 468 posts
Posted: Tuesday, January 02, 2007 - 02:07 AM UTC
Looks really nice Lee. I am looking forward to your article...
Leon
England - North West, United Kingdom
Joined: September 06, 2006
KitMaker: 252 posts
AeroScale: 162 posts
Posted: Tuesday, January 02, 2007 - 02:08 AM UTC
Yep Allen is dead right - ENAMEL for those shades NOT Acrylic. I used acrylic gloss black because I was not using one of those shades. However, it could be the simple fact that I used acrylic that caused me to need so many coats of Alclad (It was a Revell P-47D by the way).
Like Allen I often use different shades and you can also polish individual panels to get slight variations. On the P-51D though I wanted too keep it simple.....
Lee
Lee Jackson - Modeller/Retailer
Money can't buy you hapiness - but it can buy you the kind of misery you prefer!
Nothing in life is so exhilarating as to be shot at without result - Winston Churchill
England - South East, United Kingdom
Joined: March 07, 2005
KitMaker: 868 posts
AeroScale: 690 posts
Posted: Thursday, January 04, 2007 - 12:02 AM UTC
..never used Alclad either ...a spray can usually does the job for me ...but looks very nice
I guess thats the Revell G-10 OOB - weird colour combination on the fuselage bands... ....has the mottle had a light sanding to 'blend' it in...?
I will be getting these kits out of the stash in anticipation of completing them as per the article...while not really a newcomer I haven't actually completed a model for about 3 years ...this seems like a great way to get going again (hopefully..)
looking forward to it...
England - North West, United Kingdom
Joined: September 06, 2006
KitMaker: 252 posts
AeroScale: 162 posts
Posted: Thursday, January 04, 2007 - 12:15 AM UTC
Quoted Text
has the mottle had a light sanding to 'blend' it in...?
Hello Neil,
No, I used two methods (one on each side) that a beginner without a super fine tipped airbrush can manage. Both involve masking -
1 using small blu-tack balls
2 using small pieces of foam sponge held in place with dabs of masking fluid.
The camo colours were sprayed first and then the RLM76 was sprayed OVER these masks.
Personally, I reckon the sponge looks better as it has a more random effect and softer edges. The blu-tack is very good for giving the soft edges on the wing tips and between rlm76 and the upper surfaces. The article will have pics of both sides of the aircraft so you can compare.
And yes, the 109 is the Revell kit OOB (except fishing line ariel). The P-51D has after market decals - the kit ones are garbage. It also has Quickboost hollowed out resin exhausts - mainly because I cut two of the ports clean of the kit ones with a sharp knife (by accident).
Lee
Lee Jackson - Modeller/Retailer
Money can't buy you hapiness - but it can buy you the kind of misery you prefer!
Nothing in life is so exhilarating as to be shot at without result - Winston Churchill
#041
Kobenhavn, Denmark
Joined: July 20, 2006
KitMaker: 10,069 posts
AeroScale: 3,788 posts
Posted: Thursday, January 04, 2007 - 08:02 PM UTC
Quoted Text
Hi Jesper,
Alclad is a lacquer - not a paint. It comes in a variety of colours including Aluminium, Chrome, Jet exhaust, Duralumin etc. It contains millions of tiny particles suspended in the clear lacquer (shake well ). the lacquer will disolve plastic over time hence the need for an undercoat/primer.
Have a look at their site -
http://www.alclad2.com/alclad-home.html
Regards,
Lee
Thanks for the link. I might try it out even though I am a little scared of ruining a otherwise good model. Maybe I should experiment on my old HE 115 from Matchbox.
Campaign'oholic - 252+ campaigns completed
England - North West, United Kingdom
Joined: September 06, 2006
KitMaker: 252 posts
AeroScale: 162 posts
Posted: Thursday, January 04, 2007 - 08:47 PM UTC
One thing to note about Alclad - it is VERY highly flammable so unless you can get it within your own region be prepared for a long wait - it has to go by surface mail.
Quoted Text
Thanks for the link. I might try it out even though I am a little scared of ruining a otherwise good model. Maybe I should experiment on my old HE 115 from Matchbox.
As long as you have covered all the plastic with a primer you shouldn't have any problems - but yes, give it a quick blast on a cheap airfix/revell/academy or whatever kit first.
Lee
Lee Jackson - Modeller/Retailer
Money can't buy you hapiness - but it can buy you the kind of misery you prefer!
Nothing in life is so exhilarating as to be shot at without result - Winston Churchill
England - South East, United Kingdom
Joined: March 07, 2005
KitMaker: 868 posts
AeroScale: 690 posts
Posted: Monday, January 08, 2007 - 06:32 PM UTC
Quoted Text
Both involve masking -
1 using small blu-tack balls
2 using small pieces of foam sponge held in place with dabs of masking fluid.
The camo colours were sprayed first and then the RLM76 was sprayed OVER these masks.
..thanks Lee ..sounds revolutionary....I can't wait....you obviously manage to get all these pieces of foam and blu tack to adhere to the model throughout the painting process.....? ..and I can do this with, say, my old Badger 200..
England - North West, United Kingdom
Joined: September 06, 2006
KitMaker: 252 posts
AeroScale: 162 posts
Posted: Monday, January 08, 2007 - 07:18 PM UTC
The secret is low pressure - if the source you using has no way of controling pressure then use distance - the pressure reduces very quickly of distance so if you spray at about 1ft the pressure/airflow hiting the kit will be greatly reduced - you may need a slightly thinner mix to prevent the paint from drying whilst in the air.
Here's a pic with the foam pieces attached -
Lee Jackson - Modeller/Retailer
Money can't buy you hapiness - but it can buy you the kind of misery you prefer!
Nothing in life is so exhilarating as to be shot at without result - Winston Churchill
England - South East, United Kingdom
Joined: March 07, 2005
KitMaker: 868 posts
AeroScale: 690 posts
Posted: Tuesday, January 09, 2007 - 12:21 AM UTC
..thanks Lee... its a kind of mottle masking then...my efforts at mottling were always a bit hit n' miss...this looks like an ingenious - and more accurate - alternative ... .
Tennessee, United States
Joined: September 20, 2005
KitMaker: 1,747 posts
AeroScale: 1,673 posts
Posted: Wednesday, January 10, 2007 - 08:11 AM UTC
Just wanted to say that I like your two kits. The Mustang looks great with dropped flaps! I've got one similar. The way you camoflauged the Me-109 was really unique too. All the best. Russell
To Thine Own Self Be True
Siderius
A.K.A., RTA
#029
England - East Midlands, United Kingdom
Joined: December 23, 2005
KitMaker: 6,249 posts
AeroScale: 3,270 posts
Posted: Friday, January 12, 2007 - 03:14 AM UTC
Hi Lee.
Sorry Im so late picking up on this thread,,been so busy lately.
Great job on both models.
I tried Alclad for the first time last year and after overcoming all the doubts and worries about it I steamed in and was extremely impressed.
I use Tamiya Gloss Black Acrylic and havent had any issues,,(only done 2 subjects though).
Great job on the P51! I have a Tamiya Mustang in my stash and I expect that to be getting the full Alclad seperate panels treatment.
Looking forward to seeing the article!
Nige
It's not the same, better, but not the same...
England - North West, United Kingdom
Joined: September 06, 2006
KitMaker: 252 posts
AeroScale: 162 posts
Posted: Friday, January 12, 2007 - 03:45 AM UTC
Quoted Text
Just wanted to say that I like your two kits. The Mustang looks great with dropped flaps! I've got one similar. The way you camoflauged the Me-109 was really unique too. All the best. Russell
Hi Russell,
These aircraft were the first I had built in 1:72 for a long time. As the article (that I'm told will appear this weekend - at least the first part) will explain, I am just using fairly basic gear.
The Academy Mustang is a very nice kit and the interior detail is as good as any other 1:72 fighters I have seen. Unfortunately, the decals are utter garbage and the exhaust stacks are pretty crappy too. The kit does allow you to position the flaps up or down though which is nice.
With the Bf109 or any German fighter for that matter I would use a combination of blue-tac for the wing camo and the upper/lower demarcation line and then the foam is my prefered choice for the mottling. I would try and use 'denser' foam next time and try and put less RLM76 down as the final result could have done with a little bit more mottling in my eyes.
Regards,
Lee
Lee Jackson - Modeller/Retailer
Money can't buy you hapiness - but it can buy you the kind of misery you prefer!
Nothing in life is so exhilarating as to be shot at without result - Winston Churchill
England - North West, United Kingdom
Joined: September 06, 2006
KitMaker: 252 posts
AeroScale: 162 posts
Posted: Friday, January 12, 2007 - 03:52 AM UTC
Quoted Text
Hi Lee.
Sorry Im so late picking up on this thread,,been so busy lately.
Great job on both models.
I tried Alclad for the first time last year and after overcoming all the doubts and worries about it I steamed in and was extremely impressed.
I use Tamiya Gloss Black Acrylic and havent had any issues,,(only done 2 subjects though).
Great job on the P51! I have a Tamiya Mustang in my stash and I expect that to be getting the full Alclad seperate panels treatment.
Looking forward to seeing the article!
Nige
Hello Nige,
Yeah, The Gloss Black Acrylic works, but I only used it once and found it to be not as good as the Halfords grey car primer. Something I've been meaning to try is pre-shading entire panels with various shades of dark grey, black and even white. I would be interested to see if that has any effect on the final finish.
As this was a begginers guide, I decided not to get too complex so left out individual panel shading. I would certainly give a 1:48 kit the treatment though! On a P-51, the area around the exhausts always appears a darker shade - not from staining but probably because the material is a different specification to resist heat.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing YOUR P-51D soon! I have one in my stash along with a stack of Hasegawa ones in my shop so one day I'll get around to doing another one.....Its just all these campaigns keep getting in the way :-) :-) :-)
Lee
Lee Jackson - Modeller/Retailer
Money can't buy you hapiness - but it can buy you the kind of misery you prefer!
Nothing in life is so exhilarating as to be shot at without result - Winston Churchill
Virginia, United States
Joined: April 03, 2006
KitMaker: 1,158 posts
AeroScale: 73 posts
Posted: Thursday, January 18, 2007 - 01:16 AM UTC
Sweet! Great looking kits. I am looking forward to reading your article!
