Hi all - the last week or so has been taken up by other things, but I still managed to get an hour or so at the bench each day. I've now finished the basic paint application.
I have been a die-hard acrylic user for many years, mainly Gunze and Tamiya. This time, I wanted to try something different and a bit less fragile. As such, I decided to try acrylic lacquers, mainly the SMS range (produced here in Australia), as well as the AK interactive acrylic lacquers for their RAF dark green and dark earth.
I started with some pre-shading:
I pre-shaded the white part of the underside in a brown instead of a black, to help with the application of the white. I also left off the radiator to allow ease of masking down the centreline.
The SMS white went down a treat; I was very pleased with how easy these paints are to use, and their coverage is excellent.
I then masked the white and did the black, then the brown, the green, and the markings (also done with SMS acrylic lacquers). Here's where it is at (everything you see here has been done with my home made paint masks):
The masks worked well enough; a little bit of clean up here and there (as expected) but there were no major disasters, so I was quite happy. This should form a good base for the rest of the finish.
I must say I am very pleasantly surprised with the SMS and AK brand acrylic lacquers. These are an absolute pleasure to work with; they spray nicely, dry quickly, and tolerate rough handling and masking. I had absolutely no paint peeling from the masking process (and this one required a LOT of masking). I think I may be converted...!
Next, clear coat and decals for stencils, etc... then I can start some weathering. Not sure i'll get her done by the 16th, but by golly i'll come close...!
Cheers again,
Brad
