Airfix Folland Gnat build - Part Four

With the model surface rubbed down with Micro mesh 1200 I proceeded to apply the masking necessary to apply the orange paint. As always I used Tamiya masking tape and then filled in the large gaps with some 3M masking tape.

With the tape in place I sprayed a primer coat of white.

With the primer dry i then mixed the main color for air brushing. I used the Humbrol Color from the kit instructions; Gloss 209, Fluorescent Fire Orange.

I used Humbrol enamel thinners and mixed it a little more than 2  parts paint to one part thinners.

I did about 5 coats to get the depth of color allowing the paint to dry between sprays and rubbing down with Micro Mesh 1200 after the third coat.

The first picture here shows the model ready to receive the primer. The second was taken after the first coat and the last is the finished article. I have a bit of over spray to deal with but you can see how the successive coats gives a very rich deep color to the orange.

Next up will be the bare metal of the airframe. I am going to use Alclad II products for this so stay tuned it's my first time!

Airfix Sea Vixen build - part five

Finally got the main paint scheme sprayed on. Couple of coats rubbed down with micromesh in between. Finally a couple of coats of Tamiya XF-22 Clear coat to help lock everything in and provide a smooth surface for decal application.

In the first picture here you can see I have attached the refuelling probe. This is in fact an after market item from www.luckymodel.com . They sell a pack with replacement resin wing hinges and it also includes a brass refuelling probe and two very  fine alloy pitot tubes. I didn't need the hinges but the probe and tubes are excellent, and robust.

Next to the aircraft you can see the probe from the kit and one of the new pitot tubes.

Next step is to start applying the decals. This looks like it is going to be a marathon job. We'll see.

Airfix Sea Vixen build - part four

I feel a little guilty having started these few blog pages to cover my Sea Vixen build only to have raced ahead somewhat without posting any updates. Actually raced is probably not the right word. Since I put the fuselage halves together after completing the cockpit I have spent some time getting to know Mr Surfacer products.

I used Mr Surfacer 500 as a filler for the few tiny gaps and imperfections I had to deal with. In fact the most notable was the one along the side of the nose which did not take much to eradicate. The Mr Surfacer product is great. Its easy to apply with a brush, dries within an hour or so and is made of such a fine compound that sanding it to shape is so very easy.

Anyway I took my time and then followed up with attaching the wings, tail booms etc and finishing off any imperfections resulting. Once done I gave the whole model a spray with Mr Surfacer 1200. This stuff is outstanding as a primer. It is so smooth especially after a light polish with some Micro-Mesh 6000 from Revell.

So here are a few pictures of where I am up to right now. I have already sprayed the underside white and applied Tamiya masking tape over the white in preparation for the Dark Sea Grey upper surface color. I love this tape. I generally just use the 10mm variety and a very sharp knife to cut edges around shapes. Couldn't be easier.

I am using Vallejo Air spray paints which go straight from bottle to air brush with no thinning - good for me! I am not an expert with an air brush this being only my third model where I have actually used on in anger however I learned the importance of keeping your brush clean with this project. After dragging out my basic Testors brush to do the white I found it was past redemption so went out and bought a new Badger 350 that was on clearance at my local Michael's store. This is a basic brush but its is just fine for painting large surfaces such as aircraft fuselages AND its way easier to keep clean than the Testor brush I had.

A first for me on this model was pre shading some of the panel lines on the underside before applying the white. Works a treat so hopefully will show that off when I get to the finish.