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Post by Joel_W on Apr 22, 2021 6:17:45 GMT -8
Ben, Oouch!! that's gotta hurt. Honestly, I've also had problems from time to time with lacquer based primers showing AC that I used as a filler. I'm wondering if it's the plastic actually absorbing some of the primer but the AC doesn't.
As for putting a build behind the pit wall for an unspecified period of time, I'm going to have to enlarge that area real soon as the number of builds seems to be growing slowly but surely.
joel
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Post by Ben_B on Apr 22, 2021 7:41:50 GMT -8
The current Revell plastic seems to be more vulnerable to hotter lacquer paints than the Japanese kits I've been building. Even misting paint on, I got some crazing on this and the RX-7 I built last year. I've filled seams with super glue for years, and never had an issue before. It really did look like the paint was doing fine on the super glue but acting strangely on the surrounding plastic. I didn't use accelerator because it will definitely mess up Revell plastic.
I've been making progress in clearing off my Shelf of Doom. I'm down to 3 airplanes and an AMT Indy car. I'll get back to the Ford once I've finished a few other, more interesting projects.
Ben
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Post by Ben_B on Jul 14, 2021 7:57:31 GMT -8
I finally got back to the Ford for a bit. I dug the super glue out of the scar, filled it with Apoxy Sculpt, and then polished the roof until everything was as smooth as I could get it. Then I sprayed the bare area with Alclad filling primer and sanded it smooth. I was hoping the Alclad primer would protect the plastic from the Gravity Colors primer, with it did. Next, I'll mate the two body parts and use more Apoxie to fill the ugly seams on the rear part of the assembled body. Then more painting and a good polish. Hopefully, I'll have this thing ready for decals in a couple of weeks. Ben
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Post by Joel_W on Jul 14, 2021 10:53:04 GMT -8
Ben, Sure sounds like you got it completely under control. the two part primer is a new technique to me. Looking forward to seeing how everything turns out.
joel
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Post by Ben_B on Jul 14, 2021 12:09:35 GMT -8
Yeah, the two primers was just an experiment to see if an additional primer would protect the shitty Revell plastic from the hotter Gravity primer. I figured if that didn’t work, I could strip the whole model and try again. Or use it for spare parts…. Ben
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Post by Joel_W on Jul 14, 2021 14:16:43 GMT -8
Ben, I still use a lot of Gravity paints but never tried their primer. I either use Mr. Finishing Sealer 1500 or one of the Tamiya primers. Neither one has ever let me down. I can easily see where a hot lacquer primer is just asking for trouble.
joel
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Post by pnance26 on Jul 15, 2021 16:02:26 GMT -8
Good job on the paint, Ben! If I ever mush my through the GT40, I've got one of these Tamiya kits in the pile. You just answered a big question about painting!
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Post by Ben_B on Aug 12, 2021 10:19:43 GMT -8
After many cycles of filling and sanding, I finally reached the "screw it, I'm done!" point with this thing and went ahead and finished with the color coat. The molding flaws and a couple of spots where I didn't quite get the seams filled because they were impossible to reach are still visible from some angles, but they will be mostly obscured by the wing. Plus, the finished model won't be leaving the house and will be parked on the back row of my display. Next, we get to find out how well Decalcas decals perform. Ben
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Post by Joel_W on Aug 12, 2021 13:17:23 GMT -8
Ben, Don't sell yourself short, the kit has all sorts of build issues, and you've dealt with each of them. Looking forward to seeing the decals on, which should be spectacular.
joel
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Post by Ben_B on Sept 19, 2021 2:56:49 GMT -8
Quick update while the coffee is brewing. I started applying the Decalcas decals a couple of weeks ago, but stopped because they were so difficult to work with. They remind me of the old version of Draw Decals' "Digital Silk" airliner decals. These were laser printed and they wouldn't react to any setting solutions; only boiling water could get them to conform. The Decalcas decals acted the same, except I never could get them to lay completely flat on any of the compound curves and the edges would often curl up. Not to mention the colors are way off. I poked around online and managed to find a set of out of production decals from SK at a shop in Ukraine, and they arrived yesterday. These are nice and bright, and they include a small photo etched fret with dive planes for the nose. Once I strip the Decalcas decals off, I'll have to do a little touching up on the front after I remove the molded dive planes. I hated having to spend even more money on a kit I'm not too fond of to begin with, but having a good set of decals will help it get finished. Ben
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Post by Joel_W on Sept 19, 2021 5:41:59 GMT -8
Ben, For what it's worth, you did the right thing and found a set of decals that would actually lay down correctly, not to mention that just looking at the decals on the front of the nose section vs the SK decals on the sheet, the colors aren't even close to being the same.
I've used SK decals and loved them. But the Decalas decals are on my "don't bother to try" list.
joel
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Post by Ben_B on Sept 19, 2021 7:38:05 GMT -8
If I had kept going with the Decalcas decals and managed to get them to cooperate, the colors still would have bothered me. One can usually hide most kit flaws or self-induced flaws on a build, but decals can make or break a model, especially an airliner or race car. I’ll be giving Decalcas decals a miss from here on. Their window masks are great and their resin looks pretty good. I used SK decals on my Wynn’s AMG GT3 and they were outstanding.
Ben
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Post by Ben_B on Sept 22, 2021 5:34:03 GMT -8
I was expecting a battle, but once you get a corner up with tape, you can just peel the rest of the decal off with tweezers. They're very tough and act more like vinyl stickers than traditional water-slide decals. You can also see how the printing isn't as sharp as silk screened decals and the colors aren't as bright as those on the SK sheet. The whole job only took about five minutes. I've primed the nose where I cut the dive planes off, so once I repaint those areas, I'll be able to apply the SK decals. Ben
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Post by Joel_W on Sept 22, 2021 6:57:50 GMT -8
Ben, I wouldn't have expected a decal to behave like that after it's dried and set. Usually several applications of tape is needed to pull up the decal that comes up in pieces. But since their decals are so tough, it's no wonder why they gave you such a fight to conform to compound curves and recessed panel lines. Actually the decal looks more like Vinyl in many respects.
joel
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Post by Ben_B on Sept 23, 2021 7:11:42 GMT -8
Joel,
I’m pretty sure they used the same printing process as Draw Decals. Draw’s older decals were very similar. I put a few of the SK decals on the model this morning. As usual, they performed flawlessly, so I’m liking the model a lot more, now. I’ll post some pics when I get more on it.
Ben
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