Peterpools

Thanks Dennis Just feels good to finally have reached the ‘aluminum skinning’ stage of the build as she is really looking like a ‘Stang now! Keep ‘em comin Peter

Thanks Kai Right with you and agree about AK being a bit easier to shoot and it dries to a bit more durable finish then Alclad as I remember. Looking forward to getting into the ‘added color‘ stages as well and not to distant now; one more day to go and I’ll be working on the wings and then back to the fuselage panels and colors. AK being enamel based, I like to give it an extra day or so to completely dry. keep ‘em comin Peter

Rob, Much appreciated. Completely agree the new Tamiya lacquers are wonderful paints to work with and thin so very well with Mr Color Self Leveling Thinner. I’m think we are using the same thinning ratio of one part paint to two parts thinner which seems the ideal ratio. One spin on the the thinning I want to try and am ordering the missing link: Tamiya Lacquer Thinner ((Yellow cap). I used it quite some time ago when I built Tamiya’s 32nd scale Mossie ( my favorite model/ build and the Queen of my collection) and from what I remember, Tamiya Lacquer Thinner is stronger then Mr Colors’ but doesn’t any Retarder ( which I added - Mr Retarder Mild to the mix) awesome results. Going to give this mix a try as I’m sure it will thin thin the LP1 even a bit better. See what happens and another test to be done in a few weeks. Keep ‘em comin Peter

Nice, progress and it’s amazing all the gems discovered combing through research photos. Martin is a treasure house! Keep ‘em comin Peter

Harv Progress for sure a NDA looking good. Keep ‘em comin Peter

Nice progress and looking good Keep ‘em comin Peter

Hi John Diet and all ... I’m front and center let the fun begin Keep ‘em comin Petet

Thanks Martin The AK Aluminum Extreme Metal (AK 479) I used for the base color is enamel based according to the label and not lacquer based as Alclads are. Since I'm planning on doing the wings in Alcald Matte Aluminum (ALC 116) as a top layer, I thought it wise to let the enamel dry for a good 48 hours. Keep 'em comin Peter

Thanks Harv Just glad I'm to this point now and close to turning the corner. Keep 'em comin Peter

Rob Agreed and a boat load of work for sure. I'm completely in agreement that the good old brush might be the best plan of action. Keep 'em comin Peter

Thanks Hubert Very much appreciated. Completely agree, the Revell Mustang needed a lot of TLC and prep work and it was necessary time well spent. Keep 'em comin Peter

Harv Just go to love glues and paints that are ng when the bottle is only half empty. Keep 'em comin Peter

Alberto Nice work on the cammo and of course, welcome back Keep 'em comin Peter

STARTING THE NMF 12/6/21 Apologies are in order. I was just too plain to old lazy to set up the lights and camera and when I did remember, I was already in the middle of shooting the AK aluminum on and never took a single photograph of the black base. With the MRP Gray Primer on and looking pretty good, it was time to start learning the ins and outs of how to consistently apply Tamiya’s new LP-1 Gloss Black for me and achieve a repeatable smooth finish. My preference has always been to use a working pressure of around 15 psi and apply numerous light coats, working up to a smooth top coat. I still count drops when thinning my paint and almost always use Mr Color Self Leveling Thinner. From what I’ve read, the consensus has been to use 2 parts paint to 3 parts thinner, I gave it a try and just wasn’t thrilled with the results. Since my initial thinning ratio didn’t work well for me, I increased the thinner to paint ratio to: 1 part paint to 2 parts thinner and was quite pleased with the smooth black surface the Mustang wore. Diving back in, it was time to tackle the start of the NMF and I laid down the first few coats of AK Aluminum over a two-day period: fuselage and wings and then kicked myself in the rear for not photographing the glossy black base but not much I could do about it now (just needed to apologize again). I decided to let the AK Aluminum thoroughly dry for a good two days and then I over paint the wings with Alclad II Matte Aluminum for my color difference. My previously three Tamiya Mustangs all have a very shiny NMF and this time, I thought I would tone it down a bit more of a newly operational aircraft. See how it goes. I’m finally getting there. One happy camper. Keep ‘em comin Peter

Ernie I’m in for both giving and receiving. For me the unknown question is shipping, as it can be a very expensive if shipping is going to be across the pond. I’ll need a few days to decide what type of gift I would like to offer. Keep ‘em comin Peter

Rob Nice progress and those eyeballs - I know I would never have the patience to even attempt using Archer Eye Decals - Keep ‘em comin Peter

Very nice touch Keep ‘em comin Peter

Carl Well done and I’m sure in Sue’s eyes, you put your hobby skills to some very good use. Keep ‘em comin Peter

So very nicely done .. looking mighty good. Keep ‘em comin Peter

John I can hear the call of your Skyraider - happens to me all the time. It seems to be one of the major side effects of our modeling disease 🙃 Keep ‘em comin Peter

Kev 200 plus - yikes, that’s some stash and easily will require you to hang around for a good 50 more years 😉 My humble stash of unstarted and to be built kits is hovering between 12-18. These days, I have been selling off Or binning kits I know I am not going to build or even finish (shelf queens) for a nice loss 🤨 or just toss them with no plans of replacing the count. I do keep adding kits but at a much slower pace and am a lot more selective on what I buy. To be honest, with the Viggen on order, Kotare’s new Spit Mkla and SB’s new F4B all on the horizon for Sometime next year, except for some 48 and even 72nd scale purchases, I’m not planning on any other major purchases at all. keep ‘em comin Peter

Harv Nice progress and glad to solved the ACC issue - have had the stuff go bad as well and have never been able to use a bottle past half way without it going bad in the bottle for one reason or another. Keep ‘em comin Peter

Right with Hubert; freaking amazing. Keep ‘em comin Peter

Mark Might be slow going in real estate covered but the amount of work required to cover that real estate so perfectly, can so easily be appreciated - nerves of steel. Keep ‘em comin Peter

Tracks do fit quite nicely once cleaned up and some TLC applied. Just would be a shame to go through all that work and cover it up with mud and weathering. keep ‘em comin Peter