ScottsGT

I’m liking this! I’ve got the 1/32 kit to build my uncles ride during WWII.

Thinner without retarder… yea, I missed that. Reducers are used in enamels and 2k paints. Thinners in lacquers. Retarders for all to slow the drying time for deeper gloss and blending and less over spray. That’s from my old bodyshop days. FYI, Don’t be shy to mix regular Mr. Color thinner with Leveling thinner if you don’t need the full strength leveling abilities. I sometimes mix for priming unless it’s an all over prime job. edit: Back in the day we bought hot, medium and cool thinners and reducers depending on the weather. Funny story. 9 years ago when I was buying supplies to paint my ‘66 GT Fastback I was planning on painting in the summer. I bought all products for hot weather. Things dragged out and being South Carolina it was still hot the week before Labor Day. Painting took me 5 days because of the custom finish I did. Last day of spraying was after laying on three coats of clear then spraying on three more. After that last three coats on day 5 a front came through and after clear was shot, temps dropped 30 degrees. I dreamed all night I was going to wake up the next morning to a car covered with runs everywhere with puddles of paint on the floor.

A little cheaper here. I’ve never used them though. Google is your friends! https://mpmhobbies.com/products/t104-mr-color-thinner-400ml?variant=46275483664615&currency=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&utm_campaign=gs-2022-07-30&utm_source=google&utm_medium=smart_campaign&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI9fWVsbOhgwMVi6JaBR0brgz8EAQYCyABEgLI0fD_BwE

I order from these guys sometimes when they have paint in stock others don’t. They seem to have stock, but they can be a bit slower than Sprue to ship. https://gundamplacestore.com/products/mr-leveling-thinner-400ml?variant=40285767696520&currency=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI9fWVsbOhgwMVi6JaBR0brgz8EAQYASABEgJgUfD_BwE

I’ve done the foam trick before, but the phantom has a white edge that has to be taped off and the wheel well just isn’t deep enough to hold the foam. Nose gear hole could have. I should have at least done that one.

Yea, this is F-4J #4 I’m building. I’ve got two more J kits left. One is going to be the VX-4 Bicentennial bird, the other is the Marine kit. I’ll probably build it with kit decals.

Ugh…. Have I ever mentioned how much I hate taping up wheel wells??

Might be a NY regulation on the disposable plastics allowed?

😱 I’ve been mixing lacquers in mine since I jumped ship from acrylics with no problems. I’ll even leave my clean up thinner in the cup overnight to evaporate with no plastic melting.

Before I retired I use to walk across the street to a Wendy’s burger joint. Over several years I collected a few extra ketchup cups each time I went there for lunch. I probably have a thousand or more still. I tried using the medical cups like you have, but it has three little stand offs molded into the bottom so the cups don’t get stuck together. I would hit those stupid things with my mixing stick and wind up flicking paint out of the cup. Ketchup cups are smooth bottom inside. EDIT: Here’s the cups online. https://www.webstaurantstore.com/choice-1-oz-clear-plastic-souffle-cup-portion-cup-case/127P100C.html

Tamiya kit held in Japan customs for 5 days before being released to leave country.

LOL! You read my mind! https://blueangelphantoms.com/ This one is really funny. Apparently the Crew Chief flew with the pilot to the next air show location. Don’t want to spoil it, but gravity and a hamburger is involved https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeURcXsLfBw

So 17 years of stock. I’m 61 in a few days. So I can die at 78 then? That would have been a pretty good ride, but let’s hope for just a few more.

Look closer at pics 3 & 5. Not even a J model. I read somewhere that’s a C or a D painted up to look like a BA. Very inaccurate paint job. I think 4 is a computer generated pic. Some of yours are good pics that was adding to the confusion. I did find a YouTube video or two today that shows exactly what I needed. The coroguard is a small area on the LE, not all the way to the panel lines like that display C or D model. Note the non slatted stabilizer. Your pics are the ones I saw that created all my confusion along with the incorrect painting guide in the Hasegawa 1/48 kit. (I say incorrect. Incorrect for the 1969 BA birds.).

It’s coroguard time! Black base first.

That’s a pretty good lick Panzer. I’ve busted my hump this year to see what I could knock out. Now granted, I took on some tough subjects. Our wet group build was 3 alone. I fought with that vintage warped up F-14 and then highly rebuilt the Sea Fury with Fisher goodies. I’m at 8 completed this year, and deep in paint mode on the Blue Angels Phantom. I’m hoping it’s done by years end. And the little funster 109 should also be done. If it all falls together I’ll hit 10 this year. last year I set up my new build bench and paint booth and got a late start, but got 5 done.

😱 Would require an addition on the house.

Anyone got any good photos of actual BA F-4J phantoms that show a close up view of the coroguard on the wings LE? Model kit instructions show the entire LE panel painted, but distant pics of BA’s in flight show a much smaller area painted.

👍 Kind of what I’m doing now! In actuality, since we moved 2.5 years ago and I “quit” buying, that count should have been closer to 150. 😁

I’m not that much of an accuracy detail guy when it comes to models. Sure, I like to do the best I can. I’ll correct major boogers like the A-7 came with. But I read the “correction” list for the Tamiya phantoms years ago and decided “Ain’t got no time for all that” and just build my kits. Sure, I’ll sand off some of the inaccurate battle damage panels or use AM intakes. But accuracy can be overwhelming and take the fun out of kit building. I’m working on a big Blue Angels phantom right now. Just looking at pics online I’ve overwhelmed myself with just removing antennas and bulges I assume are antennas that were not on the Blues. But if complete accuracy is your thing, I get it 100%. It’s a shame to find out this was an early Trumpeter effort never released until now.

For years now I’ll I’ve heard from her us “You have over 300 kits! You don’t need anymore models!” Yesterday afternoon I did a count. I can only come up with 170. How do I tell her I get to buy the next 130 kits guilt free with no complaining from her without winding up in the ER explaining to the Doc why a 1/32 Phantom is parked where it shouldn’t be?

Impressive! So impressive it deserves its own meme.

Ernie’s build thread I jumped on a kit deal when they went on sale. Also got the Airscale interior update as well. Wasn’t it Martin that was ready to toss his in the bin? I guess it’s not for everyone?

I like the Saturn V displayed horizontal. Is that the 1/72 Dragon kit? Built one years ago. So glad I got my hands on it because they became unobtanium quickly. Painting it was a joy. < that’s sarcasm.