CANicoll

I think I may have discovered one of the issues with the Zotz decals: They are old. Despite my buying them in the past few years, I see the date on the SB label significantly predates my build: 8/11/2016!!!! Making good progress on the Sidewinders. However, there are still 40 decals to go on the missiles! Each front fin as decals/stencils on each side. That is 32 decals, right there. UGH. Decals 03 and 04 are the stencils on the front fins...

Late, but as promised, got the unit markings and the face put on the ship. Definitely not going down into the panel lines - the Zotz decals are certainly thick. I maybe should have put a base of Solvaset down, but I used MicroSOL. Will see how it goes. Here is where the Solvaset removed some of the paint from the blue surround of the decal, and also some of the dark green camo. Which had TWO clear coats that had been fully cured. Who knew??? Next up is decaling the Sidewinders which are painted white now and have a coat of MRP Gloss Clear which has cured for 24 hours now.

Or look people and shops up in the yellow pages, then have to CALL and talk to someone, who may direct us to someone else.....

Wow, what a read, Maru! Thanks for posting! Nice to see you back on. Cheers Chris

Peter, I had a similar experience with the F-4 bits from ResKit - only 1 vendor had it all, and they were in Australia. Even then I had to wait for something to come in stock. Getting frustrating to have to wait on the essentials like a certain color of paint. I'm getting to the point where if I don't have it now, and can't find it quickly, then it's an OOB build. The thing about shipping is that the rates you pay are not the rates the company pays. Where I work we ship parts around the world. There are times people will pay $25 for shipping a $30 part, but it costs us $11 in shipping (FedEx) or we charge $16 for USPS, but we pay $6. I hate to see that.

Rob, If you can't find it there, let me know and I'll send you a tube. Easily found on Amazon. There is also JB Weld which is a metallic epoxy compound. Good luck! Chris

Scott, the Cutlass is looking amazing! Nice job and better job avoiding the heat - Heat index here was 107. Ridiculous! Then, that leads to massive thunderstorms with 50MPH bursts. Nasty stuff.

Peter, I hear you on the display-or-not debate regarding the engines. I built three Tamiya Mustangs, all with removable cowlings and did up the engines, and I never take the cowlings off unless I'm showing one to someone, which is rare. I also built two Revell Mustangs without engines, and I enjoyed those immensely as the cockpits are a delight of detail and it was a much faster build. I think the 'poor' fit of the cowlings really is reminiscent of the actual aircraft - kind of like the oil canning found on some aircraft. Cant wait to see how yours turns out.

Have fun everyone!!

Promise to meet THAT deadline!!! I'm hoping for Aug 1.... THANK YOU!!!

While waiting for the clear coat over the wing insignia to dry, as well as the primer on the Sidewinders and touching up the nose cone, I got the unit identification added, as well as some personal markings. Pictures to come tomorrow hopefully after successfully adding the sharks' mouth decals (sorry!) But I learned a few lessons: 1. Zotz decals are very resistant to MicroSOL and MicroSET. Even with a blow dryer... I didn't seem to have problems with their nose checkers on my Tamiya 1/32 Mustang Big Beautiful Doll. However, ONE application of Solvaset seems to put the decal into the panel lines, only for the lines to disappear over time. DO NOT use anything to try and push the decal into the panel lines... see number 2 below... 2. Notice I said ONE application.... I went back over the decal with the Solvaset brush, and yes, some of the color of the decal came off. WTH? 3. Solvaset will also eat through MRP Clear, and MRP Paints. That I didn't know... So, continuing to make progress, despite ongoing stumbles...

Rob, Also sorry to hear about your dog. Pets are such a key part of our lives. Do you have access to something like this:?

I spray MRP at about 8-10 psi, and Vallejo Model Air at about 15-16 psi after thinning at least 30%. I've not had spitting problems with the MRP, so I'm sure my issues are related to thinning and pressures with the acrylics.

I'm one of those behind so would be delighted at an extension, but also feel deference to those folks who were able to meet the deadline. My missing the deadline was all on me - late start and fits and starts.

Quick update - the MicroSOL worked its magic. The insignia is flat as a board at the moment. Yay!

Scott, I also have the HP-CS and use it for most (80%) of my painting. You replaced the needle and nozzle last year which makes sense, but have you recently checked the tip to make sure there isn't a bend in it? Does it happen with any paint, or just certain ones, like Vallejo Model Air which happens to me when I don't thin it properly? The other thing to maybe look at is the needle fully seated in the nozzle? I have done this, too. I didn't fully seat the needle so some paint would seep in before even pulling the trigger. UGH. Lastly, maybe repolish the needle so it is nice and smooth. Good luck!

Rob and Hubert, Thanks for the suggestions, I very much appreciate it. I'm not sure of the cause. These were from the stencil sheet, not Tamiya's decals but it was the only one that reacted that way - strange... Rob - the bubbles are definitely air, likely from when I was spraying the clear coat. Still, very strange! I thought I would try something before removing the old decal and trying a new one: I used a very sharp knife to cut a few slits into the decal, then used a wide flat brush to apply some MicroSol over the entire decal, being careful to try and press out the bubbles. It took a couple of goes, but so far, I'm about 95% happy with the result. The hard part is just letting the MicroSol work and not playing with it. I just did one more go, popping a couple of smaller residual bubbles so will check it out later and hoping for the best. Thanks again for the suggestions!

Wow, very cool. Actually, those rocker covers look like very old covers that have been though a lot of years. Not the effect you were looking for, but a cool one.

It's always something! I'm finding that while the stencils are pretty thin and easy to apply, they also seem to not adhere well to the plane. I've had two come off just by touching them, and now a national insignia bubbles up while applying the clear coat. Ugh. I've used MicroSet or MicroSOL over every decal/stencil I put on, and let everything dry for at least 24 hours. The insignia was a surprise... as you can see here, there are significant bubbles on the top of the star in the blue (not there before I started spraying) but those came from something you can't see, which is the bottom of the blue roundel is simply sitting there - it raised off the surface when I was spraying the clear coat. Never had that happen before. The insignias are from the stencil sheet, not the kit or the Zotz sheets. The two insignias on the fuselage seem to be ok. Once the clear coat is dry, I'll see about popping the bubbles, or maybe lifting the entire decal and applying another one. Here is what is left of the stencil sheet... Off to work on the Sidewinders!

I moved mom last Tuesday when it was 99. Hired a young man and his two buddies but of course had to 'help out'. God, I was exhausted. And yes, felt a bit dizzy but like you was smart enough to get inside, get some cold water and sit for a bit. Whew. getting old sucks, but the alternative is not attractive, either! Just sprayed the Phantom with clear to seal the decals, more on that in my thread shortly... Nice to be indoors!!!

Oh wow.. Nice work on the piping, but definitely take care of yourself. This heat is unprecedented and can be a killer - actually! Supposed to be 100 here in Northern Va today. Unbelievable.

Looking forward to seeing this beauty continue to develop. There is always the challenge of how much detail to add, versus how much will actually be seen, versus us knowing what work we've put into the build. These build threads are a wonderful way to capture so much of that 'inside' work that won't really be seen, but still adds to our satisfaction of the build. Keep up the great work!

Thanks for all your help, Carl! Would never have gotten this far without it.

Got mom moved and had to deal with some last-minute issues but seems like she's getting settled in. Whew. In the meantime, been making progress. Declaring the Stencils done unless I find a few more to add along the way. Still need to choose the individual aircraft markings. Lots of bits to complete including the Sparrow missiles, touch-up on the nosecone and add the metal probe, add the various landing gear doors. But first is a sealing coat over the decals - tomorrow. I used part of computer interface pin as the metal axle for the nose wheels. Just happened to be the right diameter. The main gear went together easily, using the same drill bit which matched the size of the screws to drill the hole into the resin wheels. SLOWLY screwed in the screw to tap the hole. The nose gear is attached with CA, the main wheels are simply screwed in, for now. Now she does sit on the wheels. Also attached the wing tips, and got them to about the 12 degree angle. In the pictures they look more acute. I used a piece of cardboard and marked the 12 degree angle - these are pretty close. The gap on top is tight, underneath, not so much. Slow, but steady progress!

Great looking ship and its fantastic that you got someone wanting to buy it! Awesome!!!