Summer project Kawasaki KI-61, Tamiya 1/48

[DocRob]

Hola Señhores,
last week, I had enough from all the summer distractions, like work in the house and garden, having friends visiting me, barbecues, swimming and used some rainy days, to start a hopefully fast in- between project, the Tamiya 1/48 KI-61, added with some Kabuki masks from HGW, Brassin barrels, which got lost , an Eduard Löök resin IP and seat belts and last but not least, HGW's camo wet transfers, which I want to try with this build.

After some enjoyable hours, I finished the cockpit, which is a lot brighter, than the dull German fighter pits. The fit was Tamiya like, flawless and I really liked the seemingly new designed seatbelts, made from printed PE, which came with Eduard's Löök instrument panel. The PE is ultra thin, compared to other sets, I used in the past, folds almost like paper and have tiny holes in the belts, très cool. The IP itself, is color printed on cast resin and looks a bit toyish for my liking, but as I planned to have the canopy closed, with the pilot sitting in, I decided, it's good enough.

I managed to close the fuselage, with the simple engine inserted, which will not be seen with the cowling closed, so it got only a coat of black and an iron pigment rub.
The whole cockpit is inserted, after gluing together the fuselage halves from the underside and fitted without problems.

I added the wings and the tail in a breeze, with no gaps to fill and no extra work needed. After the detail painting of the cockpit, everything is speeding up with this build, exactly what I hoped for.

The only letdown, is the pilot figure, which I intended to use. After some basic painting, I stopped, when I couldn't find the eyes in that blob like face and decided to put no further effort into that bownish smurf, oh my, Tamiya, what have you done with this figure.

Cheers Rob

 

[Peterpools]

Rob

I'm blown away - awesome work on the front office, seat belts do look mighty good and the kit itself - amazing work and know way are you going to convince me you aren't hanging out with John B

Keep 'em comin

Peter

[Bomber_County]

Rob, that is one speedy build…….I’m glad I am not the only one who thinks the Look IP’s appear “toyish” ……if fact IMHO my verdict is having lunch on all the new printed IP’s…….looking forward to the camo scheme…….

[DocRob]

46 minutes ago, Peterpools said:

I'm blown away - awesome work on the front office, seat belts do look mighty good and the kit itself - amazing work and know way are you going to convince me you aren't hanging out with John B

 

40 minutes ago, Bomber_County said:

Rob, that is one speedy build…….I’m glad I am not the only one who thinks the Look IP’s appear “toyish” ……if fact IMHO my verdict is having lunch on all the new printed IP’s…….looking forward to the camo scheme…….

Gracias Hombres, today I masked and glued the canopy (The HGW Kabuki masks fitted mostly for a change) and built the well engineered belly radiator, which means, I'm closing in at the fuselage painting stage in NMF. I hope the best for the camo wet transfers, if they don't work, I'm in deep trouble and have to spray a million tiny blobs .
The IP is really not that great, hidden under the closed canopy, it will be sufficient. I build up the kit supplied one with decals and it wasn't looking too bad, but needed more work to finish it. I like the Quinta stuff and PE-IP's from Yahu, these are all better than Eduard printed ones or Löök resin.

Cheers Rob
 

[harv]

Nice !!.....harv 

[DocRob]

On 8/8/2021 at 9:18 PM, harv said:

Nice !!.....harv 

Thanks Harv.

Some more work got done. I added the engine cowling and radiators, which don't need a PE substitute, because, thanks again to clever engineering, the plastic part very thin, which is not shown very good on the pic, because of the angle.

The canopy got masked, using HGW's kabuki set, which fitted better, but not perfect, than the vinyl sets, I used from them. Two panes needed additional masking, which to me is a mistery, as Tamiya supplied pre-printed, but not cut masks, with the correct size. No biggie, but hey, they should do their homework.

After a final check, the spraying fun begun, first with the interior color over the outside of the canopy, the radiator inside was airbrushed in grey and after some masking, I primed the model with AK's Extreme Metal black base. 

 

I spare you another picture of the black bird after sanding with 4000 and then 8000 grit wet sandpaper. The surface is near polished now and should be good for a coat of polished aluminum. The black base still has a slight tackiness, after 24 hours of drying, so I will let the Kawasaki dry for some more time.

Cheers Rob

[Bomber_County]

Looking good Rob, thanks for the tip on the black base, the P51 is next for the booth and I haven’t thought about sanding it……..

[Peterpools]

Rob

Yikes, you’re simply doing a killer build and my same feelings about the issu with the canopy mask set. 
the AK gloss black base looks perfect - smooth as glass❗

Keep ‘em comin

Peter

[DocRob]

2 hours ago, Bomber_County said:

Looking good Rob, thanks for the tip on the black base, the P51 is next for the booth and I haven’t thought about sanding it……..

Thanks Phil, given the slight tackiness of the black base, which didn't cure properly after one and a half day, I have to say, that I will use gloss black Tamiya lacquer color next time. As much as I like the Extreme Metal colors, I start to distrust their black base.
It was the first time, I sanded and airplane after priming. I liked the result with an ultrasmooth surface, but you have to take care not to remove all the primer with too much abrasion. 4000 followed by 8000 grit was perfect for me with only slight pressure and water.

2 hours ago, Peterpools said:

Yikes, you’re simply doing a killer build and my same feelings about the issu with the canopy mask set. 
the AK gloss black base looks perfect - smooth as glass❗

Thanks Peter, yes the finish of the black base is good, but the lasting tackiness made me think about durability and compatibility. Next time, I use Tamiya's gloss black lacquer.

Cheers Rob

[DocRob]

Today, I sprayed on the Extreme Metal polished aluminum, which worked great. On the pictures you see it directly after application. While curing, the shine seems to enhance. When dry, I buffed it a bit with a cotton cloth, which made the gloss very shiny. During gloss coating as a preparation for decaling, I lost a bit of luster, but it still looks great and metal like.

As I had issues with Future as a gloss coat with the application of Micro Sol to soften the decals on other builds, I tried other coatings here. I test sprayed (luckily) Mr. Color GX100 gloss, mixed with Mr. Levelling thinner and later with Tamiya lacquer thinner and got frosted results and goo in the AB.

After cursing and cleaning, I shot Tamiya lacquer clear with Tamiya lacquer thinner and this combo worked, but the mix is very hot. If you apply a wet coat first, the polished aluminum seems to dissolve to a certain grade of blackness. 
I reduced the effect with firstly spraying a light misted coat, blew it dry, followed with another coat, also dried it and gave it a third heavier coat.

Man, this gloss coat thing gives me creeps, like decaling, the two things, I hate most in modelling.

Has anyone of you experience, how to thin Mr. Color GX100 clear gloss?

Cheers Rob

 

[Bomber_County]

Very interesting Rob, I had issues with Future on the F4J with silvering all over the place. I bought some Vallejo gloss varnish and was going to use it over the Extreme metals for P51……..going to have to experiment first I feel……..I similar to yourself, spraying, gloss coating and decals bring me out in a sweat…….

[Peterpools]

Rob

Good Golly Miss Molly, absolutely brilliant NMF - love the reflective shine and she surely gleams. Your finish is absolutely flawless❗🥇  I have to admit on my NMF's, I never use a clear gloss overcote, as it tends to dull the metallic shine somewhat unless I'm after a slightly duller, operational finish.  Whether I use Tamiya X-22 or Mr Color 46, my two standard clear glosses, both are always thinned with Mr Color Leveling Thinner as both are very thick. 

I feel your pain with paint and thinners turning into goo in the air brush - happened to me once to often when I use Model Air and forget to use their own thinner and AB cleaner. I now have a dedicated AB for just Model Air Paints.

I read a lot of guys have some sort of contamination problems when changing brands of paint or types of paint with their air brushes. I've thought about dedicating specific air brushes for specific types of paints: lacquers, acrylics and enamels but never did. I just do a quick strip down when changing types of paints and no problems at all.

Keep 'em comin

Peter

 

[DocRob]

13 minutes ago, Bomber_County said:

Very interesting Rob, I had issues with Future on the F4J with silvering all over the place. I bought some Vallejo gloss varnish and was going to use it over the Extreme metals for P51……..going to have to experiment first I feel……..I similar to yourself, spraying, gloss coating and decals bring me out in a sweat…….

Hi Phil, silvering was never an issue, when I used Future. The problems arose with Micro Sol decal softener, which seemed to react with Future and became a bit cloudy. It could be healed with another coat of Future on top, after the first coat was properly cured.
There is a lot of testing necessary, with different clear coats and thinners. I wish, I could find my holy grail of gloss coating somehow.

Cheers Rob

[DocRob]

3 minutes ago, Peterpools said:

Good Golly Miss Molly, absolutely brilliant NMF - love the reflective shine and she surely gleams. Your finish is absolutely flawless❗🥇  I have to admit on my NMF's, I never use a clear gloss overcote, as it tends to dull the metallic shine somewhat unless I'm after a slightly duller, operational finish.  Whether I use Tamiya X-22 or Mr Color 46, my two standard clear glosses, both are always thinned with Mr Color Leveling Thinner as both are very thick. 

I feel your pain with paint and thinners turning into goo in the air brush - happened to me once to often when I use Model Air and forget to use their own thinner and AB cleaner. I now have a dedicated AB for just Model Air Paints.

I read a lot of guys have some sort of contamination problems when changing brands of paint or types of paint with their air brushes. I've thought about dedicating specific air brushes for specific types of paints: lacquers, acrylics and enamels but never did. I just do a quick strip down when changing types of paints and no problems at all.

Hi Peter, thanks for sharing your experiences. I was considering, applying the decals and wet transfer camo directly onto the polished aluminum, but decided against it. The loss of shine, you mentioned, was substantial with Alclads, when I tried. Xtreme Metals from AK seem to be a bit more lasting, concerning the shine. 
I clear coated, because chrome and polished aluminum are more fragile than other Xtreme Metal tones and I have some masking, decaling with setting fluids and embedding the thick Tamiya decals into gloss coat ahead and want to be freed of unwanted surprises.

I know the consistency of Model Air with any decent thinner in the AB by own experience , but didn't expect it with GX100 and levelling / Lacquer thinner. Maybe I have to thin even more than 2/3 thinner and 1/3 GX100, because I read, that this combo is the go to clear coat solution for many modelers. I have to perform some further testing.

I don't think, contamination is an issue, as I clean my AB very thoroughly and do not only blew some cleaner through it. 

Cheers Rob

[Peterpools]

Rob

Looking forward to pics of the decals and the clear coat, as I'm always looking for new and better ways to do things. Completely agree that AK Extreme Metals are more durable then Alcad but I still have a boat load of Alcads I need to use up first as they are a bit pricey.

Keep 'em comin

Peter

[Kaireckstadt]

Should look more often into this category. I missed this completely Rob!

What a stunning build and awesome NMF! 
I‘m using AK Extreme Metal colors along with Alclad and the AK colors seem to be more resistant regarding handling of the airbrushed model. 
I always clear cote Alclad with Future which makes it much more resistant and reduces risks of damage by decal setting solutions. The appearance of the NMF remains even when covered with Future:

 

Curious to see how your KI-61 will look like with decals on her. 

 

[DocRob]

10 hours ago, Kaireckstadt said:

Should look more often into this category. I missed this completely Rob!

What a stunning build and awesome NMF! 
I‘m using AK Extreme Metal colors along with Alclad and the AK colors seem to be more resistant regarding handling of the airbrushed model. 
I always clear cote Alclad with Future which makes it much more resistant and reduces risks of damage by decal setting solutions. The appearance of the NMF remains even when covered with Future:

Thank you Kai, your pics prove, how great NMF can look, awesome job with the Starfighter. I really like Future as a clear cote, but where Micro Sol comes into play, I'm a bit frightened. More than once Micro Sol left some cloudy areas, where it passed the borders of the decal. That's why I look for a more durable gloss coat for these occasions.

Cheers Rob 

[DocRob]

After a light buffing of the clear coat with a cotton cloth, I masked the anti glare panel and tail. The complicated shapes of the tail masking where cut on the more or less 1/48 scale paint plan, using detacked Kabuki and a sharp scalpel.

The tail was sprayed with Tamiya's Italian red lacquer, which is glossy and a good base for the decals. The same color was used on the to add gun covers. The anti glare panel was sprayed, using AK's Japanese blue black acrylic, which is indeed a bluish shade of black and should look better than pure black. Some yellow markings on the wings will be next, followed by some decals, which will be half hidden under the camo. 
I intend to do as much masking and painting before applying the camo wet transfers, because I don't dare to mask on these, even with a clear coat on top.

 

Cheers Rob

[Bomber_County]

Looking very good Rob, this clear coat conundrum is intriguing, look forward to the wet transfers…..

[DocRob]

Thank you Phil, I'm looking forward to the wet transfer camo as well, with fearful expectation. It's wet transfers, it's HGW, it failed to me in the past, what can possibly happen .

Cheers Rob

[DocRob]

The Ki-61 is starting to look like a parrot. I added the yellow markings on the wings and wheel well covers, using AK Real Color maize yellow. First, I wanted to use the decals for that, but the gun cowling is painted red in between, and I didn't want to slice the decals over a curved wing. 
To add to the funky paintjob there will be blue stripes on the fuselage with white borders, but therefore, I use decals. Don't ask me, why they painted some camo onto this vivid airframe, which could be well hidden in a candy store.

Cheers Rob

[Peterpools]

15 hours ago, Kaireckstadt said:

Should look more often into this category. I missed this completely Rob!

What a stunning build and awesome NMF! 
I‘m using AK Extreme Metal colors along with Alclad and the AK colors seem to be more resistant regarding handling of the airbrushed model. 
I always clear cote Alclad with Future which makes it much more resistant and reduces risks of damage by decal setting solutions. The appearance of the NMF remains even when covered with Future:

 

Curious to see how your KI-61 will look like with decals on her. 

 

Kai

WOW - just awesome - what a NMF. Did you notice any degree of change in the metallic finish with Pledge?

Keep 'em comin

Peter

[Peterpools]

Rob

Incredible NMF and the masked out colors are perfectly done. Your masking around the empennage is perfect.

Keep 'em comin

Peter 

[DocRob]

Today, I applied the camo wet transfers from HGW, not an easy task and I made some mistakes. The camo is separated in six parts, wings, upper and lower fuselage sides. I started with the upper fuselage half, to guarantee, that the camo reaches the camo reaches the spine and lays correctly under the canopy and cowling. I then added the lower part, which proved more difficult, because it also covered the wingroot and needs some cutting to fit well. On the other side, I cut the lower part in three pieces, which made the alignment easier.
When I added the wings, I recognized, that I forgot to glue on the guns and gun covers and as I did hastily, a bit of glue went under the transfer, which has to be corrected later. 

On the second wing, while applying the transfer, some of the camo squiggles adhered rapidly to the wing, while positioning and had to be removed, before I finally positioned the wing transfer. The missing squiggles will be added later.

Generally the wet transfers behaved well. I let them soak in warm water for twenty seconds and applied them to the surface onto brushed on Micro Set. They were strong, good to position (except the wing root accident) and seemed to adhere well.

Lets hope, the kit decals, like stripes and Hinomarus will look good when added later. Positioning is not that easy with these camo transfers and needed a lot of pre thinking. In my case not enough sadly.

In some hours there will be the time of truth, when I remove the carrier film, which is the part, where disaster is lurking, given my experiences with HGW' wet transfers.

Cheers Rob

[GazzaS]

Seems I managed to miss most of this one, Rob!  I read the whole thing and I have to say your work looks very nice.  I hope to catch the rest,