Summer project Kawasaki KI-61, Tamiya 1/48

[Peterpools]

Rob

Beautiful work on the HGW cammo decals ... absolutely a first class work.

Keep 'em comin

Peter

[Bomber_County]

Rob, looks very good, good luck with the next stage……

[DocRob]

2 hours ago, Peterpools said:

Beautiful work on the HGW cammo decals ... absolutely a first class work.

 

1 hour ago, Bomber_County said:

Rob, looks very good, good luck with the next stage……

Thank you Amigos, it's not done yet, still some sweat to pour .

Cheers Rob

[DocRob]

After carefully removing the carrier film I got this.

From far, it looks good enough, but as always with HGW's wet transfers, I pulled some of camo with the carrier film. In detail it looks like this:

The right wing root received some spare squiggles, but here is, how it initially looked:

As you can see there is a lot of little defects, but I guess, I can get away with it, with some repairs.

This is how the removed carrier film looked and I was really careful. My opinion stands, HGW wet transfers are not to be trusted completely, even if you follow the manual exactly and prepare the surface perfectly. 

On the other hand, I like how the aluminum color gies the green dots a nice shine, as they are a bit translucent, blends great into the surface.

Cheers Rob

[JohnB]

A really nice build Rob! I like it! I too have some HGW decals and will probably use some of them at some point but the info you provide here shows how "iffy" they can be. Keep up the good work!!!

[Kaireckstadt]

I‘ve never seen the application of the HGW wet camo-decals before.

Now I know what are the traps and advantages and disadvantages of them.

One could interprete the damaged squiggles as paint torn of and regarding the picture with the removed foil it is obvious that not only a few were damaged.

But the result nevertheless is awesome and saves a lot of paintwork. 

 

[Peterpools]

Rob

Looking so good and thank you for your warnings when using HGW wet decals.

Keep 'em comin

Peter

[DocRob]

14 hours ago, JohnB said:

A really nice build Rob! I like it! I too have some HGW decals and will probably use some of them at some point but the info you provide here shows how "iffy" they can be. Keep up the good work!!!

 

13 hours ago, Kaireckstadt said:

I‘ve never seen the application of the HGW wet camo-decals before.

Now I know what are the traps and advantages and disadvantages of them.

One could interprete the damaged squiggles as paint torn of and regarding the picture with the removed foil it is obvious that not only a few were damaged.

But the result nevertheless is awesome and saves a lot of paintwork. 

 

8 hours ago, Peterpools said:

Looking so good and thank you for your warnings when using HGW wet decals.

Muchas gracias Señhores, this build is more an experiment as to figure out, if a wet transfer camo is usable. The result is usable and some of the faulty areas are resolved with the last spare dots. The bad news is ,that there is no logical pattern, where the lifts occur. Some are in curved or angled areas, some flat in the middle, without any panel lines, so i have no idea, what I possibly could do better. The surface was gloss and absolutely fine, with no scratches, damages or other imperfections.

One positive aspect of the wet transfers is, you can apply them onto normal decals, which was necessary here on the wings with the no walk lines.

In the end, the camo will be usable, but if you are after a new unworn look, I'd say, thin your camo color and train your airbrush skills . I will do this later with a Vietnamese Mig-21, which sports a similar pattern.
Until now, I have no idea, if or how I could repair the damaged dots. It would be a hard task to mix a matching color, given the slight metallic appearance. I fear, more could be ruined than saved. 

I have another camo set from HGW, which I will possibly use, dumb as I am . It's for a Me-BF 109 G2 from Heinrich Bär and I will not paint it by hand for sure.

Bf109G-2 - Camouflage 1/48 - 248053 (hgwmodels.cz)

Cheers Rob

[Kaireckstadt]

That’s really a project not suitable for an airbrush. Was it applied with a brush?

Maybe it’s possible to do it with a brush on the model too? 

I did a Me 110 G-4 when I was 19 (40 years ago!) and didn’t know at this time what an airbrush was. I painted all the squiggles on the model with a brush (like the whole model too). Doesn’t look too bad. This is the oldest model I still have.

[Peterpools]

Rob

So very much appreciated you diving in and testing the waters. I'm wondering if this type of decaling might work better with dry transfers? But you surely tamed the beast ad the cammo decals look awesome.

The second set of decals for a Me-BF 109 G2 from Heinrich Bär looks like a nightmare to do by air brush and Kai's hand painted Me110 cammo scheme of 40 years ago is oh so similar and looks the part for sure.

Keep 'em comin

2 hours ago, DocRob said:

a Me-BF 109 G2 from Heinrich Bär

 

[Peterpools]

13 minutes ago, Kaireckstadt said:

That’s really a project not suitable for an airbrush. Was it applied with a brush?

Maybe it’s possible to do it with a brush on the model too? 

I did a Me 110 G-4 when I was 19 (40 years ago!) and didn’t know at this time what an airbrush was. I painted all the squiggles on the model with a brush (like the whole model too). Doesn’t look too bad. This is the oldest model I still have.

Kai

Awesome work and you hand painted the model when only 19! The modeling gods knew for sure what was waiting in the wings.

The oldest model in my collection these days is from about 15 years ago when I took up the hobby again: 1/32 Trumpeter F8F Bearcat.

Keep 'em comin

Peter

[DocRob]

20 minutes ago, Kaireckstadt said:

I did a Me 110 G-4 when I was 19 (40 years ago!) and didn’t know at this time what an airbrush was. I painted all the squiggles on the model with a brush (like the whole model too). Doesn’t look too bad. This is the oldest model I still have.

Stunning and eye irritating at the same time. Kai you have my respect for painting this kind of camo in general and especially being 19 years old, when you've done, it looks great.
I haven't looked into the Bär camo or project at all, I just have the Eduard 109-G Royal Class box and some additional goodies like the Bär camo transfers, but I guess, it was hand painted on the original. I would use a brush as well or even a marker pen, If the transfers don't work.

Cheers Rob

[DocRob]

12 minutes ago, Peterpools said:

So very much appreciated you diving in and testing the waters. I'm wondering if this type of decaling might work better with dry transfers? But you surely tamed the beast ad the cammo decals look awesome.

The second set of decals for a Me-BF 109 G2 from Heinrich Bär looks like a nightmare to do by air brush and Kai's hand painted Me110 cammo scheme of 40 years ago is oh so similar and looks the part for sure.

Thanks Peter, in surfing we call it 'current test dummy', which is usually the first guy hopping into the water and sometimes paddles his a.. off, while the others find an easier access to the spot, seeing his misfortune .

I hope the best (against better knowledge) for the transfers, otherwise, I will do another scheme.

Cheers Rob

[Peterpools]

Rob

Someone has to grab the ball and run with it, testing the waters and your build goes way beyond that. I just appreciate the thorough build testing, show the pluses and minuses.

Keep 'em comin

Peter

[DocRob]

Decaling time Hombres , my all time favorite. Normally a lot of things go wrong on this stage, but the Tamiya decals performed well. They are a bit on the thick side, but they are opaque and nicely cut. Other sources claimed, that the tail markings are too big, which I can't see. If the supplied side drawings are correct, the decals are as well. 

Tomorrow I will apply another coat of Micro Sol and then on to some detail painting on the Japanese parrot .

Cheers Rob

[Kaireckstadt]

If you want to see something awesome and colorful: that’s your KI 61 Rob!

This is a real eyecatcher on every exhibition! 

[Peterpools]

Rob

Decal look perfect - amazing work.

Keep 'em comin

Peter

[GazzaS]

Looks great, Rob!  This is my favorite Japanese machine...   and I reckon you can tell why.  I need to find one in large scale, though.

I think the tail decals look right, and it all makes for a very appealing model.

[Kaireckstadt]

13 minutes ago, GazzaS said:

Looks great, Rob!  This is my favorite Japanese machine...   and I reckon you can tell why.  I need to find one in large scale, though.

I think the tail decals look right, and it all makes for a very appealing model.

Here it is Gary: kit from Hasegaws and still available:

[GazzaS]

3 hours ago, Kaireckstadt said:

Here it is Gary: kit from Hasegaws and still available:

Hi Kai,

   Yes, that's the one.  Since I'm in no rush, I'm waiting for the right deal to come along.

[DocRob]

12 hours ago, Kaireckstadt said:

If you want to see something awesome and colorful: that’s your KI 61 Rob!

This is a real eyecatcher on every exhibition! 

Thanks Kai, for the last decals I needed sunglasses . Makes you wonder about the sense of the camo.

10 hours ago, Peterpools said:

Decal look perfect - amazing work.

Thank you Peter, I was surprised, how well the often criticized Tamiya decals perform with Micro Set and Sol. On some of them, there is carrier film, but on the NMF, it's almost unvisible. That's good news, because I'm not sure, if I seal them. I fear, that some hot gloss coat could harm them or the wet transfers. 

9 hours ago, GazzaS said:

Looks great, Rob!  This is my favorite Japanese machine...   and I reckon you can tell why.  I need to find one in large scale, though.

I think the tail decals look right, and it all makes for a very appealing model.

Thanks Gaz, what makes this one your favorite Japanese plane. Is it the design, which cries Heinkel or the use of the more or less copied 601 engine?
From what I have seen, the Hasegawa KI-61 seems to be a good choice, go for it, it's the first Heinkel in NMF .

Cheers Rob

 

[GazzaS]

18 minutes ago, DocRob said:

Thanks Gaz, what makes this one your favorite Japanese plane. Is it the design, which cries Heinkel or the use of the more or less copied 601 engine?
From what I have seen, the Hasegawa KI-61 seems to be a good choice, go for it, it's the first Heinkel in NMF .

Cheers Rob

 

Well....   You're almost with me...   I refer to it as the Japanese 109.   As cool as the Heinkel is, it's just too historically insignificant to pique my interest.  Like the Dornier Do. 335.  To much "what might have been" and not enough 'really was'.

[GazzaS]

Here's a motivating painting I just saw on Farcebook:

[Peterpools]

Gaz

Terrific painting for sure except for the crew of the Helldiver

Keep 'em comin

Peter

[DocRob]

Phew, summer can be cruel, we had a heat wave for a week, which meant, I had to concentrate mainly on other things, like watering the garden and hiding from the sun, but did, poco a poco a bit of detail work on the KI-61.
I painted and slightly weathered the spinner and prop, painted the undercarriage, where the wheels received my typical two tone look of near blacks with different hues and then some rubble pigments. The extra tanks and exhausts were added, which  were painted black for their covers, followed by Alclad's jet exhaust and then Uschis steel pigments. All the barrels were applied and got a steel pigment treatment.
On the bottom of the fuselage, I somehow had a big dark spot in the NMF, which looked horrible. I decided against respraying, because I didn't want to mask on all the decals and wet transfers, so I tried carefully to rub on AK's true metal aluminum wax, which fixed the prop very good, the shine is very similar to the sprayed color.

After removing the masks, I found some smears on the canopy, very lightly, but annoying. I don't know, what I do about it, maybe first I will try to clean a bit more with cotton swabs and if that doesn't work, I may brush on some Future, which I haven't use to dip the clear parts in, which I normally do.

Here she is, with some little things to do, but closing in.

Cheers Rob