Moments of Zen

[DogfighterZen]

Well, had a morning airbrush session but the result wasn't successful because i got lazy and didn't mix colors and tried to achieve the F-35's color with XF-56 straight out of the bottle and obviously, didn't work.
After lunch i had to help my brother with some old furniture renovation work, meaning sanding and paint wood... got home after that and mixed 60% of XF-63 German gray, with 20% XF-16 matte aluminium and 20% X-11 Silver and the result was, IMO, much closer to real thing, but still a bit off.
I like how this came out and sincerely, i'm not about to waste time stripping all the paint off and trying again, even if it's not exactly how i wanted it to come out, i can try again on some other build so, no big deal. The pic is bad and doesn't show the slight metallic sheen it has, although it will show a bit better after the gloss coat, which, i'm hoping, will make it smoother.



Now, i think it's safer if i give it a good gloss coat, tomorrow i'll use Tamiya's X-22 for the first time, but not before i test it on one of my shelf of doom builds. I want to do it before i begin masking to paint the nozzle and then the RAM tape to prevent chipping and scratching.

 

[DogfighterZen]

Been properly testing out the X-22 with my airbrush and i can say i like it very much, as much as i like the XF-86 matte coat, needs a bit of thinning but goes on very smooth and it's totally controllable sprayed out of an airbrush. I use the ZTS plastyk 1/72 Mig-17PF which has been in the shelf of doom serving as a guinea pig for my airbrush practice sessions.
I'd recently given it a free hand winter type camo and as i didn't do anything else on it, it's a good test subject for this occasion.
Although the pic is crap, i think you can see enough. The paint job on the model was a bit rough so i wont get a very flat, glossy surface but this was only the first light coat applied.



As is said, it's easy to spray on, controllable enough to prevent runs but i guess that may depend on a number of factors. Didn't get "orange peel", and it seems to get glossier as it dries up, which happens almost as quick as any other Tamiya acrylic product i've used before.
I'm happy with the result and i can see that if i wanted a shinier look, it would be a simple matter of spraying another coat or two and it would really shine then.
That said, i've already applied a first light coat on the F-35 and will give it another one after lunch.

 

[TheChronicOne]

Paint work on the Lighthing (heheh) II is interesting indeed. You'll have to do us a solid and try to get pics out in the sunlight on that one after you get all the gloss on, I think it'll bring out the metal-ey aspects although I can see the effect even inside.

MiG looks suitably acid-trippy.   

[DogfighterZen]

I'll try to get some pics out in the sun after the gloss coat is finished. I agree, i think the gloss might bring out the metallic sheen a bit but we'll see when it's done.
The mig does have a certain something about it now that it has a resemblance of a scheme... might even have to finish it in some whiffy way...

[TheChronicOne]

WEEEEELL... you almost have this going on. . ... 

 


I'm actually doing a P-47 (milk)JUG Thunderbolt in Holestein camo at some point next year. 

[DogfighterZen]

  excellent comparison, it is close, indeed.
Took a few more pics of the YF-23 under sunlight, the pics i took when i finished it were too dark cause the sky was cloudy, these are a bit better.
I'll post them in the respective thread in a bit... Might even convince someone to nominate it for the whiffies...

[TheChronicOne]

Was it not already?!  The nozzle work alone is worth consideration not to mention the rest!!   

We'll get that problem solved. 

[DogfighterZen]

Was it not already?!  The nozzle work alone is worth consideration not to mention the rest!!   

We'll get that problem solved. 

  Thank you!  I wouldn't nominate it myself so...

Re the F-35, that mix of colors is really sucking up the X-22 like a sponge, but i've found it's normal with Tamiya's metallic matte colors, take a few more coats of gloss varnish than normal XF colors. It's the same with the floor polish i normally use as gloss coat so, no difference there so far.
Getting ready for the third coat...



 

[DogfighterZen]

Well, decided to skip the third gloss coat for now, doesn't really need to be as smooth as possible right now, it's strong enough for masking and the rest of the work that needs to be done so it'll get some more clear gloss on it before decalling.
The metallic sheen is there but i'm thinking of trying other paint brands for this type of finish so i'll have to take a look around.
Anyway, the clear coats are dry and it's ready for me to begin masking for the RAM tape color... not happening tonight cause i have band rehearsal...
in a good way... 
 




 

[DogfighterZen]

The most tedious part of this build will definitely be the masking, but i think that if i do a good job of it, the end result will be rewarding.
Still a lot to do, though...



 

[TheChronicOne]

Looks good so far. And.... better you than me! 

[DogfighterZen]

Sure... laugh it up, fuzzball... Knowing you like the F-35, i know my turn to laugh will come sooner or later and you know what they say... 
Well, i don't find it such a bad task, i try to look at it a bit like stencil art. My band's studio is at an art community called LAC, an old jail building turned into the Creative Arts Laboratory. We have all kinds of artists there, and i've seen them work on the process from scratch all the way to paint stage, and the base of their work are masks indeed. To me, masking is just a part of it all, so i end up enjoying it.

Getting ready to do a few more bits as i write this... and it just started raining pretty hard, finally!!

 

[TheChronicOne]

Keep it up, Solo, wind up a candy bar! 

 

A Jailhouse you say, turned into an art studio? Sitting on my hands in the heaviest way to not make political commentary about the state of our for-profit prison system...   *AHEM*

You know... when I mask for a paint job.. you know, to make the lines and demarcations and stuff?? I rather like that.. especially when it's a livery or scheme of my own making. A canopy or something similar??  NO WAY, man. 

Sho' right when I get my first 35 kit it's going to be a blast...and... and ordeal; but to the chagrin of many here I plan to make it real-world. But that's just the first one....  Doing the same to my Raptor. I'm going to make it OOB real-world, too.... all that grey and everything that goes with it.. 

[DogfighterZen]

Sho' right when I get my first 35 kit it's going to be a blast...and... and ordeal; but to the chagrin of many here I plan to make it real-world. But that's just the first one....  Doing the same to my Raptor. I'm going to make it OOB real-world, too.... all that grey and everything that goes with it.. 

Not sure if i'll ever build a real world F-35 or -22... maybe close but not 100% real world, unless Portugal buys buys them in the (very distant)future... but then again, probably won't get to see it happen... 

What i did decide today was, to throw the Academy F-16 back into the stash and dig this baby out... another one of my holy grails!!



There's more than meets the eye in the pic... and the little white box will make sure this build stays true to the plan...

Re the F-35 and -22, haven't done anything in the past few days...

 

[TheChronicOne]

Whoa!!  That is one hell of a kit!  Never seen that one before.  Definitely ain't seen the lil box. 

I shall be watching in anticipation . . .