Zenrat's Flying Circus

[NARSES2]

Perfect weather for airbrushing.  So I started to put some white on the Charger cop car...
...and ran out of paint.

Sod's Law mate

[zenrat]

More paint arrived on Wednesday.
I finished putting White on the Charger body today.  I will need to mask it for the Green parts.  Have I mentioned I hate masking?

I also received some diorama stuff which has improved the base I have been making for the Panhard VBL and other similar sized vehicles.  It's now starting to look nearly fit for public consumption.

[zenrat]

The Bathurst 1000 today.  I retired to my shed and endeavoured to stream it on my laptop.  Unfortunately Channel 7 had other ideas and the inadequacy of their website resulted in me propping my phone up on my bench squinting at the race on its tiny screen.
I found some marks in the Charger's paint so I gave it a polish with a fine polishing sponge and blew over a top coat of White.  I now looks ready for masking and Green.
And I put the interior together.  The idea is that it's a well used pursuit car which has had perps left in the back long enough for them to soil it and leave their mark.
Charger WIP 12-10-25 02 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr
Charger WIP 12-10-25 04 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

I also trialled airbrushing AK Superchrome.  I sprayed it over gloss black as part of a base for a Gundam figure and then over primer and bare plastic on a motorcycle exhaust which had been primed, filled and sanded to my satisfaction but not yet reprimed.  I normally use Alclad Chrome for this sort of thing and to get a good shine it is extremely fussy requiring a very glossy black undercoat and to be laid on in two light coats.  Too light and the black shows through, too heavy and it looks like silver paint.  I get it right about 1 out of 3 attempts.
The AK Superchrome OTOH is dead easy to use.  Even brushing it on has good results.
I sprayed one heavy coat on both parts.  I just worried about overall coverage not an even coat.  The results were very pleasing.  It dries very quickly as well.  It awaits to be seen if it stands up to being handled.
Even if it doesn't it is still superior to Alclad Chrome as that wears off very easily when handled.
This is the exhaust - 1/12 Tamiya Ducati.  It was sanded to a smooth finish but the surface had a mixture of bare plastic, primer, and sanded PPP.
Ducati Exhaust by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

And then, during a thunderstorm towards the end of the day I put most of the transfers on the SU-34.  While Tamiya only supply a small sheet it has sufficient stencils to make it look like i've made an effort but not so many (looking at you manufacturers of AM Phantom set) that brain death through tedium ensues.  I ran out of time but just have a few left to put on.  I've replaced the red stars with something else.

[PR19_Kit]

That Chrome looks magnificent Fred. I may have to try and get some of that AK stuff at Telford. 

[zenrat]

It should provide an easy solution to the perennial problem of kit manufacturers putting mould separation lines just inboard of the ends of model car bumpers.

I finished putting the transfers on the Su-34 today.

I then moved on to assembling the engine of the Charger.  I'd already assembled and painted the block and heads and accessory belt (this is apparently what we are supposed to call the fan belt these days) and exhaust headers but there were fiddley bits to paint and add (or add and paint depending on the part in question).
The Modern Hemi engine has electronic ignition triggered off the crank with eight individual coil packs mounted on the valve covers.  This means I had eight tiny items to paint...
...ping...
...this means I had seven tiny items to paint followed by an eighth one once I had scratched it up from scrap.   

And then I turned round to the coffee table of procrastination and the stalled 1/24 ICM 1911 Model T Sportster.  I put this to one side when I stuffed up the Brass paint on the radiator and then stuffed up the moulded mesh detail when getting rid of the stuffed up paint.  The radiator being a prominent item on a car of this vintage it needs to be un-stuffed.
The rad had been primed but I hadn't done a good job of sanding it so I had a go at it with sanding sticks and polishing pads (surprisingly managing to preserve the Ford script) before giving it a coat of primer.
I have sanded the central cooling matrix area smooth and am hopeful I can restore texture with one of the PE meshes I have.  If that fails then it'll get ribs added to disguise what i've done.

[PR19_Kit]

and accessory belt (this is apparently what we are supposed to call the fan belt these days)

Who says so, and who are they to tell us what to call the bits of OUR cars anyway?

They're fan belts, always have been and always will be. 

[Rick Lowe]

and accessory belt (this is apparently what we are supposed to call the fan belt these days)

Who says so, and who are they to tell us what to call the bits of OUR cars anyway?

They're fan belts, always have been and always will be. 

Preaching to the choir. 

[zenrat]

I worked on the Model T radiator this morning before work reared its ugly head.  A tiny smidge of filler then I dealt with the sanded off detail by gluing on a piece of plastic mesh from an old fly screen.

[Rick Lowe]

a piece of plastic mesh from an old fly screen.

That stuff can be really useful. 

[zenrat]

a piece of plastic mesh from an old fly screen.

That stuff can be really useful. 

Indeed.
Behold!  Two offset layers of flyscreen mesh glued in place and primed.
1911 Model T Roadster WIP 18-10-25 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr
Records show that I hadn't touched this build since early 2022.

Charger engine...
GCPD Charger WIP 18-10-25 01 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr
...and installed in the chassis.
GCPD Charger WIP 18-10-25 02 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

[zenrat]

Charger body mostly painted.

Charger WIP 19-10-25 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

I also airbrushed Alclad polished brass onto the Model T radiator.  Despite a high gloss black undercoat and light coats is doesn't look very polished.  I think the issue might be that the brass paint is too thick and needs thinning.  Not sure what thinners to use with alclad. 
I'll try using SMS lacquer thinners when I paint the headlights.  The rad will get cleared with Future and will have to do.  I'm not stripping it again.

And i've rigged (mostly) a 1/72 Bulldog and attached the upper wing.

[scooter]

Not sure what thinners to use with alclad. 

Supposedly lacquer leveling thinners, at least according to the only answer in this Gunpla subreddit thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/Gunpla/comments/5sy47d/can_you_thin_alclad/

Linked video from the answer

[zenrat]

Thanks Scoot.
 

[Old Wombat]

Have you looked at the SMS metallics, Fred? So far I think they're amongst the best I've used (although I'm not much of a metallics user) & SMS have a levelling thinner for their paints.

[zenrat]

I haven't Womby.  But I do have a wide range of alclad lacquers and would rather not switch brands now.  I have noted however that alclad gloss black undercoat seems to have been discontinued.
I was planning to try thinning the Alclad polished brass with SMS thinners but discovered today that I had already painted the headlights brass.

The AK superchrome has proved not to be impervious to handling and had worn some on one of the parts I test airbrushed it on.  However I had been handling it a lot and not taking any particular care.  It certainly stood up better than Alclad chrome does.

Here be a rigged Airfix Bristol Bulldog.  No engine or landing gear yet, but it is rigged...
Bulldog WIP 21=10=25 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr