turbo
Staff Sergeant
Looking great John, that prop assembly looks the biz. I'm moving away from using decals to painting markings where I can too - it just looks that much better and easier for weathering too.
1/32 Hasegawa Fw 190D-9 "Black One"
- Thread starter JKim
- Start date
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Robert Porter
Senior Master Sergeant
Very nice! That prop assembly is very well done, both manufacturing and your assembly and paint!
SANCER
Senior Master Sergeant
Agree with all.
Saludos John
Saludos John
- Thread starter
- #364
JKim
Senior Master Sergeant
Thanks guys! Had a busy weekend and am having a busy work week on top of that so I haven't been able to spend much time on the work bench. I've noticed that the proper mindset is important for me in order for good work to happen on the work bench. I haven't had that so the little time that I've spent working on the Dora has not been that fruitful.
I left the last update with a spiral mask cut from a photocopy of the Eagle Editions decal sheet. I tried using the mask but the frisket paper adhesive stuck to the photocopy rendering the mask unusable. Fail.
I took the decal sheet into work and made a couple of new copies using a different type of paper. I had trouble getting a smooth edge on my cuts and the frisket paper didn't stick very well to the prop so I gave up after 2-3 attempts. Fail.
Let's try a different method. I decided to use yellow kabuki tape as it is more adhesive than the frisket paper. I lay down a piece of tape on the cutting mat and then scotch-taped a photocopy of the spiral onto the yellow tape. Using a swivel knife, I hoped to cut through both the photocopy and the yellow tape at the same time.
After a few attempts, I was able to obtain a workable spiral mask. I don't need a complete spiral mask, just the beginning part of the spiral since it is relatively easy to finish off using narrow strips of tape.
Black was slowly misted onto the prop, building the color up slowly. I want a relatively "dry" spray here and avoid any pooling of the paint to minimize leakage under the mask. You can also spray the masked spinner with a clear coat prior to the black as additional insurance but I didn't do that here.
From some angles, the spiral came out very well.
From other angles, you can see some areas that didn't come out so well. The transition between the yellow tape mask and the white tape strips shown here should be fairly simple to touch up so that's no worry.
There is some softer overspray occurring near the spinner tip caused by lifting of the spiral mask. Due to the small size and location of the curvature (inside of a curve is always harder to touch up than the outside of a curve), this is much trickier to repair. See how crisp the rivets are on the white portion of the spinner? That is the sole reason that I'm doing this with paint instead of decal.
The spinner is far from finished but I think I have a good handle on what to do next. I will try to touch up the spiral first. But I think the ultimate solution will be to wipe the paint and start from the beginning. I have identified a valid method to cut out a good mask but I need a peaceful chunk of time this weekend to approach this with the right mindset.
I left the last update with a spiral mask cut from a photocopy of the Eagle Editions decal sheet. I tried using the mask but the frisket paper adhesive stuck to the photocopy rendering the mask unusable. Fail.
I took the decal sheet into work and made a couple of new copies using a different type of paper. I had trouble getting a smooth edge on my cuts and the frisket paper didn't stick very well to the prop so I gave up after 2-3 attempts. Fail.
Let's try a different method. I decided to use yellow kabuki tape as it is more adhesive than the frisket paper. I lay down a piece of tape on the cutting mat and then scotch-taped a photocopy of the spiral onto the yellow tape. Using a swivel knife, I hoped to cut through both the photocopy and the yellow tape at the same time.
After a few attempts, I was able to obtain a workable spiral mask. I don't need a complete spiral mask, just the beginning part of the spiral since it is relatively easy to finish off using narrow strips of tape.
Black was slowly misted onto the prop, building the color up slowly. I want a relatively "dry" spray here and avoid any pooling of the paint to minimize leakage under the mask. You can also spray the masked spinner with a clear coat prior to the black as additional insurance but I didn't do that here.
From some angles, the spiral came out very well.
From other angles, you can see some areas that didn't come out so well. The transition between the yellow tape mask and the white tape strips shown here should be fairly simple to touch up so that's no worry.
There is some softer overspray occurring near the spinner tip caused by lifting of the spiral mask. Due to the small size and location of the curvature (inside of a curve is always harder to touch up than the outside of a curve), this is much trickier to repair. See how crisp the rivets are on the white portion of the spinner? That is the sole reason that I'm doing this with paint instead of decal.
The spinner is far from finished but I think I have a good handle on what to do next. I will try to touch up the spiral first. But I think the ultimate solution will be to wipe the paint and start from the beginning. I have identified a valid method to cut out a good mask but I need a peaceful chunk of time this weekend to approach this with the right mindset.
Great work so far John!
turbo
Staff Sergeant
Eduard make a spiral mask set for the 1/32 Dora John. Don't know if one of these would suit your aircraft.
Spinner spirals Fw 190D 1/32
Spinner spirals Fw 190D 1/32
- Thread starter
- #368
JKim
Senior Master Sergeant
Thanks for that link. I'm aware of the Eduard masks and I'm sure they would work very well. There are other masks as well. Oh crap... that just reminds me! I have a set of Montex masks for this build, primarily for the crosses and the tactical number "1". I wonder if it has a spiral mask? Maybe, maybe not since the Montex set is for the JV44 which did not have spirals on their spinners. Thanks for jarring that consideration into my mind, Kirby!
- Thread starter
- #369
JKim
Senior Master Sergeant
Duh duh duh!!!! What a stupid I am!
Looks like the Montex mask set DOES have a spiral included.
Looks like the Montex mask set DOES have a spiral included.
turbo
Staff Sergeant
Bonus!!
Robert Porter
Senior Master Sergeant
Cool! Great approach though! It was interesting to watch your thought process and I truly did learn something so a win!
Spirals are always an interesting challenge...
I like it John
Crimea_River
Marshal
I used the approach on my He219. Worked well.
Totalize
Tech Sergeant
Have never attempted a spiral so this is a great learning experience for me, Well done John.
- Thread starter
- #376
JKim
Senior Master Sergeant
The Montex spiral mask was not to my liking, shape-wise, so I've elected to continue upon the the previous path of making my own spiral mask. As you recall I have tried two methods so far: (1) using clear frisket paper over a copy of the decal sheet and (2) taping the decal sheet on a piece of yellow tape. Cutting through two materials is always tougher than cutting through one so I thought I'd take a stab at drawing the spiral on the tape. It doesn't have to match the decal spiral as there is no photo documentation of Black 1's actual spiral design anyway.
The spiral pattern is carefully cut using the swivel knife. With practical usage, I am getting better at using the swivel knife. The key is to go slowly and keep the cut in one continuous motion, rotating the cutting mat as you cut... tricky but do-able.
The mask did not lay down as smoothly as I would want... some crinkling that will result in marring of the edge line. I did shoot the spinner with a clear coat to help seal the mask prior to laying down the black.
You can see some of the imperfections in the spiral once the mask is removed. I'm not sure I like the shape of this spiral but I decided to perform some cleanup on the edges prior to making decision.
Using strips of flexible plastic tape, I set the curve edge in small areas and repair the imperfections using the airbrush. You can get a tiny spray pattern from a double action airbrush if you thin down your paint and reduce your air pressure to enable these spot repairs.
Fixing the spiral edges along the sides of the spinner is relatively easy. It gets tougher as the spiral tightens toward the tip. I will use pre-cut pieces of tape instead of trying to curve the strip of tape.
Here is the spinner after the spiral repairs have been completed. The result is acceptable but I'm still contemplating a style change for the spiral.
I've also been painting the other propeller components in parallel with the spiral work. After the MIG Scratches Effect fluid has been sprayed on the prop blades, I've given them a coat of RLM 70 Black Green.
The blades were very resistant to chipping using the prescribed water. I resorted to using the tip of a toothpick to remove the RLM 70. I'll give these a coat of clear gloss prior to adding the manufacturer stencil decals.
The prop hub has been painted. Most of this will be hidden by the spinner.
The spiral pattern is carefully cut using the swivel knife. With practical usage, I am getting better at using the swivel knife. The key is to go slowly and keep the cut in one continuous motion, rotating the cutting mat as you cut... tricky but do-able.
The mask did not lay down as smoothly as I would want... some crinkling that will result in marring of the edge line. I did shoot the spinner with a clear coat to help seal the mask prior to laying down the black.
You can see some of the imperfections in the spiral once the mask is removed. I'm not sure I like the shape of this spiral but I decided to perform some cleanup on the edges prior to making decision.
Using strips of flexible plastic tape, I set the curve edge in small areas and repair the imperfections using the airbrush. You can get a tiny spray pattern from a double action airbrush if you thin down your paint and reduce your air pressure to enable these spot repairs.
Fixing the spiral edges along the sides of the spinner is relatively easy. It gets tougher as the spiral tightens toward the tip. I will use pre-cut pieces of tape instead of trying to curve the strip of tape.
Here is the spinner after the spiral repairs have been completed. The result is acceptable but I'm still contemplating a style change for the spiral.
I've also been painting the other propeller components in parallel with the spiral work. After the MIG Scratches Effect fluid has been sprayed on the prop blades, I've given them a coat of RLM 70 Black Green.
The blades were very resistant to chipping using the prescribed water. I resorted to using the tip of a toothpick to remove the RLM 70. I'll give these a coat of clear gloss prior to adding the manufacturer stencil decals.
The prop hub has been painted. Most of this will be hidden by the spinner.
Lovely work so far John!
turbo
Staff Sergeant
Nice perseverance with the spiral John, they're a difficult beast and I reckon it looks pretty good. Chipping on the prop blades has also turned out really nicely, I don't think you want the chips too big there which can happen if the hand is too heavy with the chipping fluid. Nicely done 
Airframes
Benevolens Magister
Great work on the spiral John.
I might be wrong, but I'm fairly sure the prop blades on the 'Dora' were wood.
I might be wrong, but I'm fairly sure the prop blades on the 'Dora' were wood.
- Thread starter
- #380
JKim
Senior Master Sergeant
Thanks Kirby! Yes, I would rather have the chipping effect less pronounced than overdone. I think it will work well with the weathering that I'll perform on the blades.Nice perseverance with the spiral John, they're a difficult beast and I reckon it looks pretty good. Chipping on the prop blades has also turned out really nicely, I don't think you want the chips too big there which can happen if the hand is too heavy with the chipping fluid. Nicely done
You are correct Terry. I covered that a few posts ago when I laid down the brown base coat.
