**** DONE: 1/48 P-51D - Pacific Theatre of Operations II

[Wayne Little]

Well done man...

 

[fubar57]

Much obliged gentlemen. Just need to paint the fuel tank area underneath and two panels on either side of the nose and the paint job is finis, with minor touch-ups, of course. Just curious if I'm going to need a gloss coat with all the silver paint as the gloss may ruin or maybe enhance the effect. Maybe just coat the Flat Aluminum on the wings.

Geo

 

[Airframes]

Nicely done George, and I love the paint names! do you have a Baconinium shade?

 

[fubar57]

Thanks Terry. Those Citadel paints have some very odd names so I wouldn't be surprised.

Geo

 

[dneid]

Nicely done George, and I love the paint names! do you have a Baconinium shade?

ROTFLMAO!!! Geo, if you have Baconinium, I need to buy a quart from you!!!
That 'stang is looking very nice!!!

 

[Rogi]

Looking good it is a real challenge to get these metal layers down right doing real good so far

 

[fubar57]

Thanks Dale and Igor. There is absolutely no way, with my lighting, that all six silvers will show up in one photo. Painting is done on the main body, so I'll let it dry over night and hit it with Future in the A.M..

Geo

 

[Wurger]

However I wonder how these silvers can look like when the clear coat is applied.

 

[fubar57]

Yep, my thoughts as well. The fuselage color is about 1/3 of flat aluminum, gloss titanium silver and gloss chrome silver so I'm now thinking it won't need a gloss coat. The main body of the wings, minus gun panels, and moving parts is flat aluminum. Will the decals silver over flat aluminum?

Geo

 

[Wurger]

Will the decals silver over flat aluminum?

Geo

The silvering effect isn't noticed on silver as much as it is seen on matt surfaces. But yes it will. What kind of silvers did you use? I mean enamels, acrylic paints , etc..

 

[fubar57]

All were acrylics.

 

[Wurger]

It may be a problem... but you can try to use gloss coat and then the matt one thinned with clear alcohol or water. I would test it on plastic scarp firstly.

 

[Crimea_River]

That's looking really slick Geo. Would be a shame to mess it up with a gloss and flat coat but I can't offer much in that regard as I have not done any full NMF models. I think that my recent P-47 was done with no gloss coat before the decals but the NMF was done with Alclad which is lacquer based.

Having said that, the Mustang's wings were not actually natural metal but were actually painted silver over zinc chromate primer. Si if you apply a clear coat and lose some luster, it would not be unrealistic.

 

[fubar57]

Thanks Wojtek and Andy. I did a small test of Future over the port aileron figuring I could easily repair it if things went South but it turned out OK so I glossed over the wings and tail section and left the fuselage alone thinking that the mix was 2/3 gloss so it should be all right. I'll test out the stencils first. And once again, the camera does not show four shades of silver but they are there.

Geo

 

[Wayne Little]

If the first coat of gloss doesn't mess things up and is applied right you really should not have any silvering issues you could also carefully remove the edges of the decals as much as is possible if you are game....apply a decal or two and regloss it to ensure it is sealed before applying the flat coat, this will ensure the entire surface will have a uniform finish.

 

[Wurger]

 

[Catch22]

Awesome work Geo!

 

[Airframes]

Good stuff Geo.
I normally apply the decals direct on to a NMF finish, having ensured it's smooth and polished first, then apply a sealing coat of the desired finish (gloss, semi-gloss or matt) over the decals only, using a paint brush. Of course, that's on enamel paint - not sure what the effect will be on acrylic.
Some clear gloss varnishes can have the effect of emphasising the metallic 'grain' of the paint, where the clear coat acts as a lens, magnifying the metallic particles. Although this is hardly noticeable with Future, compared to 'true' varnishes, it still happens, and can totally alter the appearance of the finish. On the main wings, this will not be a problem, and will, in fact, help to create the look of the painted surface, and a contrast to what should be bare metal on the remainder of the airframe.
As mentioned, if the decals are trimmed as close as possible, and the surface is smooth, 'silvering' of the decals is less likely on a 'metallic' surface, and the clear coat over the entire decal, including any remaining carrier film (but not the entire 'bare metal' surface) should eliminate any effects of silvering.
However, what can sometimes happen with age (after a year or more, depending on atmospheric conditions), on a metallic finish, is slight yellowing of the decalled areas, where the shape of the carrier film surrounding, and 'under', a clear decal such as a stencil, can sometimes be seen as a different tone. A lot of this is, however, just natural weathering and, given the decal(s) are properly sealed, it can be cleaned with a damp cotton bud.

 

[fubar57]

Thanks for looking in and the advice. Did some touch ups so nothing to show. Another week off has come to an end, starting night shift tonight so it's going to be a veeeeery long night. Have a good rest of the week gentlemen.

Geo

 

[Catch22]

You too Geo, see you when you get back.