**** DONE: 1/48 Tempest MkV - Allied Advance and Defense of the Reich WWII.

Crimea_River · May 10, 2016

Actually my holy grail is an immaculate surface finish. I am still challenged by dust particles, good gloss coat for decals, decal setting (I need to change setting solutions), and a consistent matte coat. Not completely happy with my panels washing yet either.

Thanks for all the support guys. Hope to post more tonight after recharging my camera battery.

JKim · May 10, 2016

Yup... sounds like my wish list. What are you using for your gloss/matte clear coats? I really like Alclad Aqua Gloss for the gloss coat. It's acrylic-based, easy to work with, lays down nicely (even nicer if you thin it with some Mr. Leveling Thinner) and dries quickly to a very hard and durable surface. A bit similar to Future (you can even dip canopies with it) but with, IMO, more consistent results. I've been using Aqua Gloss + Tamiya Flat Base for my matte coats. It's good... when it works. But getting the right mixture is a bit tricky. I really hate that hazy white that results from pushing the mixture too much into the flat.

Crimea_River · May 10, 2016

My experience exactly. I still use Future for gloss and canopy dipping plus mix it with Tam FB for the matte coat. I've not tried the Aqua Gloss but will look for it. I can't get any Gunze Sangyo products where I live so anything starting with a "Mister" is out.I agree about the consistency issue with mixing the Future/FB. If you look close, I did get a bit of haze on the Tempest but not enough to write it off.

Gnomey · May 10, 2016

Lovely work Andy!

JKim · May 10, 2016

FYI... Aqua Gloss is milky white in the bottle just in case your are scanning your LHS for it.

Crimea_River · May 10, 2016

OK, thanks John. Final round of pics below. Thanks to everyone who followed, commented, and contributed to this build. The Eduard Tempest is a competent kit but a new tool kit matching the latest standards would be most welcome.