Help. Im beginer. Not sure how to paint

[Wurger]

Oh .. you are going to remove the already applied paint .. Sorry I was almost sure you are going to clean the unpainted model. OK. What kind of colour have you applied? An acrylic paint? What brand?

 

[SuperFire]

Oh .. you are going to remove the already applied paint .. Sorry I was almost sure you are going to clean the unpainted model. OK. What kind of colour have you applied? An acrylic paint? What brand?

I used Humbrol Ocean Grey enamel here (In my opinion their Ocean Grey is too dark). I'm going to salvage it. I use enamel's because I don't want to have to prime. I've only used Testors and Humbrol. So far I prefer Testors.

One thing I know for sure is that I over-studied. I let things get too complicated and it sapped the joy out of the model and made me resent it. Better to keep it simple and take action before the fun wears thin in my opinion. Also, the fewer steps you use, the better. Elegance and Mastery is not 50 steps. LOL! It's 5!

I've also made a promise to myself to not over weather these Warbird models. They weren't super shiny like the restorations are today. They were war machines--slapped together by semi-skilled labor on mass production lines and pushed into the front lines as fast as possible--and they didn't last long on the front. I doubt many of them were around longer than a few weeks to a couple of months in combat conditions. The ground crews washed them and they did not get that dirty, at least not for very long.

 

[Wurger]

I see.

If you still want to remove the enamel you may use the brake liquid called Dot-3. or R-3 ( green ). It may take some of time to get the colour intenerated. It can take two days. But you don't have to sand the model and all you need is to use a tooth brush for removing of the coat. In the case the details of the model surface are saved.

 

[SuperFire]

Rodger that Wurger! Thank you. I'm just going to sand and thin what is there. I refuse to spend one more dollar on this hobby. 600 bucks is way more than I should have spent already. I can get it done with skill and patience. I am not trying to win any competitions with my Warbirds. Just build a quality model to hang up on the ceiling for guests to glance at. I'm going to thin out some white and spray it after i salvage this coat to lighten the coloration. The panel lines will come back out after I sand and thin I think. Besides, at 4 feet away most people won't even see the panel lines anyway.

 

[Wurger]

Grasped.

 

[mikewint]

If you are dead set on sanding go for it BUT there are sooo very much easier ways to remove that enamel paint that require no effort on your part and do zero harm to the model.
Without your spending more money on a hobby get a spray can of EASY-OFF Oven Cleaner (it also cleans Ovens hence the name).
Put your model in a good quality plastic bag that won't leak; Spray a good heavy coat of cleaner all over the model (USE CARE Do NOT get on hands, face, or breathe in over-spray it is HIGHLY CAUSTIC). Leave for 24 hours. Using LOTS of water wash off all the oven cleaner (probably a good idea to wear gloves) and use a tooth brush for any paint that still clings to the model.
You'll have a perfectly clean model ready to repaint.
As I mentioned before I'm not sure why you are using enamels when acrylics are sooo very much easier and don't require any specialized solvents to clean or thin and produce few if any fumes. I paint all my models with acrylics and have never used a primer of any type other than washing all parts in a pan with a bit of Dawn to remove any grease or mold release chemicals.
Dried acrylic is easily removed with DETTOL antiseptic liquid (Walmart) which is easily handled, has no fumes, is not caustic or acidic, and easily rinses off

 

[SuperFire]

If you are dead set on sanding go for it BUT there are sooo very much easier ways to remove that enamel paint that require no effort on your part and do zero harm to the model.
Without your spending more money on a hobby get a spray can of EASY-OFF Oven Cleaner (it also cleans Ovens hence the name).
Put your model in a good quality plastic bag that won't leak; Spray a good heavy coat of cleaner all over the model (USE CARE Do NOT get on hands, face, or breathe in over-spray it is HIGHLY CAUSTIC). Leave for 24 hours. Using LOTS of water wash off all the oven cleaner (probably a good idea to wear gloves) and use a tooth brush for any paint that still clings to the model.
You'll have a perfectly clean model ready to repaint.
As I mentioned before I'm not sure why you are using enamels when acrylics are sooo very much easier and don't require any specialized solvents to clean or thin and produce few if any fumes. I paint all my models with acrylics and have never used a primer of any type other than washing all parts in a pan with a bit of Dawn to remove any grease or mold release chemicals.
Dried acrylic is easily removed with DETTOL antiseptic liquid (Walmart) which is easily handled, has no fumes, is not caustic or acidic, and easily rinses off

I appreciate the advice Mike, but I've tried acrylics--although I admit it was back in '89 when they first really came on the market--and I just can't stand them. I don't want to prime and do several coats. I want to lay down my thing and go do something else.

The truth is, I'm a bull in a china closet. I just am not good at finesse. I'm more of a door-kicker mentality than I like to admit honestly. I also like the smell of the caustic enamels and thinner. I've had my hands in more toxic stuff than I care to remember, and breathed it in. I figure why stop now.

There is a big-time mental aspect to doing modeling as everyone knows, and bull-dogging this Spitfire that I've truly come to hate is satisfying to me. I shall beat it into submission using the old ways. Is it smart? No. But neither is spending this kind of money on a plastic model airplane hobby when--as was pointed out in PLASMO's video--we could just be using cheap brushes and canvas oil paints and rattle cans of sealant. Total cost: 10-12 bucks for several models.

Everything you guys advise is sound in my opinion, but each man has to find his own way of going about it. I like to mix the old with the new, and I'm rapidly honing in on what my style will be. I truly appreciate all the time you guys have taken to advise me. Please don't stop. I just have to pick and choose what suits my personality and style like a grab-bag and I think that is true of everyone.

I hope Justine sees this and feels better about their model and stays with it. There are a thousand methods to doing this and still coming out with a good looking plane. Maybe not a competition winner, but most modelers aren't into that anyway. "Never let the perfect, get in the way of the Good Enough."

 

[SuperFire]

Justine, what I did is a train-wreck, but it's not un-recoverable. I'll post a photo later of it all fixed without completely starting over.

 

[fubar57]

Keep at it SuperFire and when frustration sets in take a break. I've got 30ish models in various states of build that I've walked away from and I've gone back and finished a couple several years later. I've also stripped paint from 3 complete models using nail polish remover. Most are against this method as they say it attacks the plastic but so far so good

 

[mikewint]

nail polish remover.

It will certainly remove paint BUT I am VERY surprised that you've experienced no untoward effects on your models.
Nail polish removers generally fall into two groups, i.e. With and without ACETONE. It is the acetone that dissolves plastic in fact it is the main ingredient in the thin plastic cements and the tube-type cements. It works by "melting" a thin layer of the plastic that then fuses together with the melt-layer of the second piece. Various polish removers use different amounts of acetone so a low acetone content would have less effect on plastic than a higher content. The other problem is the "drying" effect of acetone making the nail more brittle. Thus the manufacturers add moisturizing agents like glycerin, panthenol and soy to minimize the drying effect. All of which are going to end up on your model.
Non-acetone removers simply use less aggressive solvents like ethyl acetate (also used as a plastic glue just milder than acetone), isopropyl alcohol and propylene carbonate. Even polish removers labeled as "natural" or "organic" still use a solvent, they just don't use acetone. Depending on the solvent the "melting" effect on styrene plastic can vary

 

[fubar57]

This is the stuff I use Mike....with acetone.

​

.....maybe its my method. I fold up paper towel into about a 2" square, hold the square up to the bottle and quickly upend it gently soaking the towel. I then work this into about a 1"-2" area, just removing the paint until I start to see plastic and then move to a new area. If I feel there is too much in one area or I'm done for a session I flood the area with water. I've done this with Tamiya, Hasegawa and Academy kits.

 

[mikewint]

OK, I was picturing you soaking the entire model in a nail polish bath! Basically that is exactly what I do smoothing filler with Q-tips soaked in Cutex rather than sanding. The plastics exposure to the acetone is minimal and as you say causes no problems.
I use acrylics and the DETTOL antiseptic works amazingly well. I had a semi-plugged airbrush tip that I soaked for a day and it cleaned out all traces of dried acrylic.
The Easy-off is caustic and some care has to be exercised but the clean-up is just plain water and a toothbrush and the enamel is completely gone with little or no effort on my part

 

[BlackSheepTwoOneFour]

Wow..... just wow....

 

[SuperFire]

Keep at it SuperFire and when frustration sets in take a break. I've got 30ish models in various states of build that I've walked away from and I've gone back and finished a couple several years later. I've also stripped paint from 3 complete models using nail polish remover. Most are against this method as they say it attacks the plastic but so far so good

I will. Thank you Sir. It's not how many times you get knocked down, but how many times you get back up eh. The paint is now dry and I'll go to work on it tomorrow. I don't treat models with kid-gloves. They can take far more abuse than some give them credit for in my opinion, and what is considered un-recoverable by some really is. Mikes method is a good one, but I'd just assume salvage the paint that is already there and it can be done.

All hobbies have different levels of interest and that interest drives the skill level desire. I almost wish the forum were broken up into levels. The "I want to build a model over the weekend crowd" and the "Professional Competators" section. It's the same in my other hobby shooting. Some guys want to put three bullets through the same hole in a piece of paper while taking their time, and other guys just want to hit a chest sized target with speed.

I don't really care a great deal about panel lines as I've mentioned. I hang these from the ceiling. I don't treat them like static displays under glass cases. Some detail is good but if they are 10% less visible then it doesn't bother me one iota.

If something gets really torqued, then I'll stab it with a red hot exato knife and call it "battle damage!"

 

[fubar57]

I never compare my models to others, it would just build frustration. I compare my model to the last one I built. I just want to see some sort of minor improvement....a win for me. I used to be a shooter as well, 100-150 rounds per week of trap plus a few tournaments. Again, I never compared myself to other shooters, I just wanted to see improvement in myself

 

[Airframes]

Same here. Over the last few years, with the RA getting worse, the 'quality' of my models isn't quite as good as it was, say, ten years ago, and there are many, many modellers out there who can produce much better results.
But I don't do my models for competition, although I do try to get them as accurate as possible, to look like the original subject, and not looking like a great model, displaying a wealth of varied modeller's weathering techniques, so as long as they are up to a standard where the average viewer thinks they look great/good/reasonable/ passable (choose according to personal opinion !), then I'm happy enough.
Same with shooting (although I don't shoot these days) - if some bloke wants to spend a fortune on a weapon and ammo, and 'be the best', then fine, but I was happy with a bog standard rifle or pistol, hitting the center of the target at 300 yards and beyond (not with a pistol !), and knowing I could still do it if the target was firing back at me !

 

[mikewint]

takes around 90 minutes

the 'quality' of my models isn't quite as good as it was,

On that score I will totally disagree with you. I personally think that your builds are fantastic as are the time and effort you put into them. Don't sell yourself short

 

[SuperFire]

Sanded. Now to clean with 91% alcohol and cotton swabs. Then I re-spray!

As a bonus, the sanding weathered the airframe the same way normal wind-wear would in real life. It's a genius weathering trick! I totally meant to do this! LOL!

 

[SuperFire]

Errata: You will notice that I SEEMINGLY glued the the cockpit seat incorrectly due to horrifically bad British instructions, and not anything to do with me and my lack of skill! This is a mistake! This Photo-recon dragster was hit by ground-fire you see, and it pushed the steel plate forward. The pilot--brave as he was--made it back to base with the roll of film, but succumbed to internal injuries shortly after landing. We don't know if he landed wheels up yet, but I'm sure that's the British instructions fault as well. Stay tuned!

Also, British Instructions and parts design; because making me glue tiny strands of things that should have been molded in one piece is just revenge for the Revolutionary War! This is a fact!

 

[Airframes]

It's because you ruined our tea !