<-- Mosquito FB.VI - Twin Engined Aircraft of WWII

[parsifal]

sad thing to see that

 

[Gnomey]

Lovely work so far Terry!

 

[Crimea_River]

That's just odd. Hope it settles down Terry.

 

[Airframes]

Thanks chaps, and I agree Andy, very odd indeed !
Thankfully, they have now settled down, with just a very small 'blip' in one of the code letters, which I can live with.

 

[Airframes]

I've now got all of the stencils decals in place, and some panel lines have been done, mainly on the cowlings for now, and the model has been cleaned, ready for the matt clear coat, which I hope to get done tonight.
As I was applying the stencil decals on the tail area, I spotted this, shown in the pic below.
It's the pencilled 'DG' marking the areas to be painted green, showing through the paint !
I've never seen this happen before, and it only showed under the direct tungsten light I was using. I can only think it's due to the pencil marks either reacting with the satin paint, or that the paint, which never dries evenly, or satin, has a sort of translucent property, even though the (dried) colour is solid enough.
No problem though (I hope !), as it's now been retouched, and will get a thin gloss clear coat to ensure the surface is evenly toned, once the paint is fully dry.
If I can get the matt clear coat done without problems, and if no other surprises / delays / foul-ups happen, then I should be OK to meet the finish deadline - now why do I feel I shouldn't have said that ?!!

 

[Robert Porter]

Wow! That is kind of odd but it makes sense. What kind of pencil was it? Graphite or oil/wax?

 

[Wurger]

To be honest I have encountered the problem a couple of times as well. I managed to remove the effect by wipping of a such surface with a rag , slightly soaked with a thinner and then apllying of the clear coat again.

 

[Airframes]

Robert, it was a normal HB pencil - the 'grain' of the graphite can be seen in the letters, and in the penciled demarcation line, where the oils in the paint have made it rise to the surface.

Wojtek, I tried that, but with no effect. The area has been re-painted, carefully avoiding the decals, and so far, it looks OK.

 

[Wurger]

I see. You should get it sorted out soon. I keep my fingers crossed.

 

[turbo]

Hmm, you might have stumbled on a new effect their Terry if you can figure out what to use it for...

 

[Crimea_River]

Interesting, though not a welcome discovery.

 

[Airframes]

If I have any more problems with Mosquito models, I could use that effect to mark out "Apply Lump Hammer Here" !!

 

[Gnomey]

Very strange. Still looks good so far Terry!

 

[Airframes]

Thanks Hugh - that problem has been rectified.

I thought I was on track to getting this finished for the deadline, but another problem has arisen.
The first coat of clear matt was sprayed yesterday, but when checked this morning, not only has it dried semi-matt, and patchy in parts, but it's also 'frosted' in a couple of areas.
The pics below show the problem areas, and these have now received a coat of gloss clear, in the hope that this will cure the problem.

I only need to attach the guns, mud guards, props, and other 'last minute' bits and pieces to finish the model itself (the cameo diorama can wait, for now), but as I now need to allow time for the gloss clear to fully harden, and then re-spray the now adjusted mix clear matt coat, it's highly unlikely I'll get it finished in time.
I seem to be hitting problems lately, and it's really starting to annoy me, especially after 50+ years of relatively trouble-free modelling.
I've posted a thread elsewhere asking for suggestions for good matt clear coats, and meanwhile, I'll try to at least get the Mosquito NF.XII finished by the deadline.

 

[turbo]

Hmm, looks like the flat clear application might have been too heavy? I find it's important to thin the paint and slowly build it up with multiple light coats until you are happy.

 

[Robert Porter]

Is it at all possible the bottle you used had exceeded its shelf life or was maybe left exposed to the air for to long? Seems really odd you would get that effect with something you have used so long to such previously good effect.

 

[Airframes]

This was freshly mixed, using Humbrol Gloss Clear and Tamiya Flat Base, and applied in a light, thin coat, the way I always do it, this being the first coat.
The same mix was used on the NF.XII model, without problems !
I can only think that it's due to the Humbrol Dark Green satin which, as we have already seen, also reacted with the pencil marks. The Medium Sea Grey areas, also a mix of two Humbrol matt paints, have not been affected, and neither did it react with the pencil marks.
The affected areas have since been given another coat of gloss clear, which seems to have eliminated the 'frosting', and the model will get another coat of the clear matt when I'm happy that the gloss has fully hardened. The matt clear has been adjusted slightly, by adding a little more gloss clear, and I'd rather have a semi-matt finish, than the frosting and patchiness.

As I've had many inconsistencies and other problems with the once perfect Humbrol paints since the demise of the Humbrol factory, I'm now going to use Model Master paints whenever possible, keeping those 'good' Humbrol paints I have in stock as a reserve, and I'll also be changing my method of matt finish, probably by using Vallejo liquid matt varnish.
As mentioned earlier, it's now unlikely that this model will meet the deadline, but I'll persevere, and you never know, I might just cross the line before the clock stops !

 

[Airframes]

It's getting there !
With the 'new' gloss clear dry, the model has been sprayed with a light coat of matt clear and, so far, it seems to be working, although there are still a couple of 'patchy' areas in the Dark Green,
I'll leave it a couple more hours, then spray a second thin coat of matt clear, concentrating on the green areas.
If that works out OK, and dries in time, I just might be able to fit the remaining parts, and meet the deadline.
The pics show how the model looked about half an hour ago, with the varnish still drying, and a comparison with this, and the NF.XII, which was sprayed with exactly the same mix, about 30 minutes before spraying the FB.VI.

 

[Airframes]

I've called a halt on this for now, as the matt clear coat, although much better than it was, is still not good enough, showing gloss patches here and there in the green areas.
I've spent around 9 hours working on this today, with another couple of hours dedicated to the NF.XII, and enough is enough.
If I continue, in an effort to meet the deadline, not only will I not succeed, but I'm likely to mess it up through rushing. I'm intending to apply a further thin coat of matt clear to the green ares, at least, which I think might finally eliminate the glossy patches, but I might wait until I've got some decent varnish - Vallejo being the likely choice.
The priority now is the NF.XII, which again won't meet the deadline, but might be finished by tomorrow night, or on Tuesday, as this has to be finished, in order to allow me to get on with the other models for the 46 Sqn event - three more models to do, including a lot of conversion work, and they have to be delivered before the end of May !
I'll get back to this as soon as possible, probably between sessions on converting the Stirling and Meteor kits.

 

[A4K]

Sorry to see the troubles you're having with this Terry, seems it really dosen't want to be finished just yet.
If the code letters still aren't to your liking, I have spares in 1:48 scale.