TAMIYA 1:48 F4F-4/FM-1

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Upper color is on, touch-ups to follow.




Happy with it?....about 75%. Too much over spray. I shot a 30/70 mix at about 10psi. Worked Ok on flat surfaces but I couldn't get the hang of it on curves. Note the over-shoot on the fuselage in the lower photo. I'm left-handed yet I use the AB with my right hand and I'm a little unsteady. I'm hoping the touch-ups go well as the mix was a handful of white and a few finger splashes of grey. I'll re-shoot tomorrow....film at 11
 
30 paint, 70 thinner or the other way around?

I think you need to get your nozzle closer to the surface and point the nozzle into the colour you are painting when doing the demarcation. That gets you a much sharper line. Easily said, not so easily done when you have stuff like wings in your way.
 
After my 3rd failed attempt I decided to try another tack, using Blu-Tack®. I cut out the paper shape I wanted and using small blobs of Blu-Tack® I attached this to the fuselage. It also allowed me to bring the white up over the wings as seen on real aircraft.


Pretty gosh-darned happy with the result though not 100%






A side note to the Vallejo nay-sayers with regards to the tape easily lifting off the paint. This is the 4th time I've masked this thing and no paint lift. On a sider side note. I had quite a bit of paint left so I practiced trying to get a feathered edge. In the past I have been pushing the trigger all the way down and then pulling back to get paint flow....you've seen the results. This time I pulled the trigger about half way back and then pushed down gently to start the airflow...much better. I did this for about 5 minutes and was quite happy with the result
 
Muy bien Geo!!
Says the saying: "He who perseveres, reaches" ... I share with you the pleasure of having passed the stage of base painting, good result.
... I am very attentive to what follows!

Saludos amigo
 
Thanks all. It's not the way I wanted but slowly learning the ways of the airbrush. Working on the landing gear now: a finicky 8 piece affair, 4 of which are shown installed...


...did a test fit to the fuselage and it is very sturdy. One build recommended painting the landing gear doors (B12-B13) before gluing in place so that's where we sit now. A few more hours and I'll gloss coat the beast. If you go way back to page 1 you'll see different size fuselage markings, none of which came with the kit. I've got several in the decal stash that should do the job. Link to the photo below....
TAMIYA 1:48 F4F-4/FM-1
 
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Merci mon ami. Added a link to your photo on the first page so that others, if so inclined didn't have to scroll around. I also noticed that I followed the profile for painting the front of the aircraft, the white doesn't extend back over the wing. So be it
 
Very nice build so far. I especially like how you're working to perfect your airbrush skills. Yes…Tamiya kits are the standard that others strive to reach. I really hope my F4U-A1 comes along as nicely as your Wildcat. Did that chain drive operate the landing gear?
 
Decal stage began last night and it looks like its going to be a fight to the finish. As noticed in the photo in the link provided above, the four aircraft all had different size fuselage markings. I went through my decal stash and the only thing I had close(but still a wee bit small) to the size on aircraft #4 comes from the old Testors P-47 kit. The decals are by Microscale. This photo is after two coats of Microsol(always my first choice) which never put a dent in the decal, two coats of Mr. Mark Softer and finally two coats of my dwindling bottle of Polly Scale Decal Softener.


Once this dries I may have to add a few pin pricks and repeat. Thankfully there are very few decals to apply
 

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