Hello!
Good to see your progress! You might want to chech the colours of the C-47,though - the olive drab looks to brown for me. I’d say overpaint it with dark green - that would do the job. Or are the photos not showing the colours right? Good luck with your project
Paweł
Thanks for the very interesting links. Everything is looking good!
Greetings All!
I’m glad you liked the links plastickjunkie. I thought you might find it interesting. I don’t know about you, but it seems that the older I get the more fascinating I find history. When I was young it was, eh, who cares. Now, it seems I can’t learn enough.
Dang it Pawel! You had to go and point out that the olive green is too brown. Part of it is that the photos don’t show the colors quite right, but I noticed the same thing last night. I was wondering if I was going to try to fix it, and you made up my mind. The trouble is that I don’t have any dark green. I guess I will be going back to Hobbytown this afternoon. Thanks a lot!
Seriously though thanks a lot. These are the type of comments I post for. Don’t get me wrong, I like to hear the good, but like I said earlier, I also want to hear the bad and the ugly. The point after all is to make the models and display as good as my skills and resources will allow. I might not be able to do a primo paint job, but I can at least get the colors somewhat correct.
Actually, although the olive green is the most noticeable, I think all of the colors are too dark. Part of this could be due to the scale color effect. I don’t know if aircraft modelers worry about it, since aircraft models are usually in larger scales (1/48 or 1/72), but ship modelers, who typically work in 1/350 or 1/700 scale often do.
David Griffith in his excellent book “Ship Models from Kits”Basic and Advanced Skills for Small Scales”,describes the phenomena brilliantly. Essentially he points out that due to the atmosphere, the farther an object is from you, the lighter its apparent color becomes. When you paint a model, he says, you don’t want it to look like a small object close to you; you want it to look like a large object far away. To achieve this effect, Griffith recommends adding white at a percentage equal to the square root of the scale you are working in. For the current display:
Percent white = √350 = 18.7
So, to account for the scale factor, Griffith recommends adding almost 20% white to the colors. I considered scale color at one point, but decided not to do it because I wanted to use paints I already had. Well, that plane has departed, and I might have to reconsider. I’m going to Hobbytown anyway.
CHEERS!!!
UPDATE 8 – 12/13/2013
Good Morning Everybody!
First, yesterday was a milestone day. My committee signed off on my prospectus. YEEEAAAHHHH!
There is light at the end of the tunnel.
It was also a milestone day for dad’s display, as I finished painting the models. After another trip to Hobbytown where I bought some Model Masters Dark Green Acrylic (FS 34079), I pondered the paint scheme one final time. I decided that the scale effect was more applicable to what Griffith calls the “weathered style” than what he calls the “pristine and clean style”, and that the “pristine and clean style” was more appropriate to my display. Not that my modeling abilities will allow me to make them pristine and clean, but that is the goal and the style I opted to use.
The top of the AC-47 is now completely painted with Model Master’s paint matching the FS numbers of the tan, light green and dark green. I think it looks better. Thanks Pawel. I probably would have left it as it was if you hadn’t point it out. I also gave the windshield, windows and the half dome on top the pencil treatment, and added a spot of red (Testor’s enamel) to the tail light.
I say that the painting is completed, but it may not be. Even though pictures I have of the mini-guns show them to be white, I’m thinking of painting mine a light gray to dull it down a little.
The bottom of the AC-47 was painted with some old Model Master’s Enamel Flat Black. It was more a thick syrup than paint, and I thought about adding some mineral spirits to it, but didn’t know how it would react with the Model Master’s enamel. Since it was going to be on the bottom, and would rarely, if ever, be seen, I decided to use the paint as it was. It worked OK for the bottom although I would not be happy with it if it was going to be visible in the display. The reddish tint in the image below is a photographic light effect. It is black as black in person, even under a magnifying glass. The wheels were painted with Testor’s Enamel Gloss Black, in perhaps an unnecessary effort to distinguish them from the bottom. I’m considering painting the aft landing gear and forward wheel wells with a spot of light gray when I do the mini-gun, but man they are tiny.
I also touched up the U-3A, used thepencil trick on the windshield and windows and added a spot of red to the tail light. The left side looks better than the right. I’m thinking I might spray some of the white primer in a saucer like Gamera recommended for the aluminum, and see if I can’t straighten out the line a little bit on the right side. Then again, I might be better off to leave well enough alone. We’ll see.
Here are all of the planes again.
Lessons learned so far…
I should have read the “Working With 3D Printed Parts” guide that Click2Detail (C2D) has on their website. I noticed the link some time ago but didn’t really read it and forgot all about it when the planes arrived. Their recommendation is to wet-sand after priming, then add a coat of Future, before priming again and painting. This makes for a smooth even surface.
Don’t paint in the cold.
Don’t paint in the cold.
I’m beginning to think that you are best to use new paints for every project. I hate being wasteful, but overly thick paint such as the Ensign Blue I used on the U-3A and the Flat Black I used on the bottom of the AC-47, makes it harder to get a nice paint job. The other option, I guess, is to learn how to effectively thin thick paint.
I’m not crazy about the pencil treatment on the glass. It looks OK on some of the models, but not on others. Perhaps I can add another layer of lead after I spray the Future. Any thought?
Did I say, don’t paint in the cold? If not, don’t paint in the cold.
The next step, I guess, is to spray a thin layer of Future on the models in preparation for decals. Originally, I was going to spray all of the models at the same time, but I just looked to see what kind of drying times people recommended between the last application of paint and spraying the Future, and the consensus seems to be 24-48 hours. The NMF planes are ready for Future now. The U-3A and AC-47 won’t be ready until at least tomorrow. To keep the progress going, I think I will spray the NMF’s today. It is recommended that I wait another 24-48 hours after spraying the Future before applying the decals, which means that the soonest I could start applying decals will be Saturday or Sunday.
Have a great day!
CHEERS!!!
Thanks for the links!
Looks good, you’re making great progress.
Neat presentation. Looking forward to seeing the finished display. Would consider making some of your planes (unfinished ones) available for purchase?
UPDATE 9 – 12/13/2013
Hi Everybody!
Your welcome Gamera, although it is way off topic, I thought somebody might find it interesting, as I did.
I don’t have much progress to report; except that I sprayed a coat of Future on the NMF’s and I am now not so patiently waiting for them to dry. I also took the planes off of the brass rods and soaked the rods in Mineral Spirits for 10-15 minutes or so and wiped off the primer and paint that had over sprayed on them, with a paper towel.
Then, I couldn’t help myself, I had to take pictures. Unfortunately, I didn’t think about the flash casting shadows on the backdrop. DOH! I’ll try again later, in the daylight, so I can turn off the flash. Still, I thought I would share them.
The last image shows the planes mounted on the plaque, pretty much as they will be on the final display. Nothing is glued yet of course.
CHEERS!!!
Hello!
Glad I could help. The C-47 looks a lot better now. Good luck finishing your project!
Paweł
UPDATE 10
Good Morning All!
I took a few more pictures of the planes this morning, without the flash.
I’m really happy with it to this point, with one exception. The sea gull wings of the T-29.
I have learned that 3D printed parts can warp like, I hear, resin parts can do. Unfortunately, the wings on the T-29 and to a lesser extend the T-34, and maybe the B-25 a bit, sagged on the ends. I can live with the B-25 and the T-34, but I’m not sure I can live with the T-29. The sag is just too pronounced.
The wings were sagging when the plane arrived, and since I stupidly forgot about the “Working With 3D Printed Parts” guide from Click2Detail (C2D) (https://click2detail.com/content/working-with-3d-printed-parts) I didn’t know that there was a chance I could fix it. The site says that to straighten a warped part, you simply submerge it in hot water and bend it back in position. Would it work? I don’t know. I suspect that it wouldn’t work now that it is painted, and that even if it did, I would think that the paint would crack. Any thoughts?
In any case, I’m not sure I can live with it. I think I’ll try the hot water bath and see what happens. I may end up stripping this bad boy after all. We’ll see.
Earlier, while still impatiently waiting for paint and Future to dry, I dug out an old Airfix “72nd Scale” AC-47 model dad had given me over a year ago. He had started it, but lost interest, partially because, he said, the guns were wrong. He said that he would never build it and asked me if I wanted it. Even though I was engrossed in other projects, I said “Hells yeah!”
Tidying up a bit I came across it and decided to pull it out and look at it. I don’t know how long he has had it, but the price tag on it is $2.99, marked down from $3.50.
I am way more interested in the model now than I was when dad gave it to me, so I did a quick inventory of the parts and the only part I noticed missing is one of the engine cowlings.
I’m thinking this might be my next project. I was thinking I could make the mini-guns and cowling and 3D print them, and any other piece I find to be missing upon closer inspection. Of course, the first step would be stripping the paint on the fuselage and redoing it. I don’t know what paint dad used, but my guess is that it was Testor’s enamel. After stripping the paint, I’m thinking that this may be my first spray gun painted model.
CHEERS!
UPDATE 11
Good news Guys!
I tried the hot water trick, and it worked, with no damage to the paint job. I found that the trick was to shape it under hot water, and while holding it in the position you want it, hold it under cold water. It isn’t perfect, but at least it no longer looks like a sea gull.
Since it was so easy to do, I decided to go ahead and fix the T-34…
…And the B-25.
It’s about time to start adding decals. If they are dry enough for the hot water dunking, certainly they are dry enough for decals. [:D]
A very nice tribute to your father. I know he will appreciate it. A very unique idea, too. I like the work you’ve done and have enjoyed reading how you tackled things.
UPDATE 12
The decals are on the T-34.
As usual, it is not perfect, but I am happy with it. These little decals are not easy to apply.
UPDATE 13
Looking at pictures of the T-34 to place the decals in the correct locations, I noticed that many of them had the top of the plane, in front of the canopy and just aft of it, painted either dark blue or black, so I decided to add this feature. I chose to use flat black.
The camera is indeed a harsh mistress. It looks a lot better in person, even under a magnifying glass, than it does under the critical eye of a telephoto lens.
UPDATE 14
Greetings All!
The decals are on the T-28. I also painted the top, forward of the canopy, flat black as it is a consistent scheme in pictures that I have.
So far, so good, and I sure am glad I made two sets of decals. I have needed them more than once.
CHEERS!!!
Hello!
Lookin’ good! Good thing you fixed those wings. The shape is a lot better now.
There’s a good reason for those black surfaces, also called “anti-glare panels”. As the name says, their job is preventing the pilot from being blinded by the sun reflected from the glossy finish.
Keep up the good job and have a nice day!
Paweł
UPDATE15
Good Afternoon Everyone, and thanks Pawel for the info on the “anti-glare panels”.
The decals are on the B-25, including Bill, even though you can barely see him. I was a little worried how the stripe decals on the vertical stabilizers would go on. For each stabilizer, both stripes were on one decal, and I designed it so they would wrap around the rudder, so that one decal would do both sides. They went on just as I had hoped, and easier than I had expected. The only issue I had was discovering a painting goof, in the form of a blob on the outside of the left vertical stabilizer. After some angst, I decided to live with it.
The last picture shows all three of the planes with the decals applied. Try as I might, I couldn’t get all three planes in focus. It is the best of numerous shots.
CHEERS!!!
Good Evening Everybody!
The decals are on the T-29.
For some reason, I really struggled with the U.S. Air Force, destroying two of the four I had. Like I said, I’m glad that I made two sets. The red prop warning line was also somewhat difficult, due to its length. It actually tore in half, but I was able to get them on so you can’t even tell.
Note that I painted the “anti-glare” panels. It’s the only painting that has gone right on the poor T-29. First, I had the spraying in the cold issues. Then, as you can see in the top-view photo showing part of the base, the surface has developed a milky look in places. I suspect that it is because the Future wasn’t completely dry when I gave it the hot water treatment to straighten the wings.
It’s kind of a bummer, but there’s not much I can do about it at this point. Hopefully the dull coat I plan to put over it after the decals are on will hide it somewhat. I’m not expecting it and if it doesn’t such is life. It will look like I weathered it. [:)]
After reading Pawel’s last post, I looked closer at my B-25 photos, and sure enough, they had anti-glare panels too. So I added one to my model, once again using flat black.
The picture below shows all four NMF’s with their decals on, even though the T-28 and T-34 are blurry.
CHEERS!
Hello!
Glad I could help. Maybe I can help you some more - you’re right, wet/drying future doesn’t like water too much. That milkiness sometimes disappears under another layer of future - maybe it’s worth a shot? Hope it helps, have a nice day
Paweł
Oh Man, that is good news Pawel!
In my later models, I have been using DullCoat, after I apply decals, to dull the models down a bit so they aren’t quite so shiny. Stan Cedarleaf , who printed the decals for me, recommended against Dullcoat, however, and recommended Krylon clear Matte finish. I was going to take his advice, and I still will on all but the T-29. For it, now I think I will try a thin coat of Future first. It certainly can’t hurt anything. I also think I will let the Future dry a couple of days before spraying the matte finish.
The decals are on the AC-47. They all went on nicely. If I was to do it over, though, I would make the Puff patch 50% larger.
CHEERS!!!
Greetings All!
I have had a second inquiry about selling my planes. The second request was e-mailed to me as a reply to this thread, but does not show up in the thread. This is probably because, “Any posts that appear to be an advertisement or transaction will be deleted.” As I told roger_wilco, I had not thought about selling them, but I suppose it’s a possibility. My e-mail address is rdutnell@ou.edu.
