i’ve been building a 1/48 f-16c. (taken a little longer than anticipated) and i’ve been coming across a “flaking effect” when i airbrush it.
the areas where it happens the most seem to be a little bit more concealed and harder to reach, probably due to the fact that i chose to assemble the fuselage, including fuel tanks and weapon station pylons already in place.
so i’m asking you experienced guys/gals, do you paint your planes “clean” without any external hardware, and paint the accessories on the side and assemble at the end, or assemble all the external stores and paint after? thank you in advance.
Try painting hard-to-reach areas with the fine line feature on your airbrush first… Then, paint the fuselage itself.
footcav42
stangfanatic - at what pressure are you airbrushing ? For tight places, I usually don’t go over 5psi. The “turbulence” of reflected airflow may be disrupting the paint by reflecting off the surfaces in the “nooks.” Lowering the pressure and gradually building up the paint in light coats may give you a more even finish.
I try to assemble the main airframe, minus fuel tanks, bombs, etc, and without parts that are easily broken (antennas, pitot tubes, etc. I will even sometimes paint without the wings, but only if the seam will not require filler or sanding. It may take longer this way, but I spend less time cleaning up the errors.
Hope this helps you out ! Good luck !
yeah i’ve been using 15-20 psi, i’ll try the lower pressure, thanks!