OK, so here’s the situation. I built my last plastic kit in 1985, deciding I needed a dose of RC. But the siren call of plastic modelling has drawn me back to my true love. Space constraints limit me to 1/72 (but I have strayed to an occasional 1/48 in the past). My wife has urged me to get building on my stash of more than 350 kits because, as she so gently puts it, I may be running out of time. So, I have decided to ease back into the flow with the Airfix Val which I purchased in 1971 for the princely sum of $1.29. I also have the Hasegawa 1/48 version and a 1/9 RC version, as well.
Needless to say, some things have changed in the last 20 years, so I need some help. Here are two questions for starters; I’m sure there will be more.
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Decals; I have all the kit decals and, following the advice I found in the forums, the decal sheet has been hanging in my window for a week and the yellow is slowly diminishing. A few days of sun should complete the job. How good the decals will be after 35 years remains to be seen. I have serched the internet for any/all decal sources I could find and, much to my surprise, Japanese markings are virtually non-existant. Obviously, I am looking for hinomarus in all the wrong places. Suggestions?
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Canopy Frames; In the old days I hand painted all my framing and things turned out pretty good if I do say so myself. Now I find that my mind is making appointments my body can’t keep. I have considered masking off the clear areas, but in 1/72, that seems as challenging as hand-painting. Are there any tricks/techniques that might overcome the rogors of time?
Thanks for any suggestions you may provide.
After the sun has gotten rid of the yellowing, it would be a good idea to overcoat the decals with Future floor polish or Microscal Decal Film. Old decals will often break up on you if don’t take this step. You will have to cut close around the decals before soaking them but the decals will survive that way.
I share your pain on the canopy work. I’ve always had to work with hands that are a bit shaky but vision is more of a problem on the small detail work than it was 20 years ago. I have an Optivisor to magnify the work, and use Tamiya tape or frosted Scotch tape to mask canopies. Some people like to use Bare Metal Foil. I use Testor’s #11 exacto knife blades that have a blued finish. They hold an edge very well and I use a very new one for cutting the masking tape on the framing.
Good luck on the Airfix Val. I have one in progress and it is not up to the new kits for ease of build. I enjoy doing the older kits, though.
Jeaton01,
Thanks for the comments. I have a Magnifier Light that I have been working with, but I have a whole bunch of trouble getting depth perception. It’s no fun missing my target by three inches or more. I hope practice will reduce the problem.
I have progressed to the point on joining the fuselage. My next problem became evident very quickly; the halves don’t mate very well, even after sanding flat I wound up with a step at the seam. My examination indicates that no matter what I do I’ll be removing a lot of surface detail to get rid of the step. The panel lines, I can handle, but the rivets will be an interesting experience, I’m sure. My first try is to apply some Squadron Green Putty (It has been in my supply locker for almost 30 years and is still viable. WOW!), but to fair that in will be difficult if not impossible. Memory totally escapes me here; I can’t for the life of me recall how I fixed this problem long, long ago. Well, this is the first of my re-learning path so I don’t expect it to come easy.