First of all great work! I have Monograms old kit of the MiG-15 and F-86 I plan on doing someday and plan to use your article as a road map.
Second, my question relates to the decals and any clear coats you may have used. If I read your article correctly, it doesn’t sound like you used any clear coats at all. Am I correct? The only reason I ask is that I have used the Model Master Metalizers frequently with good success as long as I have a clean, primed surface and coat each layer with thier Sealer product. Does the SnJ product require anything like this? Also if you don’t clear coat it, won’t it make the model more prone to finger prints if handled.
You’re right, there aren’t any clear coats on the model. I applied the SnJ directly over the bare plastic, and applied the decals directly over the SnJ. If the finish is smooth enough, and the decals are good enough, you can get away with this. Trimming away excess carrier film around the decals helps, too.
I should note that SnJ just announced that its shutting down and stopping production. If you want some, you should probably order some before the remaining stock is gone.
Good substitutes for SnJ can be found in Floquil’s paint line. Floquil old silver and bright silver airbrush nicely, and like SnJ, they’re very durable and resist fingerprint damage. Look for Floquil paints in hobby shops with model-railroad departments.
When I handle the MiG, I pick it up by the SnJ-coated sections, not the Metalizer-coated ones.
Thanks for the heads up about SnJ. I’ll take your advice and try the Floquil colors, I was thinking of that anyway. I figured it didn’t make any sense to getting used to SnJ stuff if it is going away. I am already addicted to using Mr. Surfacer and that is tough enough to get a hold of…