Hi guys, I posted a few months back with regards a 1.72 Revell Spit, I was more concerned at the time about the basics then; Buliding and painting, as I was just finding my feet in the hobby.
The build was ok, as I just took my time, and the paint job was pretty sound too, as I have a little experience of Games Worksop. So the washing and Drybrushing, although not to a terribly high standard, looked fine.
My sticking point was the Decals, now I’ve been viewing this forum for a while now, and I keep hearing people talk about Future? and some guys talking about Micro-Sol (sp?)
What are these?
I’m sorry to ask such basic questions, but when I have no friends in the hobby it is quite difficult to find information.
Future is a floor polish that can be bought in Target, wally world and grocery stores.
A complete explination is here www.swannysmodels.com under tools and tips.
Microset and microsol are decal setting solutions you can get online or throught your local hobby shop (lhs) to help get your decals down on the model.
Future is applied to a finished painting part of the model before decals. it gives the model a hard, smooth glossy covering that decals love. after decals you apply another coat of futre to seal it all in then apply a flat or satin finish as needed.
it’s called Klear in England, but I suggest that you read the article on Swanny’s website. It explains a lot including al the brand names over the world.
Darren,
The product is the same, but reference I have says that it’s marketed under a different name in the UK - look for “KLEAR” or “KRYSTAL KLEAR”. You should be able to get it at Sainsbury’s, Safeway, or Tesco’s.
The reason you put this stuff on is that unless the paint is a super shiny gloss, the decals won’t properly adhere to the surface of the model. Matte paints such as the majority of military colors, when viewed microscopically, are rough like sandpaper. The decals simply won’t adhere to this surface, causing light to refract off of the painted surface below the decal - causing “silvering” - a condition modellers hate cuz it looks sinply awful…
The super gloss imparted by Future, or Klear, makes the decals stick completely to the model - and no silvering - and if your model is supposed to have a matte finish, just sprat on a cleat matte varnish.
Jeff (Woodbeck) pointed out a link to Swannys models…have a look at his article titled “The Complete Future”…it explains everything.
And before you poo-poo the article, Future is EVERTHING they say it is…mate, the stuff is fantastic.
Just get some…then try it. You WON’T be sorry that you did.
Cheers guys, thanks alot for the link to Swannys website, what a great site.
I think I’m gonna have some fun now, just looking at ‘Swanny’s’ has given me a lot of confidence, and just proves that gaining good finishes isn’t as complex as I first thought.
Thanks again lads.
But be warned, I may be back sooner than I thought, asking advice for my next model!!![:D][:D]
No worries. I’ve learned that you can never have too many questions in this hobby, and the folks on this forum like nothing better than to help and share their techniques. I’ve been helped many times already, and think that all the guys and gals here are super!
John