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Thread: Repaint Comedy

  1. #1

    Default Repaint Comedy

    So.. a relatively simple repaint.

    Check airbrush - can't maintain pressure. Since it's been subject to 43C temperatures recently, disassemble compressor, clean, reassemble, re-calibrate, all is well.

    OK, base coat brush watered down Jo Sonja olive green as a stain. Wait a day to cure.
    Airbrush another thin coat, this time Jo Sonja olive green mixed with Jo Sonja flow medium.
    Another coat of the same, more flow medium to give full opacity and a smooth satin finish.
    Thoroughly clean airbrush with water, 3 full hoppers through it.
    Wait overnight.

    See that the flow medium has acted as an excellent acrylic paint stripper and glue dissolver. Wings both off, tail fins off.
    Use hot water, dishwashing liquid, and old toothbrush to clean up the parts.
    Oh well, didn't need the existing decals anyway. Softened by the flow medium they've just come off too.
    Note to self - don't use Jo Sonja flow medium except on shapeways, never on Ares models.
    Drop part of tail. Spend 45 mins searching on floor for it. Find it on table.

    Test airbrush. No paint flow.
    Disassemble airbrush, cleaning needle, then using interdental brushes to get out the glunge from the flow medium.
    Drop needle retaining screw on table. Spend 45 mins searching for it, find it on floor.
    Paint not flowing - spend 20 minutes adjusting needle and reassembling airbrush.
    Test passed.

    Reassemble model, using CA glue.

    Design decals.
    Print test. Bleah.
    Print printer test pattern - no yellow.
    Perform head clean procedure. Test. Then again. Test. No change.
    Replace yellow cartridge. Print test pattern. Black now spotty.
    Replace black cartridge.
    Cyan cartridge not recognised, replace cyan cartridge.
    Print test pattern. It works!

    Mix 7:2 yellow:black Aldi airbrush colour.
    Brush on as a stain, slightly diluted with water.
    Wait an hour.
    Airbush with same mix without dilution.
    Wait an hour.
    Repeat.
    Wait an hour.
    Use fine brush to touch up areas not safe to airbrush, round transparencies.
    Notice olive thumbprint on grey bottom surface from when touching up.
    Count to 10.
    Repaint entire bottom surface light grey. Only one coat needed. Took a minute.

    Print test decals - printer not responding, no wifi connection.
    Reset printer. No joy.
    Reset computer. No joy.
    Reset router. No joy.
    Search through process list, remove fax/printer service.
    Print test decals - great.
    Print on decal paper.

    Spray decals with White Knight Satin.

    While waiting to dry, compose this post.

    Actual time spent repainting successfully - 30 mins. Plus much wait time.

    Still to come:
    Cut out and apply decals.
    Wait a day.
    Mask transparencies with Play Dough, and spray satin coat.

  2. #2

    Default

    Feel for Zoe.
    Mrs K reminded me that I have days like that..... Expletive deleted.
    Rob.
    "Courage is the art of being the only one who knows you're scared to death."

  3. #3

    Default We all have days like this!

    Thanks Zoe! Best laugh I've had in a while. Specially relate to the dropped pieces, usually end up with everything brushed into dustpan and close inspection of detritus before disposal. Works nearly every time.

  4. #4

    matt56's Avatar May you forever fly in blue skies.
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    Default

    You have just effectively reminded me why I don't use an airbrush, Zoe! Nor have I had any luck making my own decals - I leave that to greater minds with more computer skills than mine... Like you and Rob and Reg, I have spent overmuch time looking in the wrong places for 'popped' pieces, and I always seem to have a floor that is the same color as the piece I have dropped. I must say, however, that it is always a relief to find the missing part still on the desk rather than lost forever on the floor...

    Thanks for putting into a succinct list what many of us have experienced

    All the best,
    Matt

  5. #5

    Default

    Belongs in the "funny because it's true" category. Thanks for the laugh.

  6. #6

    Smile

    Ye Gods! That was a repaint day from Hell!
    Glad things eventually came out OK but you must have felt like this for quite a while!

  7. #7

    Default

    Plus 1 on the laugh front Zoe...
    Thanks for sharing your misfortunes & adding the humour...

  8. #8

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by matt56 View Post
    ...and I always seem to have a floor that is the same color as the piece I have dropped.
    Murphy's Law for me ....

    P.S. Thanks for sharing your frustration, Zoe.
    I am afraid the airbrush would be seeing the inside of the bin if that was me

  9. #9

    Default

    My paint hell:

    1. Unbox shapeways.

    2. Paint direct out of pot, 3 coats.

    3. Apply decals.

    4. Matt varnish.

    5. Apply a peg.

    6. Ready to fly.

    Works for me.
    See you on the Dark Side......

  10. #10

    Default

    Zoe, you described what a lot of us have been through and will go through again.

  11. #11

    Default

    Everyone of us have had a "cursed" project. I hope the final results were worth the effort.


    Here's to them what are like us. Damn few and they're all dead.

  12. #12

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by rhodie80 View Post
    Everyone of us have had a "cursed" project. I hope the final results were worth the effort.
    My cursed project was trying to repaint the winter he 111 into a desert scheme. It ended as a desert wreck, looking nicely, just for a DAK Final Days scenario.
    <img src=http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/image.php?type=sigpic&userid=2554&dateline=1409073309 border=0 alt= />
    "We do not stop playing when we get old, but we get old when we stop playing."

  13. #13

    Default

    Mine is still with me. Despite being told where to get the decals for sharks teeth which did not wrap around properly, and also trying to paint my own I still can't get the look correct.
    Rob.
    "Courage is the art of being the only one who knows you're scared to death."

  14. #14

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by rhodie80 View Post
    Everyone of us have had a "cursed" project. I hope the final results were worth the effort.
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    Last edited by Zoe Brain; 02-20-2019 at 03:36.

  15. #15

    matt56's Avatar May you forever fly in blue skies.
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    Default

    Looks much better than it did, Zoe Was it broken apart when you got it or did you take it apart to make it easier to deal with? So glad you chose to paint the canopy lines - that is always something I felt was lacking on the Ares models - a small thing, perhaps, but noticeable nonetheless...

    All the best,
    Matt

  16. #16

    Default

    Historical note - ex USAF aircraft sometimes were sent via Lend Lease.

    Here's a B-25 in Alaska. The original USAF blue roundel has had the white painted over with red, and possibly the blue overpainted with a medium green.



    Often though, they were sent straight from the factory. Due to a SNAFU, the requirement for "Red Star with white outline" was initially interpreted by the factory as a "red star on a white roundel" .

    As here, a B-25 navigation leader guides some P-63s across Siberia, all straight from the factory rather than ex USAF.



    Here are some B-25D block 30s (with B-25J type tail turrets, and side guns, which blocks before 30 didn't have) in Alaska.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    By the middle of 1944, B-25Js going to Russia were painted in Soviet style cammo, often 3 colour, using the closest US equivalent to standard VVS type paints, and no more roundels, only red stars. Other B-25Js going to other theatres were mainly left in natural aluminium finish.

    While there are some photos of P-39s retaining their red star on white roundel look, most aircraft of any type got a hurried cover up with standard VVS light green of those glaring white roundels as soon as they hit the front.

    This model is of a fairly standard factory finish B-25D of the Black Sea Fleet around 43-45. The white roundel has been overpainted with the fairly garish green used by the VVS at the time, and the tail serial has been obliterated likewise.

  17. #17

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by matt56 View Post
    Looks much better than it did, Zoe Was it broken apart when you got it or did you take it apart to make it easier to deal with? So glad you chose to paint the canopy lines - that is always something I felt was lacking on the Ares models - a small thing, perhaps, but noticeable nonetheless...
    The model came apart after the initial attempt at painting, due to using too much flow medium.
    The canopy lines are already painted by Ares - but then they leave the bottom half of the nose transparent, a glaring error. Easily fixed though.

    This is a prototype to see how feasible it would be for rivalsky.com to offer standard repaints of selected aircraft. While every repaint would have a different serial number, and possibly other individual quirks (tail serial NOT obliterated, "Avenger" or "For Stalin" etc on the nose, based on primary sources), they'd all have the same basic scheme.

    Once the decals are designed, the right paint mix found, etc I can do about one per hour in batches. Something for your Yak-1s to escort.

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  18. #18

    Default

    Certainly looks a treat now that you have ironed out the problems. As I scrabbled on my carpet looking for a black torpedo this morning I remembered your tribulations, and my predicament seemed to fade into oblivion by comparison. I seemed to hear your voice saying cheer up Wingco things could get worse.
    So I cheered up, and sure enough things got worse. I trod on it.
    Rob.
    "Courage is the art of being the only one who knows you're scared to death."

  19. #19

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Flying Officer Kyte View Post
    So I cheered up, and sure enough things got worse. I trod on it.
    Rob.
    An oldie but a goodie. Not such a goodie when it actually happens, of course. Worse if it happens to someone else, not you. Hopefully the situation is recoverable. If not... well, the torpedo under this Ca3 is scratch built. I could try making another one for you.

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  20. #20

    Default

    No worries Zoe.

    I have a couple of spares from my Shapeways Stringbags which I did not ship as they were flying top cover for the ones in our Tarranto game.

    Thanks for the kind offer, and also the Rep.
    Rob.
    Last edited by Flying Officer Kyte; 02-20-2019 at 08:46.
    "Courage is the art of being the only one who knows you're scared to death."



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