Tamiya A6M2bZero 1/32

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John Rixon

Guest
John, you know I'm not a plane guy but I always look in on your work.
Your dedication to precision is to be commended, and the cleanliness of your work is excellent.

Sloppy old mud grubber that I am I really appreciate that quality.

Carry on:thumb2:

Jim
Ha ha, I didn't know I was a plane guy either, I just got the urge to satisfy a few itches I had, back in the day, when I couldn't afford to do this properly! I kind of guess that we all have a little bit of this in us.
 
J

John Rixon

Guest
It's funny how we (I) think - "The next one will be spot on" etc... Sound familiar to anybody? I'm really loving this big build, but have inevitably hit a few hurdles on the way, which sting a little. I couldn't use the montex numerals on the tailplane - I was so looking forward to this, especially as the other painted insignia went so well. It turns out that the counters of the "B" - i.e. the holes in the capital "B" were 1. Very difficult to place, as they are pretty small, and 2. They wouldn't stick down well enough to stand spraying, even at 15 psi. Being really lo tack, once they'd been moved about, the adhesive was weakened further, so I had to resort to the Tamiya decals. They've gone down OK, but I'm still applying Micro Sol before I varnish the whole thing.
IMG_5203.JPG

But this isn't all, I've slightly messed up the fine red lines on the wings, which I can probably sort out, but still demoralising!
So, despite my initial enthusiasm for the Frisk Film montex insignia masks, I have come to the conclusion that the Kabuki masks are going to be my go-to from now on.
They seem to have the perfect ballance between thinness and decent tack.
IMG_5204.JPG
IMG_5205.JPG
So, all coming together now, with a few cock-ups on the way. I'm now going to leave her a few days before glossing prior to weathering.
And I need to keep telling myself, that it's all a journey, the next one etc. etc.!!
Have a great Christmas everyone!
 

BarryW

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John. How did you apply the masks? Did you lift all the elements off the backing with a piece of spare mask? You then apply them to the model removing the carrier carefully, just lifting a corner with cocktail stick ready to hold the mask element in place. There should not be a problem with the numbers that way keeping all elements in position. The masks are just tacky enough, too tacky and they won’t work. In fact with multi-colour masks you need to lift elements and replace them so they have to keep their tackiness.

The Zero is looking pretty good to me.
 
J

John Rixon

Guest
John. How did you apply the masks? Did you lift all the elements off the backing with a piece of spare mask? You then apply them to the model removing the carrier carefully, just lifting a corner with cocktail stick ready to hold the mask element in place. There should not be a problem with the numbers that way keeping all elements in position. The masks are just tacky enough, too tacky and they won’t work. In fact with multi-colour masks you need to lift elements and replace them so they have to keep their tackiness.

The Zero is looking pretty good to me.
I did try this, but the spare bit of mask wasnt really big enough, and you dont get a lot of spare! The carrier piece I used, failed to pick up the offending tiny pieces, which left me stymied! I do have a few different masks left, so I may just use them to perfect a technique... for next time! In the light of today, I feel a bit more positive about it, considering its my first 1/32 'plane, so I'll finish it off and move on. Thank you for your valuable input!
 
J

John Rixon

Guest
Thanks guys - need to gloss her then a spot of weathering, followed by attaching the various tiny lights and the antenna. But first, my workspac needs a pretty thorough clear up. Every time I clean it up, I then start a new project, and slowly the crap bilds up around me in a semi-circle, until I can hardly move - anyone else like this?
 
F

Fenlander

Guest
Thanks guys - need to gloss her then a spot of weathering, followed by attaching the various tiny lights and the antenna. But first, my workspac needs a pretty thorough clear up. Every time I clean it up, I then start a new project, and slowly the crap bilds up around me in a semi-circle, until I can hardly move - anyone else like this?

All the time......
 
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