Tamiya 1/48 A6M5c Zero (zeke), first foray under construction.

[Danny]

First build in the "Under Construction" forum and first time using the Air Brush. Parts are very clean, Instructions offer all thats needed.

Wish me luck with the AB and hope I dont present an all green finished build.. ...... Danny

View attachment 57708

View attachment 59627

 

[flyjoe180]

Good luck Danny, look forward to the progress reports.

 

[Danny]

Spent a coup[le of hours on the build this morning...View attachment 57714View attachment 57715View attachment 57716View attachment 57717View attachment 57718First glazes applied to the pilot and office. Added a few bits and pieces as the office looked pretty bare....Finish the glazes and decals tonight..

View attachment 59633

View attachment 59634

View attachment 59635

View attachment 59636

View attachment 59637

 

[michaelm]

Looking nice Danny.

You'll soon get the hang of the airbrush I'm sure, I'll watch this, it's such a cool aircraft. M

 

[Danny]

Thanks for the encouraging words Michael..

Danny

 

[mossiepilot]

Nice begining Danny, the office is smart, and the pilot looks well done.

I'll be following with interest.

Tony.

 

[colin m]

Good start, really like the pilot - very nice goggles.

 

[Danny]

Progress slow, as Ive been busy with shoots today... Weathered office, removed left Gun stock, decals applied and pilot finished 9Apart from the mark on his nose !..

On dry fitting the wings to the fuselage it couldnt be any sweeter, no filler needed, so a quick wash of the green to the office walls and then stuck together.

Wings and fus to go together and the primer added tomorrow. Then engine worked on while I wait for it to dry. Im going to use the pro cameras for the pics as the point and shoot is doing the build no justice.. cant wait to get spraying, the only reason for this first build using the Air brush..

View attachment 57801View attachment 57802View attachment 57803View attachment 57804..

View attachment 59704

View attachment 59705

View attachment 59706

View attachment 59707

 

[Danny]

Fuselage and wings joined, office masked and first coat of primer and some light panel lines applied using the air brush...now using a camera that works as well....

View attachment 57820View attachment 57821

View attachment 59716

View attachment 59717

 

[papa 695]

Cracking work so far Danny The pilot looks all forlorn sat on the wing like that

 

[yak face]

Looking good danny , nice pre shading , cheers tony

 

[Danny]

He looks quite suicidal...well that was a speciality at the end of the war...

 

[michaelm]

Looking great Danny, what paint are you shooting through your airbrush? How are you getting on with it? M

 

[Danny]

Hi Michael...Using valejo...Its been a day of learning, but i guess everyone went through that it the start..took me 3 hours practice to get thin lines and I had to hide my brushes. Getting there though and you were right it will take time and practice. Biggest problem is thinning the paints to a consistency for the job thats needed. I was iether getting no through-flow or spattering....have to say Im enjoying it though. wasnt intending priming it but the styrene was dark green and couldnt see the panel lines etc, so had to..

Danny

 

[michaelm]

Yeah Danny you're right, there's a pretty steep learning curve with the airbrush but you'll learn fast and like you say it's good fun.

I don't use valejo but have heard very good things about them. What pressure are you spraying at? Enjoying your build, cheers M

 

[flyjoe180]

Nice work Danny.

 

[mossiepilot]

Looking good Danny, nice spray work.

Tony.

 

[stona]

Biggest problem is thinning the paints to a consistency for the job thats needed. I was iether getting no through-flow or spattering....have to say Im enjoying it though. Danny

Hi Danny,you are not alone. Getting the balance of thinning and pressure is really like the quest for the grail!

If your paint is spattering you have two choices,up the pressure or thin the paint. I use mostly enamels which will take quite a bit of thinning and I spray at something between 16 and 20 psi. On ocassion I will up my pressure to about 30 psi. I spray fairly fine Luftwaffe camouflage demarcations freehand and often find that I need to crank up the pressure to get a nice clean line.

Don't be afraid to have a good play and don't worry about upping the pressure,you just have to find what works for you.

One of SWMBO's friends uses airbrushes in a professional capacity as an artist (as well as making fantastic doll houses) and she is always amazed at what low pressures we tend to use. I tried to explain that spraying at 35+ psi would simply distribute parts of unbuilt models all over my work space but she didn't seem to understand

Good luck,you will crack it.

Cheers

Steve

 

[mobear]

thats looking very nice indeed,love the preshade

mobear

 

[Danny]

Spraying between 15-20 psi on the zero, although, untill I get a feel for the paint thickness I guess i will be all over the place. I liken it to knowing what thickness paint a quality sign-writing brush needs to flow at even coat and for how long. I sprayed an indoor water feature thats a bit faded at 30psi and that was fun. Im getting the thin coats right, but working on knowing what thickness line i can get with specific thin downs of the paint and pressure.... Big problem is Im an impatient perfectionist..bad combination Michael.

Danny