Tamiya's Masterpiece - Their 1/32 scale Mosquito

[BarryW]

Masks are off.... I was concerned about how the vinyl mask lifts over detail and how difficult it is to tamper down. The pics below who just how spraying the way I advised can minimise the problem. There is some corrective work to do but not a lot and nothing that will be a problem. Take a look at the main problem areas.





Thanks to how well MRP goes down I was able to finish several colours on the same evening.


Above is after the blue was sprayed.

A coupe of pics with alL masking removed.




There is a little bit of touch up work to do but not a lot at all.

Now as for the M, yes it is the main correction needed and being straight lines it should not be a problem at all.



All in all I am pleased with how the markings have turned out.

 

[BarryW]

The ‘M’ corrected.


Not much to show today, just touching up.

 

[stillp]

Beautiful finish Barry. You should get commission from MRP for showing how good a result you can get with them.
Pete

 

[BarryW]

I have applied decals and they have been treated with decal solution. As they are so thick I am expecting to apply more treatments before they look OK




When I am satisfied with the decals I will apply a gloss sealing coat of varnish before applying pin washes.

 

[BarryW]

Gloss coat on to seal the decals.


These are the weathering materials I am using.


And

Next I will apply a pin wash followed by the first matt cost.

I will then use various earth, brown and buff shades for the oil dot method to create some wear on the wood areas.

Then the last matt coat. The silver pencil for chipping metal areas then pigment and other washes for other effects.

I have weathered the bombs, spinners and props.

 

[Vaughan]

Looking good Barry, that's a lot of weathering material.

 

[BarryW]

Yes Vaughan and each has its own particular contribution. I might not necessarily use all of those oil brusher shades, probably only half a dozen of them. Looking at the pics today, all nice and expanded, I can see a little work on one of the props to do in a couple of places.

I didnt get anything done last night, we went to see Jules Holland and his band at The Marlow... the things my missus does to get me out of the garage for an evening!!!

 

[Jim R]

Hi Barry
Well I think that is a superb finish. In the first photo yesterday have you glossed the whole model or just the decalled areas? I look forward to learning how to weather an aircraft. All I have done is to accentuate the panel lines but I know there is so much more.
Jim

 

[BarryW]

Hi Barry
Well I think that is a superb finish. In the first photo yesterday have you glossed the whole model or just the decalled areas? I look forward to learning how to weather an aircraft. All I have done is to accentuate the panel lines but I know there is so much more.
Jim

hi Jim
I gloss the whole model. If I was using anyone else' paint then I would have done a gloss before decals and the sealing coat as a second coat.

I will show photos and do explanations at each step. It did start though, with the black basing and post shading on the green to get some modulation.

 

[Jim R]

I will show photos and do explanations at each step.

I am sure I'll not be alone in appreciating that - thanks.
Jim

 

[JR]

Sorry to say my first post, but what an interesting read, Sitting in the bomb bay is ok but my matches have been confiscated.! At least you will be safe Barry. Great build with some great skills.

 

[minitnkr]

Great job. Love the holding fixture. PaulE

 

[BarryW]

I applied a pin wash to the panel lines and around detail. The enamel AK washes work well with MRP lacquer gloss varnish.

I then, once dry, used a brush dampened in white spirit to remove surplus wash. I made sure I brushed in the direction of airflow, that is important for the final look. The wash not only helps bring out the detail by settling into it but it also helps tone down the freshly painted look overall. I have also found that the finish is enhanced by the black basing to Improve the overall effect of an aircraft that has been in service.

After that I applied the first matt coat (MRP) varnish).

It now needs to be left to thoroughly dry and cure to a hard finish before I move on to
the next weathering stage.

This is how it looks now.


I think the effects are move clearly shown on the underside.





Next I will be trying to make the structure to appear like painted wood. I will mostly be focusing on the upper sides for this. I have other plans for the underside.

I will do stage pictures for that.

 

[BarryW]

I applied oil dots across the top central areas of the model using a range of brown/earthy colours.


I then used a flat brush dampened with white spirit in the direction of the airflow to thin and blend the oil working slowly.


Gradually I worked it out to the outer wings all the time brush in airflow direction

I kept working the oils gradually getting them to the effect I want.


The end result is very subtle. It gives the impression of wood under the paint

Hopefully you get a feel of the effect from the photo above. From a more direct angle it is even less visible.

For the underside I applied a brown wash to create some streaking effects. There is still more work to do on that but here is how it looks so far.



In addition I viewed some photos of Mossies in service and it is clear on most of them that there is a lot of smoke from the cannon staining the front. I applied pigment for that. Again some more work is needed here....



Before I do a final matt coat I will apply exhaust staining with this.

 

[BarryW]

I have done more weathering work, refining and improving the appearance of the ‘cannon smoke’ on the nose and adding a little more streaking. I also sprayed the exhaust stains after examining more photos. I think it looks about right. It was then all sealed with the final matt coat.





Next up I will apply kerosene and oil staining before the final fitting. These are always the last bit of weathering and done after the final matt coat as you need that oily sheen. AK specialist washes are perfect for this.

 

[Vaughan]

Barry, coming along, looking good.

 

[BarryW]

I have applied oil stains and kerosene spills using AK washes



I also added the final fittings.



Removed the last of the masking.
There is a small blemish inside the canopy that really annoys me. I did not see it when I fitted the canopy. It is not too obvious thankfully

Here is the Tamiya Mossie alongside the HKM bomber version.



I will post a completed build ASAP. I did not have enough time left last night to take the photos.

 

[BarryW]

Before I start the next build I obtained two small cheap kits from John to be ‘mules’ to practise some weathering techniques I have not used yet. I will just be knocking them together very quickly.

I am not a fan of Revell and these were only £7 each but they are crisply moulded, though in a cheap brittle plastic. I cannot comment on fit and accuracy, they are very basic and the detail is not great, but I do believe they can be built up to make quite good models. I will not be doing so however and will get them both ready for my practise on less than an hour.

So if you want a cheap little fun kit, these do the job

 

[PhilJ]

Quality work on the mossie Barry, nicely weathered and finished

 

[Vaughan]

What a result Barry. Which Mossie did you prefer building?