Hey Guys

not really noticed this forum before, so hello all.

I have a problem with a model of mine. It's the GR7 half of last year's Airfix Club double Harrier kit.

I was painting parts of the fuselage in the colour specified in the destructions. It was mostly just to check over repairs I'd done with filler, or sanding. The paint wasn't going on that well, but I put that down to it being a bit on the thick side. It was just preliminary stuff in any case.

Then for some unknown reason, the paint wouldn't go on properly at all. Great big streaks and gaps in the brushwork.

I sanded it down lightly with 900 grade but it made no difference. I also tried giving it a wipe with enamel thinnners - same story there, too.

It was then that I realised that the shade quoted by Airfix (satin Dark Sea Grey 164 with Dark Camouglage Grey 156 'highlights') was way too dark, compared to the photos I have from the internet and from the current Airfix Modelling mag (and from the many I've seen myself).

So I tried using Medium Sea Grey 165 (also satin), which I feel is much closer to the genuine article.

However, this also would not brush on cleanly. Not only that, but when I tried to use matt white as a base for the as yet unpainted parts (wings), that wouldn't go on either.

After cleaning up the mess, I scrubbed the model with washing up liquid and lukewarm water and left it a week. (needless to say, I did wash all the parts before I started building).

Today my new Draper airbrush arrived (I'm retiring my old Badger) and I took the opportunity to try spraying the Harrier with the 165 - but now it looks worse than it ever did.

It's like someone has rubbed vaseline into the plastic and the paint just runs off or streaks.

So, firstly - does anyone know how I can get my model to start accepting the paint I'm desparately trying to put on it

and secondly - has anyone done a grey Harrier recently and if so, which flavour of grey did you use?

TiA
FH

Sounds like mold release agent is in the pores of the plastic.
The release agent is silicon based so whatever you use to clean the parts needs to be able to take off a silicon compound.
You might try alchohol and see if that helps as it shouldn't harm the plastic.
Wish I could be more helpfull and good luck.

WOLF

Thanks for the reply.

I'll try alcohol - if it doesn't work, I might need it myself!

FH

I'll second the suggestion for isopropyl alcohol. The one time I tried washing a model with soapy water, the paint wouldn't stick. The masking tape I'd put down for the curving tapered lines pulled up all the paint and primer. I wiped the whole thing down with alcohol, and the paint stuck fine.

Yep, try alcohol and report back to us

Wasn't necessary in the end - the well thinned grey that I sprayed on turned out to be excellemt for painting on, once it had dried.

Chars
FH

Well. after a break of some 11 years or more, I suppose it's not too bad, to get back in the swing of things a bit.

Still a couple of minor things to do, but I suppose I'm fairly satisfied I guess. Especially considering the first half was done without being able to focus at close range - thankfully got some new specs now and they are excellent for modelling
I'm not seeking perfection - as someone stuck at home about 23 hours a day, I need varied stuff to keep me from going nuts. So the building is the important bit. Unfortunately, with arthritic fingers, just holding the small parts can get very painful - especially when sanding. Part of the reason it took 4 months to build this:











Now I'm going back to a chopper I ditched a few months back before starting the Harrier - not one set of parts fitted together properly. Now I have the tools and consumables to make a better go of it. The Italerei HH-53E Jolly Green Giant, which I'm building as a HEER Sea Stallion.

FH

Yeah, it's pretty crap, isn't it.

Why I didn't smooth up that rear wing section to the fuselage is a mystery - but it's something I can do some time in the future, I guess.

FH

Don't worry about it - it's a starting point. The standard of model-building on here is so high it's a little shaming when I have a go myself.
Seams between parts are a real pain to "make invisible" - the time required to neaten up seams, for me, falls on the other side of the 80-20 rule, especially if the sprues are from a poor origin.

One thing you can try to make it look a bit less factory clean is some wear/oil weathering. A little "dirt" can make all the difference.

Yup - I was drooling looking over Goon's Aermacchi in another thread.

Confidence is the problem.

I don't have the cash to splash out on many models - so I can't really afford to screw them up and therefore am reluctant to experiment.

I'm even reluctant to practice on the boxfull of older built models I have (all racing cars and motorbikes) despite the fact they are well past their best now. That's mostly due to the cost of paint. I have a couple of airbrushes, but paint has gone up drastically in price in the UK since I last built models (12 years ago).

Saying that, I did add dirt and staining effects to the rear nozzles and heat shields, which I impressed myself with, using clear acrylic smoke. You can't see it in the pics, though.

We'll see how my current subject turns out. It's such a rubbish kit, that I was just thinking of doing something extreme with it or using it solely for practice.

FH