Tamiya 1/48 P-38 Lightning

[topgazza]

I might do my next build using Lacquer just to see how it feels. I then have a comparison. Having said that Vallejo Air works well for me and less smells. But nothing ventured nothing gained as they say.

[Guest]

The joys of working in a cold shed!

I'm trying to mask up the lower half in readiness for painting the olive drab, but with temperatures below 10°C I can't get anything to stick just yet :rolling: Regular and curve Tamiya tape, 3M fine line, Frog Tape, 3M transition tape, budget DIY tape, AK masking putty & Blu Tack have so far resisted all attempts to stay put. The "wavy" demarcation line doesn't help either.

Currently sat in the house with all of my products and the Lightning sat on or near radiators trying to get some heat into them. This may take some time lol.

[topgazza]

Not forgetting the 6 months of darkness you people experience :anguished:

[Guest]

I wasn't going to add any aftermarket to this but the kit guns looked a bit poor so I purchased some replacements. The nose cone is just stuck on with blu tack for now so that these can be fitted after paint.

[ATTACH]372492[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]372493[/ATTACH]

I found a good reference shot of the turbos so have done a bit more work on them. I drilled out the front section and added a butterfly valve from punched card. Also started working on the colours too, which seem to differ greatly from what Tamiya suggests. There'll be more work done on these but I've now got a base of various rusty cast metal tones to work with.

[ATTACH]372494[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]372495[/ATTACH]

And as the previous dry fit shot shows I also got the olive drab on earlier.

[ATTACH]372496[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]372497[/ATTACH]


Next up all the tricky stuff like weathering, oils and washes, decals & varnishes :rolling:

[colin m]

Very nice painting Andy. Great shading producing a nice variation in the finish.

[yak face]

Looking great Andy , finally got that tape to stick! Strange that Tamiya have gone to the trouble of moulding perforations on the cannon but not the machine guns ? Some models of lightning did have smooth gun barrels ( my p38m for example) but the box art clearly shows perforated ones , there aren’t some more guns somewhere else on the sprues are there? Perhaps Tamiya have included both types as an option ? If not tthe Eduard guns look excellent . cheers tony

[Guest]

Thanks Colin.

Tony, they include decals in the kit to wrap around the guns and simulate the perforations. Not exactly the look I want lol.

[yak face]

Thanks Colin.

Tony, they include decals in the kit to wrap around the guns and simulate the perforations. Not exactly the look I want lol.

Ooh nasty. Very strange , as I said the main 20mm cannon has perforations moulded in so why not do the guns too , it’s not as if they can’t do it. Tamiya seem to have some strange practices , they make sublime kits but then stumble on simple things like the decals being quite thick and supplying decals for seat belts and these guns . The seat belt decals never look convincing ,surely they could include a pe set at the prices they charge or even go down the Fine Molds route of moulding separate plastic ones , I’m sure they have the capability.

[Guest]

Yes, I'm following a few much more experienced guys that are building the same kit and they have mentioned strange practices. So much detail going into the landing gear bay for example but the main guns seem neglected. I may use the kit cannon though as it's a bit crisper than the resin.

Also the use of decals for the oil cooler and radiator grilles. If I'd got a bigger spares box I'd have have thrown some PE mesh in there.

[Jim R]

Hi Andy
That paintjob has come out a treat. That subtle variation and the panel lines - really nice. A tribute to your airbrush skills. Eduard guns look so much nicer - worth the money and effort.
Jim

[Guest]

Thanks Jim. I'm trying hard and learning all the time.

Got some of the decals on today. I say some as each hatch and access panel has one, but some were so tiny as to be practicably invisible, so did as many as I saw fit. I also tried a bit of chipping around the wing root where the pilot would walk to the ladder, heavier on one side in case he had a preference lol. I'm not too happy with the result, but at least I had a go. Everything then got sealed in with a gloss coat.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]n[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]n[/ATTACH]

I put the props together too. I didn't realise that Tamiya had included decals for the yellow tips, the instructions just have them as black, so ended up painting them afterwards which is why they look a bit pants. There are a few decals to go on them tomorrow.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]n[/ATTACH]

And I painted up the light units for the underside. Clear coloured centres with a silver mounting ring. Tricky! There are some masks included in the kit but cutting them out and placing them accurately would probably have been even harder. The "bowls" they fit into were chromed with a Molotow pen. Even the 1MM tip wouldn't fit into the smallest ones so decanted some of the colour out and used a 000 brush.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]n[/ATTACH]

[rtfoe]

Lovely work Andy. :thumb2:

Cheers,
Richard

[JR]

Just brilliant work Andy, your knowledge of painting is really evident.

[Guest]

Thanks Richard. I picked up a watercolour paint set so will be using your method for the panel lines on this. I've already tested it on some smaller pieces and I'm impressed with how straightforward it is!

Thanks John. It's taken me a while to get used to the much more delicate art of airbrushing but I'm starting to get the results I've been looking for.

[rtfoe]

Andy, remember to seal the wash with varnish once you're happy with the outcome to be able to handle the kit. I've got sweaty hands so it's a must for me.

Cheers,
Richard