Tamiya 1/48 P-38 Lightning

[Fernando N]

Neat interior and paint work Andy :thumb2:.

[Guest]

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

Thanks Richard. I'm planning on a flat or satin coat after the wash to aid further weathering. I think I made the mistake on my Beaufighter of trying to use oil paints on top of gloss which I guess is why they came off far too easily.

And thanks Fernando, so far so good.

[Guest]

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.

You’ve got a punch-and-die set, if I’m not mistaken? You can use that to make some circles from masking tape, if it has punches about the right size.

[stillp]

I've not had any luck with punching circles out of masking tape. It seems to work best if I stick the tape to some thin plastic sheet (cut from an ice cream tub or similar) then peel the tape off. The tape on its own just want to stick to the die insted of cutting cleanly.
Pete

[Guest]

Good idea Jakko. I've just checked and the largest punch would just have been big enough for the smallest lights. I'll store that one up for next time thanks, along with Pete's method of sticking it to some thin plastic.

[Guest]

Things looked a little hairy at first but I'm happy to say the watercolour wash seemed to work great. Nothing fell off either which is a problem I've had ever since I started using enamel washes.

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After about an hour the excess wiped off really easily. Dry kitchen roll was used mostly, with a few stubborn parts needing a tiny bit of moisture, but the condensation from breathing on it was enough.

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I then added the turbochargers, started layering the staining around them, and gave it a flat coat of Winsor & Newton Galeria.

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Exhaust staining looks a bit pink in the pictures but I'm hoping it will come good with the planned oil work.

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[Jack L]

Panel lines look great!!

[rtfoe]

Looks good Andy. Detail is popping out very nicely. :thumb2:

Cheers,
Richard

[scottie3158]

Andy,
This is really good work, but I must say I'm getting fed up now everything you try for the first time you master lol. Keep it up mate.

[Jim R]

Hi Andy
That is looking really good. I've seen water colour panel lining on Richard's builds and always liked it. Not far to go now.
Jim

[Guest]

I've just checked and the largest punch would just have been big enough for the smallest lights. I'll store that one up for next time thanks, along with Pete's method of sticking it to some thin plastic.

You could also use unused areas of the Tamiya-supplied sheet, as that’s got a backing to it that will prevent the mask sticking to the punch or the die.

Those panel lines look very well

[Guest]

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate the comments.

Paul - I really wish that were true mate. You haven't seen the 700 models I've ruined in practice :smiling5: I like to think I'm getting the hang of some things fairly quickly though, but that hairspray chipping is still a black art!

[minitnkr]

A real beauty to be proud of. PaulE

[Steven000]

Very nice progress!!
Steven

[Guest]

Thanks Paul & Steven. As Jim says, not too far off now but must try not to rush.