Revell 1/32 Messerschmitt bf110

[stillp]

Those decals do look good Barry, I can't see any carrier film.
Pete

[BarryW]

They are indeed excellent. I will be looking for Eagle Cal again in future.

[stona]

It's looking very good Barry.

You are a braver man than I am, attaching the wings after all that work on the paint and decals.

[BarryW]

It's looking very good Barry.

You are a braver man than I am, attaching the wings after all that work on the paint and decals.

Only because I remember how good the fit was on the original Dragon Steve. Test fits suggested it would be OK to do this.

It worked, just. The fit is not as good as the Dragon though despite being the same moulds. I think it’s because of the Revell plastic, while not as bad as the crap Airfix use, is nevertheless prone to a little shrinkage and warping. It’s the only explanation for the ‘different’ fit. I would not describe Revell’s plastic as being unfit for large scale planes as I would Airfix though. Theses problems are minor and easily corrected for this kit.

You can see here, I had some very small gaps at the wing roots which I filled with Vallejo Plastic Putty removing the surplus with damp cotton buds. I will have to do a little local masking to spray the roots. Easy enough and not unexpected hence the reason I left off a few decals close to the roots.

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[BarryW]

I have been sneaking off for the odd 30 minutes at the bench all day. Making the most of it as I will be reopening my office on the 14th September and from then I will only get my hour each evening... lockdown has been good for something.....

I sprayed the wing roots and did the final decals on the inner wing.

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[BarryW]

Now I need to seal the decals with a gloss varnish before doing a panel line wash.

One problem with lacquer varnishes which spray as beautifully as the lacquer paint, is that they can reactivate the lacquer paint underneath. If you flood the model with varnish it can ruin the paint scheme but even if you have not flooded it there can still be minor issues. I have often found that, in patches where the paint is thinnest, it reveals more of the black base increasing the contrast between the darker and lighter areas. I have often had to go back over these areas with a light coat of the base colour. A bigger problem can arise with decals simply because the paint under the decals is not reactivated at all and you get a contrast with the paint under the clear carrier film. Not it is not so easy to spray in these areas without overspray.

The solution is obvious, to use water based acrylic varnish instead of the lacquer or to, at least, put a water based barrier between the paint and any subsequent lacquer varnishes.

I decided to try the latter. The lacquer varnishes spray so much better I really don’t want to stop using them.

So, instead of sealing the decals with my MRP varnish I decided to use this:
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It needs thinning and I did a 50:50 mix with Vallejo Airbrush Thinner. I usually spray MRP at about 10-12 psi or less but I had to wind up the pressure to between 25-30 psi to get proper atomisation.

While spraying it really did not give me that nice ultra smooth result I get from MRP. It did self-level eventually to an acceptable finish. The other difference being the length of time needed for it to cure. AKI suggest 6 hours but that is pushing it and I will leave it 24 hours. That is not a problem as I am in the office all day today anyway. MRP dries almost instantly and 30 minutes is plenty of time....

It did remind me of just how good MRP varnishes and paint really are and I will never go back to these water based acrylics. But if this works and reduces or eliminates the problem of paint reactivation then it will be worth doing. What I don’t want to do is use this AKI varnish any more than this one coat.

This is how I left the model with the varnish curing.

[ATTACH]396584[/ATTACH]

Tonight I will start enamel panel line washes.

[stillp]

Barry, what do you clean your airbrush with after using MRP?
Pete

[BarryW]

Hi Pete

I use mainly i.p.a. as it is cheap bought in reasonably large quantities but I also have some Mr Tool Cleaner which is very powerful stuff, I use a small amount when the airbrush needs that little extra without going for a full strip clean.

[stillp]

Thanks Barry, I didn't think IPA would work for lacquers.
Pete

[BarryW]

Thanks Barry, I didn't think IPA would work for lacquers.
Pete

It does work well and is less agressive than lacquer itself which can be useful when appied to plastic.

[stillp]

Thanks Barry. I'll have to get some of those MRP paints.
Pete

[BarryW]

I have made a start on weathering.

Here are most of the materials used.
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I started by spraying the exhaust stains.
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Then it is the streaking.
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I then did the underside final fittings.
[ATTACH]396797[/ATTACH]

[Jim R]

Hi Barry
Super paintjob and great looking decals. Weathering is off to a fine start.
Does lacquer varnish reactivate the underlying lacquer paint even when the paint is fully cured?
Jim

[Guest]

Barry some very fine spray work there, and those decals are so sharp, quite different to the normal run of themill.

[BarryW]

I have been working now on the top, first using AK Kerosene leaks and spills. This is always the last weathering job, after the last matt coat, to leave the correct sheen.
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Drilled some holes for the aerial rigging
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Small wing tip lights done. I have the perfect tweezers for these small round parts.
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The the canopy parts. This will be done in two sessions as I will need the first sections to dry before the last three open sections.

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