1/24 Airfix Spitfire (the new one)

[stona]

I've applied a first coat of camouflage using the MRP paints.

As an enamel user it's been years since I've had paint drying at the tip, even necessitating stripping and cleaning the airbrush half way through a job, but I've done it today...several times It was so bad that I switched to a brush with a smaller cup (this is a 1/24 scale model) and flushed between cups. Spraying a camouflage pattern like this freehand, as I've done, is nigh on impossible if your paint/airbrush don't work properly, neither can you rush it for fear of the paint going off in the airbrush.

Rather depressingly I'll have to do it all again, probably tomorrow, as the Dark Green has dried not looking too clever, but it's too late to change now ):

[tr1ckey66]

What’s wrong with the Dk Green Steve? It looks fine to my eye. Is it the pattern edge or paint coverage/color?
From the pic I honestly couldn’t say there was anything wrong :thinking:
Anyway, whatever it is, I have every faith that you’ll crack it.
Cheers
Paul

[stona]

What’s wrong with the Dk Green Steve? It looks fine to my eye. Is it the pattern edge or paint coverage/color?
From the pic I honestly couldn’t say there was anything wrong :thinking:
Anyway, whatever it is, I have every faith that you’ll crack it.
Cheers
Paul

It's just a matter of coverage. I'll give it another coat and it should be fine. I won't be making any touch-ups around the colour boundaries until that's done.

I quite like the paints, but the drying at the nozzle is really irritating! I would happily use them to spray other, smaller, things, just not a freehand camouflage pattern on a model this big

[stillp]

That's the first time I've heard anyone complain about tip drying with MRP.
Pete

[stona]

That's the first time I've heard anyone complain about tip drying with MRP.
Pete

Definitely happening, on the needle/in the nozzle. This is not a particularly fine nozzle, 0.3mm.
It dries in the cup too. I don't like to rush and for longwinded jobs requiring finesse it will be back to enamels.
I could have done that paint job with Color coats and never disassembled an airbrush. It would just have taken a few hours longer, but then they cover better too.
If you are spraying to masking or spraying something one colour, then MRPs are fine. That doesn't take long.

[Andy T]

That's the first time I've heard anyone complain about tip drying with MRP.
Pete

Same here. In fact the lack of it is one of the things I like best about mrp, despite only having a few.

Sorry to hear about the trouble it's caused Steve and hope you get to the bottom of it.

[stona]

I've sorted the camo this morning.

Next up spraying the markings,

[adt70hk]

That's turned out very nicely Steve, despite the problems.

I've never used them but I've never heard anyone ever complain about MRP and dry tip either.

Looking forward to the markings.

ATB.

Andrew

[Jack L]

It's just a matter of coverage. I'll give it another coat and it should be fine. I won't be making any touch-ups around the colour boundaries until that's done.

I quite like the paints, but the drying at the nozzle is really irritating! I would happily use them to spray other, smaller, things, just not a freehand camouflage pattern on a model this big :smiling3:

Another one here who’s never had issues with MRP drying on the tip. I’ve come back to a model an hour later and it’s continued to spray fine (surprisingly, and only down to me forgetting to clean the airbrush through).

[Tim Marlow]

Never tried MRP, but if it’s drying in the cup perhaps try fitting a cup cover to minimise evaporation? If the AB doesn’t come with one some clingfilm with a hole pricked in it to let the pressure equalise will work…..

[Mickc1440]

That paint job looks great now Steve, these little things are sent to try us

[stona]

Never tried MRP, but if it’s drying in the cup perhaps try fitting a cup cover to minimise evaporation? If the AB doesn’t come with one some clingfilm with a hole pricked in it to let the pressure equalise will work…..

It was drying at the nozzle. Once you get some deposition it seems to seed more , not an exclusive property of MRP I hasten to add.

It did dry in the cup, but that was because of the time taken to outline a colour and then start filling in. I think I mentioned above that if you were just spraying one colour parts (like a spinner or gear doors blades) or against masking it would not be an issue. That it did is not at all unreasonable and not a criticism on my part, just an observation.

[flyjoe180]

It was drying at the nozzle. Once you get some deposition it seems to seed more , not an exclusive property of MRP I hasten to add.

It did dry in the cup, but that was because of the time taken to outline a colour and then start filling in. I think I mentioned above that if you were just spraying one colour parts (like a spinner or gear doors blades) or against masking it would not be an issue. That it did is not at all unreasonable and not a criticism on my part, just an observation.

I've been experimenting with acrylics, I'm normally an enamel guy too. I have also experienced the nozzle drying issue. I've found thinning a lot more than normal helps to prevent the frequency of tip drying, but it does require more coats. Anyway, your Spitfire is looking great Steve.

[stona]

The MRP stuff is thinned and ready to go out of the bottle. I guess that you could thin it more, but you'd risk having other issues.

Again, my problem is the time taken to freehand a camouflage scheme like this. You have to spray close to the surface and keep manipulating the model so that you always spray away from the intended demarcation whilst following an outline. It just takes time and paints that dry quickly will dry! I simply took for granted how relatively easy this is to do with a slow drying enamel.

[BarryW]

Hi Steve. Just been catching up with this. You are doing your usual great job on this excellent kit.

I have probably been using MRP, exclusively, longer than anyone here and I have never had any tip dry at all.

I can see how taking a long time freehanding a camo might give rise to this. It is only because of the confidence I gained in MRP that I freehanded my 1/32 ZM Ta152, my first time painting a camo like that. I have since free handed several times like this without tip dry, but mostly using clever putty camo masking.

Thinking back, I do remember adding a little MLT (no more than 10%) when spraying at about 7-9 psi when doing this, just sufficient psi to atomise and using an airbrush that I had just deep cleaned (mostly, I spray at 10-15psi). Perhaps that all helped. I do tend to deep clean before free handing any detail or camo.

Actually, thinking back I have once suffered tip dry. It was a hot summer day when using an airbrush I had not deep cleaned as often as I usually did. It was also a long session and I was pushing it to get the job done. I put it down to my cleaning discipline failing and over confidence in the paint. I am sure that does not apply to you though!

Well, even MRP is clearly not perfect!