Zoukei Mura J2M2 Rai Den, 1/32 scale.

[adt70hk]

Coming on very nicely Barry!

[BarryW]

Looking very good Barry. Does the lacquer varnish reactivate the colour coat regardless of how long the colour coat is left to cure? Have you considered an acrylic varnish?

Lacquers simply spray so much better than any water based paint so I only use that. The answer is yes, it is reactivated, though it is less prone to it if on for longer. This is very much a ‘lacquer thing’. It’s just a matter of being careful and it’s fine.

[Jim R]

Thanks Barry.

[BarryW]

Decals all done and I have sprayed a sealing coat of gloss varnish.




I have also been prepping the other bits ready for final fittings.


So far I used an enamel pin wash to bring out detail on the internal parts, u/c legs etc. for the airframe I am going to use Flory clay washes, I have not used these for some time but I think they will work well with this kit. Mostly it will be Dark Dirt wash but I am considering mixing a little Light wash with it for the topsides as I think it will be more effective in this case. These are water based ‘sludge’ washes. I will post more progress on that hopefully later today.

[BarryW]

I thought I would post a quick pic having applied a sludge wash.

When it’s dried I will remove with a cloth dampened in water.

Sludge washes are quicker and easier to apply over large surface areas specially if you have lots of rivets.

[adt70hk]

Coming on nicely Barry.

Used Flory washes for the first time earlier this year and really liked them.

ATB.

Andrew

[BarryW]

The wash dried and after a couple of hours I used a piece of dry blue roll to wipe it off. I used a cotton bud in hard to reach areas. A couple of tips on this:
1/ Always end with a wipe in the direction of airflow.
2/ If you don’t like the effect then you can use a wet piece of blue roll to clean it out of the panel lines to start again.
3/ I used a gloss surface as I only really wanted the wash left in panel lines and around detail. If you use a matt or semi matt varnish then it will stain other areas and this can be very effective. I do suggest practice to see how you like it. Again, even on a matt surface, you can clean up with water if you need to.

Finally, once you have finished, walk away and have a cuppa or a pint. Then return to examine the model afresh and it is likely that you will find somewhere that still needs a clean. It’s important to sort it before you matt varnish.

Below one wing has been cleaned up with the other wind to do. It did not take long.


Below the model is done, one final inspection to do before matt varnishing.


Flory washes are a great option and you cannot really go wrong with them. They don’t replace enamel washes, I stil prefer them around fine detail, particularly internal detail. Flory washes are by far the best for large surfaces with fine detail. Of course enamel washes are also by far the best option for replicating kerosene and oil spills.

So, next up, a matt coat.

[BarryW]

After a matt coat I have started the weathering on the underside. Mostly using weathering pencils and some pigments so far.

[BarryW]

I have done some fairly extensive chipping and paint west using Uschi Metal Powder, chrome effect. (Not sure why it’s called chrome, it isn’t, it’s just the best one for this purpose).

AK kerosene leaks wash and AK Exhaust wash also applied.

[BarryW]

The main undercarriage was tricky to put together but in the end, with a bit of patience it was fine.




ZM do a lot of innovation and I am sure that producing separate frames for the windows onto which you glue the actual windows after the frames are painted sounded like a good idea. I thought so, but in practise trying to fit the frames to the windows in exactly the right position without making a mess I found to be impossible. Naturally you need to use one of the low tac glues that dry clear which adds to the problem. I tried three times, each time having to clean the parts and start again. I gave up because, thankfully, ZM included a normal set of windows with masks. It took me just a hour to mask the up, paint the interior colour, the camo colour and then matt varnish them.

The separate frames and windows

All ‘disposed of’

The alternatives, masked

Painted



I suspect that ZM thought there would be issues which is why they included both sets. As far as I know they did not repeat that approach on later kits.

[BarryW]

I will do a completed thread tomorrow.

Just one final picture on here.


Overall a really good kit. Just the few issues I mentioned.