Wings of the red star-- 1/72 Tupolev ANT 25

[yak face]

Slight setback with this one. I sprayed the blue as seen in the last pics , then after 2 days drying masked the fuselage and sprayed the red . Another 2 days hardening then I removed the masking to find this





The masking tape had left marks in the blue paint, it must have still been a bit soft, so i had to flat down and re apply it







I think i got away with it , next job after a bit more hardening is decals , then its just the little bits and canopies to tackle , cheers tony

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[Gern]

Coming on beautifully Tony. Did it take long to dig yourself out of the pile of sanding dust you created?

Gern

[flyjoe180]

Good recovery Tony, coming along very nicely now.

[yak face]

Coming on beautifully Tony. Did it take long to dig yourself out of the pile of sanding dust you created?Gern

I was covered in that much blue dust I looked like a smurf!!

[yak face]

BUGGER! (actually it was 10 times worse than that!) These have got to be some of the worst decals ever! I started on the underside of the wing as I had a feeling they werent going to co-operate, and sure enough the first ones i tried disintegrated into a dozen pieces. I managed to salvage 2 1/2 of the letters and get them on , then it was a case of what to do about the rest. I thought ive got nothing to lose by having a go , so coated the remainder of the sheet liberally with Klear and left for a few days. Tonight I tried again and after soaking each decal for at least 10 mins ,I managed to get them off in one piece and onto the model. They are a bit wrinkly but its a case of beggars cant be choosers ,so I'll just have to touch up the broken bits by hand ,luckily theyre underneath and wont really be seen too much. Next stages - touch up the decals , then its on with the undercarriage , exhausts and glazing and framing the windows , cheers tony

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[tr1ckey66]

Good God Tony! Not for you the easy life!!!

Seriously, you do make the most interesting and unusual models but they do seem a challenge. It's good to see model craft like this and I know you'll overcome any problems, including those poor decals.

Great stuff!

Cheers

Paul

[Dave W]

I hate it when that happens with Decals.I can usually get round it as I have loads of spares.This one would be a problem as I don't have any large white letters in that style.Id probably try covering the area with Tamiya tape,cut out the letters and spray white.Then I can guarantee when I removed the masking some red paint would come away with it!.

[flyjoe180]

It's looking good Tony. Nice recovery on the decals, should be easy enough to touch up the broken bits.

[yak face]

I hate it when that happens with Decals.I can usually get round it as I have loads of spares.This one would be a problem as I don't have any large white letters in that style.Id probably try covering the area with Tamiya tape,cut out the letters and spray white.Then I can guarantee when I removed the masking some red paint would come away with it!.

Yeah , i would probably have been able to wing it with the letters and numbers (wing it , see what i did there ? .... no .. ok I'll get my coat!) but the Cyrillic script on the fuselage would have been a very tricky hand painted job !!!

[yak face]

Well I touched up the shattered decal and filled in a few cracks and missing bits on the others and I think i just about got away with it. The white colour was a bit tricky to match and I think its a bit too bright but its on the underneath of the wing and might tone down a bit after the final varnish coat. It should be plain sailing from here on (but dont quote me on that if it all goes pear shaped!).Heres some before and after pics , cheers tony

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[tr1ckey66]

...ta dah, good as new!

I think you've mastered this kit. It put up a spirited fight but I think you've got it on the ropes now!!!

Cheers

Paul

[Guest]

Excellent recovery Tony

[flyjoe180]

You'd never know they were dodgy decals.

[yak face]

Bit more done today. The canopies have been unmasked and painted , ive added the top canopy with DF loop and the pitots on the wings . The undercarriage legs are on ,just needing the mudguards fitting later . next jobs are fitting the exhausts and the airspeed indicator venturis, three together on the port side and one on the starboard . I drilled out the holes in these tiny pieces to improve the look of them , although they still look like triple air horns.. La cucaracha anyone?!! Heres a couple of pics

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[flyjoe180]

Sharp paint work Tony. The DF loop looks nice and smooth, I am guessing a little more sanding was required? The pitot tube looks good too. Venturi tubes are a real pest to get looking right. Like little trumpets as you say