Andrew's 1/48 Tamiya Raiden

[stillp]

Hannants sell various stripe decals, including yellow.
Pete

[adt70hk]

Well Andrew I think that paint job is looking mighty fine. I wouldn't get too hung up about the colours, very few would know when admiring your work.
Onwards and upwards - you're well on the way to a cracking build.

I wouldn’t worry too much about the colour Andrew. The Japanese had enough trouble keeping the paint on the airframe to get hung up over the colour Yours is definitely a blue tinged green as well.
As to the post decal masking……not much I can suggest. Do it after post decal varnish so the surface is as tough as it will get, and let everything dry for a few days to make sure they are as stuck as they are going to be is all I can think of. Another approach is to get some clear decal film, spray it yellow, and make your own wing edge decals……
Good luck with whatever approach you take though.

Thanks Tim. That's what I was thinking or maybe use cling film taped down over the top. I'll leave it a few days before I attempt whatever I decide upon, just to give the decals time to set.

I agree with the chaps on "Greengate" here,it looks fine to me... it's a kinda Mitsubishi green,and it's a Japanese plane, therefore it's "Japanese Green":thumb2:,
As for the Leading edge problem, Tim's advice about leaving it to let a Varnish coat to cure for plenty of time is definitely the way to go,also,if you have any left over vinyl paint mask bits left over from other builds,use that instead of masking tape, it leaves no "Step line" around the sprayed area, and is much less likely to lift anything upon removal,(just in case!).
If you don't have any, I've saved loads,and use it regularly,so just shout and I can send you some :hugging-face:.
All in all it's coming along very nicely mate.... carry on!!

Thanks Andy glad your liking it! I might have some of that tape in the stash somewhere that I can use - good thinking!

Very nice Andrew I like the color and the shade looks well. Great job

Thanks Lee! Good see you.

Hannants sell various stripe decals, including yellow.
Pete

Thanks Pete. Good idea but I'll go down the paint root, if only to save some cash!


Thanks again chaps!

ATB

Andrew

[Tim Marlow]

I know people use cling film, but I’ve had it lift paint Andrew. I would go with thin Tamiya tape to outline the area, and photocopy paper taped down sparingly over the rest to control overspray. Keep the spray painting as light as you can manage and build it up gradually, shooting away from the masked edges to minimise paint creep. It should be fine then :thumb2:

[adt70hk]

I know people use cling film, but I’ve had it lift paint Andrew. I would go with thin Tamiya tape to outline the area, and photocopy paper taped down sparingly over the rest to control overspray. Keep the spray painting as light as you can manage and build it up gradually, shooting away from the masked edges to minimise paint creep. It should be fine then :thumb2:

That was the other option I'd thought of doing!

Great minds and all that!! :smiling5:

[adt70hk]

Ok chaps. So we're nearing the finish line. Good job too as the Group Build finishes next Saturday!!

Some major and minor updates:

• Decals are on. As I have another old Tamiya Japanese plane with the awful Tamiya decals, I treated myself to some Techmod Hinomaru decals as they were fairly cheap. Whilst they are not quite up Airfix/Cartograph standards....they are soooooo much better than Tamiya ones. There is almost no step, minimal carrier film and they can take a surprising about of force making placement very easy but they are very brittle when put over slightly larger surface details as you will see. They also don't sit down as well as Cartograph on surfaces with compound curves...if you look closely at the fuselage ones, you will see what I mean.

• After huge masking efforts the yellow leading wing edges are done...why I forgot them in the first place I have no idea. If you look dead on from the front you can see the green showing through very slightly but better that than flood the surface and get awful paint runs. I will blame it on wear and tear and a bad paint job in the factory! There is though a slight run on one wing despite my best efforts but you can only see it from below and at just the right angle, so it will almost never be seen...I'm just going to blame a bad in service tough up job!!

• I also did the colour bands on the undercarriage 'covers'. The instructions have themselves confused, as they give you two options and say both are common to all possible options....which of course is impossible...unless I am being very dim!! I went for the easier option but didn't quite get the spacing right on the yellow orange but as they will never be side by side you won't the difference.

• The wheels have received their metal coats and of my own-brand of tyre black!

I just have to finish the exhausts, then a clear cloat, then some light weathering, and a final clear coat and course, final assembly!

ATB

Andrew

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Decals
The Techmod decals call for slightly different size Hinomaru's from Tamiya. I had to go with their suggestion due to the available options. The good news is that I definitely have enough left for the Zero I have in the stash.

Not perfect but MUCH better than the Tamiya ones. I actually carefully sliced through the numbers on the tailplanes to get them to try sit slightly better in the dip....it worked a bit too.













Yellow leading wing stripes.
Just a 'small' amount of masking before the paint flies...the underside was just as bad....and whilst they're not 'perfect' they will do.













Wheel and undercarriage 'covers'.
Conflicting instructions below, unless I have misread them!

[The Smythe Meister]

Looking rather spiffing there Andrew, nearly there now....
.... plenty of time yet too:thumb2:.

[Andy T]

Lots of great progress there Andrew.

[Tim Marlow]

Looks great Andrew. Hinomaru look excellent. As to the wheel cover decals, Eduard show the Zero one’s on the stencil part of the sheet, so they could well be common to all schemes for Japanese aircraft. The letter change is obviously a typo.

[Jim R]

Looks really good to me Andrew.

[adt70hk]

Looking rather spiffing there Andrew, nearly there now....
.... plenty of time yet too:thumb2:.

Thanks Andy for various reasons I will get no more bench time this weekend....hence being worried about the looking deadline. Plus there is the Soviet plane GB starting on Sunday, whIch I am running with Karl

Lots of great progress there Andrew.

Thanks Andy! So near any yet still so far!

Looks great Andrew. Hinomaru look excellent. As to the wheel cover decals, Eduard show the Zero one’s on the stencil part of the sheet, so they could well be common to all schemes for Japanese aircraft. The letter change is obviously a typo.

Thanks Tim.

Just realised I didn't explain myself properly re the stencils. Tamiya give you two different decals - a two tone one as I have done and a three tone one - thinking about it I they just mean you can choose which you want......but I've made my choice now.


Thanks again chaps!

ATB

Andrew

[adt70hk]

Looks really good to me Andrew.

Thanks Jim....not 'perfect' but given the age of the kit and the fact it's my first ever 1/48 wingy thing I am pleased with it.

ATB

Andrew

[Geoffers]

It looks great Andrew :thumb2:

Right decision to replace the kit decals too, the new ones look very nice.

Geoff.

[langy71]

I'm sure I once read that the three tone / colour stripe decal for the undercarriage doors was to represent a 'loaded' aircraft,

[adt70hk]

It looks great Andrew :thumb2:

Right decision to replace the kit decals too, the new ones look very nice.

Geoff.

I'm sure I once read that the three tone / colour stripe decal for the undercarriage doors was to represent a 'loaded' aircraft,

Thanks Gents for the support!!! Much appreciated.

Chris - interesting to hear that. Might do some more digging!!

[adt70hk]

Ok chaps, so we're nearly there....good job too as the GB finishes tomorrow (actually today as I type this)!

So first off I have done some hopefully subtle exhaust stains, these were done use a few light coats Vallejo Game Wash Umber 73.203.

Not sure if it's the 'right' colour but it will do to my eyes. I kept it fairly subtle given that this will represent a relatively new plane. It looks more obvious in the picture below than in real life.

Then I applied a clear coat.

Then a coat of Flory Wash's Dark dirt, wiped off to a fairly clean finish. It's obviously much more apparent against the light grey, although a lot of the panel lines were fairly shallow.

All the undercarriage bits and pieces also got a coat, albeit pin wash style (sorry no pics).

So by this time tomorrow I am hoping to have it all done!


ATB

Andrew

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Exhaust







Flory Wash

Now you see it.......









Now you don't!!