Man getting the clear parts to look right is hard, probably going to remove the side cockpit windows and replace with micro Kristal klear also the stripes were in 3 pieces so I struggled to get them smooth/straight.
Any suggestions and criticisms will hurt my feelings
Jk what did I do wrong ?
Thanks, I used Vallejo model air paints which are pre-thinned but I agree probably not thin enough. I do tend to spray farther away than necessary. On my current build I’ll put a couple drops of airbrushing thinner in with the paint. I was spraying at 20 psi thinking that was pretty normal
Don’t think about it terms of right or wrong, or some recipe. Pay attention to results. The airbrush and the paint on the surface will tell you whether what you are doing is working THAT DAY with THAT PAINT. If you’re getting grit, change one of the variables I listed.
BTW, aqueous acrylics are very sensitive to atmospheric moisture and temperature. Doing all the same things can get you a different result on a different day. Again, don’t think there’s some recipe that’s going to be “right.” Pay attention to what is happening in the moment and adjust to get the results you want.
Interesting, my garage is where I airbrush and it can be HUMID and hot in there. Maybe that’s affecting things. As a newer modeler I try to make everything procedural but I realize that in reality, everyone just does what works for them. I’ve been experimenting with a bunch of different tools and products too. Thanks for the advice
And people who get consistently good results tweak as they go.
Airbrushing isn’t complicated, but there are a few variables. You can drive yourself crazy looking for a way to lock all those variables into a procedure that works every time… or you can learn how those variables influence results and interact with one another to give yourself a huge level of control.
I recommend the latter philosophy. You’ll end up there eventually, so just embrace it early and get to learning. Airbrushing is really fun once you figure out some of that stuff.
I've not had luck with Vallejo air. I use Tamiya acrylic, thinned per their instructions and it works great.
What problems did you encounter with Vallejo air ? I’d like the make them work since I am not excited about counting paint/thinner drops every time I need to paint
It needs additional thinning to be useful, and tended to get dry-tip very fast. I'm not a fan of having to make adjustments on the fly, especially with something drying so fast. The vallejo airbrush thinner seemed to cause fast drying, while the flow improver helped extend drying time. Vallejo is great for hand painting but airbrushing...never again.
With the tamiya paint I was able to pre-mix and get it right the first time. No dry tip, no adjusting-on-the-fly.
Tamiya and Gunze (Mr Color) are great for airbrushing. But, I have primarily been using Vallejo (and similar brands like AK, etc) for the past few years because of the variety of colors and they brush better. I use thinner, retarder and flow improver. Only about 1/3 of my paints are the "Model Air", so I am kind of committed to the whole thinning ritual. I shoot them thru a variety of Iwatas. And have had pretty good luck, but I do thin them quite a bit.
The one thing that I have had ZERO luck with are the acrylic primers! They don't stick well, they don't cover well and they usually wind up feeling like 320 grit sand paper and clog the $#!%& out of my airbrushes. So I switched back to Tamiya's and Mr Color's laquer primers thru the airbrush (not rattle can) and have been a lot happier.
My policy is whatever method works, run with it.
I've never had a ban can of Tamiya primer, and I've been testing various acrylic primers with 'bleh' results overall. I may keep some for hand brush work, but for priming? Nah, done. Either flakey (Army Painter) or rubbery (Vallejo). Vallejo rattlecan acrylic primer is great though, go figure.
Alclad's black primer works nice though.
I am also decanting Tamiya primer from near-empty cans to save for later. No sense in wasting it.
I had the opportunity to fly in one of these in Alaska. Seemed like a real workhorse and more of a cargo plane rather than passenger. Fun experience none the less.
Really nice build!
They seem to float around the north a lot haha
Back in the 70's there was an airline called Goldewest that flew them in southern and central California as "puddle jumper" They'd fly from Orange County to LAX, or to Catalina Island. Like 30 mile kind of distances. My parents loved airplanes (so do I) so on weekends we'd drive to the airport, get on one and just ride it until it came back home to the airport we left from. Seems crazy to think of doing something like that today.
Looks great, well done !
Air New England?! where do I get my tickets?
Gotta go back to the 70s !! lol
You did nothing wrong, nice build! I built one myself, it's a handful to make it look right.
Was the livery aftermarket?
Would love to see pictures of your build ! Yes the decals are from a seller on eBay
Looks amazing. My first plane that I completed a couple of weeks ago looked a mess due to the paint job. Decided to buy an airbrush which I’m looking forward to using on my next one.
They’re awesome . They’re kinda a whole hobby of their own
Nice model and a good memory for me. I flew a lot on Air New England otters in the mid 1970s when I lived on Nantucket.
That’s amazing ! Wow. This must’ve brought back memories. Do you have any pictures from then?
Sorry no photos. Just great memories. I worked at the Nantucket Airport in 1977. And one of the perks was ,if there was room I could hop a flight for free. I left there and went to school to become an aircraft mechanic. Fun times.
Looks good. Maybe dip the clear portions in Pledge/Future and let dry before masking and painting. It makes those parts look more like clear glass.
Pretty bird! It's nice to see civilian aircraft, for a change.
Love it! what scale is it, if you don’t mind me asking?
1/72
Thanks !
The first prop aircraft I ever went on! Nice.
I would keep trying til you get the results down, and keep this piece as-is so you can look back and see how far you've developed over time.
Looks good! This kit is a little bit older, right? Mind if you have the Revell kit number?
Yep it’s like $20 on Amazon
Wow that looks beautiful!
Handsome! Nice, offbeat subject!
Looks like you’ve got some grittiness in the finish of your paint. That’s a sign of spraying too “dry.” For future projects, you may want to spray “wetter” to get a smoother surface. Variables that can be used to spray “wetter” include:
Thinner paint Retarders/slower thinners Lower PSI Higher ratio of paint to air Working closer to surface