Tamiya 1/32 P-51 D (but as a Mustang IV)

[stona]

I've sprayed the underside, and it went rather well.

The MRP paint is clearly a very good product. It sprayed nicely as advertised, straight out of the bottle. It's quite thin and I did drop my pressure a bit, down to about 20 psi.

It dries really quickly, so quickly that it was drying on the sides of the airbrush cup before I'd sprayed a cupful, not something I'm used to, but I had no issue with it drying at the tip, blocking the nozzle etc., so I have no problem with this. I was spraying slowly in very light coats, as I've never used this stuff before and flooding the model with a lacquer based paint seemed a particularly bad idea! It means I took longer than usual to use a cup of paint, I'd probably put less in next time.

The dried finish is excellent, I had rubbed down the primer so that the surface had that smooth 'glassy' feel, and the surface feels exactly the same with the MRP paint applied. I would go so far as to say it's one of the best finishes I've seen from any of the many, many paints I've used.

I was surprised how much paint I used to get decent coverage. It would be great for the pre-shaders, and if/when I use it again I will use that technique. I was spraying a light grey but even covering the very light, almost white, fuselage band took several passes, as did the yellow on the leading edges. This isn't a criticism, just an observation. It is very difficult to compare the amount used to my normal, enamel, system, which requires thinning, but it seemed a lot.

Finally, it's just about idiot proof! Anyone with basic competence with an airbrush will have no trouble at all with this stuff.

I'd give the MRP paints 9/10 and would be happy to use them again. I'd also recommend them to anyone looking to try something new. I did not find them smelly, though they are not odourless, the usual precautions and a decent extractor are all that's required.

[spanner570]

Looking good Steve.

Since your return to S.M., it's good to read that in your absence you didn't get into the disgusting habit of calling aircraft, 'Planes'

You might recall an exchange of posts a while back, where we both agreed, 'planes' were things you pushed along a piece of wood to create shavings, and were never meant to fly, due, we agreed, to extremely poor aerodynamic qualities.

Reggie Joe Mitchell

[BarryW]

Glad that you are enjoying the MRP.

I would suggest spraying with a little less air pressure. The pigment is so fine that most people find the best results are at around 10-12 psi. I certainly do.

You may find that you blow through less paint this way.

Also Steve if you have some MLT, try the mist coat trick, you may find the finish even finer once it has dried. Don’t flood it though!!!

The build is certainly coming along great and you really are doing it justice.

[stona]

It's good stuff. Not having to thin is an obvious advantage. I'm happy thinning my paint, but the number of questions we see asking about thinning would tend to show that it is something that is an issue for a lot of people.

I haven't done any masking yet, but the finish looks pretty durable. I usually leave plenty of time between painting and masking anyway, I'm not in a rush!

I'm just using regular cellulose thinners for the clean up. I'm currently using a relatively expensive brand (Rustins) because it was all I could get quickly a few weeks ago. I bet a misting of that would reactivate the paint!

[stona]

You might recall an exchange of posts a while back, where we both agreed, 'planes' were things you pushed along a piece of wood to create shavings, and were never meant to fly, due, we agreed, to extremely poor aerodynamic qualities.

Reggie Joe Mitchell

Quite right too.

Beverley Strahan Shenstone MASc, HonFRAes, FAIAA, AFIAS, FCAISI, HonOSTIV

[Tim Marlow]

Only if the word “Plane” is being used as a noun lads.......the verb “to plane” means to glide or soar with no movement of wings.......sounds like an aeroplane to me :tongue-out3:
Yours, an educated Salisbury alumni. I therefore know what words mean, but my accent ensures no one can understand what I say.....:thumb2:

[spanner570]

...just a bit of tongue in cheek fun, Tim.

In any case we were referring to the object and not it's flying characteristics.

Believe it or not, I have a modicum of education, and also know what words mean.....but I digress.

Lots of love.

Helen Marguerite Home

[stona]

A plane


An aeroplane



:tongue-out3: Ronnie Biggs (handy with a plane)

[Tim Marlow]

Tongue in cheek from me as well Ron......obviously my humour is on a higher plane.....a Record number 04 smoothing plane to be precise.....

[Tim Marlow]

By the way, the Mustang is looking great.....

[yak face]

Sorry but your plane looks a bit naff Steve , the model aircraft on the other hand looks excellent . All this talk of planes has spurred me to get mine out and show them ( and unlike my airbrushes they’re not cheap Chinese copies !) thread starting soon ,
regards William Marples

[stona]

William Marples

I had to google William Marples.....very good!

[stona]

So, back to aeroplanes. or models thereof.

I have now sprayed the camouflage. The colours are 'interesting'. I will take MRPs word for it that these are indeed accurate representations of the US colours (colors?) concerned.



I followed Xtradecals guide for the pattern, there is only one photograph of this aircraft that I know of and that's in flight and of the port side. The pattern is odd, a bit like the S/E pattern we used, but not quite.

The paint was excellent, there is one bit that lifted, but that was exactly where I has an issue with the primer (you can see it on the front bottom corner of the windscreen frame) so I'm sure it is nothing to do with the MRP paints. It's easy to fix...tomorrow!

Cheers

Steve

[BarryW]

coming along really well Steve....

I have found MRP’s interpretation of shades pretty good particularly when they are based on FS shades. But then paint shades in WW2 were pretty hit and miss with batches changing and then, of course they weathered in different ways. When paint companies have different interpretations of WW2 colours, chances are, none of them are really wrong.... You can then add in ‘scale effect’ with some brands lightening colours to replicate that, sometimes without being specific to what scale (AKI)..... I have given up worrying about interpretations and just use the appropriate MRP shade and that means there is some consistency across models.

As for lifting. Lacquers are definitely a lot less prone to that than water based paint but are not entirely immune. Grease, whether release agent or finger grease, can still present a problem in a number of ways so a good ipa wipe down is a good idea. And, of course, if the primer lifts.....

[stona]

All the decals are now on. I like this bit, it gives the subject its identity, but I could easily have done without the fifty little stencils! Applying the decals has taken almost all day.



The sharp eyed will notice the so called 'B Type' roundels on the upper wings. This is because I didn't fancy the yellow/black stripes on the spinner and nose which were applied sometime in late 1944. I've gone for a slightly earlier look, with a British Sky spinner, which should make an interesting contrast with the US equivalent in the fuselage band.

All the decals are from Xtradecal and they performed well enough. They will probably get one more splosh of softener this evening, but they have all settled nicely without silvering. I can't comment on Tamiya's kit decals, I can only hope they have improved since the last Tamiya kit I made. Those were truly awful!