Migina 1 - profile by Arc3371

[Mossie]

That has potential, and I'll give it a test tomorrow night - cheers!

I can see some potential problems with it though:

1. Most of the fuselage is curved surfaces, so if the stencil doesn't stick to the surface, how does it follow them?

2. The spacing of the squares is pretty tight, so it'd be hard to avoid smudging the last square whilst doing the next one.

Try making the template out of thin plasticard or brass sheet, that should bend to suit all but the most curved surfaces.  You could also cut three or for squares in the same template, so you could paint more in one go & move onto another area to give it a few minutes to dry, should be enough to prevent smudging.  Turn the template through 90⁰ each time so you have four different patterns.

[Weaver]

Okay, all together now;

"It was an itsy-witsy, teeny-weeny
yellow polka-dot Migini...." 



Yes I know that my squares are bigger than Arc's: that's because some experimentation showed that when I try to cut masking tape squares smaller than 5mm, I end wearing more of them than I manage to apply....



The rear fuse underside doesn't need to be masked because I'm hand-painting it Steel after the spraying's over.

[John Howling Mouse]

Keep it coming!

[Weaver]

Hey this weekend we've had the first decent sunshine the UK has seen for months and I am NOT spending all of it in a basement and an attic, deadline or no deadline!

Anyway, coat of Humbrol 64 Light Grey (Zone 1 base colour and Zone 2 spot colour) on, and more square-bashing done:



The Blu-Tack "mule collar" is there to make a "soft mask" for the feathered dividing line between Zones 1 & 2. Yes I know I could, in theory, have just sprayed it by hand, but given that I've used an airbrush on exactly ONE model so far, my confidence in my abilities is justifiably low.



Here's the soft mask finished, with a strip of thin card and total masking job on the front fuse:



From this angle, you can see how the mask stands off the surface, allowing the paint to "scatter" under it:



Is this a good technique? No idea: I've read about it , but never actually tried it before........ (where's a fingers-crossed and/or praying smiley when you need one, eh?)

[Weaver]

One coat of Humbrol 140 Gull Grey (Zone 3 base and Zone 4 dots) applied, and the square dance continues:



And here it is ready for the Zone 4 coat, which I've just applied:

[Ian the Kiwi Herder]

Go Weaver, Go.....

Ian

[sotoolslinger]

What a great learning experience

[Weaver]

That's what I keep telling myself........

Nothing done last night - errands to run. More tonight.

[Arc3371]

What a great learning experience

I agree thats why these step by step pics are so good

[Weaver]

Coat of Humbrol 27 Sea Grey (Zone 4 base and Zone 5 dots), dotted and collared:

(Forgot to do a "clean" picture before I started masking again - sorry)



Full mask and collar:



It's now sitting in the cellar with a coat of Humbrol 32 Dark Grey (Zone 5 base) drying....

[Arc3371]

Now that you are nearly finished, if you would have built it again what would you have done differently?

[Weaver]

Now that you are nearly finished, if you would have built it again what would you have done differently?

Apart from persuading Tamiya to make a G-91Y and a MiG-9, you mean? 

Hmmmmm, not a lot that I COULD have done differently, to be honest. More time and more skill would have given it a better cockpit interior (well, any cockpit interior....), allowed me to use more, smaller dots in the paint scheme, and done the u/c down (better option, given the fit of the doors). I wouldn't have mucked about trying to use an allen bolt for a nose weight, just so it could support the intake upper wall, and I WOULD have taken much longer to accurately mate and clamp up the upper nose and lower centre fuselage, thereby avoiding mucho PSR.

Actually, what I might have done is started with a Matchbox G.91Y instead of an Airfix -R, if that gave me a better nose, a cockpit and a pair of nickable engine nozzles. However, I've never seen the Matchbox kit so  I don't know how it breaks down.

[kitnut617]

It has a slight Buckeye resemblance which made me do a 'double-take' at it, very cleverly done 

[ChernayaAkula]

The plane looks very nice! A beautiful design!

Can't wait to see the camo "unveiled". 

[Weaver]

Well, here's what it looks like after a tips'n'tails coat of Humbrol 27 Dark Grey (Zone 5 base coat):