Zenrat's Flying Circus

[Old Wombat]

You'll find (or should, anyway) that the SMS paints spray beautifully straight from the bottle (it's what they were designed for) but I've taken to adding a little SMS thinner (usually about 20%) and deciding after the first coat is dry if I need a second..

[zenrat]

You'll find (or should, anyway) that the SMS paints spray beautifully straight from the bottle (it's what they were designed for) but I've taken to adding a little SMS thinner (usually about 20%) and deciding after the first coat is dry if I need a second..

Sorry, should have been more specific.  This is the SMS Infinite Colour Acrylics.  They need thinning to spray with as they are formulated to be brushed on.  Label says thin with water but I used Vallejo airbrush thinner.  I put on some Auscam green today.  It sprayed OK but was very transparent.  More transparent then Vallejo model air or thinned model color would have been.  No clogging issues and I didn't add any flow improver.

Now SMS lacquers on the other hand do spray fine straight from the jar.
I used their Auscam lacquer set to do this...

AAVA-7A1 - 4 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

...and it did the job very nicely.  I've also used their lacquers on cars.  But having bought the Infinite Colour Auscam paints a while ago I wanted to try them out through the airbrush.

[Old Wombat]

 

[zenrat]

Second go at painting the P4 green today.  Much better results as I actually paid attention to what I was doing (yesterday i'd worked all morning and my brain possibly wasn't quite where it should have been).
Anyhoo, I again thinned the SMS infinite acrylic with Vallejo thinners but this time added a splosh of flow enhancer.  It airbrushed beautifully.   

[zenrat]

Panzer 4 is painted.  I did both remaining camo colours today.  I had some issues with the SMS infinite acrylic drying in the airbrush tip but it was over 30 degrees while I was painting.  More flow enhancer perhaps.
Getting my paints to the required consistency and mix does appear to be the achilles heel of my airbrushing.
Anyhoo, colours are finished but I do feel it needs a dusty filter to tie it all together and tone down the black.
Then I can put all the wheels on and build the tracks.

On the WOT8 i'm on the last bit of the assembly - head and tail lights and steering linkage (positioned outside the cab for some reason).
1/35 headlights with separate clear lenses are a nice touch but rather fiddley.  London to a brick I drop one.
Rear lights are tiny with even tinier recessed lenses to paint silver then clear red.  They'll be hidden behind the lowered tailgate and so out of sight but of course I feel obliged to try and paint them...

I wonder if I could combine these two vehicles on one dio?  After The War a victorious Hydra tank crew reprovision from the local spiv...

[Rick Lowe]

They'll be hidden behind the lowered tailgate and so out of sight but of course I feel obliged to try and paint them...

I wonder if I could combine these two vehicles on one dio?  After The War a victorious Hydra tank crew reprovision from the local spiv...

As one does... even though we know it's only ever something we will know about...

A certain 'J Walker Enterprises', perhaps?

[zenrat]

Joe was always a favourite member of the platoon.

I finished the paint on the p4 today.  I mixed up a green filter and sprayed it lightly over everything.

[zenrat]

I don't need to worry about dropping the tiny clear lenses...

...turns out that after removing the windows from the clear parts sprue I threw away the remainder which still held them.   

I shall be using epoxy instead.  Or PVA.

[Pellson]

I don't need to worry about dropping the tiny clear lenses...

...turns out that after removing the windows from the clear parts sprue I threw away the remainder which still held them.   

I shall be using epoxy instead.  Or PVA.

   I am relating violently!!   

[zenrat]

I suspect it's something most of us have done at some point.

[Pellson]

I suspect it's something most of us have done at some point.

Unfortunately, I'm somewhat of a regular. 

[NARSES2]

I suspect it's something most of us have done at some point.

Something I've definitely done 

[DogfighterZen]

That's not as bad as throwing the whole clear parts sprue into the bin... I wrapped it in a napkin after i took out of the plastic bag when i opened the kit because i lost or threw away the bag. When i was finishing the kit, i had a bad cold and had a bunch of used napkins on the desk, and that's also where i had the one with the sprue in it so, i threw it away with all the snotty napkins.
So, not as bad but still worthy of a good self-flagellation session... 

[zenrat]

With today being Australia Day and thus a public holiday we went out to friends for a barbecue lunch.
She is a Barbie (doll) collector.  We hadn't visited for five or six years and I wasn't ready for how much her collection has grown.
My gob was smacked.  An entire bedroom filled with pink all displayed on shelves and racks.  Included was something I didn't know existed - a Barbie Batman.  The body moulds were Ken but it was an official DC licenced product and the outfit was the 1966 Adam West one.  She also has Barbie Hot Wheels.
We got a tour of the collection with her special favourites being pointed out.  It's nice when people do that.  So often they seem embarrassed by their obsessions and don't want to share or assume you won't be interested.

[PR19_Kit]

With today being Australia Day and thus a public holiday we went out to friends for a barbecue lunch.

Shouldn't that be a BARBIEQUE lunch?