The Little World

Part Six of the DH Mosquito Mk II saga showed the dull and sad paint job that I ended up with after failing to think properly about what I was doing – I sprayed a matting acrylic too heavily and cured it under too high a temperature. I regarded the result as a failure on an otherwise wonderful model.

Well, it hasn’t been my only failure of a final finish, and I decided that if I was going to avoid more, I would have to start doing things in a scientific or at least workmanlike manner. Otherwise all that was going to be produced was the same disappointment. SO…

a. What was I unhappy about? The scrappy, patchy, and dull nature of the final coat. The dirty nature of the topcoat on the previous Hawker Hurricane as well.

b. What did I want as an alternative? A smooth final surface and true paint tones.

c. What caused the dissatisfaction? The matte finish whitening out the underlying paint. Particles getting trapped in the coat.

d. How could I make the next model different to attain satisfaction? Find a system of coating a clean surface to preserve what has been done before. As matte coating seems problematical, would satin or gloss look better?

I solved the problem of the dirt on the model surface by realising that I had dusted it down with a brush that contained…dust and particles – it had been open to the shop while other construction was going on and dust had settled into it. So I vacuumed the place thoroughly, then washed all the brushes and stored them in a sealed box.

The final wipedown before each coat of spray paint or finish in the future will be done with a microfibre tack rag and the model examined under a strong cross light. The tack rag may also benefit from being ever-so-slightly damp.

But it was the question of that final coat that puzzled me. There are any number of alternatives sitting in the hobby shop paint aisle – and I am aware that some of them are incompatible with other products. The lacquer-based things promising to harm the enamels or acrylics…But sometimes the Japanese writing does not explain to an English reader exactly what’s in that container. I determined to get one of each and make my own experiments. A week of science, or at least a pile of sample tablets done with each system. It would be fun if I whistled while I worked…or at least cursed.

After all, Salvarsan was number 606 in the messy experiments by Ehrlich, and if he could stand to look at that many lesions, so can I.