The Little World

When I set myself the task of finding an effective workflow, I decided to make it as realistic as possible. So I cut 16 MDF board tablets to 2 x 3 inches and sprayed them with standard Tamiya primer. Some grey, some white, and some red oxide. The Tamiya product in a can has always been a success for me – very smooth.

Then I made a three-part stencil to apply a stylised camouflage scheme – two panel on the upper and one on the lower. I picked out schemes I use:

US WWII olive/grey

British night fighter

British day fighter

RAAF standard

British bomber

RCAF  trainer

US plain aluminium

British Coastal Command

Soviet aluminium

To make them more realistic, I applied spare decals and numbers – and trained myself to make a new stencil to airbrush the RAF squadron codes. I’ve an inkjet printer and have devised a way to print on low-tack masking tape instead of that German clear plastic film with the problematical adhesive. I’ll go back to that later to see if it can be tamed.

The paint panels got a clear coat of Humbrol Gloss Cote to seal them in preparation for the decals – just as a real fuselage would. Then the decals and Micro-Set.

Then a selection of clear top coats:

a. Humbrol matt acrylic varnish in a spray can.

b. Humbrol satin acrylic varnish in a spray can.

c. Humbrol Gloss Cote in the airbrush.

d. Humbrol Satin Cote in the airbrush.

e. Tamiya semi-gloss in the airbrush.

f.  Tamiya matte in the airbrush.

g. Creos Mr. Hobby Clear in the airbrush.

h. Creos Mr. Hobby Top Coat in a can

i.  Creos Mr. Super Clear in a can.

j. Bondall Monocell satin timber varnish in a can.

Those last two were just a punt – one’s a lacquer base and one’s from the hardware store…

Each panel was half masked and shot with the appropriate coat, with a careful note on the back as to which product. They then went into the drying box on half power. This time I observed careful spraying distances and product load onto the surface.

And the result was no bubbles, no trapped dirt, and a series of observations:

a. Humbrol Satin Cote and their satin acrylic in a can are indistinguishable. Both are pleasant, but dull the colour somewhat. The economics are such that the small bottles and their thinner are 3 times the price of the product in the can…Score one for canned satin.

b. Tamiya semi-gloss is slightly duller than the Humbrol satin.

c. Humbrol matt acrylic in a can and Tamiya matt acrylic in the airbrush are extremely similar in appearance but it is a dusty sort of finish that I find unrewarding in a museum aircraft. Again the Humbrol can is considerably cheaper per ml of sprayed product. If there were a compelling reason for th finish the Humbrol would be the choice but if it is just small trim panels, the Tamiya is better.

d.  The shininess of the three gloss coats in ascending order: Humbrol Gloss Cote, Mr Hobby Clear, and Mr. Hobby Top Coat.

e. Mr Super Clear was used on the most delicate Ukrainian decals in the expectation that it would dissolve them and blow them away. But no such thing, nor has it seemed to disturb the under paint. The economics of the can, however, make it less attractive than the Mr Hobby Top Coat. And it does not have more gloss than the other two Creos products. I won’t press my chemical luck – I will reserve the can for models that have been lacquered.

All product will be used eventually in some form or another – but not all on the top-line models. Once the last of the Humbrol Gloss Cote is done, its job can be taken over by Mr. Hobby Clear in the airbrush. Once the Satin Cote is finished, The Humbrol satin acrylic varnish can carry on. I shall reserve the Mr Hobby Top Coat for the very final layer. The matt varnishes and bottles will get most use for buildings and other rough modelling.

The oddity – the Bondall varnish – looks fine, but I am going to watch it for signs of colour change, softening, or other deterioration. If these do not appear in a year, it can possibly become the satin choice.

Oh, and good news – Mr Hobby Top Coat saved Uncle Doug’s Mosquito. I oversprayed it to a gloss that makes it look so much more presentable to me.