The Little World

I never realised how much my painting stand looked like a gallows tree until I hung the Tupolev SB2 on it for undercoating and colour coats. Didn’t mean to be quite so morbid…

But the fact that the SB2 was suspended there and took its paint so well pointed out the basic utility of the tool. The wingspan of the bomber is greater than the space between the risers but you just turn the fuselage sideways on and spray away. The size of the gallows was made to fit inside the throat of my spray booth but really this is not necessary – as long as one is in front of the booth the air flow takes the fumes and vapours through the filter pads. I frequently put a secondary stage just in front of the booth isf a four-engine bomber needs a spray.

What it means is I may decide to make another gallows – taller, wider, and not necessarily on a round base. I think I can put a base on that would fit over a standard photographer’s light stand. The ability to swing and rotate a big model while keeping an undercoat or colour coat spray going is invaluable. You can get an really even coating with less chance of runs or dry patches.

Is the colour on the underside authentic? Probably not. It is derived from the recommendations on the model box and not from an authentic paint chip in the Spanish National Archives. Someone on Britmodeller and an American IPSM site will undoubtedly puff up and complain. I wish them well, and hope they meet…