The Little World

Lost three marks along with the wheels.

My RCAF Catalina has now reverted to the first mark acquired – a patrol aircraft used off the maritime provinces. I’ve a profile book on it and it is a shame to waste such specific research and drawing.

The colour scheme is very British with a little less zizz than those used nearer Great Britain. The paints are the gift set from a club member; Hobby Master enamels. This is the first use in anger for modern enamels and I am not at all unhappy with the results.

The paints are bing thinned with a mixture of Gunze lacquer thinners – the composition depending upon the ambient temperature. The paints as received have gone sluggish but the old trick of putting a steel nut in the jar and shaking it for five minutes with some thinners seems to have revived them.

Certainly the dark sea grey went on beautifully and dried and hardened within two hours. This is so much better than I had been led to expect – the slate grey goes on next as long as rain doesn’t set in.

The other big discovery was also the result of a kind gift of a giant pack of Q-tips. These have proved to be perfect for occluding the space between the putty lines with Humbrol’s Maskol rubber solution. Formerly this might have been painted on with a brush that would have been lost to the setting of the rubber – now the cotton swabs can be used freely and then just discarded.

There is a place for the disposable in even the most frugal of workshops.