The Little World

Not the JMSDF – this one will be the US Navy version.

It has the big refuelling probe and the Gunship Grey overall finish. I was given a bottle of Model Master Gunship Grey enamel a few years ago and this is exactly the model for it.

Model Master worried me for a whiie as I wondered whether it would dry fast enough and whether I would have to buy especial thinners. In the event I did some tests in the Stupid Science Laboratory and found that the standard Mr Color Levelling Thinner works very well with it. The drying time is longer than lacquer-based paints, but not un-workably so. The best test for a dry coat is the smell of it – when it is odour-free it is hard.

This sniff-but-do-not-scratch test is also good for Valejo varnishes when you are at the end of the process. They need that extra few hours to harden. You can fill in your time with these by napping or robbing banks.

Note that I used the old trick of painting the clear nose with masking fluid on the inside and then wrapping masking tape over it. Once it was protected I used Micro Liquitape to temporarily fasten the nose on and filled any final cracks with masking liquid.

This let me spray with impunity and when the complete fuselage was done the clear piece could be levered off and all the masking peeled away. I like to paint some canopies by hand rather than spray them.