Aur0ra145's Takom AH-64D Apache Longbow 1/35

[Stokesy44]

You might be better off with a dark grey, you'll see more detail, particularly with it being in shadow?

[bfrd]

That is one hell of an awesome picture for getting the details right! Does the kit come with the little "a" decals that are everywhere?

[aur0ra145]

Went with a bit of XF-69 NATO Black on the mast as suggested in this thread. I think it's pretty close to the reference photos. I need it to dry, then we'll start thinking about closing up the two halves.



Comparing the NATO Black to the black primer.

[digger303]

Looks good it almost looks like a radar absorbing paint.

[aur0ra145]

The fuselage is together! I'll have to let it cure over night, then start on the wind screens.

[digger303]

Starting to look like a chopper now.

[Stokesy44]

Its a proper beast!

[aur0ra145]

Masked part of the canopy. Man do I like precut canopy masks, well worth every cent spent.

There are some interior pieced to the canopy to be attached. So I'm a bit on the fence on if I should paint just the exterior of the canopy or both the interior and exterior. I have masks for both. I'm worried the viewing angle could potentially create a weird optical effect.

[aur0ra145]

Couple more panels taped up.

I'm still on the fence about masking the inside. Of note: the inside has slightly different masks, the window shape is different apparently. Additionally, there may be a small fit issue between the fore and aft panels on the starboard side. Doesn't quite feel like there is room for canopy support structure. Specifically the E53 part in the previous post.

[digger303]

Since no one else answered your query. I'm a armour guy, but given those windows are freaking huge you will be able to see the inside very readily. I think you would have to mask and paint the inside as well. Other wise the out side base colour or primer will show right through and spoil it. Just my 2 cents worth, but in the end it's what your happy with.


Ps ....hope I didn't spoil your day

[Stokesy44]

Since no one else answered your query. I'm no a armour guy, but given those windows are freaking huge you will be able to see the inside very readily. I think you would have to mask and paint the inside as well. Other wise the out side base colour or primer will show right through and spoil it. Just my 2 cents worth, but in the end it's what your happy with.


Ps ....hope I didn't spoil your day

The trick is to spray the clear parts now with the colour you want to see on the inside. Then you can start on the exterior primer and base colours

[aur0ra145]

Very good points gents. I didn't think about the under primer coat being seen. I was worried about a prismatic illusion with the thickness of the plastic.

No progress tonight on masking . Hopefully I'll get some solid bench time over the weekend.

[aur0ra145]

Lots of masking has been accomplished. Both interior and exterior.

Initial dry fitting of the canopy was less than stellar. I'm going to read around and see what fixes others have done. There is about a 1 mm gap between the port side piece and the upper canopy. Any ideas on filling clear plastic gaps? I'm thinking maybe just a lot of layers of PVA glue.







For my next build I think I'll go back to my roots of WWII prop planes and armor, with a dash of Sci-Fi.

[RangerNeil]

Lots of masking has been accomplished. Both interior and exterior.

Initial dry fitting of the canopy was less than stellar. I'm going to read around and see what fixes others have done. There is about a 1 mm gap between the port side piece and the upper canopy. Any ideas on filling clear plastic gaps? I'm thinking maybe just a lot of layers of PVA glue.







For my next build I think I'll go back to my roots of WWII prop planes and armor, with a dash of Sci-Fi.

Do you have the option to build with open canopies?

[digger303]

Very neat masking.

[aur0ra145]

Lots of masking has been accomplished. Both interior and exterior.

Initial dry fitting of the canopy was less than stellar. I'm going to read around and see what fixes others have done. There is about a 1 mm gap between the port side piece and the upper canopy. Any ideas on filling clear plastic gaps? I'm thinking maybe just a lot of layers of PVA glue.







For my next build I think I'll go back to my roots of WWII prop planes and armor, with a dash of Sci-Fi.

Do you have the option to build with open canopies?

Yes buy the starboard side is the one that opens. The misalignment is on the port side.

I think I'm going to set aside the canopy for a bit and get this build on landing gear first.

[aur0ra145]

Started on the landing gear. I bought a SAC kit with white metal gear. First time I've used them. Look like they're pretty good.

[aur0ra145]

Did a bit more on the landing gear. I went with the styrene piece for whatever that part is called. The white metal pieces were warped and didn't do what they're supposed to.

The tires are resin, so they should look good; but, I'm going to wait a bit before putting them on.

Next up will be to actually attach the landing gear. The tail wheel assembly is a bit wonky; but, I think I can make it work out.

[aur0ra145]

Moving right along with the build, the chaingun looked a bit bent to me. Soooooo, in the spirit of spending as much money as possible on this kit, I've ordered a brass cannon to replace the plastic one. Unfortunately that will slow down the assembly process as the parts get shipped to me.

[digger303]

[Tomcat64]

Awesome tidy work on this - I've been tempted to pick up the UK version now that it's been released but was put off by the size of the thing in an uncharateristic outbreak of common sense.

I used PVA to fix canopy gaps before, just don't be tempted to fill it all in one go and build it up in layers.

Am I the only one that thinks that rotor mask could be the basis of a 1950s era sci fi space ship thingy?

[aur0ra145]

Yet again, Stynylrez fails to impress. This time it was both gray and black. These pieces had only been handled with nitrile gloves, so there shouldn't be any oils from my hands on them. Note: the picture shows after priming of BOTH sides.

The beading and failure to adhere is exhausting at this point.

Anyone have suggestions for better airbrush-able primers?

[RangerNeil]

Yet again, Stynylrez fails to impress. This time it was both gray and black. These pieces had only been handled with nitrile gloves, so there shouldn't be any oils from my hands on them. Note: the picture shows after priming of BOTH sides.

The beading and failure to adhere is exhausting at this point.

Anyone have suggestions for better airbrush-able primers?

FWIW - I use Ultimate's primer for the airbrush or, for larger areas Tamiya's rattle cans of fine surface primer. Never had problems with either - apart from on the freaky fibreglassy resiny fuselage and wing piece of the Mi-V-12. That has a nasty habit of shedding primer to masking tape....

[digger303]

Yet again, Stynylrez fails to impress. This time it was both gray and black. These pieces had only been handled with nitrile gloves, so there shouldn't be any oils from my hands on them. Note: the picture shows after priming of BOTH sides.

The beading and failure to adhere is exhausting at this point.

Anyone have suggestions for better airbrush-able primers?

That's a real shame, perhaps that batch is bottle is bad . It might have almost froze last winter perhaps.
I always use Mr hobby surfacer 1200 that stuff is bullet proof and will fill small scratches, most times it's better than my top coat.

[Tomcat64]

Like the other Neil I generally use Ultimates rebottling of Stynlrez and have only had problems with older (settled) bottles that needed a damn good shaking to remix or where I've had contaminants on the surface or in the airbrush itself.

That level of surface splitting looks like the contents of the bottle may be properly broken down tho almost a water on oil effect

[aur0ra145]

Like the other Neil I generally use Ultimates rebottling of Stynlrez and have only had problems with older (settled) bottles that needed a damn good shaking to remix or where I've had contaminants on the surface or in the airbrush itself.

That level of surface splitting looks like the contents of the bottle may be properly broken down tho almost a water on oil effect

The current bottle I'm using did sit for several months with absolutely no usage earlier this year. So, that might be it.

I've gotten another bottle of the Stynlrez in the mail. So I'm hoping that's the issue.

Yet again, Stynylrez fails to impress. This time it was both gray and black. These pieces had only been handled with nitrile gloves, so there shouldn't be any oils from my hands on them. Note: the picture shows after priming of BOTH sides.

The beading and failure to adhere is exhausting at this point.

Anyone have suggestions for better airbrush-able primers?

That's a real shame, perhaps that batch is bottle is bad . It might have almost froze last winter perhaps.
I always use Mr hobby surfacer 1200 that stuff is bullet proof and will fill small scratches, most times it's better than my top coat.

Is that the one in a spray can? Or do you get the one in a paint pot?

[digger303]

Like the other Neil I generally use Ultimates rebottling of Stynlrez and have only had problems with older (settled) bottles that needed a damn good shaking to remix or where I've had contaminants on the surface or in the airbrush itself.

That level of surface splitting looks like the contents of the bottle may be properly broken down tho almost a water on oil effect

The current bottle I'm using did sit for several months with absolutely no usage earlier this year. So, that might be it.

I've gotten another bottle of the Stynlrez in the mail. So I'm hoping that's the issue.

Yet again, Stynylrez fails to impress. This time it was both gray and black. These pieces had only been handled with nitrile gloves, so there shouldn't be any oils from my hands on them. Note: the picture shows after priming of BOTH sides.

The beading and failure to adhere is exhausting at this point.

Anyone have suggestions for better airbrush-able primers?

That's a real shame, perhaps that batch is bottle is bad . It might have almost froze last winter perhaps.
I always use Mr hobby surfacer 1200 that stuff is bullet proof and will fill small scratches, most times it's better than my top coat.

Is that the one in a spray can? Or do you get the one in a paint pot?

I buy mine in a paint pot a little larger than the paint pots at 40ml ,but the strange thing is I always use less primer than a proper paint coat so it lasts quite well. Like the paint from Mr Hobby and Tamiya shelf durability is long. They do have crappy jars for pouring though and I always use a dropper.

[aur0ra145]

I buy mine in a paint pot a little larger than the paint pots at 40ml ,but the strange thing is I always use less primer than a proper paint coat so it lasts quite well. Like the paint from Mr Hobby and Tamiya shelf durability is long. They do have crappy jars for pouring though and I always use a dropper.

Do you thin the Mr Hobby primer at all? If so, with what? The internet seems to not be in agreeance with how to use Mr Hobby primers.

[digger303]

I buy mine in a paint pot a little larger than the paint pots at 40ml ,but the strange thing is I always use less primer than a proper paint coat so it lasts quite well. Like the paint from Mr Hobby and Tamiya shelf durability is long. They do have crappy jars for pouring though and I always use a dropper.

Do you thin the Mr Hobby primer at all? If so, with what? The internet seems to not be in agreeance with how to use Mr Hobby primers.

I do. I use a 50/50 mix
In the un-thinned state they can be used to fill small gaps with a brush.

[Tomcat64]

Like the other Neil I generally use Ultimates rebottling of Stynlrez and have only had problems with older (settled) bottles that needed a damn good shaking to remix or where I've had contaminants on the surface or in the airbrush itself.

That level of surface splitting looks like the contents of the bottle may be properly broken down tho almost a water on oil effect

The current bottle I'm using did sit for several months with absolutely no usage earlier this year. So, that might be it.

I've gotten another bottle of the Stynlrez in the mail. So I'm hoping that's the issue.

Sorry if this is sucking eggs, but have you tried dropping a ball bearing into the bottle to act as an agitator?

[aur0ra145]

Sorry if this is sucking eggs, but have you tried dropping a ball bearing into the bottle to act as an agitator?

I'm glad it's a community effort to figure out.

Prior to the last failed spray I put two agitator ball bearings in the bottle. Didn't seem to have any effect.

However, I have a brand-spanking-new bottle I'm about to go try out this evening. I'm hopeful.

[aur0ra145]

Whelp, the primer didn't work with the new bottle. I'm going to continue experimenting. I also sent an e-mail to Badger customer service to see if they see anything glaringly wrong with my methods.

Probably going to get some of that Mr Hobby stuff too.

[aur0ra145]

Alright, did a primer test. I think the Stynylrez isn't getting mixed up enough. Even with using a vortex shaker and me shaking it by hand, the full bottle isn't allowing all the parts to mix.

The bad Stynylrez is from a full bottle. The good one is from a half full bottle. Both were shaken the same amount of time. The gray Stynylrez was half full as well. The rest of the primers had no issues.







The test led to the canopy mostly being primed correctly. There is still one trouble spot probably from finger prints.

[Tomcat64]

Interesting results from the tests... so is that "separated" black Stynlrez from the same bottle that you primed the Mustang with??

[aur0ra145]

Interesting results from the tests... so is that "separated" black Stynlrez from the same bottle that you primed the Mustang with??

The Mustang was primed with a grey primer that had been declared possibly bad over a year ago. But, it worked out really well.

I'm thinking there is something going on with how the primer is shaken up. Lab style vortex mixers seem to not do the job regardless of how long I let them go. It seems the volume of the primer bottle is too much for the vortex to effect. Though the vortex mixer does wonders for anything 24ml and smaller.

Only overt, ridiculous, shaking by hand is getting the necessary results. Literally, jumping around like a moron shaking the bottle like it owes me money has netted successful results. Additionally, the fuller the bottle, the longer you need to shake it for.

These are the results from a different bottle that had terrible results further up this thread. This is the bottle I first primed the canopy with. After shaking this bottle like a professional tambourine player, it gave me a perfect coat.



It's most likely that I put to much faith into my vortex mixer, and that led me astray causing lots of primer issues. I'd have to go back through all of these threads I've posted in; but, I've had the vortex mixer for about 2 years... and that's also about when I started having primer troubles.

Pictured here is a freshly shaken bottle on the left. The middle is a bottle of black Stynylrez I found while cleaning this afternoon. It has not been touched for probably over a year, if not longer. Right is a gray bottle of Stynylrez I used several days ago.

As you can see, there is a LOT of medium to mix into the black. I will do some test shots with the middle bottle later on tonight and see the results.

This might be the end of the primer mystery.

[digger303]

I've got one of those vortex mixers too and I find if the paint is glugy or has settled it can take a lot to get it moving. I will add 3 or 4 of those mixing balls to add more weight and moving parts to get the job done.

[aur0ra145]

Moving forward with this guy. Unmasked the interior. Looks like there might have been some bleed through from the top masks, no worries, the paint scratches off easily enough on the clear plastic.

Next up is to build the gun and get the bottoms side built up.

[digger303]

It's a nice looking kit.

[aur0ra145]

Okay, so I figured that getting the canopy on was the priority as when it has wheels, it will be a lot more difficult to handle.

In short, the canopy is mostly on. Used Kristal Klear from Microscale as the glue. We'll see how it does. The gaps sort of got filled with the glue, so I'm hoping it works out and doesn't look too bad. I may lose a few small details if I have to sand it. Or I'll just leave it and see how it looks in olive drab.

The other side of the canopy will be done in the next few days.

[digger303]

[aur0ra145]

Filled the rest of the gaps. White glue isn't the easiest to get to do capillary action. Now I'm waiting for this to cure and see how sanding it will look.

On the upside, the cockpit is now sealed in so I can start work on the chaingun.

[digger303]

[Tomcat64]

Nice work - be careful sanding the PVA though; when I've done that in the past I've ended up dragging some of it out of the gap it's supposed to be filling.