Hi Carl (@clipper), John (@johnb), Spiros (@fiveten), and Alfred (@alfred):
Today turned out to be a real comedy of errors. I started by applying some surface filler to the problem areas, then after drying for a couple of hours, I used a 1000 grit sanding stick and some water to smooth everything out. I polished the areas with a piece of old T-shirt. Everything looked great. I got a little too active with the sanding stick, so there was a small area of the AK Xtreme that needed some touchup. I got the AK ready to go, donned my rubber gloves, and started to paint. It wasn't too long before I noticed that the paint didn't seem to match. I double-checked the bottle, and that's when I noticed I was using the wrong color. You wouldn't think it would be this hard, after all, I only have two bottles of the AK Xtreme. I let the wing dry for a while, then applied the correct color to the wing. Things were looking really good. I had previously noticed a small ding near the tail, so I figured I could touch it up while I had the right color out. I was admiring my work when I realized I had painted near the green tail, now without masking, and had managed to spray the bottom of the green tail with metallic paint.

After a few choice words (I speak two languages fluently: English and profanity), I let the paint dry for a couple of hours. I then masked the fuselage around the tail and resprayed the green. After letting the Tamiya dry for an hour, I reapplied the gloss to the tail.

So after an entire day of off and on work, I have managed to get the model to the same place it was yesterday. I still need to reapply the Alclad to the leading edge to repair the problem that started this entire odyssey. The good news is that I used the time waiting for things to dry to clean my paint booth and the surrounding area.

What have I learned from all this?

First, I love the AK Xtreme. It is darn near bulletproof. It withstands masking tape and handling with never a mark or a chip. This is without a sealer of any kind. I have discovered that I can apply the decals and use decal setting fluids directly on the surface of the paint. I like the way Alclad looks, but it is extremely fragile.

Second: Use can use alcohol to clean the surface of the AK Xtreme. I used alcohol to remove tape residue without problem. Even the lightest touch of alcohol will effectively remove Alclad. Once again, Alclad is very fragile.

Third: It appears that the Alclad is strong enough to loosen the glue on the tape and leave a residue under the masking tape. The AK didn't seem to affect the tape at all.

As you know, I truly hate NMF and have managed to avoid them for a long time. But I like the AK so well, that I have ordered 4 other colors so that I can use them on a future build. If you are like me and have been avoiding NMF, I would encourage you to give it a try. I am sure there are many other ways to achieve a great NMF other than the AK, so take your pick and jump in.

I hope to finish the painting tomorrow and be ready for decals. Cheers.

1 additional image. Click to enlarge.

Great that all "errors" are remedied, my friend @gblair. Good to know that AK performs.

A horror day it seems, George @gblair
All can be corrected but it is not the way you want to progress.

Good day today! Yeah!

I masked off and painted the leading edge on the right wing. Instead of using Alclad on the leading edge again, I decided that my other bottle of AK Xtreme, which is polished silver, would match the Alclad on the other side. It is easier to paint, very tough when dry, and doesn't peel up with alcohol. Painting went well.

I thought this might be a good time to start the decals on the upper wings. Decals went on nicely with just water to start with. The roundels were easy, as were the numerous stencils. The wingwalk lines took a while to get into place, but the decals are very hardy and never gave a hint that they might tear. When all the decals were in place, I cleaned up any excess water, then hit all the decals with some Tamiya MarkFit (Strong). I didn't use any of the MarkFit near the Alclad, as I was worried the chemical might stain the fragile surface. Once burned, twice shy.

Lastly, I removed the masking over the black area on the nose. As I was adding the decals, I saw there are several decals that will go in the black area. At some point, I will need to add some gloss to the nose in preparation for the decals, but I can tackle that tomorrow. I am planning to limit my decal sessions to an hour at a time. It was pretty tiring to massage all of those stencils in place, and there are many more to come.

4 attached images. Click to enlarge.

This is getting better and better George (@gblair). I believe the AK Extreme metal paints are enamel based which accounts for their toughness if given sufficient time to cure. It may be some time before I get to another NMF aircraft as I have several other builds planned which will either be other color schemes, non metallic structures, or not relevant. But I want to build an F-84F Thunderstreak or a P-47N Thunderbolt in NMF which I think will be a significant test for me.

Very nice progress, George!
The NMF looks top notch, luckily you’ve overcome the hurdles.

Thanks, Alfred (@alfred) and John (@johnb). I really want to get this one done so I can move on to the next one.

Definitely better than the decal, George @gblair
Your experience makes it easy for me to decide how to create the stripes on mine.