Paint Shop Time!

It's been over a week since I have done any work on this Sabre. I ran out of paint and had to place an order. I wish Mr. Color would make these lacquers in larger bottles.

I'm used to using Alclad II lacquer metals but I decided to experiment with Mr. Color Super Mettallic2 for the first time. I sprayed the entire jet with duralumin over black primer. I masked a few areas with blue tape delicate but the paint did stick pull up just enough to be irritating so I switched to drafting tape which has very little tack. After this all dries for overnight I will give it a clear coat using Tamiya X-22 for extra protection before masking off any more panels.

Beautiful result on the NMF, Eric @eb801
She will look great, even without the fuel tanks.

Very nice work on this, Eric @eb801.

@eb801, I misunderstood the fuel tank message, all clear now. Thanks.

Carl @clipper: This whole Sabre build for me is a test of this new Super Metallic2 so I can see how it works. One thing I noticed right off the bat: it doesn't seem to like Vallejo's acrylic-poly black primer and orange peeled just the slightest bit enough so that it irritates the heck out of me. I had to do a panel paint repair on the left front fuselage and I primed it with Tamiya Semi Gloss acrylic to see how that worked. SM2 responded much better and laid down nice and smooth. The other thing is SM2 pulls up faintly with Tamiya masking tape so I gave it a glossy clear coat using Tamiya acrylic clear and that took care of it. Until I figure this SM2 out, I still prefer the results I get with Alclad II. my usual go to for metal finishes. But I'm not done yet.

A pity to hear about the first metallic run, Eric@eb801
The second run definitely shows a fine result.
Decals do look great.

Looking great Eric! I was a diehard Alclad person as well...until I tried the SM paints. I use Mr. Color gloss black as a primer...2-3 light coats until a good shine is present. I rub that down with a wet paper towel and polishes up like glass. The SM paints go on super smooth and no issues with tamiya tape, then a coat of Mr. Color Super Clear III...no dulling whatsoever. Alclad is getting a run for it's money. Your finish turned out great! Looking forward to seeing her done.

Jim

Decal Torture Time! Pt.2

Just when I thought I was on track and smooth sailing ahead, I discovered these Warbird Decals (first time using them) are awful or at least my two sheets are. I am using Korean War F-86s Part 2 48027 and F-86F common markings 48025. I don't know how old these sheets are but look impeccable and I just purchased them directly from Warbird so they are new supposedly. They crack like crazy. Fortunately there are some extra pieces that I can use to patch up what is shaping up to be a complete disaster. Just look at these photos:

These decals are designed for Academy and Monogram Sabres but they do fit Hasegawa. The printing is precise and excellent but I think these sheets have been sitting in the "warehouse" way too long. A quick look at Stalemates seems to indicate these were printed about 20 years ago. I could be wrong. Anyway they have turned out to be a bummer.