It's been a couple of weeks since I reported progress on the C9 mainly because progress is fleeting. It's the old "two steps forward and one step back" process that has cursed this project from the start. It has nothing to do with the kit itself, which (as one would expect from Tamiya) is well-engineered, but uncooperative weather not conducive to spray painting and questionable technique on my part. Much of the time since my last report has been spent on trying to perfect the finish on the model. In the case of this project, perfection is the enemy of progress. Just the other day I was attempting to correct a flaw in the paint near a decal and I figured I would use masking tape over said decal to prevent overspray from obliterating it. Unfortunately, I failed to reduce the "stickiness" of the tape enough so that when I peeled the tape off, the underlying decal came with it. After soaking the masking tape in Mark Fit Strong and letting sit for two days in water, I managed to peel the decal off the masking tape using a fine paint brush. Despite tearing it into three pieces, I was able to fix the now three-piece decal back onto the model successfully. Hopefully the weather will improve around here soon so I can finally put this baby to rest. In the meantime, I think I deserve a frosty cold beer or two for all the curveballs this project has thrown at me.
