@alanrush I wo'nt try to restore lost detail. I think the only option is to rescribe the whole thing to get an even look and feel. To me, this is not important (the Monogram kit is a stupid choice if you want to build a winner considering the Academy and Hasegawa kits available) since it is part of a "build the Monogram kits from your youth"-project! 🙂

Canopy turned out better than I expected after some sanding and polishing.

Bare-metal foil and Micro-Mask to fill in the gaps...

...and cockpit sealed-off!

Regards

Magnus

Are you going for a factory fresh finish or something more representative of how it looked in the field?

@camaro1 On the few photos I have seen of these aircraft they look almost factory-fresh (maybe they were when the photos were taken?). I do like the look of it right now (I was worried it would look toy-like but it doesn't, not to much anyway 🙂 ) but I usually weather my models quite a bit. We'll see how it all ends up!

@alanrush To start with, I use only Tamiya spray cans. There might be others that work equally as well but I have stuck to Tamiya. I have never tried masking and doing any more elaborate paintjobs with the cans, I have up until the P-38 only used their various silver finishes for making silver paintjobs (see examples below).

Before spraying I pour a pitcher of hot water from the tap and immerse the spray can for ten minutes. This raises the pressure in the can and makes the paint flow a lot easier, it settles a lot better onto the model. I think this is the main key to get a good result! Don't use boiling water by the way, it will make the bottom of the can go "pop"...

The hairdryer is only there for speeding up the drying time, I also have an idea that the quick drying makes the paint less likely to attack the plastic and putty below it (I've had trouble with putty crazing once, this probably could have been avoided by starting with one light coat to seal off the surface, a quick round with the hairdryer, and then a heavier coat).

I usually go over the model in just a few passes, sometimes I use the hairdryer inbetween, sometimes I don't. It is always a very quick process, a high-speed-silver 1/72 Vampire is probably finished in less than a minute.

I have never really failed using Tamiya sprays, it seems like they "shrink" a bit during hardening so even if I the paint coat looks a bit heavy while it is still wet it settles back beautifully when hardened.

The primers (fine grey and fine white) are equally as good, I use them on every model.

A Norwegian Vampire...

...and a Winjeel...

Finally: spray outdoors! The smell of these paints spread around the house and won't make you popular!

Regards

Magnus

@magnusf :
This topic has now been moved to the group Work in progress - Aircraft.

Sorry for my absence, time to get this one rolling once again!

I've used bare metal foil to make one of the natural metal areas around the supercharges, the other one to follow tonight. In order to bring some life to the black finish I went over it with a nail polisher that brought the hundreds of rivets into a silvery life. I am not sure that it is realistic but at least it isn't dull 🙂 !

Finally, I found a Youtube clip here that is worth spending a few minutes watching.

Regards

Magnus

Thanks for your detailed posting. Your giving us all a tutorial on how to present a build review. I for one am never too old to learn something. For instance, I never new a P-38 could have a crew of two.
Looks like all your effort is going to pay off by the way.

Marcus, i revisited your earlier posts and thats helped with my build. Great tip about the undercarridge - cutting the c shape - to install the gear later. That will save me from breaking them off during the build 🙂 .

Well done on progressing your Lightning. It looks cool in the overall black scheme. Look forward to seeing the completed model. Great job Magnus, this inspires me to push on with my one for the D-Day Group.