OK here we are, I'm calling the paint job DONE warts and all, here it is! Alclad II is a very unforgiving paint to say the least- My last prime coat looked near perfect Sunday when I started squirting the Dark Aluminum, man that expensive paint took me to school. It magnified every blemish , scratch and whatever. I tried filling some items but had to drag myself away for fear of damaging the build itself.
As you can see, the front took some damage from masking, maybe this will even out during the cure?
It does have a good side, the right side! It came out near perfect, though this is not the side that will be shown...
Left side is very presentable, but has some issues with the thickening of the wing ect..
And finally the rear, here my amateurism becomes apparent, look at the left and then the right- the lower curves are uneven, nitpicking? YES! The body was assembled top first then the bottom in thin sheets (around .20 thick) that were clamped together. This was problematic as I intentionally made the sides unequal and then fixed this using the top and bottom as a guide. It worked, though not as great as i hoped.
For my first ground up scratch build I am pleased, my next one will be better I hope. she'll rest a day or so an then I'll start applying the art.
After doing this, I think scratch building is the way to go. Not a bad ending to a year of returning to models after a decade break! Enjoy CR :drinks
