Meng AIR Modeller – April-May 2019

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The parts were then painted and set aside to dry for about 30

minutes. I then used an old stiff brush and a little water and

carefully coerced the paint off the parts being mindful careful not

to go too far. Once that was done to my satisfaction, I used pin

washed of dark brown and black here and there, and added the

placards and HGW seatbelts

As is usual for me, I forgot that I should probably have read the

instructions that came with the PE set before starting. So, after

assembling many of the tiny components, I saw that the placards

required removal of surface detail on the Tamiya parts. Anyway, I

scraped away as much as I could and as carefully as I could, but

ended up damaging some of the parts. I repaired the damage,

but that took a little extra time. Live and learn, and always read

the directions.

I was originally going to purchase a resin

engine, but when I saw how beautiful the

engine parts looked on the sprues, I

decided against it. The engine builds into a

miniature model all by itself. The detail

provided by Tamiya is simply outstanding

and without compare. I only had to add

spark plug cables made from .015”

(.0.3mm) diameter lead wire. I find that

lead wire is easier to bend than copper

wire especially in and around tight spots as

a radial engine.

I painted the cylinders with AK Interactive

Aluminium and Mr Paint for the crankcase

pumps. Once again, I added pin washes

using Ammo of Mig Blue Black Panel Line

Wash and Dark Brown. The oil stains at the

front was created using a mixture of Mig

Fresh Engine Oil, white spirits, black and

brown pastel chalks. I dabbed a drop on

the front of the engine and spread it out in

the same manner as the airflow would.

The Cockpit

I painted the cockpit using AK Xtreme metals and Mr Paint

lacquers. These are really excellent paints that go on smoothly

and with excellent coverage. I used Tire Black as the main shade

for the instrument panel and side consoles and highlighted areas

with light and darker shades of the same colour. This breaks up

the surface reflectance and creates a much more realistic

appearance than a solid, flat-looking colour. The same technique

was used for the cockpit green. The top surfaces of components

were sprayed with a lighter colour and the lower surfaces with

darker tones. Before I did this, I prepared the parts for chipping

and wear. I primed the parts with Mr Paint Primer then painted the

areas I was going to chip with AK Interactive Dark Aluminium. I let

everything dry for a few hours. I then decanted some hairspray

from a can into a cup and let the foam settle out. This then went

into my airbrush cup, and I gave the parts a light coating of

hairspray followed by a slightly heavier coat after a few minutes.