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Old 12-22-2003, 06:07 PM
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Layla's Keeper Layla's Keeper is offline
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Well, I understand you're new, and I'll be honest in the fact that I made the same error on my first models too, but you've got a serious issue with the paint on that Olds.



As you can see in this pic, the paint did not adhere to the body at all. Instead, it ran down the sides of the body and puddled at the edges of the bodywork. There are two reasons for this.

1: You did not use a primer. Primer is one of the most crucial things in painting a body, as it creates a paint friendly surface that paint can easily adhere to, as well as hiding the color of the plastic. Trust me, once you pick up an older Monogram or Revell kit that's molded in bright orange or lime green, you'll know just how important primer is.

2: You used too much paint at once. When painting a body, you can't apply all the paint at once to get color. Color needs to be built up in fine coats, starting with a barely visible mist coat that you let dry until its tacky, and then go on to a second, slightly thicker color coat. You keep at this until the model is completely coated, gradually building up color in fine misting coats.

I'll assume you were using a rattle can, and this does make that a bit more difficult. I moved to a Paasche double-action airbrush and compressor as soon as I could afford it, and will never EVER go back to rattle cans.

The engine in the Olds does look pretty good though. So you've got clean building skills. Dunk that body in a coffee can filled with brake fluid to strip off the paint, then clean it with warm soapy water, air dry it, and pick up a can of primer to start over. Trust me, you'll be infinitely more pleased with the results.
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