[Captain Mark]

Hi all,

I'm currently working on a Tamiya 1/24 300ZX. I used Tamiya grey plastic primer first up, no problems, went on perfect.

Now I'm using a silver automotive acrylic pressure pack (Holts Dupli-Color DSF85) and having some trouble. I spray it on (as per instructions on this site), but I just can't keep bits of dust off it!!! I spray the bonnet/hood/body, put it in a clean, sealed container immediately, but bits of dust and muck still seem to settle on it!
Is this just a matter of luck in having the paint set 'clean'???

But that's not the major issue I suppose.
I can use fine sandpaper to get the bits out, but it seems like I sand, then paint, then sand, then paint, then sand... and so on. So I tried using Tamiya Cutting Compound to smooth the finish. It does seem to smooth the finish well, but makes the section become all matt/flat, not glossy. It loses its metallic finish, and the colour is slightly inconsistent.

I'm at a bit of a loss...
A fresh coat of paint might fix it... but if the dust settles again I'm back at square one.

Would it be possible to keep the dust specs on, or cut back the paint, and then just put a coat of clear over this... then cut and polish the clear? I tend to doubt the clear would hide the above problems... asking anyway just in case though. I'm running out of ideas quick...

Any help would be much appreciated.
I'm really trying to make this kit something special compared to what I've done in the past.

Thanks for any tips,
Mark