TOPIC:

Jonny, I know you have an aversion to 'likes', but I had to 'like' this, thanks

Planks calmed down a bit with satin clear ...






I still have to wire in the LEDs & fit all the electrics, but the paintwork is all done:

I'm quite pleased with it overall

Seriously Jonny, EXCEPTIONAL

For me, Jonny, this is your best build to date!
Simply stunning, especially knowing it's made from scratch!

Working on the wiring






Rear LEDs needed a 1:!0 scale double jointed spider monkey to fit, I didn't have one handy so Dremelled off a bit of the rear bumper to improve access ... bit of remedial work needed there ...






Body wouldn't go on flat thanks to the steering servo fitting fouling on a bit of bracing ... solved again with the Dremel ...








I originally bought this round amber beacon to go on the Fiat tractor build, I didn't use it there due to having nowhere to hide the wiring thanks to all that "glass" ... it wasn't looking any better on this build TBH, so I modified it.

Original base parts, screw & the signal wire (which didn't seem to be doing much anyway) have been discarded, I made a new 3 part styrene base & fitted a "pole" to hide the remaining wires - just waiting for the drill battery to charge so I can fit it

I've been meaning to give the 1:32 diecast that inspired this last build some attention, not spend any money on it mind you - it'd be cheaper to just buy a good complete one than get all the missing bits for it (sound familiar?) but I did want to brighten it up a bit ...

Open load bed built out of sheet styrene scraps:





Rest dismantled ...





... which revealed that the cab had been orange at some point in its life:





Bits all ultrasonically cleaned, metal cab & chassis bead blasted (then cleaned again):





Bits all primed:

Struggled to get decent photos of the lights, but you get the idea

andyaus wrote:

Nice Jonny How are you liking your new painting setup? (airbrush & booth)

Ok, got a chance to use a bit more of the equipment today, I think I can draw some conclusions:

- Mini Compressor/3l tank - pressure is a little awkward to set, it seems to be running an awful lot of the time & does get a bit hot, plus it slows down as the pressure rises & starts to vibrate, prompting wandering across smooth surfaces. I think at that price you have to put up or work around a few issues though. On the plus side it is pretty quiet & the hose is very good.

- Bottom fed DA 0.35mm airbrush - air can stick partially on sometimes, I think I need to dismantle, investigate & possibly polish a bit or two. I did the 1:10 unimog with this (upping the pressure & increasing the distance) because the small nozzle isn't the best for coverage. That's not really a criticism, it's just not 100% right for what I want to do with it ATM.

- Bottom fed Single Action, external mix 0.5mm 'brush (new, arrived this week) - plastic body means nozzle holder can twist & get stuck. Nasty coiled hose with "5mm" fittings that don't match the rest of the kit, so I needed an adaptor. Seems a bit more sensitive to thinners %age, too little & it goes the tiniest bit splattery - but you can't expected atomisation to be too great with that type of brush (apparently). overall, cheap (less than 10 GBP), bit crude but effective (good coverage).

- Side feed DA airbrush - haven't used that yet. TBH not likely to unless there's a real need to work at a funny angle as I'm not looking forward to the extra cleaning & higher likelihood of a spill.

- Cleaning Pot - hmmm ... quite useful for holding a loaded airbrush while not in use, but "cleaning" aspect is oversold - it's only any good for blowing paint out, the cap is completely inadequate for getting water through the paint feed. Small goldfish bowl is on order.

Folding spray booth - good at capturing fumes from the SA brush at low pressure (like 15psi), but not so much with greater pressures (like 25psi & up) & hardly at all with the DA brush (greater atomisation making it more volatile I guess?) Seemed to do a reasonable job of catching paint droplets (black has made it look 2nd hand very quickly) APART from some going through the hinge gaps. If I hadn't put a dustsheet down I'd be having to explain a few black spray marks on the new kitchen worktops With the hose on the back (otherwise, what's the point) it's very deep - more than the average worktop/bench, but on the plus side I didn't have to route it to a window or door, just set it up like a chimney & point it at the cooker extractor.

Glass jars - Even though I bought 10 of each (lids & siphons) I think I'm going to need more ... tops are interchangeable though the depths are inexplicablly different so sometimes the siphon drags out of position - not much use at the back of the jar Having performed an impromptu drop test I can say they are very tough. Thread is the same as Tamiya jars/lids but I'm not sure that helps.


Overall I'm quite happy with the kit - & TBH I've spent less on all of it than I could have had on just one "proper" airbrush - which I wouldn't have done because I didn't know what I needed. Having had a bit more practical experience I think I can say the way to go (for me) would be a bigger compressor/tank, a better quality DA airbrush with a fractionally bigger nozzle, and a better quality SA 'brush - but all the stuff I have now will do until something breaks

Basic paint on the 1:32 diecast Unimog: