Written by 9:58 am On the Bench

WIP : Italeri 1/48 A-36 Apache Pt. 3 – Painting

Before painting can begin, The canopy needs to be prepped. As mentioned previously, once both halves are put together, not much can really be seen in the cockpit. And since the canopy can only be installed closed, even less will be seen.

Canopy masking was with Aizu 1.5mm and 1mm masking tape for the outlines. Prop plane canopies are always ‘fun’ with all the frames. This kit is particularly more ‘fun’ as some of the framelines are soft so there’s a bit more eyeballing involved. As is usual, once outlined, I backfilled everything with Mr. Masking Sol R. The liquid mask will also help to hold the masking tape in place better. Once dry, I gave everything a spray of interior green.

The fit is quite good with only minor adjustments required for the frame above the rear windows and the middle canopy requiring some pressure to better conform over the cockpit opening.

Once done, I’m now ready for seam line fixing.

Time for painting once the gaps have all been settled. First is a base coat of black.

Next is a marble coat with white.

First on is the bottom color. The instructions call for FS 36173 Flat Dark Gray. I went with the closest shade of gray I have: AK Interactive RAF Ocean Gray which is FS 36187. Besides thinning the paint down, I added a few drops of Vallejo Glaze Medium which turned the paint slightly translucent. I also added a few drops of Vallejo Airbrush Flow Improver to slow down the drying.

With the (already) thinned paint cut further with Glaze Medium, I’m able to allow the marbling coat to show through quite easily. The result is very blotchy but once the finishing gets going, they won’t look as stark.

Once cured, I masked off the gray sections with a combination of masking tape and rolled up blutack for the demarcation lines.

Then it’s Model Air US Olive Drab thinned and glazed just like the previous color.

The patchiness is more subtle on the olive drab. I think I’ll have to go back and have another go at the gray areas.

Once the main body is done, the other parts were also painted.

With the cleaning and patching up of the camouflage done, decals and finishing are next.

Build Log
Part 1 – Construction | Part 2 – Cockpit | Part 3 – Painting | Part 4 – Finishing

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