For this build, I decided to try out Mr Color Super Fine Silver 2 which is a lacquer paint. Needless to say, once thinned, it went on without a hitch and looks really good. It’s smelly as heck though so I had to spray outside.
I then masked off various panels based on some photos I found.
These panels were painted Metal Color Dull Aluminium and back end of the engines were ‘tinted’ with Tamiya Smoke. I also painted the anti glare, nose and leading edge of the wings with Tamiya Flat Black. These areas were also given a gloss coat.
The contrast between the Dull Aluminium and the Silver is quite striking (compared to my previous attempt with the P-51). I suspect it’s because I used silver here instead of aluminium for the overall color.
The use of Tamiya Smoke can be more clearly seen from the bottom. I changed the number of coats to vary the intensity of the tints.
There is a sensor dome that requires painting on the rear. This was handpainted. Note the remote tail gun barrel that’s molded as a simple rod.
The decals were put on without a gloss coat as the finish was already very smooth.
The decals from Cartograph are very well made and I chose the most colorful markings with the orange tail. I did have some trouble getting the barber pole pattern to curl around the nose probe properly and I settled for good enough.
If you looked closely at the bottom of the nose probe, the ends of the barber pole pattern do not quite match up. I believe the decal wasn’t designed with wrapping around a cone-shaped rod in mind. In any case, once they have cured I installed the landing gear which was an exercise in patience due to the number of wheels this kit has.
The canopy masking was last off (with no issues) and I can call this kit done. Such a beautiful and sleek looking bomber don’t you think?
Build Log
Pt.1 – Construction | Pt.2 – Painting & Finishing
