70 Sting

@Venom & @gotnitro? Thanks, fellas. It was a good learning experience overall.

@Pete J. That’s pretty much what I’ve been doing. Testing paints, thinners, ratios, pressures, distances, speed and taking notes. I’m just starting to get a handle on temperature and humidity.

Update #2: Today the temperature was 70˚ with 55% humidity (basement). I sprayed Tamiya Semi Gloss Black, Gloss Black and Metallic Brown. All 3 were thinned with either Tamiya Lacquer Thinner Retarder type or Mr. Color Levelling Thinner. No problems to report. The only thing I can conclude is that perhaps the cooler temperature combined with the higher humidity was the culprit.

Update: Sprayed decanted Tamiya Grey primer thinned 1:1 with Tamiya's regular lacquer thinner. The conditions were 69˚ with 58% humidity. Air conditioner was not running today. No problems to report. Primer may have dried a little quick, however I think that might be due to the thinner. I'll see if I can spray some actual paint tomorrow and report back.

Hmm, much to ponder. AIr conditioner hasn’t been running as much the past couple days and it is definitely more comfortable in the basement (shorts & t-shirt). Hoping to spray some primer today, though perhaps that’s not as good an indicator as actual paint. I’ll post my findings later. Thanks for the replies.

Being new to airbrushing I have a lot of questions as you might expect. The most nagging one is temperature and humidity. I have sprayed Tamiya Acrylic X-22 Clear thinned 1:1 with Tamiya Lacquer Thinner Retarder type in what I believe were near perfect conditions 70˚ with 50% humidity (measured with a Thermometer/Hygrometer). The stuff went down very well. On the other hand, recently I tried spraying Tamiya X-18 Semi Gloss Black in 65˚ with 66% humidity in my basement (air conditioner had been running non stop for days) and no matter how I thinned it, 1:1, 2:1 with regular Tamiya Lacquer Thinner or their Retarder type, it would not go on even. It would dry quicker in some areas and slower in others. I tried applying mist coats as well as heavy with similar results. What did seem to help 'a little' was warming the paint and the part to be sprayed. I hear people say they would never paint during days with high humidity while others say it can actually help slow down the drying time... but don't spray gloss paint. Any insight would be appreciated.

Thank you kindly @David G. @Can-Con @mustang1989 @chris chabre. Definitely a few errors made and new techniques learned along the way. The photos flatter the build a little, however, overall I'm pleased with the final result. 🙂 Cheers!

All done! Took some photos this afternoon. Many thanks to all those who gave me good advice along the way. Cheers! 🍺

I have received a replacement set of louvers courtesy of a forum member.

I want to send a huge thank you to @Dann Tier for generously sending me a replacement set of louvers for the Miura.

Thanks @slusher

Engine and chassis are complete. Tried my hand at adding some wiring - turned out ok, I guess. It's not to spec but rather what I thought looked interesting. On a side note, what a difference a quality pin vise and drill bits make - no more skipping across the surface like the cheapie, generic set I bought off Amazon. Thanks for looking.

@Modlbldr Great minds think alike 😉. Interesting that you sprayed green on top of the silver before applying the candy green. Was that to reduce the number of candy coats required? How did you dull the chrome? Panel liner, dullcote, clear smoke? @David G. I think I got lucky with the clear coat - thanks to tips from forum members.

Sounds like it’s similar to Meguires Scratch X. I had to remove a couple blemishes in the clear that happened from transporting the model - a blue shop towel had stuck to it - even after 24 hours including 12 in a dehydrator. I used some wet sandpaper and Tamiya Finish compound but it didn’t seem to work as well as Novus #1. Yet more lessons learned. Beginning to wonder if a problem-free model is even possible. 🤔

This past weekend I rolled the dice and sprayed Tamiya X-22 thinned 1:1 with Tamiya Lacquer Thinner Retarder type. I applied 3 lighter coats and 2 wet coats with about 10 minutes dry time in between. It went on better than I expected and hid the grainy texture in the candy coats. However, not sure I want to continue using X-22 as it takes forever to dry - even after 2 days and at least 12 hours in a dehydrator (ask me how I know, as they say). Been hearing some good things about Future floor polish or perhaps I'll try Tamiya LP-9 or decanted TS-13. Any thoughts on these? Thanks!