atomicholiday

Steve, do you ever mask off the high points and ridge lines during this process? Also, I’ve heard that very only very light pressure is used when sanding. Correct?

Thanks man! I remember when I was building it, sinister was exactly the vibe I was going for. Thanks for the comments gentleman!

Too bad about the paint job. That blue was awesome. I recently shot two bodies with two different colors of Dupli Color. I used their primer on both and had no problems. I will say that the primer seemed grainy when it dried, but sanding it lightly took care of it. You’ll get it sorted. This is a great kit. Best of luck with it and enjoy the build!

Beautiful build. That color is outstanding!

Looks great! Serious improvement.

The turbine wagon is sweet!!

I came across these pics last weekend from a build I did around 8-9 years ago. It was the first and last build I completed after moving into the house we live in now, until I finished another build late last year. It’s lost in a box around here somewhere… I was also trying to figure out how to get decent pictures of models at the time, so these aren’t the best. Overall, I was pretty happy with it at the time. But I think I could do a lot better now. Still, I dig it. Hope you like it too.

That’s awesome. I really like those decals.

Looks terrific. Great color choice.

Really nice clean build. Excellent work.

This turned out excellent. Top notch work!

That’s really nice looking. Great job.?

Thanks to all of you who chimed in. There’s some great info here that I think will really be helpful to me and hopefully many others who struggle with this step.?

Picked these two up at K-mart for $2.38 each.? I also found these two, but I’m kinda in hot water for them. Wife got a little sticker shock. I thought it was a pretty good deal…??

Looks like a little slice of paradise.

Looks really good so far. I’m interested to see the finished product.

Pretty cool. Will you go with the box art graphics or do your own thing with it?

Very cool paint job. A little Van Halen inspired? I dig it.

Awesome job. I LOVE that paint!

So let’s say you shoot a color coat (or clear) and start to get orange peel. I assume you should stop there, let it cure, and wet sand. When you spray the next coat after sanding, should it be treated like a tack coat again? Or should you just spray like you already did a tack coat?

That's one sharp Nova. Paint looks great!

Gentlemen. This is exactly what I was looking for. There are a lot of threads, videos, and I've even read a couple of books on this subject. But the problem is that frequently terms or step are a little vague. Things like 'tack coat' and mist aren't defined well. Or details like how far to hold the can away, or time between coats aren't usually answered. You guys are the first I've come across to go into real detail. And I get the impression that between the details and lots of practice, that's where success lies. I thank you all for your replies. This topic comes up so frequently. And the finish is arguably the most important part of any build. I'm surprised there isn't a topic pinned already. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a hood to go paint.

That looks pretty minty. Great looking old Honda!

So basically you play with full size toy trains.??

I’ve only shot Tamiya once and I did get the best results with it. Very acceptable. But I don’t want to limit myself to one brand. And to be clear, it’s not terrible. I can rub it out with 2400 pads. But I want to get better. The less wet sanding and polishing I need to do, the better. Also I recognize that ‘some’ orange peel will probably always be there. Let me give some more details. I’m spraying about 6-7 inches away and my passes are pretty quick. After a lot of trial and error, this seems to be getting me closer than anything else I’ve tried. Holding the can 8-10 usually gives me worse orange peel. Seems like the paint was drying before it hit the body. I’m going for thin coats that are just thick enough to be wet. It looks perfect after each coat, but I get a little orange peel when it cures. Also, I’m doing about three color coats and three clear coats. Usually ten minutes apart and 24 hours between color and clear. I paint outside, so I wait for days when it’s at least upper 60’s, with humidity below 40 percent. I might be completely wrong, but my theory is that it has something to do with time between coats. Either after the tack coat or maybe between all coats.