atomicholiday

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.

This year, my main goal is to get my painting technique as close to perfect as I can get it. I've watched every video and read every thread I could find. To that end, I've switched paint and now am using mainly three paints. Duplicate color perfect match, Tamiya TS line, and Testors extreme lacquer. I'm definitely improving, but I'm still getting a little more orange peel than I'm happy with. I can rub it out with effort but I'd rather improve my painting to make the polishing stage easier. I understand what causes orange peel, and I have some theories, but I want your input on a couple of questions. My coats are looking really good and smooth immediately after spraying. The orange peel is happening as the paint cures. 1. The first coat (tack coat) - with lacquer, understanding that the first coat should be light, should it still be just heavy enough to look wet and smooth immediately after spraying , or should it be more of a dust coat and look very dull? 2. Also related to the tack coat- should the first coat sit longer than that other coats? How long? 3. Any other suggestions I might b e missing? And yes, I know. "Get an airbrush." ?I'm working on getting my setup going. But I want to perfect this step too.

It's a 2000 Moomba Boomerang. 18 ft. inboard ski boat. 350 Mercruiser engine which puts out about 325 hp. My dad bought it when it was about one year old and passed it to me a few years back. Skiing is one of my other passions. Been at it since the early 80's. My dad actually just retired from water sports about two years ago. He's in his mid 70's now. Still in pretty good shape for his age.

That looks great. Really like the colors.

Got ‘em today. Along with two others I’d been eyeing. Not crazy about the new graphics on the troublemaker kit though. I prefer the original decals.

Nice kit. I built one of these about 20 years ago. The metallic blue plastic it was molded in was so nice I didn’t paint the body. Just lightly polished it and called it done. Interested to see how this goes for you.

These factors also increase the need for instant gratification. So anything that requires skill-building to achieve good results is avoided.