Frank's Scale Model Aircraft Art!

XP-81 1/72 Anigrand Resin Kit!

This kit presented a host of "finishing" problems as outlined below!

Assembled and ready for Paint Primer.

This is the second Anigrand kit that I've had this problem with. I took one approach on the first, and I'm trying another approach on this one.

These two Anigrands have a very weird surface. Microscopic pin holes. You can sand and polish the surface (you know the first step in applying Alclad), so the surface looks good even with an optivisor. You may see several pin holes that you fill with say CA and repolish. Now I clean the surface first with a detergent wash, then with two separate Acetone washes. The surface looks great.

Ok, I then spray with my favorite MM Glossy Black enamel. Gadzooks -- a zillion pin holes open up! The finish looks putrid!! These are very tiny. I believe that they may contain some mold release agent that you can not extract, or because they are so tiny, that surface tension of your paint will not allow it to run in and fill the holes.

Ok, so get out the Brake Fluid, and soak the paint all off. Re-sand, re-polish. Re-clean with detergent/acetone.

This time I hand brushed (actually scrubbed) the surface with straight Future. It looks pretty good, but even after polishing the Future with wet/dry at 1500, I can still see a few pits that have not totally filled or accepted the Future.

So I now want to "Air Brush" very thin future onto this surface in an attempt to get it to run into the remaining microscopic pits.

I don't know if this will work but I want to try it. 

I have now airbrushed Future thinned (50/50) with rubbing Alcohol. Several mist coats with 5 minutes between. Then a last rather heavy final coat to force a "wet" look.

This worked rather nicely. Beneath the glossy top surface you can see  some of the micropits. They are totally glossed over now. However the Future is not quite as smoothly glossed as I would like it to be.

I'm ready to try the MM glossy Black Enamel again.

After the MM Glossy Black enamel. Not perfect, but I'll accept this now "as is" !! Any "spots" you see here are "reflections" of the flood lights. Next well see how the Alclad Airframe Aluminum looks on top of this!

Alclad Airframe Aluminum now airbrushed on. Again, not as nice a finish as I would like for a result, but in order to progress with this build, I will accept it.

Next I plan to accent some of the panels with other Alclad colors.

Various Alclad colors now applied including Stainless Steel, Steel, Magnesium, and White Aluminum. Edges of White Aluminum panels softened a bit with a misting of Stainless Steel.

My 47th+ Build!

Comments are always appreciated!

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