SPA Modeler

Perhaps you can try this product...

https://www.michtoy.com/item-VMS-AX09-V ... _in_1.html

I’m a huge fan of VMS - Vantage Modelling Solutions products. Worth trying.

Tamiya decals always have been on the thick side, I try to avoid them on aircraft. Be cool to see how these transfers turn out.

Thanks for the comments! I'm still waiting for the HGW wet transfers so I'm just idling around, doing small things here and there. The black walkway markings need to be added on top of the wings. Due to the wear I've already implemented in this area, I can't simply mask and paint. So I'm going to use salt to break up the walkway markings.

First, I mask the areas off with tape.


And then I add salt crystals to the areas that have been wet with water. It's hard to be precise but I try to put more salt in the middle of the walkway, which would result in more paint around the outlines of the walkways.


I let this dry thoroughly and then spray not black, but dark grey.


Take off the tape and voila... hmmm... can't hardly see it!



Ok, we'll do a second layer of salt chipping using a darker shade of grey to better contrast with the dark blue.



That's much better! Between the first and second salt chipping exercises I added the black stripe across the wing.


With that done, I have sealed the camo paint with a coat of Aclad Aqua Gloss.



Hopefully the HGW transfers get here soon!

She's starting to look like a tropical sun worn beater bird so far... The combination of different blues really makes it look a whole lot more accurate compared to the dark blue some folks do with a WW2 Corsair in the Pacific theater of war. Well done!! Can't wait to see more.

That is a class bit of painting and weather John - very nice work.

Finally. An envelope from the Czech Republic was delivered to my doorstep. One set of HGW Wet Transfers for the F4U Corsair.


Having never used wet transfers before, I thought it would be prudent to perform a test.


The carrier film that holds the markings covers the whole sheet so you have to cut out each marking separately. After cutting the marking out, application begins just like you would a normal decal: after dipping in water, the paper backing slides away allowing you to apply the decal. The directions specifically call for Mr Mark Setter to be applied on the model before the marking. From my understanding, Mr Mark Setter has adhesive properties and that is an important property for these wet transfers to work properly. After the marking is slid into place, a cotton bud is used to blot out the excess fluid. This is what the marking looks like after application.


The instructions say to allow 6-8 hours to dry but being a test, I was curious if 3-4 hours was sufficient. Using a toothpick, I carefully rubbed one corner of the clear carrier until it curled up and I used tweezers to pull of the carrier, leaving the marking behind. In this case, 3-4 hours was sufficient for the marking to bond with model surface. The result is a marking with zero clear decal film.


With that initial test giving me some confidence, I applied the wet transfers on the top surfaces of both wings of the F4U. Even with the removable carrier film still in place, the markings are still much thinner than the Tamiya decals treated with decal solution. I'll probably leave these overnight before I start removing the carrier film.

Those are great, so far! That should be the future for all kits!

This is a really cool concept for decals, next to using masks to paint the markings this seems like the best next thing.

Can you post the instructions of the wet transfer decal application? My understanding it looks to me it’s like a reverse method of applying traditional decals.

I am curious if Micro Set and Micro Sol would work as well.

Turning out very well for you there John. One has to appreciate all of these layers of weathering that you're doing. Turns out a very realistic result.