......Of course I only mention this part for the beginning modelers, or someone who's sand paper keeps falling apart and crumbling when it gets wet. You must use the wet type of sand paper. It is usually marked "wet or dry" on the back side. (I don't want to endorse any one product, but I use sand paper from the company with a lot of "M's" in it's name.)
| ......First thing, does the model have fuselage clear parts (windows, skylights etc, excluding canopies) |
| ......NO - Proceed to step #8 |
| ......YES - proceed to step #1 |
| 1...Paint the areas that the clear will be glued into. If in doubt use flat black. |
| 2...Glue in these clear parts, insuring that they stick up slightly above the surrounding surface. |
| 3...When glue is completely cured, file or dry sand (180 grit) the clear part until it is level and smooth with the surrounding area. Use filler if necessary. |
| 4...Next, dry sand this area with 240-280 grit. |
| 5...Airbrush any sanded areas of the clear parts with a light coat of flat light gray. This will show the progress of your wet sanding. |
| 6...Start the wet sanding process 360-400-600-800-1000-1500-2000, and finish up with 2500. |
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| 8...Complete the model's construction, stopping just before paint. |
| 9...Paint the areas where the canopies will be glued into. Again, if in doubt use flat black. |
| 10..Glue the canopies into position, making sure that they sit just above the surrounding areas. |
| 11..When the glue is completely cured, file or sand (180 grit) until level and smooth with the surrounding areas. |
| 12..Next dry sand with 240-280 grit. |
| 13..Airbrush any sanded areas of the canopies with a light coat of flat light gray. This will show the progress of your wet sanding. |
| 14..Insure no water or sanding residue gets into the interior. |
| 15..Start this wet sanding process also with 360-400-600-800-1000-1500-2000, and finish up with 2500. |
| 16..This final step is also polishing. Again if you have one and are comfortable with using a dremel tool, then use it with the polish. Make sure to always keep the wheel wet and watch the speed. If you don't, then get a small patch of clean denim material, with no seams. Wet the patch with water and wring out. Use a small amount of polish and start polishing. This will take longer but you can achieve the same results. |
| 17..Mask clear parts and paint model. Let dry 24 hrs. |
| ......Do you want future on the clear parts? |
| ......NO - Proceed to step #20. |
| ......YES - Proceed to step #18. |
| 18..Unmask clear parts and coat entire model with future. |
| 19..Allow model to dry at least 48 hrs. |
| 20..Apply decals and any paintable markings. |
| 21..Mask clear parts. |
| 22..Apply your flat, semi or gloss to seal decals and obtain the finish you want. |
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