Pete's Vampire T11

[stillp]

After a series of dramas, here it is, finished:
I got the code decal under the port wing in the wrong place, so the 'hole' for the landing light is a bit out of place with the moulded-in light, and I couldn't get it to slide, so I painted the hole in the decal silver. On a more positive note, I was worried that the a/b cleaner I'd tried to remove the paint, which had dissolved the plastic, might have crept under the masking and frosted the canopy, but that only happened in a couple of small spots so I'm pleased with that. Amazingly the pitot stayed intact throughout the build!
And finally, I had an audience when I was taking these pics:

Must've spotted the orange patches and thought it might be a mate!
Pete

 

[scottie3158]

Pete,
That's a cracker mate, nicely done.

 

[spanner570]

Great result Pete!

Nice, tight paintwork and do they look nice and cozy in the cockpit.....

 

[yak face]

Excellent job pete , looking at it now you cant tell how close it came to being trashed . Have to remember the mr color fluorescent orange too , it looks like it covered really well . Cheers tony

 

[stillp]

It did cover well Tony, but I laid it on a bit thick - see the ridge where it meets the silver.
Pete

 

[Mark1]

Thats turned out very nicely,fancy building another one of these myself now.

 

[stillp]

It's a nice kit Mark, I was really enjoying it until the Stynylrez crazed, then I tried to clean it off with a/b cleaner that dissolved the plastic, then I didn't realise the Mr Metal Colour paint is intended to be polished...
Pete

 

[Mark1]

Well you done a good job of sorting it out, it is a nice kit ive built one in the same colours and i have a decal set for about seven different versions so i may end up with a few t11's on the shelf.

 

[tigersteve]

Nice job on a great looking aeroplane - The Robin should be added to the 'Bird Spotting' thread on other hobbies !!

 

[Neil Merryweather]

That's a fabulous result ,Pete, and not a hint of the problems you had.
I (just about) remember seeing these(well, the Fleet Air Arm versions) at Yeovilton Air Day back in the early sixties.
I always fancied having a go at one myself, but I've reconsidered after your adventures...!

 

[Jim R]

That's a great result Pete. It gave you problems but the final reveal shows you've got them sorted.

 

[stillp]

Thanks folks.

That's a fabulous result ,Pete, and not a hint of the problems you had.
I (just about) remember seeing these(well, the Fleet Air Arm versions) at Yeovilton Air Day back in the early sixties.
I always fancied having a go at one myself, but I've reconsidered after your adventures...!

Look closely at the underside photos Neil, you can see some of the remaining roughness in the plastic after I dissolved it. The boundary between the orange and silver on the starboard nose is the worst of the eventual paint problems as some of the orange peeled off with the tape.
You should certainly have a go, there's nothing wrong with the kit apart from a fairly basic cockpit. I think this kit needed less filler and sanding than any other kit I've built. The problems all stemmed from whatever caused the primer to craze, probably some contamination on the model or in the airbrush.
Pete

 

[Andy T]

Well that's turned out great Pete considering the battles you had with it.

 

[papa 695]

The pictures don't tell you how much trouble this gave you Pete, a cracking result in the end.

 

[JayCee]

That has turned out excellent, Pete. Kudos for sticking with it.
John.

 

[minitnkr]

Beautiful result.

 

[Gern]

Thanks folks.

Look closely at the underside photos Neil, you can see some of the remaining roughness in the plastic after I dissolved it. The boundary between the orange and silver on the starboard nose is the worst of the eventual paint problems as some of the orange peeled off with the tape.
You should certainly have a go, there's nothing wrong with the kit apart from a fairly basic cockpit. I think this kit needed less filler and sanding than any other kit I've built. The problems all stemmed from whatever caused the primer to craze, probably some contamination on the model or in the airbrush.
Pete

That's turned out real nice after all the painting issues you had!

You mentioned you leave a little IPA in your A/B after cleaning. I've used IPA to strip Stynylrez from a kit so maybe that was the contamination?

 

[stillp]

You mentioned you leave a little IPA in your A/B after cleaning. I've used IPA to strip Stynylrez from a kit so maybe that was the contamination?

I did blow it out before I started spraying Dave. Interesting to read you used IPA to strip Stynylrez. Did it dissolve, or just roll up like the rubbings from a pencil eraser?
Pete

 

[Gern]

I did blow it out before I started spraying Dave. Interesting to read you used IPA to strip Stynylrez. Did it dissolve, or just roll up like the rubbings from a pencil eraser?
Pete

As I remember, I'd used Stynylrez + Tamiya + Klear on a kit. I'd put a second coat of Klear on before the first had dried properly so it went all lumpy. I used a tissue soaked with IPA to clean it all off and it went straight through all the coatings down to the bare plastic. I can't say I examined the tissue closely so I don't know if all the coatings dissolved or just came loose to be wiped away.

 

[stillp]

There must be something different about my Stynylrez then Dave, I had to rub quite hard with a cotton bud just to get the Stynylrez to roll up, even in some places where it was flaking off. I think I ought to try it on a scrap kit to see if adding some (very little) IPA causes the crazing and flaking.
Pete