Meng 1/48 F 35A

[wjkunert]

I'm currently building my second Meng F 35 and I discovered a couple of things from mistakes on the first one. If you build this model be sure to get the intake trunking fully seated in the bottom fuselage half. If not fully seated you will have problems fitting the top fuselage half. It should fit without having to clamp any gaps closed, especially around the intakes. Also I had trouble getting the wings to fit properly after the fuselage was glued together. On this one I've attached the wing to the top fuselage half before gluing the two halves together. Seems to make it easier to get a gap free wing fit. The fit and finish of parts on this kit is excellent so I haven't figured out why it's so difficult to get a good wing fit after the fuselage halves are glued together. I'm brush painting with Mission Models Have Glass Grey, Light Ghost Grey and White. I'm adding 5 to 6 drops of their Polyurethane Mix Additive to 50 drops of paint. This gives the paint an eggshell like finish that is smooth and hard enough to apply decals with out having to clear coat first. Absolutely no brush marks.

[Thomas_M]

Good advice! Should be a good hint for Torben (Mostrich)!

How do Mission Model brush paint? No traces of the brush?

[wjkunert]

I've used several colors of Mission Models paints a they have not left a single brush stroke. I use the Polyurethane Intermix with the paint and it gives a hard finish that resembles an eggshell and decals can be applied directly to the paint. Mission Models now has gloss, semi gloss, and flat clear coats which Mission Models tells me can be applied with a brush. I'm really impressed with their products.

[BlackSheep214]

Is the Polyurethane Intermix a must-have?

[wjkunert]

No it isn't required. It slightly retards drying time and gives the paint a non porous surface which resembles an egg shell. Without the polyurethane the paint is matt finish and a little bit porous. www.missionmodels.com has a how to section on their site which is worth reading.