ROSSPOP

Yes , the Iwata CR3 and the Mobius 0.3 worked straight out of the box with absolutely no Quality Control issues. I consider the two remaining H&S airbrushes to be slightly ahead on design and performance. I know that H&S have been underpressure in supplying these two new 2024 products and I had to wait 3 months for my Ultra 2024 to arrive.. Perhaps because of this my Ultra 2024 had the most QC issues that had been ignored at the final assembly test, as the needle chucking nut was jammed so tight I had to use penetrating oil to undo it by hand . The problem being a roughly produced thread which I was able to sort myself. The second issue was that the main needle packing screw and PTFE bearing was set too tight , preventing the needle to slide easily through it. I stripped it all down and tweaked the packing screw to relieve the tightness. There was a minor issue with the 2024 Evolution CR Plus. Again , I needed to use penetrating oil to release the jammed thread on the rear chrome body piece. Oh well!! Ya pays ya money !!

So....... The tail end of last year I began a rest period from railway modelling (40 years of irt so far) and purchased three cheapo Fengda airbrushes FE180, 183, and II6 trigger brush ( each one less than £25) in order to restart some aircraft modelling last done back in the 1960`s. The main aims have been twofold.... to improve my airbrushing skills.... and to move from enamels to modern acrylic paints for both aircraft and train modelling. What have I learnt about airbrushing? and airbrushes !!! Well cheapo airbrushes will work almost as well as the mega expensive brands if you know how to fettle them into shape. That means using beeswax or chinese thread sealant ( or PTFE plumbers tape) to stop the air leaks at the nozzle cap threads. Polish the needle using polishing cream to improve the trigger smoothness and paint flow. Cleaning and Lubrication of all moving parts. Unfortunately cheapo airbrushes decline with use because the chrome finish starts to come off. The threads deteriorate quickly if you use lacquer or solvent products as all the rubber seals will dry , crack and perish The only PTFE seal on a cheap brush is usually the needle packing bush. But..... I was able to learn a lot about stripping airbrushes down and fettling them into good working order as well as experimenting with various types of acrylic paint and how to thin them for use with various nozzle needle sizes. First all airbrushed ( using acrylics and cheapo airbrushes) 1/48 Spitfire kit since my youth Which then led me on to upgrading my airbrush collection over the past 6months.... Top to bottom........ Harder and Steenbeck Evolution CR plus Solo 0.28 version . £135 from Everything Airbrush Gaahleri Premium Mobius 0.3 ( new chinese company causing a stir in the Youtube airbrushing community, £59 including postage from the USA. Harder and Steenbeck Ultra 2024. 0.45 £82 from GraphicAir. Iwata Revolution CR3. 0.3 £ 120. from SnMStuff All excellent products and performance........ BUTT.... Which of these arrived needing absolutely NO fettling to work properly ??????

No real advantage faffing with that as the transfer thickness would leave it all with four separate letters with the same visual problem..... it is as it is.... Fox replacements would be better IMO.... John

The Tender is still in the paint shop , but the engine has her colour scheme; not quite my best paint job and still a lot of details to fit including a fully detailed cab and sliding window frames.

Now you know how it is........ I`ve got the buffer head and the tiny spring that goes on it.....it`s the tiny nut that keeps it all in place that`s gone to the carpet monster....... More serious than that ..I dropped the tender chassis soon after etch priming and bent four of the cast brake hangers and rigging....took well over an hour to tweek it all back into shape.......

Well yer tis....... First livery coat........ Change of plan.... have used Railmatch Garter Blue enamel.........

Meanwhile...back in the shed, the battle goes on...

Has to be as green as a green thing on a green bean from a green field in Greenland ........

Nah! PURE GREEN!!

The true Railway motive colour is always Green....Pure Green.......😇

First time use of Railmatch etch black primer thinned 50/50 with Railmatch etched Primer thinner.

Thanks Mick, yes I`ve seen them too....I expected that to happen even Hatchette`s replacements were bad. There must be plenty still around. John

I`ll continue this thread as the painting commences. The chassis is completed with Slaters drivers in place of the dreadful and unusable( as a working model) Hatchette offerings. Priming will be done with Railmatch HMG etch primer using an Aztec airbrush with Orange 0.7 nozzle. ( less metal to be aggravated by an etch primer)

I know many Morris Dancers ......will they Do????🤪

Thanks Wickham, your pics are really helpful. I was beginning to lean towards a `lighter` blue for the livery but yours and Mick`s(Bucoops) pics and others observational comments of the real deal at NRM have persuaded me to rethink that the various modelling paint offerings are more prototypical than I first thought. One thing I have learnt is that Digital photo/video cameras interpret the darker/inky/ blue as a brighter cleaner blue. INDOORS ELECTRIC LIGHTING. So.... the dirty blues are correct i think, I`ve almost decided on No 3 Humbrol enamel No221 Garter Blue. OUTSIDE ALMOST SUNSHINE (CRAP WEATHER)

Thankyou very much Bucoops your photos have certainly `stirred` it all up for me. Any chance of a date and type of camera and film for the record please. ( it`s such an ugly colour but matches my Railmatch and Humbrol enamels) A very much appreciated John PS. I do have a build record. It`s a fully working and soldered Hatchette.

About to paint my O Gauge kit built LNER A4 in 1930`s livery but I`m unconvinced that the available Garter Blue paint offerings are the real deal..................................... Accepting all the likely issues with old colour photos and Digital camera interpretations of the colour blue. I`ll start with these photo`s c1930`s. plus the preserved example at the NRM................................. ....and comparing them with the following examples of Humbrol acrylic matt. Railmatch enamel satin. Humbrol enamel satin. all of which have a grey`ish inky blue hue. Where do I go from here ????

`Im experimenting with weathering at the moment. So far ,when weathering by brushwork I thin the acrylics with their own brand of thinners rather than water which gives me enough time to blend the paint....... others seem to use Isopropyl alchohol to remove excess paint.....

Interesting statement, however some suppliers of model paints seem to send using Royal Mail. RM attempted a delivery to me of Tamiya Textured Paint but had to leave a red card and will deliver again on Monday............ JT

Humbrol enamels have become too unreliable for me ,particularly for brush work. Revell products remain top quality and for me are the go to alternative. Although for Model Railway Modelling I would major on Railmatch and Precision enamels as their quality remains constant for airbrush work. I`m currently moving away from enamels in favour of airbrushing with acrylics, mainly because of the quicker drying time together with the improved quality of todays acrylic products. I`ve learnt about alchohol acrylics , water based, and lacquer based products. Also differing acrylic thinners that speed up drying time, slow down drying time ( to improve paint self levelling qualities when airbrushing satin and gloss loco finishes) as well as the benefits of being able to airbrush at lower air pressures. Then there are top quality airbrushing surface primers , and airbrush cleaning products other than tap water. So far, my choice of Acrylics are:- Lifecolor ( particularly their modelling paint sets) Tamiya Railmatch ( although some of their GWR livery colours are a bit odd) Mr Hobby primers, 500, 1000, 1200 grade finishes... thinned with Mr Hobby self levelling thinner ( these are Lacquer finshes ) In my opinion, unless you are experienced with a paint brush and thinners, none are particularly good with brush painting ( except for weathering) Cheers JT

I`ve never been a fan of S&W auto couplings having operated them on a friends exhibition layout many times. No system is perfect . I was happier with D&G couplings in my 4mm days but have settled on the updated version of the Dingham Coupling made by Marc Dobson and called Flippham Couplings. Why?? They are fitted through the normal buffer beam coupling position. A fitting jig is available. There are a selection of coupling hooks which are designed to cope with differing buffer lengths and heights.

Nothing wrong with todays Acrylics if using an airbrush ( the usual fastidious approach to airbrush cleaning essential) At 72 I`ve just decided to move over to them having used Enamels (Humbrol and Revell since the age of 12) Railmatch GWR Grey Acrylic thinned with Railmatch thinners.... applied with a £22 chinese airbrush...

Experimented with airbrushing Johnsons floor wax (kleer that was) as a base coat for wagon transfers. Used my other recent cheapo Fenda FE 180 airbrush. and then another light application of (Kleer) over the top to seal them. Tis Ok , but not a real advantage over proper satin or gloss varnishes other than Kleer dries in minutes. These Fengda airbrushes under £30 are quite something so I will experiment using solvent based enamels next time to see how the airbrush seals cope........

Put my 35 year old Badger 200 into retirement...still in working order. Replaced it with a Badger Anthem 155 a few years back and does everything I have needed for coach and loco painting but always with enamels. Just forked out £25 for a China Iwata copy as I`ve been told they are finally a decent airbrush with three different nozzle sizes and cups ..... for using to weather locos and stock using various acrylic products. So with my new Fengda FE-183K I`ve airbrushed my first use with Railmatch acrylic...... I hav`nt been disappointed........... and very easy to clean.....