Apply gloss to BBI Blue Angel? Recommendations needed
Posted: Mon Nov 01, 2010 7:14 pm
Hello All:
I am thinking about putting a gloss coat on a BBI Blue Angel F/A-18 and would like to get some recommendations from the experts on the best way to do this. Or, if it’s not recommended and the plane looks good enough on it’s own and should not be tampered with, then I’d like to hear that too.
If Future is applied, is a brush out of the question? If using a brush, any particular type? What about gloss coat from a spray can? Or is airbrush the only way to go? Will Future ever yellow (I have bad memories of spending time as a kid scraping yellow floor wax off the kitchen floor).
Here are some comments from older posts on the subject, at a time when Bruzzer was doing all 6 of his Blue Angels, and maybe since then there’s been some different experiences. Thanks in advance for any recommendations:
-- Airbrushing is the best recommendation. Spraying glosscote straight from the can often results in "pools" that are quite difficult to remove. Due to the size of the model, brushing is out of the question. I'd practice on something with an airbrush first before attempting the Hornet.
-- Be very careful as to the type of Clearcoat you use, as the bbi toys have PVC vinyl in them and many solvents in certain types of paint will react with the PVC (the rubbery stuff that the LEX fences and intake strakes are made from) and never fully cure, but stay "sticky". I have had good luck with Future Floor Wax shot thru an Airbrush...it's self-leveling, dries crystal clear, won't ever yellow, and looks wet when done right. When my BBi Blues '18's get here I plan to use Future on them. My recommendation is to test a very small, out of the way PVC area on the jet before applying ANY Clearcoat. I certainly will, even though I've yet to have Future attack any substrate. Better safe than sorry...
-- I put 2 coats of Future with the airbrush but couldn't get a good thick shinny coat (probably my poor airbrush skills). I lost my patience and ended up freehanding the future with a brush. It looks descent on the fuselage but the wings have some uneven spots. Very shiny and seems to be curing. I used Testor model master gloss coat on all the planes. I then used future over the top for a better shine. I borrowed a plastic tub and put 2 bottles of future in. Then I dunked the wings and tailplanes. Let all the excess future drip and off and put them off to dry. They turned out better than when I tried to airbrush the future on the first plane. The fuselage was too big for the tub so I hand brushed it on. This takes a while. My #1 plane had the gloss coat and future done in October and it still looks good. I wiped the dust off and only touched up a small area that the fishing wire was rubbing on the future.
I am thinking about putting a gloss coat on a BBI Blue Angel F/A-18 and would like to get some recommendations from the experts on the best way to do this. Or, if it’s not recommended and the plane looks good enough on it’s own and should not be tampered with, then I’d like to hear that too.
If Future is applied, is a brush out of the question? If using a brush, any particular type? What about gloss coat from a spray can? Or is airbrush the only way to go? Will Future ever yellow (I have bad memories of spending time as a kid scraping yellow floor wax off the kitchen floor).
Here are some comments from older posts on the subject, at a time when Bruzzer was doing all 6 of his Blue Angels, and maybe since then there’s been some different experiences. Thanks in advance for any recommendations:
-- Airbrushing is the best recommendation. Spraying glosscote straight from the can often results in "pools" that are quite difficult to remove. Due to the size of the model, brushing is out of the question. I'd practice on something with an airbrush first before attempting the Hornet.
-- Be very careful as to the type of Clearcoat you use, as the bbi toys have PVC vinyl in them and many solvents in certain types of paint will react with the PVC (the rubbery stuff that the LEX fences and intake strakes are made from) and never fully cure, but stay "sticky". I have had good luck with Future Floor Wax shot thru an Airbrush...it's self-leveling, dries crystal clear, won't ever yellow, and looks wet when done right. When my BBi Blues '18's get here I plan to use Future on them. My recommendation is to test a very small, out of the way PVC area on the jet before applying ANY Clearcoat. I certainly will, even though I've yet to have Future attack any substrate. Better safe than sorry...
-- I put 2 coats of Future with the airbrush but couldn't get a good thick shinny coat (probably my poor airbrush skills). I lost my patience and ended up freehanding the future with a brush. It looks descent on the fuselage but the wings have some uneven spots. Very shiny and seems to be curing. I used Testor model master gloss coat on all the planes. I then used future over the top for a better shine. I borrowed a plastic tub and put 2 bottles of future in. Then I dunked the wings and tailplanes. Let all the excess future drip and off and put them off to dry. They turned out better than when I tried to airbrush the future on the first plane. The fuselage was too big for the tub so I hand brushed it on. This takes a while. My #1 plane had the gloss coat and future done in October and it still looks good. I wiped the dust off and only touched up a small area that the fishing wire was rubbing on the future.