North American AT-6 Texan

Alex K
Ha! Testor's Hawk-mould T-6 was my first "coming-back" simple build last year! Have fun!

Ben M
I built this kit when I was a kid, using the kit US Navy decals. Doing something a little different this time!

Alex K
Yeap, nice seeing you keeping up with your Dutch collection!

Ben M
Build the cockpit first!

Alex K
Re the cockpit, you mentioned, I admit I cheated on mine: stole it from the Heller kit...

Ben M
I was joking. Mine just has the two benches in it. No cockpit detail at all. I did a bunch of work on my buffalo and it's basically invisible so I decided not to go to the trouble this time.

Łukasz Gliński
"Most trusted name in modelling" 😄

Ben M
An update - I had a minor disaster - I sprayed vallejo aluminum over the gloss black primer and it spiderwebbed badly. No problem, I ran the model to the sink and washed off the aluminum and set the T-6 aside to dry. When I returned later, the primer had started to curdle up into a hard crusty surface. So I ended up having to strip the model with brake fluid. I have re-shot the gloss black primer and will try the aluminum again when I feel brave. I have so much trouble airbrushing, and I'd never seen anything like this before the way the vallejo gloss black primer reacted to having the metallic aluminum washed off of it.

Łukasz Gliński
Ugh, this is bad news. Never used Vallejo primers, so I can't say much I'm afraid. Nevertheless: fingers crossed for your next attempt 👍

Ben M
I primed it and sprayed it again and the aluminum paint went crazy again! What is wrong???

Łukasz Gliński
What alu paint is it? Vallejo too?

Ben M
Yes. Vallejo gloss black primer, then vallejo aluminum. At first the aluminum looks good when I spray it on. Then it beads up and runs.

Thomas K.
I think the primer wasn't dry! It is really important than the primer is dry! by the way: I think you have sprayed to wet. This is evtl. the mistake!

Ben M
The primer had dried for 3 days. The aluminum paint was out-of-the-bottle, unthinned. I don't have a theory other than somehow my aluminum paint has gone bad? I've used it before to spray other models without problems. I stripped the model again and will have to repaint, remask, and fix some small parts that came off while scrubbing 🙁

I'm almost out of brake fluid and black primer. New aluminum paint arrives in a month 🙁

Alan G
Did you shake the aluminium bottle to within an inch of its life?

Ben M
Yep. I used a nail polish shaker for about 15 minutes, then shook by hand. Bottle has a ball in it, which was moving freely. Also stirred the paint in the cup, just to be sure. Like I said, initially the paint looks fine when it goes on, nice and smooth, bright aluminum. But after a few minutes it beads up and runs. I guess I will wait until I have a new bottle.

Alan G
Never heard of that before then Ben. I'd personally email Vallejo as well to say hat's happened. Never know you might get a present for your efforts 🙂

Nikolaos Kouzinis
Good luck Ben in this old T-6 model. I am impressed by the old models like the one you make that has embossed the national emblems of USAF. Like the F-102 that I made and it is 40 years old, it had the perfect fit of the nose cone on fuselage and did not need sanding. And all these old models, if we think about it, were designed by hand in relation to the current ones that are designed by computers and have many problems. It's amazing

Ben M
I decided to spray paint. I airbrushed slightly different aluminum onto the control surfaces. The decals have been disintegrating and curling badly but getting a mostly acceptable outcome with lots of patience.

Ben M
Completed - North American AT-6 Texan of the Royal Netherlands Military Flying School, Jackson Army Base USA 1942-1944

Neuling
Very good result.

Daniel Klink
Bad kit wonderful result Ben 👍

Ben M
Bad kit? It's from the "Most Trusted Name In Modeling" 🙂 I will say filling the national insignia etched into the mold was rather amusing.

Łukasz Gliński
Lovely piece of vintage modelling 👍

Alex K
Turned out nice, Ben! 👍

Ketoujin
Excellent AT-6. My grandpa was career Air Force and ferried lots of them around during the '50's although he was trained on a Stearman PT-17 himself during WWII.