Polishing after painting in 43?

[Maximus]

G'day all. Just wanting a little advice....and as always please remember Im a dopey amateur.

I have finished a tone paint scheme for my current project and in a rare turn of events Im actually pretty happy with it. Got the lines right and the colours have come up nicer than I had dared hope (by my standards....lol). However I think a polish would level it out a little and those minor imperfections that will annoy me later.

So heres my question: what do the experts here prefer for polishing? I have used Tamiya undercoat and sprays (just rattle cans). So if anyone out there has any suggestions I would happy to hear them.

[daniel]

The Tamiya polishing compounds are a great set to start with. Get all three grades and work through them but the secret is a good base. So always sand your color to a matt finish with around 2-3000 grit and then polish to a glossy finish. When doing multicolor paints I always sand the edges "flush" so there is no visible step and clearcoat the colors afterwards.
Here's an old built of my Wolf that I have postet every time this theme comes up. Scroll down and you can see what I mean with sanding and then polishing.
Good luck and always work carefull to not sand through your paint.

http://modellboard.net/index.php?topic=23988.0

[Maximus]

Thanks Daniel, that looks pretty comprehensive. Will hit it with the google translate hammer when I get home but the pics look pretty self explanatory.

[43k]

Hi, maybe I’m of help here. First of all, be warn, there is no going back once you start practice polishing! You will get better shine and smoothness like never before and the whole process will consume you until you achieve perfection. And at 1/43, there will be more pain than gain to begin with, and in particular, you will find you get more surface scratches the more you polish. But once you master the technique, there is no going back! However, I think this video best illustrated the whole process:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nCL0JNmaPvQ

Good luck!

[Maximus]

Thanks for the advice 43k....tho it is a little concerning. This is a one off project as I dont really want to get too involved in kitbashing....just needed this one for my collection. As such I have spent a fair amount of time on it and spent WAAAAY too much to get the only available decals for the project. Might need to heed your warning and practice on a lesser subject first....lol.

[CK]

Hi Maximus,

I do a lot of polishing as I do not like thick clear coats. The important thing is to have patience. Most polishing problems are coming from a rush job. Polish with a slight pressure and check the surface frequently to prevent rubbing the paint out on high areas or edges.

I always polish the paint before any decals being put on. A smooth surface always give a better decal look.

[JoshRM]

Great topic, thank you all. Very good tips.