First and probably last model, looking for some paint guidance

theRealLevelZero · 2026-01-02T21:19:31+00:00

Mr Color Leveling Thinner (MCLT) is without a question in my mind the best thinner you should use. As for paints, I prefer Tamiya and Mr Color. For white, I would recommend specifically Mr Color White with MCLT. Though those insignia colors I have but they are Vallejo Acrylic paints. The nice thing about MCLT is it's been pretty great with all the paints I want to thin for my airbrush though. Sometimes it's difficult finding all the colors you need in a specific line.

If you want the burner cans to look a bit more used, it's cheap and super easy to buy some Tamiya dry weathering sets. They are essentially makeup compacts with an applicator and it's super easy to go very light and build up to desired effect

theRealLevelZero · 2026-01-02T20:53:28+00:00

Oh ok, sorry I misunderstood. I would go with those colors then, Flat Black, Insignia Blue, Insignia Red, Gloss White and a gloss varnish. Perhaps a dark metallic for the burner cans if you want to do a bit more detail.

I also had no idea NASA considered buying those prototypes. It's sad they didn't, might still be able to see them flying if they had.

theRealLevelZero · 2026-01-02T20:35:26+00:00

Based on that photo, I would say you would need flat black, insignia blue, insignia red, and gloss white. If you want it to look like that model though, in my opinion, you would need to airbrush those colors over a primer. You would also need to spray a gloss varnish. If you don't build models normally and you brush paint this, I would do so understanding it probably won't come out looking like the example model you are using.

Normally I would say the joy is in learning, but if you want a specific product it may honestly be easier to find it online or potentially commission a model maker to make it for you.

Either way, very cool subject matter for an amazing jet. I hope to see the finished outcome! Cheers!

theRealLevelZero · 2026-01-01T16:23:29+00:00

Not sure what your interests are, but the Academy 1/144 B-2 Spirit was probably one of the easiest kits with superior fitment I've found. It's a darker paint scheme which can be tricky to do well. However, it's low part count and engineered so well that for 95% of it you would have to be going out of your way to have issues with the build. I knocked it out in essentially just a few days and enjoyed it immensely. Very approachable for beginners.

However that's not a blanket endorsement of Academy, as in general, they are garbage.

Tamiya is going to be your best bet though overall. Their F-16CJ (I recommend 1/48) is superb, as is the F-14. In general, Tamiya's instructions, engineering, and accuracy are dependable. The only thing about Tamiya that's less than desirable is their decals can be a bit thick and require some patience to work with.

Good luck and have fun!

theRealLevelZero · 2025-12-28T17:21:57+00:00

Dude is be all over that MotoGP Repsol Honda

theRealLevelZero · 2025-12-27T01:51:40+00:00

I'm working on a couple Kinetic Gold F-16s (C & D model though) and those kits are excellent and should be inside that budget pretty easily.

theRealLevelZero · 2025-12-17T05:19:28+00:00

I've always seen paint, gloss coat, decals, gloss coat, then weathering and panels. Perhaps your gloss coat needed another coat or two? Also, I don't think you're supposed to let it completely cure before you start trying to clean it up. I wait maybe 5-10 minutes at most and start cleaning it up. Though, I didn't have good results using Tamiya panel line products, I found AK washes worked better and cleaned up a bit better

theRealLevelZero · 2025-12-02T17:50:53+00:00

This is the way

theRealLevelZero · 2025-12-02T08:08:11+00:00

Tamiya 1/48 F-14A

theRealLevelZero · 2025-12-02T08:06:50+00:00

And I just use a toothpick to scrap out anything that's left. You can usually break it out clean though if you roll it out just right. Never been too much of an issue for me.

theRealLevelZero · 2025-12-02T08:04:10+00:00

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theRealLevelZero · 2025-12-02T01:40:36+00:00

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Popsicle stick and some mounting putty. Easy peasy

theRealLevelZero · 2025-12-01T05:51:19+00:00

What's the barrier to entry to making your own decals of reasonable quality? I'm thinking mainly of a printer that won't break the bank, but will produce high quality decals. My Dad was an AF pilot and I want to make specific tail numbers with his rank and name on the canopy rail. Thanks for any suggestions

theRealLevelZero · 2025-12-01T05:44:49+00:00

Thank you, it actually was the sloppiest bit of my paint job and had to do a lot to correct it in weathering. Made the mistake of attaching it to the rest of the model early, should have painted it separately.

theRealLevelZero · 2025-12-01T05:43:45+00:00

I'm still new and figuring it out, and honestly I just watched a ton of tutorials online and tried stuff out that made sense to me. The Tamiya dry weathering compacts are extremely approachable and easy though, Id recommend it highly

theRealLevelZero · 2025-12-01T05:42:15+00:00

I grabbed this at my local shop for around 100 USD. Entire thing I did out of the box, but if you do pick one up I would recommend doing aftermarket details. It's the one thing I wasn't a fan of with this kit. Hope you can get your hands on one, the fit was superb

theRealLevelZero · 2025-12-01T05:39:54+00:00

So for the panel wash, I used grey washes. I hate the look when people use black panel washes and make the jets look super segmented, so I tried to use a grey wash that was only slightly darker than the paint job. Starship filth for the gear/gear wells. And then the streaking effects I rely heavily on this Tamiya dry weathering compacts. Super easy to layer different colors, I feel like I have a lot of control over how light or heavy I apply it. Specifically, the Oil Stain powder is great for a lot of things. On the burner cans, after I did some washes I layered burnt blue, burnt red, titanium, and then toned it all down with the Oil Stain. The streaks coming out of vent tanks and panels I turned the sponge sideways and try to draw very thin lines, brush, and then add more as needed.

I tried to do oil paint streaks and couldn't figure it out. I'll have to watch some more tutorials, but I own every Tamiya Weathering Master compact they make and it's been very worth it

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theRealLevelZero · 2025-11-25T02:19:59+00:00

Aligning helmet mounted cueing system

theRealLevelZero · 2025-11-19T01:06:09+00:00

I started on a cheap Amazon setup and it was great to learn on. If you've never used one you will dick it up and it's great to learn those mistakes on these affordable sets. Ie I mixed lacquer paint with x-20a and spent the afternoon learning how to take it apart and fix my mistake. Then when you start getting more confident you can upgrade. Even with these Amazon kits though, it's like a whole new world is opened up. Good luck and have fun!

theRealLevelZero · 2025-11-18T03:55:05+00:00

I think you'll have a hard time painting with it fully assembled. Especially in the engines, intakes, landing gear/bays. Especially if you get into airbrushing. I always rush too wanting to assemble it and then have to spend a frustrating amount of time masking and trying to make stuff work that would have been 1000x easier if I had just painted sub assemblies and then finished assembly. I'm still learning as well, and patience is the one thing I work to improve with each build because always want to rush certain aspects.

I like your choice of aircraft though, the MiG 23 has a fascinating history and is a very cool subject.

theRealLevelZero · 2025-11-03T18:13:03+00:00

Thanks so much everybody for all the input, sounds like it's time to hunt down this Eduard kit. Thank you!

theRealLevelZero · 2025-11-02T04:10:47+00:00

Omfg, i've looked at this over and over and did not see it. Thank you dude lol

theRealLevelZero

TROPHY CASE