Hi Guys

Thanks for the comments.

Apologies for lack of updates. When you hit a stumbling block and don't know what to do its easier to walk away and do nothing, but that does not get the job done. When you combine stumbling blocks with life the time is easily eroded! Anyway, an update...

Armed with an airbrush and some Vallejo varnish I wanted to cover the parts to make the decals go on easier(apparently). I loaded the airbrush and started spraying. First coat came out all rough and blotchy and the canopy became opaque! I then thinned the varnish some more and started laying down more. Then the airbrush gummed up and i sat in the corner staring at my nonfunctional airbrush in my left hand and my  stumbling block in my right hand. I had ruined the model!!!...or had I???

Got the airbrush cleaned and did some research on to why it had gummed up. Now know that the pressure has to be increased and the rough texture was due to the varnish drying before it had hit the model and that the gumming was i guess lack of thinning. Made a few changes and blasted some more onto the model. It seemed to do the trick, although the canopy was foggy.

Over the next two weeks on and off i would do a decal or two as and when the mood took me. There are one heck of a lot of decals that cannot be seen by the human eye! I had considered just using a micron pen, but as this was all about firsts i knew I had to keep going with the decals.

Although i kept ignoring the fact my canopy was opaque I knew it would have to be dealt with. I have made some progress. I applied alcohol to the unpainted canopy areas and let it soak for about 10 seconds before using a toothpick to scrape the varnish. This process then allowed me to use vallejo thinner to scrape the softened varnish off with a rubber nail brush thingy(from my wife's makeup drawer). The canopy is not great but it is better than it was. I will go back at it later with 1200 grit and see if i can fix it.

Here are some pictures of the progress. I have added a few bits and started some weathering. I am at the point where I would like to lay down a matt varnish, but my confidence is not where it should be after the last time with the airbrush.

Hopefully I will make some more progress by next weekend.

Thanks for taking the time to follow my slow and painful progress 

Tom