2013 Forge World open day prep pt4

Omens. Signs and portents. Bad things that, some might say, happen in threes.

The car has broken down. Complicated logistics involving toddlers and grandparents, and then getting to Nottingham is looking sketchy. No matter - I'm sure it'll get sorted in time for the open day. Omen #1.

The XV9 will be sprayed with Alclad II metallic lacquers. There's a specific order of work that's required for these to shine correctly. After priming the battlesuit with the Alclad grey micro primer, and then basing it with the proprietary gloss black lacquer, the XV9 is ready for the gorgeous, smooth, shiny airbrushed metals.

Gloss lacquer doesn't photograph well with flash

There's a reason for the many layers: some materials can react badly to the lacquer. While the primer is intended for to give a good grip for the lacquer layer above, plastics underneath may melt while the chemicals bond to the surface. The gloss black gives depth to the shiny metal topcoat.
I've never tried messing things up, and have followed the instructions to the letter. I've always had good results and have never clogged an airbrush nozzle with these beautiful lacquers.

Base metals - Chrome, Magnesium, Aluminium

After a bit of blu-tac masking, I spray some Tamiya clear coats to give the impression of tarnishing from heat. The clear acrylics sit really nicely over the metallics. I'm using mostly orange.

Blu-tac mask. Not a Dark Angels conversion

The base gets a few layers of colour, too

And then it happens. I have 10 spare minutes before dinner, so I'll just do one more colour. I still have time to clean the airbrush. Just one more colour:

Gravity gets the better of the XV9

I drop the bloody thing. It bounces off the kitchen floor and separates into five component parts. Ouch. Omen #2

Fixable. Seamlessly so, but it will take time. And I currently have plans to be finishing this the night before.

Time for JB Weld to do its thing. But not before I spray some hard-to-reach details.

In part 5, I reassemble, tidy up and finish. Do I get to Nottingham, though? Will the 3rd thing happen?