I am in the process of painting my first model in a long time. I have a slight problem : The paint has cracked a small amount on the front of the tank. It is in a flat area, and I am wondering if I apply a small amount of thinner to it and rub it some if it will fix it. I am at a loss at what else to do, I don't want to sand as due to the details that I might loose.

Please help with some suggestions


Thanks,
Mike


*edit thinned enamels applied with AB

Were the enamels gloss of flats?

It sounds like something called "Self-Lifting/Wrinkling". This can occur if the paint is thinned too much. Another thing that can cause this if you applied a couple coats of paint after the paint started to cure on the model and or during it's cure time. I've seen several articles on this problem. Most say that to avoid this problem is do not apply any coats after the first 3 hours of the last coat or not till after 48 hours of the last coat.

I don't know if this is what happened to you or not.
Using thinner on the problem area will have no effect on it.
Hmmm...I not sure what to tell you that may help as a quick fix. Since the area affected is in and around small details, fillers seem out of the question.
If I were in your shoes, and this is just my opinion, I would strip the paint off and start again.

I may have thinned it too much....Couldn't really tell ya.

Here's the thing, I was on last camo color and it started doing it. I don't really want to strip the whole model. If possible just the small section that has wrinkled. There is a possibility I could use filler on it, what do you use for filler ???? What do I use to strip it without harming the model itself ??

Thanks again !!!

Maybe you could use thinner in the specific area to get rid of the paint there, then respray overtop with the camo colour again. Maybe, I don't know, I've never tried it. The only time this cracking happened to me, it occurred right away and I could just wipe the paint off with a rag. I sprayed it again, being careful to keep the coats light, and I had no more problems.

Nic

Thanks guys, I'm off today, and will probably try to fix it. May head to local hobby shop and see what they have for fillers....

If you are using arylics you can try stripping the paint with some dishwashing detergent............. But be careful about the brand of detergent you use cos different brands have different effectiveness.