Command Module  Pod 1  Pod 2  Pod 3  Pod 4  Pod 5  Pod 6  Pod 7  Pod 8  Pod 9  Pod 10  Pod 11 Epilogue  The Hangar  Moonbase  Back to Main Mission   Paradoxically, this is the part I was most and least looking forward to.  Applying the paintwork lifts the kit from being just a lump of resin to something a little more realistic.  However, it's this part that can go horribly wrong......and it did! I ordered custom parts from Small Art Works and was more than impressed with the quality.  Pictured here is one of the companionways remastered by Jim Small The last picture didn't really do it justice so take a good look at this one; enlargement here Believe it or not, I added yet more detail to this piece...check later! Aluminium sensor dishes also from Small Art Works.  I had the option of either fitting them permanently into the nosecone then using masking fluid whilst painting or fit them later.  I decided on the latter... ...before painting though, I used the rotary tool to grind out the holes to the correct shape and size Difficult to see here but for added authenticity, I added scrape marks to the bottom of the landing gear feet.  This was achieved much as it would be with the real thing...by randomly scraping it along a hard, stony surface The spray booth!  As I'm not a long-term hobbyist, I don't own a spray booth.  So, a large cardboard box fitted with dowel rods to support the items would have to do.  The major issues with spray painting are respiration, ventilation and extraction and it is important to have adequate quantities of all three!  However, an extraction system for the booth was neither practical or economical so I had to make do with a respirator, open windows and frequent fresh air breaks First up was the landing gear feet - nice and easy to start off with.  More detailing was added by hand later... Following on from suggestions from several other modelers, I've sprayed some flat grey into the recesses in order to create, once the white is applied, an impression of depth.  I won't be applying this technique to all the parts - it just seemed appropriate for the engines One of the companionways after it's first coat Here come problems!  I'd tested the Tamiya sprays a while back but it was now producing the infamous orange peel effect. There are several factors which can cause this but I suspect that, in this case, it was caused by the low pressure of the Tamiya sprays.  In effect, the can was just dispensing layers of dust which produced the unwelcome effect.  The spray was also quite ineffective at covering the 'microbubble' symptom discussed earlier I later switched to a standard automotive white primer.  It goes on at a high rate and covers very well...even covering up most of the microbubbles.  Just goes to show that specialist paints aren't always the best for the job! All imagery copyright Eagle Imagery (PhotoGraphics) unless otherwise stated Unauthorised use is illegal