1/32 PCM Tempest V

[papa 695]

Looking very good Steve

[Vaughan]

[Guest]

Excellent build Steve.

I used to use enamels then went to acrylics but am now thinking of reverting. I find the acrylics arn't as forgiving when handling painted parts. Maybe it's the way I use them.

[stona]

Cheers fellas.

Terry I think the durability of a paint finish depends on many factors but I too find enamels more forgiving generally. Plenty of others seem to get on with acrylics just fine so maybe it's something I'm doing too

Cheers

Steve

[Guest]

Curious to know how you are going to weather it Steve. Watching that with interest.

Be grateful if you could describe what you are using when you go about it. Much easier to learn watching rather than reading about it.

Is it my imagination or is pre weathering dying a death ? Nothing against it other than I do not like it.

Laurie

[Ian M]

That is looking very nice indeed Steve.

Laurie. I think you will not get to much weathering to watch on this one. It was pretty much fresh painted for the model Steve is building..

Ian M

[stona]

Curious to know how you are going to weather it Steve. Watching that with interest.Be grateful if you could describe what you are using when you go about it. Much easier to learn watching rather than reading about it.

Is it my imagination or is pre weathering dying a death ? Nothing against it other than I do not like it.

Laurie

Laurie I've never been a fan of pre-shading. I find it is very hard to control and I definitely don't like the patchwork quilt look favoured by some modellers. I will try to replicate my subject as best I can and generally these aircraft were just not that mucky, nor were their panels a patchwork. They were high speed, high performance aircraft and their exterior appearance is what you'd expect for that type of aeroplane.

I have already done some basic post shading on the paintwork, which probably shows best on the underside. It has to be subtle, these aircraft were very well built and very well maintained.

I'll post a piccy or two of some real aircraft to show what I mean.

I'll still be doing a bit of general weathering, but as seen in the photo I posted, JN808 was in good nick, and had been in service for something like three months In June'44. It is in the middle of the first batch of 100 aircraft built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd at Langley in Buckinghamshire, comprising serials JN729-JN773, JN792-JN822, JN854-JN877. Deliveries to the RAF of this batch started in December 1943 and were completed in May 1944.

Cheers

Steve

[yak face]

Its looking superb now steve . Looking forward to seeing the next phase , cheers tony

[stona]

How to weather a model?

For me it is all part of the fun of research. Where was the subject based? How old was it? What sort of operations was it undertaking? A plethora of other factors can be taken into account but most important is a decent photo! I have one of my subject but had I not I would have looked at other aircraft, relatively new, carrying out pre-invasion or anti "Diver" operations from the UK.

This would have revealed an example of an underside like this.



Unlike some aircraft which seem to deposit the entire contents of their oil tank along the under surfaces (Spitfire) this Tempest is quite clean with little evidence of streaking and staining.

Here's mine, rather glossy still, and some washes and staining will be applied.



Here's some more taken before the invasion stripes were applied.





The markings on NS-A are not invasion stripes but earlier identification markings.

Now you can find a more mucky Tempest!



The clue is the drop tanks, introduced in October 1944. This aircraft would have been carrying out the hectic post invasion operations in Normandy, based on forward airfields on the continent and is not representative of my UK based subject.



This aircraft did not leave for the continent until September 1944. In the period leading up to this deployment it was involved in anti "Diver" (V-1) operations, missions on which every mile per hour was vital. It is no accident that the invasion stripes have been so carefully applied. It is a reflection of the care with which these aircraft of the Newchurch wing were maintained.

It is not for me to tell anyone how to build their model! I like to research my subject and attempt to come up with something that might be representative of the actual condition of my subject at the time I am modelling it.......but that's just me

Cheers

Steve

[Vaughan]

Steve it sounds like your on a bit of a mission with this one! I've had a look on the net and as your pictures depict there certainly are Tempests in different weathered conditions( see image Below which I think is based in the U.K and from the same squadron) but after all it's only a model. What I do find is that it's very difficult to make a model look very realistic when it's in a very clean/new condition for me a subtle amount of pre-shading of the panel lines does add to creating a realistic finish. Looking forward to your finished model.

[ATTACH]70300.IPB[/ATTACH]

[Guest]

Very interesting look at weathering Steve. Like the thinking & investigation. A great part of model making it makes the aircraft under construction so much more pleasurable.

A thing which I have noticed is that panel lines are accentuated not necessarily due to dirt oil etc. The lines are also caused by a shadow effect. This is shown quite clearly in the real full sized aircraft. The problem is that on a model that shadow effect does not show it self well especially when they are on show under lighting which comes from all areas as it bounces off surfaces. With natural conditions, even in cloudy weather although obviously not so distinct, the sun gives shadow effect to panel lines.

Laurie

[stona]

Vaughan, that picture of JF-G was taken at Newchurch, one of the so called "Advanced Landing Grounds" set up for the invasion. Judging by the state of the stripes it would have been taken between June and August 1944. The leaves are all still in full leaf. Newchurch is in Kent very close to the south coast on the Romney marshes.

I would say that the picture illustrates my point. There is barely a panel line discernible. I'm not averse to a bit of shading but a pre-shaded grid does not look anything like that aircraft or any of the others I posted.

I don't know that aircraft's serial number off the top of my head, but it is early as I can see the barrels of the Hispano MkII cannon sticking out in front of the port wing, and I can't see spring tabs on the ailerons, making it a series I aircraft which has not been upgraded to series II. It's a contemporary of my subject, though mine was retro-fitted with the short barrel cannons.

The camouflage paint is in very good condition. There is some exhaust staining, but that was usually washed off with petrol. The aircraft appears to be being armed or re-armed prior to a mission. There is inevitable wear on the walkways and some on the stripes where the armourers and others have been clambering about.

Those stripes look to have been applied by the squadron and just as on my subject some considerable care has been taken.

The guy with the oil can is filling up the engine priming fluid, a 7:1 mixture of fuel and oil.

Cheers

Steve

[stona]

I think you are referring to an artistic interpretation of panel lines Laurie. That is of course a matter of taste and not entirely objective. I agree with both you an Vaughan that some kind of intimation of the aircraft's structure has to be attempted to prevent it appearing flat and toy like. I just like to keep it very subtle. You don't really notice the presence of the shading, but you would notice its absence, if that makes sense

You really can't see the panel lines on most WW2 fighters unless you are standing very close to them. The Tempest was well built and flush riveted throughout. Large amounts of the air frame (particularly the wings) underwent a series of filling, rubbing down and priming procedures before the camouflage was painted to ensure a smooth finish. All maintenance personnel were trained to maintain the finish, particularly on what the RAF termed "high speed" aeroplanes of which the Tempest was certainly one!

There is no doubt that some aircraft became tired and somewhat worn, particularly during the relatively rare periods of intensive operations, but they were generally well maintained.

The time period is important to. We are in mid 1944. Post invasion, on mainland Europe, units were writing off aircraft which had made a belly landing and would be considered only lightly damaged at an earlier stage of the war. It was quicker and easier to fly out a replacement than to fix the damage with the limited facilities available a long way from home.

I don't think that we really disagree much at all! Whether we pre or post shade isn't really the issue. I've never liked pre-shading but that is just because I find the results difficult to control. That says more about my technique than the method itself

I think we all agree that some kind of modulation of a uniform coat of paint is desirable, whatever technique we might use to achieve that.

I do find the overdone (at least to me) pre-shading which has become popular in recent years unrealistic and I don't like it much. That said, it's up to each one of us how we interpret the subject and it's definitely not up to me to tell anyone else how they should do their model.

Cheers

Steve

[stona]

Back to the model!

I've sprayed a very highly thinned grey colour (Humbrol 64) over various areas. A quick pass over the national markings, invasion stripes and upper surfaces helps to tone everything down a bit and blend the colours as well as simulating slight fading on the upper surfaces.

I've tried to photograph the effect but it's very subtle.

After I've applied some washes tomorrow I'l try and get an image to illustrate the combined effect.

Cheers

Steve

[Guest]

Well after reading all this i can be sure of two things

1: As useless as i am at making aircraft due to them not looking quite "realistic" ..if i employ what Steve, Laurie, Vaughn et al have mentioned here .... i might just get somewhere "near".

2: Steve makes a smeggin' good aircraft !!!