Various hints please

[Guest]

Hello

I'm currently working on a Revell Mk 16 Spitfire at 1.48. It's the best model I've made so far, due to improving skills (although it's nowhere near in the same league as you gentlemen!)

As I begin to contemplate the airbrushing, various things I've never done spring to mind and I'd be most greatful, as always for any suggestions/hints you may have to give please.

I'm keen to do that thing (dunno what you call it) whereby you spray over the lines with black paint so show the lines a bit better.

1. Before I do that, the lines themselves are not too well recessed and I think that th eairbrushed paint, might reduce them. What tool do I use to deepen them please?
   
2. Do I prime before I add those black lines?
   
3. Can I use a permanent marker pen for the black lines or must it be airbrushed paint?
   
4. If the spit is going to be camouflaged, will those blackened lines show up?
   

Many thanks

Aidan

[stona]

Hi Aidan,I'm not keen on pre-shading as the technique is known but I can answer,or at least offer an opinion on,your questions.

1 Don't worry about them. Real panel gaps are invisible to the naked eye if you stand 15 feet away.

2 Yes,otherwise the combination of primer and camouflage will completely obliterate your pre shading.

3 I'd be very careful. Firstly you don't know how the marker ink might interact with the solvents in the paints. Secondly you don't really want a hard,stark line. A more subtle shading will look better.

4 This is the hard bit. You need to apply your camouflage to a thickness that will allow the preshading to show to the extent that you feel is correct. Apply the paint in several very light coats. You can always add more but you can't take it away!

Cheers

Steve

[Guest]

Hi Aidan,I'm not keen on pre-shading as the technique is known but I can answer,or at least offer an opinion on,your questions.1 Don't worry about them. Real panel gaps are invisible to the naked eye if you stand 15 feet away.

2 Yes,otherwise the combination of primer and camouflage will completely obliterate your pre shading.

3 I'd be very careful. Firstly you don't know how the marker ink might interact with the solvents in the paints. Secondly you don't really want a hard,stark line. A more subtle shading will look better.

4 This is the hard bit. You need to apply your camouflage to a thickness that will allow the preshading to show to the extent that you feel is correct. Apply the paint in several very light coats. You can always add more but you can't take it away!

Cheers

Steve

Thanks Steve. I'm now disinclined to do it at all. If the panel lines cannot be seen on the real thing, there seems litle point in all that extra effort.

Aidan

[BarryW]

Aidan.

I always pre-shade.

Primer first - then spray along the panel lines,)don't worry about the filling with paint, as always just be careful not to flood the area with paint) I would also say dont worry about them being all neat and even, the more 'messy' this looks the better.

I then apply the top base coat carefully building it with thinned paint in thin layers.

When I have reasonable coverage with the pre-shading showing through, I mix some white in with the base colour (usually about 1 part white to 6 parts base colour) and thin it some more so it is about 70% thinner in all, I then post shade spraying in the middle of the panels with low air pressure, under 15psi.

You may then notice that there is quite a bit of contrast between the shades, don 't worry. The centres of the panels can sometime look too white compared to the panel lines. We deal with that next.

Flush the airbrush with cleaner a couple of times and fill the bowl wit a mix of the base colour and 80% thinner. You then mist this onto the model and this blends and pulls together the paint work. Do this until you feel it looks right and you get the effect you want. Remember - the paint may not show the contrast properly until the paint is at least touch dry. So do this slowly and carefully, be careful not to over do it or you could lose all the contrast.

Further to that.

This is not to define the panel lines as much to modulate the colour and create the effect of light, shade and weather bleaching. You define the panel lines by the use of washes after decalling. Another subject.

[Guest]

Hi Aidan

If you are daunted by pre shading try using a black oil wash, or black wash which will fall into the panel lines and will stay when wiped off . This is done after painting and varnish and if you dont like the effect you can wash off.

I found this technique to be very effective when I started , please note use gloss varnish as matte will be harder to wipe the wash off . Once you are happy and the wash is dry revarnish using either matt or gloss varnish

Regards

Tony

[Guest]

[ATTACH]57026.vB[/ATTACH]

Aidan first I agree with Steve, this is not a first, look at most pictures of aircraft & you will not see panel lines you will probably see streaking along wing back edges & darkening around protruding bits & pieces above the general levels of wings & fuselage. Also around engine exausts.

But model making is more becoming, I think, an artistic interpretation of what you may think looks OK. My god have I opened a lot of criticism here.

So it is up to your own judgement & artistic nature versus reality.

Just constructing a Swordfish & trying weathering or the elements wearing abilities. Found it difficult. Using the Flory method where you apply his clay mixture wash after varnish glossing the model virtually on completion. Supposed to be removable which it is 95% but it is impossible, I found, on those protruding parts & where the gloss vanish is a bit thin. But that may be my incompetence.

Got pictures of the Swordfish taking off from HMS Tracker, a makeshift carrier, & there are just large parts where the paint looks as though it has been stripped. Photo attached & do you see any panel lines ? No. But mine has. Wot a cheat !

Laurie

[ATTACH]59003.IPB[/ATTACH]

[Guest]

Hi AidanIf you are daunted by pre shading try using a black oil wash, or black wash which will fall into the panel lines and will stay when wiped off . This is done after painting and varnish and if you dont like the effect you can wash off.

I found this technique to be very effective when I started , please note use gloss varnish as matte will be harder to wipe the wash off . Once you are happy and the wash is dry revarnish using either matt or gloss varnish

Regards

Tony

Thnaks Tony

Perhaps a good compromise.

Aidan

[Guest]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]57026[/ATTACH]Aidan first I agree with Steve, this is not a first, look at most pictures of aircraft & you will not see panel lines you will probably see streaking along wind back edges & darkening around protruding bits & pieces above the general levels of wings & fuselage. Also around engine exausts.

But model making is more becoming, I think, an artistic interpretation of what you may think looks OK. My god have I opened a lot of criticism here.

So it is up to your own judgement & artistic nature versus reality.

Just constructing a Swordfish & trying weathering or the elements wearing abilities. Found it difficult. Using the Flory method where you apply his clay mixture wash after varnish glossing the model virtually on completion. Supposed to be removable which it is 95% but it is impossible, I found, on those protruding parts & where the gloss vanish is a bit thin. But that may be my incompetence.

Got pictures of the Swordfish taking off from HMS Tracker, a makeshift carrier, & there are just large parts where the paint looks as though it has been stripped. Photo attached & do you see any panel lines ? No. But mine has. Wot a cheat !

Laurie

Hmm. Thanks Laurie. A Pandora's box, me thinks!

Aidan

[Guest]

Exactly how I found it Aidan when embarking on this weathering ?

Laurie

[stona]

Hmm. Thanks Laurie. A Pandora's box, me thinks!Aidan

You got that right Aidan.

Actually I follow a very similar system to Barry,just without the preshade.

What he is describing is post shading. This can be done by lightening the panel centres and/or darkening panel lines after the camouflage is applied.

There are various ways of tying this together,one as described very eloquently by Barry,but they all amount to what is broadly described as a filter. I often spray a highly thinned grey colour over my models to achieve a similar objective and also blend in the decals. Sometimes I apply a "dot matrix filter" using multi couloured oil paints,something armour modellers have done for years!

I find post shading much more controllable than pre shading. Anything that reduces the rather high chance of me c#cking up must be a good thing

Laurie also makes a very good point. This is art not science and you have to go with what you feel looks right to you. It's very difficult to say when enough weathering has been done but,particularly with aircraft,less is more. I think it has to be subtle.

Cheers

Steve

[Guest]

You got that right Aidan.less is more. I think it has to be subtle.

Cheers

Steve

A good point Steve

Thanks