How to paint and weather an aircraft model....

[Guest]

Second that Doug. Good info coming out picked up a lot of tips. Great stuff Barry.

Got a lot of books but in the end this is how to learn. To be frank the books are very much, to me, useless. Much better to learn direct form somebody different tips and ways to go about the same problem.

Laurie

[BarryW]

Last night I applied the final decals followed by a single application of Microsol. I had time, once dry, to then lay down a sealing coat of Humbrol Clear. This seals the decals in and protects them for the next stage.

Here is the model hanging up to dry...

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A shot taken this morning after the Clear dried showing that all the white bloom I had as a result of the Clear reacting with the Microsol is gone.

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next I will be applying a surface wash.

The objective is to start showing the effect of front line use. In this I believe that less is more and I prefer my models to look as if they have had a few days use on the front-line rather than months. I have seem some great models with a really old tired heavily used look to an aircraft but that is not for me.

The wash is to simulate the collection of dirt and it also tones down the paint from a 'new just painted' look.

For this I use Flory clay based washes simply because when applied over a gloss surface they are very controllable. initially I apply a heavy coat all over with a wide brush before cleaning it back to the effect I want.

Here is my wash of choice...

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I always leave the model 24 hours for the final gloss coat to harden and cure before applying the wash so I will post on this tomorrow.

[Guest]

Interesting! You add a general wash or a "pin wash"?

[BarryW]

One further point...

Now I have sealed the decals you cannot see where they were touched up with blue/red and white on the roundels and flashes. Matching paint to decal colours is always a bit tricky and it is only now that you can see how successful you have been.

[BarryW]

Interesting! You add a general wash or a "pin wash"?

A general all over wash Polux and at first the model will just look a filthy mess, but once it has dried and after an hours work with cloth and some spit (or water if you prefer) all will be fine....... I will demonstrate with photos at each stage.

[Guest]

Hi Barry

great thread

can I ask you put a gloss coat on the model then the decals then a gloss coat? I am new to this and have got a gloss varnish to put on the model to seal the paint and to put the decals on but was wondering what would happen if i used it over the decals?

Cheers Paul

[BarryW]

Hi Paul - the first decal coat is to help hide the decal carrier film and then, after applying the decals on top of the gloss varnish, you seal the decals in with another gloss varnish coat, needed to do the next weathering stage, the wash.

[Guest]

Hi Barry, this is awesome stuff you giving us . I paint mainly use Tamiya Enamel, so correct me if I'm wrong. The sequence is primer - base paint - gloss coat - decal - gloss coat - weathering/panel line/wash - flat coat.

If I use mainly enamel, then what gloss coat should I use? Lacquer? Those Tamiya rattle can is expensive, any substitute? Unfortunately Klear is not available here . Thanks a bunch Barry

[BarryW]

Hi Leo

It is many years since I used enamel and I am sure someone else on here can help you better than I on that one. The basic principals are the same, I am sure and this method will work with enamels too.

I remember 'back in the day' in the 70's before acrylics were widely available, I used all Humbrol enamel, varnish and all, but things have changed a lot since so cannot really be sure of the answer. Enamel varnish would be a safe bet but what I don't know is about the enamel primer options.

[John]

Parafilm looks good stuff first time I've seem it used, where did you get it? I can't find it at a reasonable price.

While I was looking I found this review of it

[BarryW]

Hi John. I don't remember as I just Googled it to find it. Yes, I agree, it does look expensive. I bought mine a while ago now and if I remember correctly it cost about £25 which is a fair old outlay. But.... I have used it on 4 kits and used it a lot practising with it (it does need some practise) and I have barely made an impact on the roll. I expect to use it on dozens of kits before it runs out and as such will work out a lot cheaper than using Eduard Canopy masks and it is a lot more versatile. A roll is prety much a lifetimes supply. Worth every penny.

[BarryW]

Last night I applied the Flory Wash liberally all over the aircraft with a flat brush making sure it got into all the nooks and crannies. I then left it about an hour or so to dry.

One wing done....

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The underside finished, just showing the undersdie as it is a lot clearer than the darker top-side.

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A close up of a wing after being left an hour or so.

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My weapons of choice.... The hanky is one that I keep for this purpose. You can never get it completely clean even though it is straight in the wash when done.

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Removing the surplus. A finger in the hankerchief, wetted with saliva and I rub in circles rubbing it into the detail and removing most of the 'deposit'. It is just a clay wash, nothing toxic to worry about. It is important to end with wipes in the direction of airflow. Even if it looks as if the area is clean, it is not, there will be residue. This process is so controllable, the more you rub, the wetter the cloth, the more you get off. Do not worry about it being all even, this is replicating dirt and use after all and dirt will not collect uniformly over the aircraft. This wash can be manipulated 'to your taste'. The various cotton buds are for getting into angles and so on. Remember to leave a thicker deposit where airflow will leave it. Also, please note. This is general dirt and grime, oil, smoke, wear etc will get seperate treatments.

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The underside completed.

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Next we need to seal the wash and to prepare the surface for additional weathering effects. In my experience the next treatments work best on a fairly matt surface. So I apply a thin matt coat. Some points about this:

I thin the Vallejo matt Varnish about 10% and apply it in a single thin coat. This will not be the final coat of matt so do not worry if the result is not a fully even flat matt surface. It is important that it is a thin coat. Always strip clean the airbrush after using this varnish as it can clog terribly otherwise. Leave the model for the varnish to cure and harden, overnight is enough in this case as it will not be masked. The materials and the aircraft before spraying.

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After spraying...

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Next, tonight I will be doing the next stage of weather and below are the tools. The pigment I will use will mostly be a soot black one rather than the one pictured.

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More tomorrow.

[BarryW]

Last night I did the bulk of the remaining weathering.

Some people will study photos to work out the pattern of wear on an aircraft first and, indeed, I always find myself looking at this detail whenever I see pics of wartime aircraft. That said I work on the 'if it looks right to me, it is right' principal and do not get too worked up over it.

I have seen some fantastic models where all kinds of complex processes have been used, the salt method, chipping solution etc etc etc. But this is a basic tutorial and you can get excellent effects from just a silver artist pencil specially of 1/48 or smaller aircraft.

First I started applying paint chipping and wear using the pencil. I identified places particularly subject to wear, places where the pilot or ground crew clamber onto the wing, where panels are remover, wing roots and leading edges and even just around some of the more vulnerable panels where the may be knocked or scraped or worn at the edge. I then try to replicate such chipping and wear with the pencil. Do not forget that chipping does not stop at the edge of a decal.....

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Next I used oil paint to depict areas where you may get smears of oil, around a fuel cap for instance. I will dip a cocktail stick into the paint and just touch it at a point on the model and then, with a cotton bud, wipe it in the direction of the airflow.

Then there are exhaust and smoke marks. I used a 'cut-off' brush with dry pigment and brushed it onto the model in the direction of the airflow. You need to do this on the matt surface and build up the pigment slowly. It takes a fair bit of brushing to do this. You can use various colour pigments (or ground chalk pastels) it does not have to be just black.

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The last pic is of the weathered model after applying a final sealing coat of matt varnish which gives an even overall finish. I spray the final coat unthinned and leave it to cure overnight.

Next I need to do some finishing touches to the paint and exhausts then the final fittings. I may not be able to finish tonight as I am taking my son out for a meal, its his birthday. So I may not post the final pics until Saturday.

[BarryW]

The model is now done....

Firts I had some final touches to the paint and weathering.

I gloss varnished the wing tip lights. Then it was over the the exhausts....

I have seen some very complex treatment of exhausts and some fanastic results. But, in the spirit of this thread I kept it simple and did it a way that should not worry anyone.

As the varnish treatments affected the metallic look and brush painted on a thin Gunze buffable Iron then a few minutes later after it dried I buffed it with a cotton bud. That restored a nice metallic finish. Next I needed to weather it. Simple - Vallejo 710.80 Rust, thinned 50% with Vallejo thinner the a near wash like consistency (remember as an airbrush paint it is already thinned heavily before this thinning...) and I then painted it onto the exhausts, it gathers like a wash in the detail and leave a slight residue over the exhausts and it is done. To me it looks right and that, to me, is what is important...

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A shot of the exhaust, done. Sorry its a bit out of focus - you can see it better on other pics.

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Next it was the final fittings, I used superglue and for transparencies Micro Crystal Clear. I noticed some MCC shows white in some pics inside transparencies. This is no problem as it dires clear and will disappear - indeed it did disappear by morning but as I was up at 4.30am I did not take any pics then....

Anyway here is the completed model.

Underside first

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Well, that is it. This kit is a nice little easy build, a perfect test bed for beginners for both build and weathering experience.

All of the processes I describe here are easy to do and very controllable. You do not have to worry about messing up. My advice is just to do it, have fun and with practise you will get some great results with your modelling going to the next stage. Once this is mastered you may be tempted to try out some of the more advanced wethering methods....

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[Guest]

Thank you so much for posting this, Barry. I've learned lots of tricks which I'll be putting into practice. And may I be the first to award this a 'Great Build' gong?