Meng Me 163B WIP - Weathering begins

[tbell]

Tony; can you please describe just how you manage to paint black outlined yellow numbers so accurately? I'd love a tutorial if you have a few minutes.

 

Padraic

Hi Padraic,

 

This is going to sound more complicated than it actually is, but here goes:

 

1) Starting with all of the "11" mask still on the backing sheet, I weeded out the yellow bits and set them aside. It's important to be able to recall the relative position and orientation of each piece with the rest of the mask, as they will be placed back in their original positions on the model later.

 

2) I then placed a small piece of clear frisket film over the remaining mask so that I could lift it off the backing sheet without stretching or distorting it.

 

3) I then lifted the mask from the sheet and placed it on the model. At this point the mask on the model consists of the overall outline mask, plus the mask covering the thin black outline. The area to be painted yellow is a void.

 

4) After carefully removing the small piece of clear frisket film, I painted the yellow; an undercoat of Tamiya flat white, followed by the yellow (Tamiya XF3 Yellow, plus a touch of XF7 Red).

 

5) Once the yellow had dried I then put back the pieces of mask that I had removed in Step 1, being careful to put them back in the exact same position and orientation. Theoretically this shouldn't be a concern, but in practice there will be subtle asymmetries that can throw things off. I worked under magnification to ensure that these pieces weren't placed slightly off. This is the most critical step, so patience really pays off here.

 

6) Next I weeded out the part of the masks covering the fine black outline. No need to preserve their shape as they have done their job at this point.

 

7) Finally, I sprayed the black (Tamiya XF85 Rubber Black) and removed all of the remaining masks to reveal the completed "11"

 

I thinned all the paints about 60% with Gunze Mr. Color Levelling thinner and sprayed them in light mist coats to avoid any heavy buildup.

 

Hope this helps!

 

Cheers,

Tony

[Wolf Buddee]

Well........ you asked Tony,.....my one criticism, and it's a big one. This is too far away from me to see it in person. Just fantastic!   

 

Cheers,

Wolf

[tbell]

All done! RFI post here: http://forum.largescaleplanes.com/index.php?showtopic=56147

 

 

Cheers,

Tony

[chukw]

Dynamite, Tony! 

[Wouter]

Fantastic finish. This is why I love this website, just look at all these awesome models being build!