Thunnus Posted November 9, 2017 Author Share Posted November 9, 2017 Superb John! I love the paint work. I love painted on markings too.....................SO much in fact I ended up getting a plotter/cutter to cut my own paint masks. Its been by far and away the best decision Ive made. Being unencumbered by any of the OOB schemes is really refreshing. Really well done, and looking forward to more! Thanks Brian! What kind of cutter are you getting? I've taken some very preliminary looks at the Silhouette but it's still very unfamiliar to me. Absolutely stellar work John ! Cheers M. Thank you Martin! I appreciate the kind words! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuck540z3 Posted November 9, 2017 Share Posted November 9, 2017 Awesome, I just love your work- and clear photography and explanations! Cheers, Chuck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krzysiek Posted November 9, 2017 Share Posted November 9, 2017 Amazing and very insiring work! I like it a lot Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durangokid Posted November 9, 2017 Share Posted November 9, 2017 Great job explaining the process. I never thought of using you pastel mix for the panel line process. You really make it work... Bryan Shawn M 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsahling1 Posted November 9, 2017 Share Posted November 9, 2017 Thats some really nice mottled camouflage work, you've mastered the 'dark art' of Luftwaffe WWII camp quite well, care to share? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted November 9, 2017 Share Posted November 9, 2017 This is really superb, John! Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunnus Posted November 9, 2017 Author Share Posted November 9, 2017 Thank you guys! I've almost caught everyone up to the actual state of Black 1... a few more updates and we should be right there. This Dora just happens to be just a few steps shy of the finish line. As for the mottling question... I don't have any photos of the process itself but would be happy to answer any specific questions. Doing a mottle pattern always feels challenging for me and I need to really button down everything else, free my work space of any competing distractions and also have a firm game plan of where I want the mottles to begin and end. I don't go as far as mapping out each individual mottle beforehand... that part just kind of comes out as I start the airbrushing. I like have a nice diffused spray along the perimeter of the mottle and I like to make mottle patterns that have trailing bits and pieces that connect to other mottles instead of distinct separate blobs. I hope that makes some sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazzas Posted November 9, 2017 Share Posted November 9, 2017 Wow! Thank you for the weathering tutorial! That Dora looks excellent! Gaz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunnus Posted November 9, 2017 Author Share Posted November 9, 2017 (edited) Alrighty then... onward with Black 1. The weathering work continues. Before doing the exhaust stains, I checked out the many wonderful photos in Jerry Crandall's two Dora books. There were many variations but some common traits too. I settled on representing the port side with that high arc that seemed to be characteristic of many Doras in service. The starboard side is a little different due to the deflector plate directly above the exhaust stacks. The exhaust stains, like much of my weathering with an airbrush, is accomplished with a very watery mix of brown/black. I start with lightest shade and work my from the outside edges of the stain towards the middle, increasing the black in my mix as I go. The pastel wash and exhaust stains are sealed with a coat of gloss. The next step will be some salt fading on the darker 82/82 surfaces. Salt can used to replicate chipping but I like to use it show irregular fading and stains. Water is spread over the surface of the wing using a clean paint brush and then salt grains are sprinkled on to the model surface in a random or semi random pattern. This technique works better with a flat finish as I found my semi-gloss clear coat kept pooling the water. After you let the water evaporate and the salt to dry completely, you can spray a highly mix of a lighter color. This part is really hard to judge as it is difficult to tell how much of the thinned grey paint I am actually getting on the model. I tend to air on the side of conservatism and my salt fading effects recently have been very subtle, to the point of being barely noticeable. Getting the salt off is a bit of a chore. Dried salt is pretty darn stubborn so repeated dry rubbing may result in damage to the paint finish. So I use some water to loosen the salt crystals to help in the removal process, which has issues of its own. The result... interesting but not what I was hoping for. The pooling water clumped the salt together too much and I have too many big blobs and not enough individual stains. Ah well... live and learn. I can dial back the effect to a certain degree by careful use of fine Micromesh (8000 or 12000 grade). The flat grey over the glossy finish creates some contrast that will be reduced when you apply a flat coat so that has to be considered. The big issue that I have with this salt technique is the residue. Over time as it dries, any residual salt will manifest itself in frosty white patterns usually around recessed areas. Using water to remove salt will help remove the salt but it can also carry the salty residue to other parts of the model. As careful as I am, I'm always stricken by the appearance of these frosty white gremlins, which are exacerbated once you start spraying a flat coat on the model. I usually let the model sit a few days after doing the salt thing so that any white frosting can be dealt with before it gets sealed in by subsequent clear coats. A flat coat is applied to check the weathering effects to this point. As you can see, the salt fading effect is barely noticeable from a distance, which is not necessarily a bad thing. I'm really liking the way the bottom is turning but I'm still not satisfied with the top. https://i.postimg.cc/dVDfJfMG/IMG_0883.jpg Edited December 10, 2018 by Thunnus Photo links restored Gazzas, nmayhew, Doctorgaz and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunnus Posted November 11, 2017 Author Share Posted November 11, 2017 (edited) Not being satisfied with the first attempt with the salt fading, I decided to give it another go, this time on a flatter finish that would help spread the water better. The result of round two? Meh! Wasn't liking this either. The effect was either too weak or too strong. The overdone effects were gently scrubbed down using Micromesh. No more salt fading. I decided to move on and do some chipping using colored pencils. https://i.postimg.cc/kgHnwYRf/IMG_0908.jpg https://i.postimg.cc/C5wYdW9L/IMG_0913.jpg The chipping takes me a few sessions spread out over multiple days to do. I like to mix up the colors... using a regular pencil for the lighter RLM 76 areas, a silver pencil on the darker backgrounds and also some greens and browns to add some age/wear. The frosting from salt and the last flat coat was starting to rear its head. I decided to do some oil filtering to tone down that frosting and also as one last ditch effort to give some wear/depth to the darker upper colors. Edited December 10, 2018 by Thunnus Photo links restored Krzysiek, Gazzas, XOPCT and 3 others 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodgem37 Posted November 11, 2017 Share Posted November 11, 2017 'The pooling water clumped the salt together too much and I have too many big blobs and not enough individual stains.' Maybe use a rock salt. 'Meh! Wasn't liking this either.' What a dog! 'I decided to do some oil filtering' Seems to have worked. At least to my eye. ​Keep at it. Perseverance pays off. I went 3 rounds in the finishing phase of my Mustang build before I either gave up and accepted fate or thought it had become what I had in mind, I don't remember which. Sincerely, Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VintageEagle Posted November 11, 2017 Share Posted November 11, 2017 Hi John, Thank you very much for explaining how you did the pastel wash. That is a great tutorial and I will try this on my current build as well (Fw 190 F-8). Your brownish weathering of the panel lines that you applied with an airbrush looks outstanding. Can you tell us what paint and what thinner you used? I once read that Tamiya Smoke is good for weathering panel lines, but I haven't tried it yet. I really appreciate that you take the time to explain us your techniques. Cheers, Roger I create my own pastel washes from pastel chalk. Simply scrape some chalk shavings into a bit of water and then add a drop of dishwashing soap to ease the surface tension, which helps the mixing process. Since it is water-based, it is very benign and has no ill effect on my acrylic finishes. The streaks on the drop tank were brushed on. Thank you! More than happy to answer any questions. I am currently using Alclad Aqua Gloss for my gloss coat and Aqua Gloss + Tamiya Flat Base for my flat coat. I like the Aqua Gloss very much... it is easy to work with, thins nicely with iso alcohol and dries fast and hard. If I want a high gloss finish, I'll add a few drops of Mr Leveling Thinner and spray it on a little thicker and "wetter" than my normal semi-gloss finish. But I have to be careful with the Mr Leveling Thinner as it will eat through my thin camo paint into the black pre-shading. I'm still not completely happy with my flat coat solution. I too get some frosting when I use the Aqua Gloss + Tamiya Flat Base if my mix ratios are not perfect. I've played with Tamiya Clear Flat and Testors Dullcote but haven't found something that I'm 100% satisfied with. I didn't get frosting when I used Alclad Klear Kote Flat. I loved that finish but ran into the problem of the stuff not curing completely, even after days and days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunnus Posted November 11, 2017 Author Share Posted November 11, 2017 'The pooling water clumped the salt together too much and I have too many big blobs and not enough individual stains.' Maybe use a rock salt. 'Meh! Wasn't liking this either.' What a dog! 'I decided to do some oil filtering' Seems to have worked. At least to my eye. ​Keep at it. Perseverance pays off. I went 3 rounds in the finishing phase of my Mustang build before I either gave up and accepted fate or thought it had become what I had in mind, I don't remember which. Sincerely, Mark Thanks for the encouragement Mark! Yes, the salt that I use is rock salt of varying consistency. I think my problem was too much water that led to pooling that led to dissolving of the smaller crystals of salt and the clumping that I described. Lesson learned! I think the oil filtering worked as well. It's sometimes difficult to make judgements on my own work when I have lingering frustration or disappointment. I like to take a break at these times and then come back to take a more objective view. Hi John, Thank you very much for explaining how you did the pastel wash. That is a great tutorial and I will try this on my current build as well (Fw 190 F-8). Your brownish weathering of the panel lines that you applied with an airbrush looks outstanding. Can you tell us what paint and what thinner you used? I once read that Tamiya Smoke is good for weathering panel lines, but I haven't tried it yet. I really appreciate that you take the time to explain us your techniques. Cheers, Roger The panel line treatment is a mix of Tamiya Red Brown and Tamiya Black, thinned with 91% isopropyl alcohol at about an 8:1 thinner to paint ratio. LSP_Kevin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsahling1 Posted November 11, 2017 Share Posted November 11, 2017 Thats a real work of art you have there, nicely done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunnus Posted November 13, 2017 Author Share Posted November 13, 2017 (edited) The oil filtering represented the end of the weathering stage. I still had some chipping and minor paint fix-ups to do but I was now ready to start attaching all of the external pieces that were previously painted and set aside. On the bottom... the G-Factor metal landing gear legs and wheels are in place. The Eduard brass flaps and Eagle tail wheel... The drop tank, boarding ladder and the different antennae... https://i.postimg.cc/6qJpM5Q6/IMG_0994.jpg After a number of months, removing the masks from the clear parts is always a nervous affair but it seemed to turn out ok this time... The canopy seems to fit ok... I wanted to pose the canopy in the open position so I glued some metal tabs to help pinch the canopy in like the real deal. Canopy open... That was the last documented stage of this build. The only thing remaining was to put on the aerial, pitot tube and stick the HD prop on. The aerial took me several tries as it can be difficult to pose the aerial line in the slack position. I used a combination of materials: stretched sprue for the main line between the tail and canopy and then a pre-bent piece of thin wire for the intermediate line that goes up from the fuselage. I'll post some pictures of the finished Black 1 in RFI soon. In the meantime, here are some teaser shots... See more completed photos of Black 1 on the Ready for Inspection board... http://forum.largescaleplanes.com/index.php?showtopic=71826 Edited December 10, 2018 by Thunnus Photo links restored Hartmann52, shadowmare, LSP_Kevin and 12 others 15 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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