A rarity for me....a Bf109 and this time it's a Revell G-10 Erla - Pretty Much Done.

[Jim Barry]

Did you consider a bare metal foiling for the metal undersurfaces ? That would be so cool

[Juggernut]

No, I’m not one for metal foiling as it’s very labor intensive and the panel lines on the 109 don’t really lend themselves to neat sections, especially around the leading edges of the wings.

Edited December 22, 2022 by Juggernut

[Jim Barry]

Labor intensive. Yeah, I guess so. 

[Jim Barry]

Nice image here of extent of bare metal? 
Seems limited possibly 

[Juggernut]

Nice box top of an MTT-Regensburg built 109G-10.  The Revell kit I’m building was built by Erla Liepzig; several distinct differences between the respective mfg. 109G-10’s, the paint being just one.  

Edited December 22, 2022 by Juggernut

[Juggernut]

I broke out the Iwata Eclipse and gave-er-a-go.  It's very nice but my old finger isn't used to double-action so I'm getting it back into the swing.  LOL.  I discovered something else as well during the process...I really suck at Luftwaffe mottle camouflage.  No worries, I just overcoated the fuselage sides again and voila, blank slate.  MRP is thin enough so that while it takes a few coats to cover ugly mottle, it also doesn't build up too thick before it does.  Sorry, no photos of my ham-fisted mottle attempts...I didn't even want to look at it.

Edited December 22, 2022 by Juggernut

[D.B. Andrus]

Practicing the Luftwaffe mottle on a paint mule first will save you a lot of grief. 

 

HTH,

Damian

[Juggernut]

I know….  The thing is, I don’t have a paint mule.  The only thing I have on the SOD is an almost completed Jagdpanzer IV L70.  At least that’s the only thing I think I have…LOL.

Edited December 23, 2022 by Juggernut

[D.B. Andrus]

Ah, yes. You may know all of the following, not intended to offend. Here's my unsolicited basic advice on how I have some success with mottling technique.

Try on a flat piece of scrap styrene. It's a lot about control of the flow and distance from the to be painted surface. Many Luftwaffe mottles used a variation of distance back and forth from the surface, movement away from the start point and a varied duration of the spray.

 

Airbrush I use in an old (20+ years) Iwata HP-B with a .2 diameter nozzle. There is an add-on to limit fore and aft movement on the needle which may come standard on newer versions. Set the movement @ so it sprays about a 1/16" dot from around 1/4 to 3/16 inch away form the surface. Pressure at 10-15 lbs. depending on the airbrush and paint dilution. I use Mr. Color lacquers and dilute 1 part paint to 3 or 4 parts Mr. Self-Leveling Thinner.  Have never tried with a water-based  acrylic. I start with a dot of 1/16 on an inch and work out from there varying the above technique. A variation of slow for more defined paint edges and short quick movements for softer and misting areas. Period photos are your friend when learning the technique. Restorations, for the most part are not.

 

HTH,

Damian

 

 

 

 

  

[Greif8]

Hi Tim, Damian's advice for airbrushing luftwaffe mottling is very good.  I am sure that your skill level will have whichever technique you decide to use perfected in a short period of time. 

 

I like and use MRP quite a bit and its thinness makes it a good choice for mottling; having said that though the paint can unexpectedly spit from time to time.  I also use Tamiya acrylics frequently and when thinned to a 1:3 (paint:thinner) ratio with Mr. Color Leveling thinner I find that it also does a fine job when it comes to mottling. 

 

Ernest 

[Juggernut]

Thank you both for the input and definitely no offense taken; I accept the information with an open mind!  Luftwaffe camouflage is not my forte, so I'll take all the advice, hints, and tips I can get my hands on.  My airbrush (HP-CS) does not have a limiter on it.  I looked at the Iwata Airbrush manaul and they show a handle with what appears to be a limiting device for the needle travel within the handle.  If that's what you used Damian, I may have to look into getting one of those.  I DO have scrap styrene sheets I can practice on and I gotta say "big Duh!" because I should've known that.

Edited December 23, 2022 by Juggernut

[denders]

Looking online, the HP-CS does not have a travel limiter. That nut in the handle opening tightens around the needle so it moves when you draw the paint control back. If you loosen the nut inside the handle, the needle won't move when you want paint.

 

If you go to midwestairbrush.com and look at the Iwata airbrushes, look at the High Performance Plus line. You can see the limiting adjustment at the back of the handle and the forward part of the limiter in the handle opening. The needle nut stops at the forward part of the limiter.

 

You may find a MAC valve located on the end of the hose right before the airbrush useful to limit air pressure when doing the camo.

 

[Juggernut]

I've deduced two things from this past "mottle" experiment in addition to what I previously stated:  1, I know what look I'm after and 2, I never think I've got it good enough and then the balance tips from not enough (perception) to way too much (actuality).  Somewhere in there is a happy balance and is probably a very fine point between the two extremes.  I think next time, when I get to the "not enough" feeling, I'll leave it alone.

[Greif8]

1 hour ago, Juggernut said:

I've deduced two things from this past "mottle" experiment in addition to what I previously stated:  1, I know what look I'm after and 2, I never think I've got it good enough and then the balance tips from not enough (perception) to way too much (actuality).  Somewhere in there is a happy balance and is probably a very fine point between the two extremes.  I think next time, when I get to the "not enough" feeling, I'll leave it alone.

 

I have that "not enough" problem with my weathering sometimes Tim, so I hear you man!  Returning to mottling, I use the following technique to spray mine.  If using Tamiya I thin the paint to a ratio of 1:3 or 1:4 paint to thinner; I use Mr. Color Leveling Thinner for this.  I spray with my air pressure set to 5 psi.  The combination of very thin paint and very low spraying pressure allows me to get very close and spray really thin subtle effects.  When I started I used the travel limit on my air brush all the time, and still do use it fairly frequently - I find it very helpful during those times when my fine control on the trigger is not fine enough.  I also use top feed airbrushes exclusively and I think they are very helpful when spraying mottling, because even with the air pressure dialed way down, you can still spray very well.  Having said that though, I have seen guys spray really great mottling with bottom or side feed airbrushes. 

 

MRP is already very thin as you know and it can also be used quite effectively for spraying mottling.  I think the spitting issues I had a few months ago may have been caused by a slightly enlarged opening of my nozzle. 

 

Ernest  

[Juggernut]

Ok, I've redone the mottle (after some practice and using color profiles and photos as a guide) but am still not entirely happy with it...it looks minimalist (and the inside of a popcorn machine) but as I said above, when I thought I'd need to do more, I stopped.  I can always add but can't remove easily.  I'm posting photos now so if you have any suggestions, please let me know how I can improve the looks of the mottle.  I also started to paint the JG301 RVG band.  I originally started using the Vallejo Model Air RLM 04 but it looked way off...  The only other RLM 04 I have is a Testor's Model Master bottle that I've used in the past and I think it looks a LOT better than the "lemon" yellow Vallejo Model Air color.  LOL - enamels save the day again.  Since I took the photos, the forward mask was removed and after the paint dries overnight, I'll measure the 15mm (half of the scale 950 mm band) and mask off the yellow and paint the red.  I don't have any RLM24 red so I'm just going to use some Tamiya X-7 which did nicely in the past for my JG301 Ta152H-0.  Again, comments, advice and constructive criticism are encouraged.

 

Thanks 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 23, 2022 by Juggernut