New Members models

[Dave W]

Hi everyone.Thought i'd post some pictures of some of my completed models.As you can see they are all 'factory finish'.I would welcome some constructive advice on weathering them to make them more realistic.They are all 1/48 scale and the Halifax is my first attempt at a vacuform kit.This ones a 'Sanger' kit.Im currently finishing of the Trumpeter Wellington,which is childs play after the vacuform!

































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[Guest]

Hi Dave and a warm welcome to Scale Models Forum. You have posted a great set of builds there, the Mitchell looks very nice. Weathering is a personal thing and is by no means compulsory. One of the great things about most weathering techniques is that they are done as the model is finished making it possible, once yo are confident, to go back to your completed kits and weather them up. Some techniques have to be done prior to final painting so obviously, they cannot be done on your finished kits.

Generally speaking, a bit of dusting with pigments, you can make your own by grinding up pastels that are none oil based but possibly the easiest is to do gentle thin spray to emulate the exhaust stains. Have a nosy through the entries on the forum and you will pick up tons of ideas. If you have specific questions, please feel free to ask them. We don't believe in the "stupid question" idea, there is no such thing.

Above all, enjoy your modelling and the Halifax looks very good, I have never attempted a vac form so hats off to you for doing a great job.

[Dave W]

Many thanks for your coments Fenlander.I've tried weathering before.some years ago I built a 1/48 F14 and F16.I used pencil lead dust hand brushed on in the direction of airflow,then sealed under a coat of clear varnish.I thought it looked good on an overall grey paint job.But what to use on say a British WW2 bomber?.I 've been making models since I was 8 (I'm now 52) and am always looking to improve them. I gues it's human nature not to be satisfied with what you've done?.Having said that I'm pleased with how the Halifax turned out.If I'd tried building one about 20 years ago i would probably have ended up hurling it at the wall before it was anywhere near finished!.they are not for the faint hearted.Sanger are currently designing a 1/48 Sunderland which I fancy having a go at.

[stona]

You've built some beautiful models there,thanks for letting us see them. I've been building mainly WW2 aircraft for a similar time to you and I too am yet to build one I'm 100% happy with!

I shall post a few WW2 aircraft weathering tips (or opinions) in the morning when I have some peace and quiet!

Oh! welcome to the forum.

Cheers

Steve

[Dave W]

thanks for your coments Steve.I look forward to reading your weathering tips.I tried preshading he B25 by spraying matt black along the panel lines but overdid it and didn't like the effect.I've got a 1/48 Tamiya Lancaster in my stash so might have another go on that.I've seen preshading done properly and it looks good.I'm happy with my building skills but finishing is an art I've yet to master to my satisfaction.

[Guest]

Hi and welcome Dave, some great builds there, you have found a great forum, I hope you enjoy your stay.

[Guest]

There are some great looking models there and there is no problem with making them factory fresh. A lot of modellers prefer to buid models this way and your detail and finish is excellent.

I would suggest that you build a model specifically with the intention of weathering it, partly as some processes need to be done during the build process and partly because if it all goes horribly wrong then you won't be dissapointed by spoiling a model that you currently like. If you mess up a new build then it won't be as much of a loss. In fact it would be worth buying a very cheap poor quality kit, specifically for the purposes of testing out techniques and simply throw it together, without bothering too much about how well it is built.

There are actually a lot of tutorials and build threads on here which clearly show the weathering processes so plently to experiment with.

Enjoy it though, weathering is a very rewarding and enjoyable process but it can also be a rough ride!

[stona]

Hi again. You will be aware that weathering provokes more "debate" than just about any other aspect of modelling. It's far more art than science. I'm quite keen to make my models appear realistic and tend not to overdo the weathering. Some beautiful models look to me like patchwork quilts which I find over the top. Of course someone will always dig out a photo of a real aircraft looking a bit quilt like but I find that the exception.

I always try and find references,either for my intended victim or at least a similar aircraft.

Here's an over view of how I work,it's not right or wrong,just one method.

1 Painting.

I may pre-shade,I find it tricky to control exactly what the end product under various varnishes etc will look like. In my opinion it is very often way overdone.

I always post-shade. On larger scales I will lighten the centre of various panels with varying lighter shades of the camo colour. It's easy to control (or fix when it goes wrong!) and serves to break up the monotony of the blocks of single colours.You often hear people say "it makes a model look less toy like". A more than competent painter (and you've shown us your models) will have no difficulty doing this at all. On smaller scales I choose just to apply some streaks and mottles as spraying individual panels is soul destroying.

I also spray exhaust stains. You've got to have a reference as the stains rarely follow the track you'd expect. These stains were invariably cleaned off combat aircraft,I know there was a standing order to do this in the WW2 Luftwaffe but you still see them. My aircraft may just have returned from a mission. Don't spray black,I use a mixture of blue/greys,browns and black to match my reference.

2 Washes

I use mainly acrylic paints nowadays so in wheel wells,engine bays and cockpits I apply an oil wash. I have a dilute mix of artists oils,mainly burnt umber and black, which gives a nice oily colour. I use a fine brush to run it around detail. Just touch a loaded brush to raised detail on,say,an undercarriage door and the wash will capillate around the detail. It dries slowly so any excess can easily be wiped away.

Many models have recessed panel lines and some people emphasise these in the same way. This is also a matter of opinion. On most German fighters the panels were let in to the frames and flush riveted leaving little room for this sort of accumulation,many were puttied and sanded to give a smooth surface. The British lagged behind,the front 20% of a Spitfire wing was flush riveted,filled and sanded smooth but if you look at the fuselage the skins actually over lap. No "trenches" and no black lines! Either way I choose not to overemphasise panel lines but it's each to their own.

I do give my models an all over sludge wash. I use the Promodeller ones which seem to be like Marmite,people love them or hate them.There are other brands available or you can,as I used to,make your own. The joy of this system is that you can remove as little or as much of the wash as you want.

Check your references,GENERALLY service aircraft,whilst often showing signs of wear and tear or repair,were not filthy.

3 Chipping

Wear and tear brings us to chipping. Wing walks could be so badly damaged that they were taken back to bare aluminium,more commonly some scuffing and chips occured. The edges of access panels were also often damaged. Cockpit entries and wind screen frames (often used as an aid to entering a fighter) also sustained wear. The front of airscrews,that's the surfaces facing the BACK of the aircraft, were subject to wear,particularly in a desert or sandy (coral) environment. Here again you really need to have some reference pictures.

There are many methods you can read up on, hairspray,salt,liquid mask are all used. I use some aluminium paint and a very fine brush and sometimes a silver artists pencil. For me the problem is scale. A large chip at 1:1,say the size of your thumb nail is very small at 1:48,smaller than I can achieve with salt or blobs of mask!

It's a massive subject and I've just given you a brief over view of how one person does it. Some will do much the same whereas in others it may provoke howls of derision. It's down to you,as an experienced modeller you'll know the only way to find the look that you are after is to have a go with some techniques and see which ones work for you.

If you're stuck for a picture of something you could do worse than ask here. There are several members with some decent "archives" who will always help if they can. Good luck with the Lanc,I'm mainly a Luftwaffe guy but I've got one of them in my cupboard which I've been eyeing up recently!

Cheers

Steve

[yak face]

Hi dave, great looking models. As has already been said, the amount of weathering is a personal preference and each model is different, but youve definitely cracked the building and painting bit. cheers tony

[Dave W]

Thanks everyone for all your advice and kind words.I've got around 25 unmade kits,some I bought nearly 20 years ago and haven't got round to building yet.So I will take your advice and practise on one of them.I've been dry brushing interiors,undercarriages etc for years but only made the occasional attempt at weathering the exterior.I was going to weather the Wellington I'm currently building but chickened out!.Ive seen the paint chip method done in model magazines so will have a go at that.I'd like to make my own panel washes but have had mixed results so far.I still use enamel paints and have tried mixing darker shades of the camo colour with thinners and brushing that on,but have not been happy with the results.I've started aFujimi 1/48 ME110 so will try something on that.

[Guest]

Dave, all the information the guys have given you is like gold, i made a lot of notes when i asked questions. Also you will find a lot of useful video clips on youtube, just type in weathering effects of model planes and you should come up with some good stuff to watch.

Cheers

Andy

[Dave W]

Ok i will try that.I've watched all the Testors scale workshop videos by Brett Green on you tube which are quite interesting.And there are loads of WW2 era films on there on various aircraft which i could {and do!} spend hours watching.