Various Help Needed for relatively new modeller

[Guest]

Hello everybody this is my first post, and boy im starting off with what may be newbie questions but any help that can be given to me would be greatly appreciated! I hope I am posting this in the correct section of the forums.

So here goes:

I have purchased a Tamiya 1/48 Hawker Hurricane mk.1 Plastic Model.

Unfortunately I do not have an airbrush so I am going to have to handbrush the entire model, I was planning on using a spraycan grey primer on the entire model prior to painting. When it comes to painting I am going to use Humbrol enamel paints, here comes my first question - Will I need to thin the paints at all to avoid brushstrokes as much as possible? and are there any good ways to handbrush the camo to avoid harsh lines where the two camo colours meet?

After painting camo etc I was planning on using the Humbrol Glosscote on the model, letting that set and then applying the decals with Microscale Model Sol and then setting with Microscale Model Set, I was then planning on using a wash for shadows and panel lines etc and then a very light amount of drybrushing on raised areas and possibly slight pencil weathering.

When satisfied I was then going to finish the entire model with Humbrol Mattcote.

It all sounds very good in my head but the reality is I may have issues with solvents in the varnishes etc reacting to the enamel and other products used.

So my overall question is would this plan of attack work and have I got the order of the applications correct? I have seen so many techniques with pros and cons to each and what started off as a "simple" model build has turned into a full operation with military precision.

Thanks for any help or replies that I get.

[Ian M]

Hi and welcome. First question; Whats your name, or can we just call you HD?

Any way, the order you have suggested is quite fine apart from one thing. Its the Decal solutions, you have gotten them the wrong way around, Apply them with the Micro set, the if you feel it needs sucking down more to get into the panel detail, then give it some micro sol.

I can't see any issue with the paints and varnishes as they are all Humbrol, so they should work together. Word of warning on the Humbrol Matt varnish. Shake the life out of it then still it and then shake it some more. If its not mixed 200% it will end up as a very good gloss coat!!!

Humbrol enamel paints brush on very well, but you will get a better result by thinning them and giving two coats. Leave for a couple of days between coats!

One last thing. pencil weathering: don't forget that lots of the Hurricane was fabric covered... ;-)

Ian M

[mossiepilot]

Hi and welcome to the forum RkitectHD.

Sounds like you've got a good plan going mate. I've been back modelling for only a year and I'm learning all the time. Best I can suggest is to try, if it doesn't work, try again. Perfection generally doesn't come first time, and for the likes of me not at all. Do your best, have fun and enjoy yourself.

Tony.

[Guest]

In my rush I forgot to mention my name, I am Nick however Rkitect or HD or newbie is fine ;-)

I did realise after making the thread I got the decal solutions the wrong way round, thanks for clarifying that for me. I guess i wont touch the hurricane with a pencil (rookie mistake).

As for thinning the enamel paints, to what ratio would be suitable for large areas like the fuselage and wings? 50/50 for paint to thinner, would you recommend glossing/matting everything? like the cockpit details aswell or would the topcoat of mattcote only be necessary on the larger areas?

Thanks for everything so far

[stona]

Welcome aboard!

Brush painting enamels is a lot easier than brush painting acrylics so you are definitely off to a flier. It's difficult to give exact advice as the paints vary quite a bit. Some will need thinning to brush paint smoothly. White Spirit is cheap,available and works fine with Humbrol enamels.

On a British produced aeroplane like the Hurricane the camouflage demarcations were regulated and at 1/48 will be hard edges. There is growing evidence that most British aircraft were masked with mats cut to the relevant size and then sprayed. Any kind of overspray or roughness in the finish has aerodynamic consequences and was not acceptable. There were inspectors in all the factories to make sure that the rules were followed.

I don't use those Humbrol products but with the exception of the decal solutions which Tony has pointed out your plan of attack seems absolutely fine.

Be careful with the weathering,it's easy to overdo

Don't worry about asking questions,someone will always try and help you out.

Cheers

Steve

[Guest]

I will definitely need all the help that I can get, the fact that I am just getting into modelling has made it all very expensive just to get started with this one seeing as I want to do it properly I can justify it as an investment to get all the tools needed to begin my modelling "career". Fortunately I did purchase the Humbrol enamel thinner anyway so I can easily get started with that.

I suppose another question is in order, is it necessary to prime the model? I have seen lots of people talking about priming a model with grey primer which makes enamel sit better on the surface, if that is that case would I need to prime the entire thing including the smallest parts (apart from the canopy of course)? If so then it would be easier for me to do so whilst all the parts are still attached to the sprue.

Thats pleasing to know that the camo had hard edges, makes my life a lot easier not have to trying and blend the edges with a soft look. Im a long way off from weathering at this point (fortunately) but I will surely be back to ask more questions about that.

I might make a photo log of my progress so that I can hopefully get some advice along the way.

Thanks again

[Ian M]

A photo log would be a great idea as you will get all the help you need as you need it.

Re primer; Some people prime on the sprue, some do it in the sub-assemblies. Some don't prime!

Like wise there are those that wash the kit before building and again before painting and again some that don't.

Its a personal thing, or a mood thing. Some times I wash the kit sometimes I don't, but I always prime.

Welcome to the wonderful world of plastic modelling! ( I might of added that its a flat spin from here, or the learning curve is steep, but I don't want to put you off :laughing: )

Ian M

[Guest]

Thanks for giving me that added motivation lol. Well I am fairly set on the idea of priming because I have seen a lot of positives about doing so. I suppose if I photo log then I need to do so in a different thread so I will start that up when I get a chance.

Well I guess all I can say for the time being is wish me luck :-)

[Ian M]

Good luck!

Just start a new thread in the aircraft section in Under Construction and all will be fine. I for one will be watching.

Ian M

[stona]

I always prime. I use Halfords Plastic Primer,it works a treat.

As Ian says,not everyone does but it does give the paint something to hang on to. What have you got to lose?

Steve

[Guest]

if you have a wilkinsons near you they do a good grey primer,dont bother with the white though, and its quite cheap

[Guest]

I am so glad that you said that stona because I am off to get some halfords plastic primer tomorrow :-)

[Guest]

Ok I have another question which is probably as obvious as it looks. I have been looking at the colours and on the engine exhausts the colour is referred like this:

XF-56 : 5

+XF-7 :1

Is that implying that I mix a 5:1 Ratio of the 2 colours or maybe paint it with XF-56 and then add detail with XF-7, I feel like it looks like I need to mix them.

That would be 5 parts Metallic grey to 1 part flat red.

[yak face]

Thats exactly it nick, it should give a rusty colour , cheers tony

[stona]

Someone should do a thread on aircraft exhausts!

Have a look at as many photos as you can online. You'll notice that one thing that Merlin exhausts are not is a rust colour. They were made of an alloy whose name evades me at the moment,and are generally a metallic colour with very subtle heat,exhaust and weathering effects.

Luftwaffe exhausts were treated with a product not unlike the "blacking" applied to stoves in the old days. Of course this deteriorated over time but they started out black.

Cheers

Steve