"Bare metal" Mig 23 Flogger - how to achieve?

[Guest]

I've posted about this before (but that was long before I was contemplating making a start) but would like to get some opinions on how I am going to paint my Mig 23 in "silver" (that's all Academy tell me in the instructions...)?

I'm still learning but picking up new techniques all the time; wondering if something like this...

Alclad 2 30ml Stainless Steel High Shine Finish Cellulose Lacquer # 115

...would be an appropriate route to go down rather than regular paint? I gather you apply it over a gloss base coat for best results? Or am I totally barking up the wrong tree for an authentic "silver" Soviet Mig?

As always, thanks in advance...

[AlanG]

I brushed Humbrol metalcote on my test P-47D. Here is the link as to how it turned out. Looks not bad in the flesh and daylight

http://www.scale-models.co.uk/planes-helicopters/11140-1-72-revell-p-47d-thunderbolt.html

[yak face]

Hi rob, if i recall correctly not a lot of soviet mig 23's were actually unpainted natural metal, alot of them were painted in a very light grey, which could be mistaken for nat metal in grainy b/w pics. If you did want to go with the silver then a lot of people swear by alclad.Ive never used it myself ,i usually use hycote aerosol aluminium ,it gives a lovely (if a little too uniform ,admittedly!) finish, especially when glossed with halfords clear acrylic. hope this helps cheers tony

[Guest]

Hmmm OK, thanks both. Was kinda looking forward to trying a metallic/silver finish but maybe it'll have to be light grey then if that's what colour they actually were!!

[Ian M]

If its because you want to do a bare metal finish, what about one of the earlier Mig's? Quite a few of those had BMF.

Ian M

[Guest]

There are a few options,

BMF=Bare Metal Foil, self adhesive sheets in different finishes, much loved by the custom car builders stateside

Kitchen foil and Microscale adhesive, (not tried but seen some stunning results)

Humbrol metlacote, (4 flavours, Dull Alu, Polished Alu, Stainless steel, Gunmetal), buff nicely

Alclad, (needs an AB with teflon seals, cellulose thinner for clean up and a flawless gloss black finish, also a variety of shades for authenticity, in model paint terms, Alclad is pricey but very very good) I've used their Chrome and stainless and they are like nothing else I've ever used but I do like metalcote too.

One suggestion I saw recently was to prime in light grey, then pick out certain panels in flat black, then metalcote over the top but keep it relatively thin, this gives enough variation on the reflectivity and colour to represent the variation you'd see on the real thing.

Next time you're in the newsagents check the copies of SAM, SAMI, and so on, one or more usually have a BMF jet build in with hints and tips.

[Guest]

Citadel make two acrylic colours that look like bare metal when painted on a larger surface (i've used them on metal doors etc in D&D dioramas and the effect was quite good). These are "Chainmail" and "Boltgun Metal"

The paint has a sort of metalic quality that gives a nice matt sheen when dry.

I found if i painted the "boltgun" as a base then dry brushed the "chainmail" it gave the best effect, although each were convincing on their own.

I also tried a glossy grey as a base and again dry brushed the chainmail over the top, this wasn't as realistic but may have looked better on a model with some detail instead of the flat surface i had.

I dont have a massive reserve of the stuff but, If you get really desperate and start pulling your hair out i dont mind popping enough for the model in a couple of small tubs and posting off to you if you're in the UK.

[stona]

AlcladII. Use two or three different shades,or buy one and darken it when you want to by adding a drop of gloss black paint to it. That's what I did here.

Only the highly polished finishes,like "Polished Aluminium" and "Chrome" need a gloss black primer. More normal aircraft finishes like "Duraluminium" or good old "Aluminium" work fine over a grey primer.

It is a laquer and as has been said,must be airbrushed. It is very easy to use,I find it less finicky than most acrylic paints for example.

The downdside with any NMF is that it will show any flaws in construction!

Cheers

Steve

[Guest]

Cheers all - think I'll keep it simple this time and actively seek out a BMF candidate for the statsh next time...

ps - mk1s - I accidentally (ie. not at all accidentally!) took out a subscription to SAM a couple of months ago - good bedtime reading - if a little depressing at the quality of some of the review models ;-)