Hi there

Just to kick off the Critic's Corner on Armorama, here's an update on the Hasegawa 1/48 Spit which I'm building for RMG.

As stated previously, I tried a different technique for this paint-job... I pre-shaded before doing an undercoat; the "before and after" pics are below.





Because the final colour will be pale pink, I wanted to "knock back" the pre-shading. I know I could simply have shaded with a mid grey, but the thin white coat seems to have blended the shading quite nicely while, hopefully, giving a reasonable undercoat for the pink... we'll see!

All the best

Rowan

Hi Merlin-

I think the pre-shading before the base coat turned out quite well :-) I hope the shading effect doesn't get lost in the pink final coat...... :-)

I have a question for you.. what model of airbrush do you use? You obviously can get pretty fine lines out of it, and I was wondering what brand you favor.

Thanks -
Jeff

Hi Jeff

Yes, we'll have to see what happens when the pink goes on; hopefully a couple of light coats won't completely swamp the oned-down pre-shading. If they do, there's always post-shading. I'll add more pics as I make progress.

As for the airbrush, I got an Iwata Eclipse BS a little while ago. I can't claim to have mastered it yet ( I haven't had enough chances to use it), but it's beautifully made. I want to get a "crown cap", which should allow some really fine lines, because you can get closer to the surface.

For years, I used a Badger Crescendo 175T, which I really abused and it never let me down - I wouldn't dare treat the Iwata as badly!

To be honest, I think the compressor is equally as important as the airbrush. I got an Iwata Smartjet along with the new airbrush and I'm really impressed. It's the first time I've had a pressure regulator fitted and it makes a big difference - at last things feel a bit more under control!

I'd like to get an adaptor to attach the old Crescendo to the new compressor to see how it performs.

All the best

Rowan

I'm really interested in how this one turns out, I hope the pink doesn't completely cover the pre shade. How are you going to display this one? I'd suggest having a pilot figure with a handbag and fluffy slippers. PINK SPITFIRE INDEED. I bet R J Mitchell is turning in his grave!

This is a very topical subject for me.
I'll be interested in how this turns out re: undercoat over pre-shading.
But it looks good so far....like the pink, even if there's a vanity mirror in the cockpit....

I don't airbrush pre-shading probably because I don't have an airbrush capable of the fine lines needed on 1/72nd, let alone 1/48th.
However I've had satisfactory results using a black indelible marker run in all the panel lines.
Cheers
Peter
:-)

Hi again




Martin, the RMG rules call for a dio with a building or some vegetation, so I may well follow your approach with your Bf109 and include a try. I can't find any refs for the handbag and slippers... were they regulation issue, or did pilots have to buy their own?

Peter, I've tried using a marker to suggest the structure of a fabric wing, before painting the top colours - as you say, it worked pretty well and was quick and simple to do. :-)

All the best

Rowan

I have a question for you Merlin ---
When you spray the next paint color over this pre-shaded model(in this case pink)..do you just spray a few light coats evenly over the entire surface, or do you "fill in" the little squares you created by preshading, being careful not to build up too much paint on the preshaded areas? So far your Spit is looking, cant wait to see how it turns out!

Thanks in advance,
Sean

Just a help till Merlin shows up. When you preshade you intent to show the depth of the lines that are scribbed , not to present another colour directly. So you spray the main camo colour and the black or dark gray preshading colour will immidiately turn your basic colour to a darker shade of it. so you achieve deep lines, and panels that are darker in their outer line than in the centre that are presented as faded.
Also i have seen people priming the areas , then preshading then add another very light coat of white priming and then the master coat of basic paint of the plane or armor .
i hope i helped a lil .

Hi there Sean

Sorry I've been so slow getting back on this - the poor old Spit has taken a back seat to Birthday celebrations over the last week.

I normally apply a number of light "dusted" coats of the base colour overall, to get a basic impression... and then, maybe, pick out the panel centres with a very diluted lighter tone. Sometimes I'll mask off panels and vary the colour slightly, to give a "replacement panel" look.

I've given the Spit four or five light coats of pink. To the naked eye, the pre-shading is still far too strong, but I thought I'd take a pic before applying another coat...



Hmmm! It just shows how the camera and eye pick up different things... in the pic, most of the pre-shading has disappeared... so I'll have to be careful not to completely swamp it.

All the best

Rowan

Hi Merlin,

Definitely don't think that the pre-shading was too strong as I would imagine this finish to have weathered fairly quickly.

Hi Dave

Yes, photos of the originals show a bit of wear and tear. The fun bit is trying to figure out whether they had underwing invasion stripes, which wear partially removed - it's just not very clear in my refs, and might have differered from a/c to a/c.

All the best

Rowan