1⁄35
Weathering a Spitfire!a build story by Mike Still
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Lighten Up! |
I use a generalized rule of thumb I pirated from a
Scale Aircraft Modelling article from about 20 years ago -- lighten colors
for 1/32 aircraft about 10-15 percent from the bottle, 20-25 percent for
1/48 scale, and 25-30 percent for 1/72 scale and smaller. As this project
reminded me, this is a general rule of thumb. The point here is to make it
look right to your eye, not to follow strict color codes.
I also used a 60-40 or 50-50 paint-thinner mix in most cases for
airbrushing, depending on out-of-the-bottle consistency. The old saw about
"consistency of table cream" is still a good rule to remember.
My airbrush -- a Testors internal-mix, double-action using Aztek tips --
worked well with this paint mix at about 13-16 psi. I also use a Campbell-Hausfield
QuietAir compressor with a moisture trap between the regulator and the
airbrush.
Loading the airbrush with Testors Model Master RAF Interior Green, I misted
three light coats of paint over the canopy, in the wheel wells and on the
main gear legs .I used unlightened paint because I needed a more intense
green to show well through the canopy framing. After that dried for a day, I
filled the wells with blobs of poster mounting putty (Blu-Tak is the best
known brand, but it comes in yellow and white as well -- color doesn't
matter) and covered the gear legs with folds of Painter's Tape.
The aft fuselage Fighter Command ID band and the assembled spinner were
sprayed with unlightened Model Master flat Sky. The spinner was set aside,
and the band masked with strips and patches of Painter's Tape.
I mixed up a batch of Testors Model Master Medium Sea Grey with 20-percent
flat white -- the underside color for the post-1940 RAF Temperate Land
Scheme -- sprayed and found it looked almost as dark as the upper Ocean Grey
in color photos from the WW II period. After letting that coat dry a day, I
went back with a spray of Medium Sea Grey with 30-percent white that made
things look more scale-like. Copyright ©2002 - Text and
Photos by Mike Still (modelcitizen62). All Rights Reserved. |
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Copyright ©2021 by Mike Still. Images also by copyright holder unless otherwise noted. The views and opinions expressed herein are solely the views and opinions of the authors and/or contributors to this Web site and do not necessarily represent the views and/or opinions of AeroScale, KitMaker Network, or Silver Star Enterrpises. Images also by copyright holder unless otherwise noted. Opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of AeroScale. All rights reserved.
