Here are in-progress pictures of my current model on the bench which is the 1/32 scale Hasegawa Bf 109G-10.

As is usual with many of my models I like to apply pre-shading and some white highlights to the undersurfaces so the RLM 76 finish won't look so bland.

Here the prop has been painted.
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And the wheels are painted and ready to be put on the model.


The pre-shading has been toned down by a coat of RLM 76.


Matrixone

Most excellent! Great tips to!

Les,
Nicely done bottom. I too have been making a concerted effort to show some realism in the bottom paint of my aircraft.

I've never really liked my efforts with pre-shading as I tend to get too much of a checkerboard effect, so I've gone to working with color modulation instead. I'm really a neophyte at it, but each model seems to get a little better.

Those wheels look simply fantastic

I'll be following your build for sure.
Joel

Many thanks Bora and Joel!

Joel,
I have had better pre-shading results when placing the pre-shading in random panel lines, if the pre-shading is too uniform the end result could be the bottom of the model looking almost like a quilt.
The same goes for panel line washes, I don't usually care for high contrasting oil color washes (like black) and have found using darker shades of the same color the panel line wash is going into is pleasing to the eyes, black will still be used on mostly just control surface gaps and near engine cowls.

When I paint the upper surface colors on my aircraft models I usually paint the wings and tail planes first, this way I have a safe place to hang onto the model whilst painting so I don't leave fingerprints in wet paint.
This 109 will be getting more weathering than the Revell 109 I finished a couple weeks ago so I will go with some subtle paint fading on it.
After a thin base coat of RLM 75 was sprayed on I added some highlights in a highly lightened version of RLM 75.

Then some contrasting darkened RLM 75 was sprayed on for some pre-shading.


And below a base coat of thin RLM 75 was sprayed on to tone down the weathering effects. I was trying to get a patchy sun faded/worn look to the paint and I think I achieved this.


Matrixone

Les,
Your weathering technique looks great. I just posted a few pictures of my Scooter with the bottom white done with a blotchy darker white color. A huge improvement over my earlier jet models.
Joel

Oh my god!! Such excellent lessons here! I am so happy to have found this forum!

Thanks again Bora, glad you like these in-progress pictures.

Below are pictures of the RLM 74 dark gray being painted on, this was done in a similar fashion as I did when painting the RLM 75.



Here is a profile of the model after the fuselage has been painted and in the background some artwork of the aircraft I am trying to model. There are a few corrections that need to made on the camouflage scheme but most of it is the area on the fuselage right above where the cross will be...that area has to be filled in with some RLM 74 as can be seen in the bottom picture.






Matrixone

Wow, Les!
I'm glad you posted this before I built any of the 109's in my stash.

Gary

Les,
I'm really impressed at how well you've been able to duplicate that camo scheme.
Joel

Thanks Gary and thanks again Joel!

Since this model is getting some heavy weathering effects I wanted to try and use the salt weathering technique to assist in adding some wear and tear on the wing roots.

Some damp salt was placed on the wing roots where the intended wear marks were wanted.


After the salt dried for a couple hours some RLM 02 was sprayed on.


Once the RLM 02 dried more damp salt was placed on the wing roots and later on some metall was sprayed on followed by a few mottles of chrome silver on the places where I wanted the paint to look completely worn off.


And here are the results of this painting experiment after the salt was scraped off.


I use enamel paints and had no problems with using the salt weathering technique but others say acrylic paints work better.

Matrixone

Beautiful work as usual Les, very inspiring hopefully I can give these techniques a shot again here soon. I'll echo Joel in complimenting your ability to replicate the mottling from the profile, I know its not easy. Ive only ever done a small portion of my Dortenmann D-9, around the cockpit, from the photo and it took several tries but was definitely worth the effort.

Thank you Mike!

With a little more practice this technique could look very good, as it turned out on this model I could see some room for improvement but there are other weathering steps to come that will correct the things I don't like.

Next up for this model is a coat of Future and then the decals.

Matrixone

Seems we were posting around the same time! Hadnt seen your salt weathering, which is excellent. I like the layering, made it that much more convincing. What sort of salt is that?

Mike,
Oops! I thought you were mostly commenting on the salt weathering technique.

The salt was a mixture of table salt and popcorn salt, I wanted the grains of salt to not all be the same size.


Matrixone

Les,
Your salt technique really came out quite well. Controlling the area seams easy enough with masking tape. I've only seen this done over an entire well worn fuselage before. Your the 1st that I've seen use two different types of salt at the same time.

Joel

Would there be such weathering on the wing root right under the air intake though? Just curious

Bora,
When the ground crews had the engine cowling open and were working on the engine that part of the wing root would get some wear on the paint.
Also the forward wing root on the right hand side would get some wear on the paint from a ground crew member standing there as he turned the starter crank for engine startup.

Matrixone

Thanks!
I thought of the right hand side weathering on the wing root, but I never thought of the cowling getting open, hence weathering under the air intake. Thanks for the explanation!

Bora,
There is going to be more weathering done on the wing roots and that will include some exhaust stains, this will tone down the worn off paint effect a little.

The model was given a gloss coat with Future and then its decals were put on.


Matrixone

Les,
As usual your decaling looks more like stencils then decals. Can't see a drop of flash. Nicely done.
Joel

You can say that again.

Thanks guys!

You should see the model now...its not very clean and shiny anymore.
I hope to post a picture or two later.


Matrixone

Aren't the exhausts attached from the inside? How do you attach them when you have the whole fuselage and cowling closed & glued?

Bora,
The Hasegawa kit is designed so you can easily put the exhaust stacks on at about anytime during construction of the model, too bad Revell chose not to do this on their large scale 109 kit...sure would have been easier.


Matrixone

I've always been disappointed when I open a box and find moulded-on exhaust. Anything that is gonna be that different from the paint scheme should be moulded separately.

...of course, you're always wondering if you should drill them out a bit.

Hey Les,
I'm curious, were the wheel blisters on the upper wing moulded-on or added afterwards?

Gary