Hi everyone

This is an experimental Bristol Beaufighter. The aircraft itself is standard 1/48 scale Tamiya MkVI. Th experimental part is the weathering.

I wanted to depict a battle weary plane, and in the process try out weathering techniques. You can see the results below. Reference photos from the period show that aircraft operating in the Mediterranean had a hard life and weathered badly, so from the point of view of accuracy a heavily weathered subject feels right. However I wasn’t too worried about accuracy as the main point was to try out techniques.

The kit itself was built out of the box with a little interior scratch building and aerial wire all that was added. It built well, and the only real problem throughout the whole process was the decals. They were very thick and resisted attempts to use setting solutions.

I airbrushed in Tamiya acrylics and weathered in oils, pastels and AK washes. I prefer using pastels rather than pigments because they give a more subtle opaque colour.

By the way, part of the experiment was to tone down the impact of the interior. Yes, that right to reduce visual impact. I wanted viewers to focus on the exterior, so the inside of was painted in shades of grey.

I hope you enjoy the pictures. I certainly enjoyed building the kit and especially had fun with the painting and weathering.

WOW Steve!
What a beautiful build and a great effort on the camo and the weathering effects. At my point of view, it's what I expect from a heavy duty in the Mediterranean theater.

Thomas

Hi Steve,
I think you have achieved the effect you were after it looks well weathered but subtle.
Have fun. Phil

Lovely finish Steve, very nicely done. It can be difficult to achieve a consistent weathered look over paint and markings but you have certainly got it sorted with this build.

Cheers, D

Hi guys

Thanks very much for your very encouraging comments. This is my first aircraft after years of making armour and sci-fi. Probably my first since I was a kid actually. It's great to know it works.

Happy modelling

S

Steve your weathering looks good however your wingtip nav lights are on the wrong way, red, left wing, port - green, right wing, starboard.

Steve,
A most impressive build, especially for your 1st aircraft model. The camo paint scheme is very well done. Your weathering really sets the tone of a Mediterranean or tropical operational aircraft. Paint fading from the blowing sand, bleaching from the tropical sun, and humidity, all played havoc with the paints of that era. The nose panel and wing patches really are quite well done. I'd say that you succeeded in your efforts to represent a Mediterranean operational aircraft.

As for your issues with thick decals, I learned my lesson with Tamiya decals when I 1st came back into the hobby years ago. The Micro system, even Solvaset doesn't get them to really lay down, but According to my brother, Mr.Set and Mr. Sol do a much better job of it.

One thing that does bother me, is when modelers present their builds, and say that it's just an OOB effort, as they concentrated on such and such, like it was an apology. Personally, I don't care if a model is scratch built, super detailed, or built straight from the box, I view and judge it on how it looks as a presentation piece, because that's what it is. The overall finish is what's important, and your build succeeds in grand fashion.

Joel

Hi Joel

First of all let me say a big sorry for missing your reply. Somehow, it slipped by me and I just saw it while showing a friend this blog. At least I am replying in 2015... OK, just.

Thanks very much for your kind comments. I enjoyed every moment of the build and painting, and now I'm tackling Italeri's new 1/32 Mirage IIIC.

I agree with what you said about OOB builds. I didn't mean to apologise for it. I was just setting out my thoughts. I tend to build OOB and scratch what I want to improve. I totally agree that there's no need to apologise for any approach to building kits.

Thanks once again for stopping by and posting your thoughts. I hope you've had a great Christmas and are looking forward to 2016.

With best wishes

Steve

Hi Luciano

Doh! Another dropped reply. What am I on? Sorry I missed you post earlier.

Thanks very much for pointing out my mistake. Ouch, its a beginners fumble. I'll know for next time (and probably the instructions got it right, I just didn't pay attention).

My New Year's resolution - get navigation lights right. My current build is Italeri's 1/32 scale Mirage IIIC. Better get that right.

With thanks again and best wishes

Steve

Steve there's clearly some great techniques at work here. If you were to do an SBS on your weathering method I think it would be a hit.

Hi Richard

Thanks very much for looking in. That's an interesting idea. There's a desert cammo option for the Mirage I'm working on now, although I'm tempted to try the natural finish. I'll try and slow down, explain more and take more photos when I get to the painting and weathering stage. In the meantime here's a quick summary of the steps I went through:

Step 1. Basic painting of the camouflage colours, and adding the (grrrr Tamiya!!) decals. I didn't pre-shade or post shade
.
Step 2. Highlighting some panels and details in a lighter shade of each camouflage colour. This is a technique borrowed from armour modelling. It emphasises details by drawing the eye to them. The trick here is to paint the details a lot lighter than appears realistic (whatever that is). Later stages will tone down the effect. Don't worry if it looks overdone. That means its about right for now.

Step 3. Add chips to the paint. I used the sponge technique, and a small brush to make it look as if areas of metal had been exposed by crew wear, stones thrown up on landing, etc. The trick here it to keep it random, not to do too much, and to think about where real chips would occur. References help a lot too. I also added chips in dark grey simply to add some interest.

Step 4. Panel line washes using oils and enamels. I used different washes on different colours: a black/brown wash on the sand colours, a brown wash on the blue underside, and a sand wash on the brown cammo areas. At this stage I also dragged the wash paint in the direction of the airflow in some places using a brush moistened with white spirit. That creatse the look of wind/propeller blown sand or oil. Sometimes you get happy accidents and interesting affects appear. When the do I leave them, even if I'm not quite sure what they are supposed to represent.

Step 5. Filters. I applied filters selectively. I stick to specific panels or details. As with a lot of armour models, I was trying to create visual interest by varying the tones slightly. This is where you can reduce the contrast of the previously applied highlights if you think they are still too light.

Step 6. Ground pastels to accentuate and darken few areas - notably around the wing roots and behind the engines. I love pastels, and in my view they do different job from pigments, which I rarely use. I apply with a paint brush. They are like a very controllable and opaque airbrush - ideal for subtly darkening or lightening areas and blending.

Final step - a look over the whole thing, and using oils sparingly to enhance, tone down or correct areas that looked interesting or wrong.

I hope that helps a bit. If you're interested in these techniques there's lots on the internet. I learnt by spending too many hours watching Youtube, and practicing. I suspect there's also a wealth of informed views here too.

At this stage I should say that personally I like to make something that is pleasing to the eye and creates and impression of the original. I say 'creates an impression' because I'm not prone to making a kit accurate in every detail, including the colour and weathering. I want it to be a good likeness of the original, but more than that I want it to be interesting and enjoyable to look at. So I'm happy to apply some artistic license. In fact I'd say its crucial to making a model look good.

Thanks again for looking in, and for taking the time to reply. Happy New Year!

S