I have just finished applying the decals on my Hawker Hunter (1:72). I went off Revell kits after a few bad experiences with them. This kit proved me wrong! The under-carriage detail is superb, even better than some of my other 1:32 and 1:48 models!! The fit is very good with only a bit of putty required. The only bit I can criticise is the ejector seat which has moulded in seat belts and not even decals for them. I am going to apply a wash for the first time, which should be fun! Then I just need to finish the under-carriage and add on some other details. I am not sure if I should weather the model because I don't have much experience in weathering aircraft? Any sugestions would be appreciated.

Looks very nice, Tom!
I still have a lot of Revell kits on the shelves but I had already built some and I found that these kits become easier to build day after day belong to my modelling skill.
For weathering the model, I usually use Mig pigments but in aircraft forum, you will have many excellent modellers who could help you about weathering aircraft as Mother, Holdfast, JPTRR, Pixilater, TedMamere, and...
They will give you some tips.

Hi Tom,

Good looking Hunter--my favorite RAF "classic" jet!

My idea on weathering? First, decide what you want the bird to represent. Seems to me that NATO acft were pretty well cared for, most had hangers and shelters. They could get grimy and have paint knocked off, but that didn't seem as prevailent as wartime.

However, jets live much longer than previous planes, even as second and third-line. Eventually, they can start showing aging, fading, smearing, leak-stains, etc.

One thing about jets is they have more hydraulic systems than earlier--WWII planes generally would only show leaks and staining around POL (Petrol, Oil & Lubricant) servicing areas, and not much reason to show spills and runs out towards the outer portions of wings. Jets, they have boosted aileron/flaperon/spoilers, etc. On the DC-3/C-47s I used to fly, despite spillage, there wasn't much oil staining along the nacelles, and virtually no "weathering" on the outboard wings. Same with fuselage; though in recent Aviation Journal's B-24 issue, there is a photo of a B-24 with a big spill running down the fuselage side near the top turret.

Modern jts with long life spans and high service rates get grimy and dirty. Seems a lot dirtier than 1950s jets, though I've seen color photos of F-86s etc, that looked pretty worn.

I tend to limit my weathering to very light accentuations of panel lines, with heavier washes around where things would spill/leak. Same for smudges and exhausts. I would put a brown or red-tinted wash into the wheel wellss for fluid, but keep in mind that leaks in the wells get mechanic attention FAST! So what I recall is these stains are cleaned up so fresh ones can be detected ASAP.

My dogma is that acft should not be grossly weathered to the extent of some modeling conventional wisdom, but they should not be "airshow" clean, either.

OH, BTW, Future, mixed with water and then water color or acrylic makes a great wash. Feel free to write to ask me to elaborate, if need be.

Thanks for the great adivice Fred . I will try a few of those ideas out and post the results ASAP!

Hi Tom,

This can be useful, too:

Weathering ACFT

Hi Tom!

Your Revell looks good. I like the top camouflage pattern you did freehand I suppose...

I won't give you some advices about weathering, JPTRR already did. I think he is one of the most qualified for the title of "weathering specialist" as he has experience with real aircrafts and usually makes a lot of researches based on real pictures to weather he's models...

I noticed one thing though (someone called me "Eagle Eye" here one day and maybe I should change my callsign ). The seam line running under the fuselage is quite noticeable! The silver paint has no mercy! It reveals everything! You should use more filler and sand the seam away, rather than scratching it away with a cutter blade... as it seems you did

It's the only thing I can tell you to improve your models... as you did a great job on everything else!

Jean-Luc

You can check this link too: weathering aircrafts