Hi all.
Ive just decalled my Camel,and to my eye the decals,particularly the upper wing roundels, are standing out like beacons.
I know I can blend in the underside wing ones with a fine mist of heavily thined buff,,and this will match the base colour,,but what would be a good colour to use over the olive drab of the fusalage and upper wing decals?
Any ideas guys?..Perhaps a very thin mist of the base colour?
Nige

Hi Nigel:

I've often thought about the same problem. How to make the decals blend in better with the body.

Well, in my stash I have Accurate Miniatures TBM-3. While looking online for info about the kit, I came across this great online build. Check out the link below and it will show you how this modeler tackled the very same issue. I think his results were outstanding.

http://www.accurate-miniatures.com/builds/avenger/avenger005a.shtml

I hope this helps you out!

John

I saw this in Model Aircraft Monthly, June 2006, with photographs showing it really does work but only with acrylic gloss varnish (including Future/Klear). Apply Tamiya Acrylic Thinner to the area where the decal is to go. It will dissolve the varnish and turn cloudy. Apply the decal and brush over more thinners. After a while the decal will wrinkle just like with setting solutions. After the decal has dried any blotchy appearance will go after another coat of varnish. Thinking about it it makes sense as both thinners and setting solution contain alcohol.

Thanks guys.
Great replies,and that link is really good John.
Its pretty much along the lines of what I was contemplating, buts its always good to see a subject that has been tackled successfully and photographed. I think I'll give it a go.
Nige

The Avenger in John's link is great but the process is for weathering a particular set of markings, but can be adapted for others too. I would suggest that you use a highly diluted mix of you upper surface camo but lighten it a bit. Spray it in cordwise (across the width of the wing) strokes, with about a 4-5mm (possibly less for your 1/72 camel) spray pattern. Don't try and cover the whole area, but do it in bands. Also don't worry about making them even and go back over some areas more than others. Your paint should be thinned so that you don't actually see anything on the first pass. If you lighten the colour it will give a lightening effect to the upper surface. You would also need to do this over the fuselage spine and tail plain. If you want to tone down the fuselage side decals use less spray, or use a less lightened mix. If doing the fuselage sides think about the structure below the fabric and, if sprayed vertically, you can use it to highlight the structure. Having said all that I used highly thinned dark earth for this blending on my Fokker D.VII and I think it worked well, but I did over do it a little.
Mal

Hello Nigel and all;

For a Sopwith Camel it might help to remember several things.
1. The scale. Imitating scale light effect you can use lighter shades of red and blue dry brushed over the cockade / roundel colours. The white can be altered with just a small a touch of yellow. Especially if you are going to dry brush a lighter colour over the wing's base colour.
2. rotary castor oil exhaust tended to stain everything even after it was wiped away for the twentieth time. It got into cracks and crevices.
3. Some units subdued the white by painting over it entirely. Nightfighters and some RNAS units.

Model On!

Thanks guys!
All taken on board
Nige

Hi there

Reading all the replies has just confimed my sense of fun / bewilderment... why do we have so-called "scale effect paints" without decals to match?

My fall-back is a VERY thin coat of pale grey to "bleach" the topside paintwork and decals - but, I have to admit, I'm usually lazy and do without...

All the best

Rowan

Yes Rowan I agree, but blending them in yourself gives you a great sense of achievement and I suppose allows you to give a model your indentity,,if that makes any sense at all? LOL
I went for the "misting on a very thin covering of the base colour" on the Camel and its certainly done the trick nicely imho. I think after this and the recent Sea Fury build Im going to be making this technique a standard part of my builds.
Nige