I've been looking at this to long. So long, in fact, that I can't even see the results clearly. I'm looking for opinions on this weathering. The project is about done and I decided to do the weathering much more extensively then I usually care to do. But now I've been lookin at it so long I can't decide if it's about right or if it's horrid. Let me know what you think and please be honest. Future weathering may depend on it!





In this next pic you can see I had a terrible time with the yellow surround insignia. They wrinkled and would not come out. I sliced and sliced and reapplied Solvaset three times to no avail. I tried to "weather" the wrinkles into the plane but I believe I failed miserably. Any hints on how to combat wrinkled decals? This happened on both sides of the fuselage.













Thanks for looking and offering advice.

HKShooter:

I know what you mean about overanalyzing your own work. I think we are all guilty of that.

In my opinion, you did a fine job overall. I think the preshading turned out really nice and subtle. That alone can be a nightmare for some people.

If I were to change anything, it would be the paint chipping. Some of the splotches look good, but others look too large and resemble brush strokes rather than worn paint. I'm not sure what brush you used, but perhaps you could use a smaller brush and gently stipple on the chips letting them overlap into larger patterns rather than making one large pattern in a single stroke. Also, the color of paint you use for the chips can greatly affect the outcome. Some areas may have a sheen to them where the metal is exposed, but other areas might look less shiney and more dull. Using different metallics can heighten the effect.

I'm sorry to say I have to agree with you on the decals on the side of the fuselage. They are probably the least convincing part of the model. They look like torn decals and not worn paint. What I do to combat wrinkling is too first make sure you have a smooth finish on which to apply the decals ( I use future floor wax as a base before decaling). After I apply the decals, I give it a nice coat of micro-sol, let it soak in for a few seconds, and then wick away the excess by lightly touching the edge with a dry brush. I then gently stroke the decal from the center outward in each direction to ensure that I remove any airbubbles. Now, you may know this already, but decals will wrinkle with micro-sol. That's supposed to happen...it's temporary. I know when I first saw this happen I kept trying to work the wrinkles out and ended up ruining the decal. It wasn't until a friend let me know they would go away on their own that I learned this lesson. After the decal sits for a couple minutes, I'll gently apply straight pressure to the decal with a piece of foam sponge making sure not to pull it in any direction and risk tearing it. This helps settle it down into the panel lines.

I hope I haven't told you anything you already know. If you are doing similar steps and this is still happening, then I hope someone else here might have an answer for you.

Please don't think that I'm saying your model is a wreck. It looks like a very clean build and your paint job is really nice. Just those couple of minor fixes would bring it up a notch in my opinon.

Thanks for sharing your work with us, and good luck with your next decaling session!

John

Hi HKShooter:

I generally agree with John, but I think that the preshading is more visible in the wings that in the fuselage and cowling. In the wings it looks great.
Once I suffered the same accident with the decals. What I did was to pull them off with scotch tape, sand smooth the surface without ruining the paint job, apply Future and place new decals. That worked for me in that opportunity but I must say that it´s risky.

Good job

Thanks for the tips, guys!
I retouched the decals with a brush and like them much better. Once I flat coat it again to even out the touch ups I'll post a couple of new pics for your input.

Here are the decals retouched. The starboard side looks kinda rough but it's time to call it good enough and move on for me. There is still a huge wrinkle in that side. The post side looks much better.

HKShooter:

You've made a markedly notable improvment by touching up the decals. You did about as best as anyone could with the problem you faced. Congratulations on pulling this one off.

Good luck on your next endeavors!

John