| DECAL APPLICATION AND PAINT EFFECTS |
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ACHIEVING A PAINT WEAR AND CHIPPING EFFECT
Worn paint and a chipping effect is a brilliant way
to achieve a dirty, and realistic looking scale model
aircraft.
To get this effect, prime the entire model aircraft
with a grey plastic primer. Wait until this application
is dry then coat the model with Testors Flat Aluminium
or Alclad II Aluminium paint and dry overnight (recommendable
to wait 24 hours to dry). Using an acrylic paint (Tamiya
or Gunze), spray the model aircraft colour scheme and
let dry for about 1½ hour. At this point, you
should be able to hold the model and not leave fingerprints.
Take some tape, press it onto the surface of the scale
model aircraft and peel off fast. Apply this effect
wherever is necessary (e.g. wing roots, propeller blades,
cowling, etc). This should pull up some colour leaving
the silver showing through. It takes some work and if
the paint is too dry, you will need a stronger tape,
like duct tape. Coating the model aircraft with future
floor wax will cause the paints to blend, leaving a
high-quality paint chip effect.
Practice this and when you get the hang of it, you will
have superb results. Weather the rest of the kit and
enjoy the effects. |
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PAINT CHIPPING ON THE WING ROOT
On World War 2 aircraft is was quite common for the
paint between the fuselage and the wing root to be damaged
by the pilot and ground crew walking up and down to
the cockpit.
For this you can use a silver pencil that can be purchased
at any art supplies store. Using the tip of the silver
pencil start creating the chipping by applying small
dots on the wing root. Applying dots will give you better
control of the pencil and create a more realistic effect.
DO NOT DRAW on the model or it will look like it was
drawn. Enjoy the effects. |
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GETTING THE DECALS TO LOOK LIKE PART OF THE PAINT JOB
This effect is the most fun and enjoyable part of building
a nice scale model aircraft.
Decal application must be done on a glossy surface.
You may purchase some Future Floor Wax (purchased mine
at Wal-Mart) and airbrush it directly onto the painted
surface. No need to thin it, just spray it right on.
Be sure to clean your airbrush and tips very well after
use. It will look pretty messy going on (be sure to
apply a very thin coat and use a low PSI of 15-20 lbs.
on your airbrush), but it dries to a shiny, tough surface
in about an hour. The result accepts the decals very
well.
Here comes the fun part; applying decals. The next step
is to apply a setting solution (e.g. Solvaset) over
the decals while they are still moist. Once you have
allowed adhering and drying for at least 24 hours you
can wipe away the excess setting solution with a moist
cotton rag. At this point you can seal the model aircraft
with any number of flat, semi-gloss or glossy varnishes
prior to weathering. It’s the final clear coat
that seals the model and decals and makes them appear
to be part of the paint job. The most important thing
of all is that the decals must be applied to a shiny
surface. |
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