When you want your decals to look sun-bleached...?

[Dave A]

I'm building an Academy Tomahawk IIb in the African Aces scheme, and putting a very strongly faded look into the paintwork. The decals, of course, look factory-fresh... I've got two thoughts at the moment about toning them down:

a. A misted coat of white/very light grey paint over everything - bit concerned about this as the potential to ruin the whole plane could be quite high...

b. White pastel/Tamiya weathering stuff on the decals - which would give, I think, a more uneven 'fading'

Or, of course, both...

Any thoughts on which has worked best for you at any point, or other suggestions?

Cheers!

[Alan Kelley]

Why not try painting the markings on? You could really tone the colours down to make them look faded.

[heloman1]

Hi Dave, the sun bleach option is not currently availbe to Brit modellers. You're more likely top find them stuck to the window due to the damp conditions. Maybe pass them through a scanner or photocopier a couple of times. The dusting with white or light grey might be the best.

Colin

Edited March 9, 2014 by heloman1

[plasmahal]

Could you not apply your misty coat just to the decal sheet and then seal the decals on the sheet?

Not tried but just a thought.

[Ivor Ramsden]

I've used a pale grey mist coat successfully, using several very light passes over the completed model.

I didn't overdo the bleached effect because very few of these aircraft were in service with front-line units for any length of time.

[rmcclure]

Hi Dave,

When I was finishing a ME109 E7 Trop recently I used both of the methods you described - white/light misting and a dab of Tamiya white pastel. I think it will depend on your AB skills, though. If mine were better I think I could have got good results with just a misting but the Tamiya pastel allowed me to make up for my shortcomings.

Cheers,

Roger

[Dave A]

Thanks for all the comments guys. I'm committed to the decals and the paint-job now, which I know would possibly be a bit exaggerated for a real aircraft, but I do like to experiment... Looks like I'll be trying both methods...

[Edgar]

I tried "fading" some with an ink/typewriter rubber (remember them?) Finished up with a hole through the decal, so can't recommend it.

Edgar

[Tomjw]

Thanks for all the comments guys. I'm committed to the decals and the paint-job now, which I know would possibly be a bit exaggerated for a real aircraft, but I do like to experiment... Looks like I'll be trying both methods...

Let us know how it goes. I for one am interested in this.

Cheers,

Tom.

[Hotel Papa]

Borrow the filter technique used by the armor guys? I.e. a very thin coat of spread out oil paints.

[Deanflyer]

You could always try what I did with the decals on this dilapidated museum exhibit Starfighter:

I just applied the decals, and then lightly airbrushed over them with a thin mix of whatever colour was underneath. It took a bit of gentle masking, but I thought it gave an appropriate faded look.

Hope that helps,

Dean

[macgregor]

You could always try what I did with the decals on this dilapidated museum exhibit Starfighter:

I just applied the decals, and then lightly airbrushed over them with a thin mix of whatever colour was underneath. It took a bit of gentle masking, but I thought it gave an appropriate faded look.

Hope that helps,

Dean

Great technique Dean, weren't you worried about pulling the decals back off?

Mac

[Test Graham]

Can I suggest that you allocate an old kit as a trials mule, and experiment with a number of techniques before applying the one you find best to your latest and finest? I use an old Lindberg Vulcan, probably not as often as I should, as it has the benefit of providing a wide area so I needn't be too precise if I'm spraying.

It seems from photos that the blue fades more rapidly than the red, and much more so on the wings than on the fuselage.

[Dave A]

Well, I've had a crack at it, and I just took some pics to show you, but on the screen you can't see the faded effect at all! Bloody iPhones!

Overspraying worked quite well, done delicately, and I've added a bit of pastel on the wing roundels as well. I think an oilpaint filter over the top will set it off nicely, but that will have to wait until all the dangly bits are attached...

Here's one pic [and yes, the letters are wrong, small mishap with a decal...] It doesn't look as grainy as that in real life, I think it's picking up the flash...

[Jim Kiker]

Hi all,

One thing I have tried on occasion with good success is to apply the base paint colors, prepare for and apply the decals, seal the decals in with a clear closs coat, and then use a thin, lighter color to weather the entire finish. I grant that some paints fade worse than others, but short of applying weathering to the decals before applying them, I find that pre-fading the finish and then trying to fade the decals after they have been applied is a very tricky business.

Of course, I find the current fad of weathering (lightening up) the center of each and every panel to be artistic but not generally true to life, so your mileage may vary!

Cheers, Jim

[georgeusa]

If you are into hairy sticks you might try drybrushing either light grey or silver (I know, the silver sounds crazy, but a light coating over a dark colors tends to make them look faded.) I used it on a Goose to fade the decals and the paint job. The only thing used to do this was drybrushing with either Testor's or Humbrol metallic silver followed by a light coat of Dullcoate sealer.