camo order

[S5 modeller]

Hi chaps.

Going to be attempting my first camo paint job soon, and was after some advice.

The plane in question is a mk1 hawker hurricane, with dark green and brown camo and sky blue underneath.

My question is, what order should I be applying the colours?

Do I start with the sky blue underbelly, and mask the demarcation line, or just spray sky blue all over?

Would it be better to paint the topside camo first, if so would you apply the green or brown first?

Sorry for the questions, which may seem obvious, but have never tried this before.

Thanks in advance.

Matt

[Silver Fox]

I always work from lightest to darkest so my order would be Sky, Dark Earth Dark Green.

[Albeback52]

Hi Matt.

It is always easier to paint dark colours over light rather than the other way round. My approach to the same subject was to spray on ( using a rattle can as I don't own an airbrush) a good matt white undercoat. Then I brushed Sky overall and masked off the underside before applying the camouflage finish to the top surfaces - overall Dark Earth & then the Dark Green pattern.The main reason I painted Sky overall first was to give an even colour base under the Dark Earth - that's just my choice. Certainly not essential

Allan

[S5 modeller]

Thanks for the advice guys.

Will spray sky first then. Seems easier to spray sky all over, so as not to spray up to a masked line, no hard edge then.

[Giorgio N]

While it makes a lot of sense to apply the lighter colour first, there are other things to keep in mind.

First of all, what paints are you using ? Applied how ? If you're using paints with different thinners it's important to avoid the application of a paint with an aggressive thinner over a paint that may be damaged by the same thinner.

Another aspect is how easy or not it can be to mask the various areas. Sometimes it's easier to paint the two upper colours and then apply the lower. To do this however it's important that the paint used for the undersides can cover well enough.

Personally when I apply the undersides first I don't mask the upper surfaces, however I don't cover the whole model. Once the undersurfaces are masked, I apply the lighter of the two upper colours in a good coat, so that I properly cover any overspray from the lower surfaces. The darker upper colour will follow after masking the relevant areas.

[pigsty]

Another factor is whether you have a hard or a soft demarcation line. If it's soft, especially between the upper and lower parts, it's usually easier to start at the bottom and work up, as making a soft edge with the darker topside colours is easier than doing it with the underside colour. This won't be a consideration for your Hurricane. But were you to get into, say, USAF stuff from the 1960s, with a very pale grey underneath, you'd probably find it helpful.

[S5 modeller]

I purchased the paints this morning, and I will be using tamiya acrylics, so should be no compatibility problems.

Don't think I'm ready for soft demarcation lines, but might try the blue tack method for the camo though.

Will keep you updated, but need to prime the kit first.

[Jens]

I decide the order according to the pattern, not the colours. When airbrushing going dark to light is not a problem.

Jens

[S5 modeller]

Quick update.

Following all the excellent advice here I took the plunge.

Painted the fuselage blue, then masked the underside.

Next sprayed the topside flat earth.

After watching some tutorial videos on YouTube, I broke out the blu tack and laid out the camoflauge as good as I could.

Then sprayed flat green over.

After unmasking I was left with this......

There were a couple of little touch ups required where I chipped the paint unmasking, and it needs a couple of coats of klear ready for decals.

Turned out ok, and I'm pleased with the results.

Thanks to all the lovely people on here, especially for all the advice. Couldn't have done it without you.

Matt

Edited May 12, 2015 by S5 modeller

[Silver Fox]

That's top notch work with the blu tak