Wash colour

[kitman]

Hi - I wonder if anyone can give advise as to what colour washes you would recommend for a model that i will soon be in the painting stage. I want anyones opinion about the wash colours that suit the green and grey camouflages of WW2 british aircraft. Also what you think suits other camo schemes for german aircraft of the same era. Thanks in advance

[pigsty]

Colour choice for washes is a bit like colour choice for undercoat when you're decorating.  You don't need to worry about an exact shade, you just have to use something that's in the right area.  You also need to consider what effect you're after.  Something that makes panel lines stand out may be different from something that makes your subject look much more weathered.

 

Many people who use washes for accentuating panel lines use basically the same colour for any surface, on the grounds that the grime in the lines is the same stuff regardless, and the translucent nature of the wash allows the underlying colour to show through and make them all slightly different.  And it usually looks excellent, so long as the wash isn't overdone, which is less about colour and more about strength.  (Although I'd never use black.)

 

For grey/green aircraft, which is broadly what both your subjects are, dark grey is probably about right.  Add a bit of brown to it and you can pick up a hint of oil in the grime.  An entirely green surface would better suit a shade with more brown in it, as would a sand or brown surface.  Your best bet is to experiment on a mule of some sort with different colours and dilutions.  That will also help you work out how best to apply it to your satisfaction.  And for experimenting, you can do a lot worse than cheap watercolours.  In fact, I find they're fine for the actual model too.  Much better value than the pre-mixed washes you can buy.