Painting a 1/72 B-36 without going bankrupt...?

[Killingholme]

Hi all,

 

I'm completing a Monogram 1/72 B-36 and turning my thoughts to painting it. This poses a few challenges compared to my usual natural-metal finishes 

 

1) It's huge- I would need several bottles of Alclad (or equivalent) to cover the whole airframe- expensive!

2) It's huge- I'm going to hang this one from the study ceiling (yes, I know that makes me sound like I'm 12...) so the finish also has to be strong enough to withstand a bit of regular handling as it gets a periodic dusting- again, not sure delicate metal effect paints would hold up all that well.

 

What would the Britmodeller collective modelling brain recommend as a way forward?

 

cheers,

Will

[Black Knight]

Must it be Alclad?

I used a rattle can of car silver paint on this, followed by a rattle can of Humbrol acrylic matt varnish

[John Laidlaw]

Another way is to use Tamiya AS-12 Bare Metal Silver (which is probably very close to car silver paint, only more expensive ), with a dusting coat of Alclad Chrome for added shine without breaking the bank.

[Flankerman]

A rattle can of generic Halfords 'Aluminium' - with a couple of other shades from their specific car colours - Vauxhall Silver, Nissan Silver etc.

 

You could mask off and polish a few areas  for even more contrast - slap the decals on and finish off with a mist coat of Games Workshop 'Purity Seal' (Satin Varnish).

 

Worked for my 1/72 scale Tu-4 & Tu-95MS....

 

 

Ken

Edited October 7, 2017 by Flankerman

[71chally]

B-36s have two distinctive finishes, areas of painted magnesium alloy and areas of natural aluminum, the latter looks far more shiny.

I used Humbrol 56 (dull aluminum) for the dull finish and Kitkat wrappers to do the natural metal.  Despite it's size I actually found that the kit was easy to paint, using a large flat edge brush.

 

Spray can wise I would probably do what Flankeman suggests, find a dull silver, and chrome like silver to represent the different areas.

[72modeler]

If you have an auto paint supply store or an auto body shop near you, you could get them to mix up a small can of silver lacquer, using their color charts as a guide, for a shade closest to the shiny aluminum sections of a B-36- I think a pint is the smallest that some shops will prepare, although many times they have leftover paint from jobs that they would give you or charge a nominal fee. You could then mix flat black or  flat grey/white with the base color to do the magnesium/anodized sections. Auto paint would be more durable than most hobby paints. I would think. IIRC, there is a satin/brushed  silver that is used for auto trim or interior parts that might match the magnesium used on the B-36. Some auto paint suppliers can even put the desired paint into a rattle can, although that option is more pricey. (Given the size of the Monogram kit, maybe a body shop might be the best  place to get it painted- ha!)

 

Mike

[The Tomohawk Kid]

Halfords would be my suggestion, I use it a lot and have got amazing results down the years. There is a technique, I have come up with that really gives a good finish. I always warm the cans in hot water and shake vigourously, then shake vigourously and a bit more shaking. Apply light pressure to rear of the applicator nozzle (practice a bit unitil one gets a nice even mist) and use a wafting movement at about 45 degrees to the surface and start and finish each indivdual stroke off the model, allow at least an hour between each coat.

 

Thomo.

[John R]

I'm not sure if this warning applies to any of the methods suggested asbove but a chap I met in Miami many years ago had done a B-36 in many different shades of, I think, Testors Metallizer. Afterwards he coated with with Testors Metallizer sealer and all his different shades ended up the same colour.

[Giorgio N]

Contrary to other modellers, I'm not a big fan of spray cans for cars as I feel that the metal "flakes" in these are too big to represent metal on a 1/72 kit. My personal taste only, I understand that many are happy with them.

Tamiya spray cans are IMHO better, not perfect but can be ok. Personally I'd try these as a base and then represent the various panels of different alloys using vallejo air metallics. Vallejo now have a new range of metallics that is great but these aren't cheap. The standard air metallics are a good compromise though and are cheaper.

[71chally]

One handy thing with the 36 is that the two metal finishes tend to be grouped together, ie nose section and tail section, middle of the fin and major sections of the wing and tailplane are shiny natural metal.

 

This photo kind of shows this, but use more to illustrate all the different areas,

 

It was a long time ago, and it was on the original silver/grey plastic Monogram kit painted with white undersides but I genuinely don't remember using more than one tinlet of Humbrol 56 for dull bits.

[Grey Beema]

I think I would go down the rattle can route (make sure you keep them warm and spray in a warm place).  

 

Come along afterwards and highlight or lowlight panels with your airbrush after..  I nearly built a RB36 years ago and that's how I did it..

[bentwaters81tfw]

Here's one I made earlier. Halfords Nissan  silver , Peugeot silver, and for the shiny bits Plastikote Chrome Silver, form Homebase, although Halfords now do this as well. When handling the Chrome silver I wear cotton gloves, until I get a coat of Klear over it. Chrome silver will also lift if you mask over it, so make it your final coat.

http://village.photos/members/Frank-Bell/My-Photos/285976/IMGP1287

[The Tomohawk Kid]

15 hours ago, Giorgio N said:

Contrary to other modellers, I'm not a big fan of spray cans for cars as I feel that the metal "flakes" in these are too big to represent metal on a 1/72 kit.

 

This is why folks like Halfords because they don't give that effect.

 

Thomo.

[RidgeRunner]

Pardon my ignorance but the "Halfords Rattle Cans" are enamels? Are car paints not like pouring warm water on ice?

 

Martin

[The Tomohawk Kid]

5 minutes ago, RidgeRunner said:

Pardon my ignorance but the "Halfords Rattle Cans" are enamels? Are car paints not like pouring warm water on ice?

 

Martin

No, they are acrylic based. I have never had an issue with them - other brands maybe different.

 

Thomo.

[PhantomBigStu]

7 minutes ago, RidgeRunner said:

Pardon my ignorance but the "Halfords Rattle Cans" are enamels? Are car paints not like pouring warm water on ice?

 

Martin

 

Standard cans are acrylics, and go on clinic 

[RidgeRunner]

Thanks both.

 

Martin

[72modeler]

On ‎10‎/‎8‎/‎2017 at 12:13 PM, 71chally said:

One handy thing with the 36 is that the two metal finishes tend to be grouped together, ie nose section and tail section, middle of the fin and major sections of the wing and tailplane are shiny natural metal.

 

This photo kind of shows this, but use more to illustrate all the different areas,

 

It was a long time ago, and it was on the original silver/grey plastic Monogram kit painted with white undersides but I genuinely don't remember using more than one tinlet of Humbrol 56 for dull bits.

Best photo I have seen in quite a while to illustrate the metal differences on a B-36- especially the seldom-seen undersides! Thanks for sharing this one- I do have it saved!

Mike

[Giorgio N]

On 9/10/2017 at 9:04 AM, The Tomohawk Kid said:

 

This is why folks like Halfords because they don't give that effect.

 

Thomo.

 

I appreciate that Halfords cans are very good and give a nice uniform finish, contrary to other cheaper cans, however the size of whatever flake is in the can depends on what the paint is supposed to be for. These rattle cans are made to reproduce 1/1 scale car finishes, a particular effect that is not really trying to reproduce metal. While driving out yesterday I looked at every car in a silver metallic finish, including my own... all very nice, but none of these really captured the effect of metal, they are something else. Metallic modelling paints on the other hands are designed to try and reproduce metal, something that clearly some do better than others. The same applies to cans designed to replicate chrome and similar effects, these are indeed meant to replicate metal, again something that some do better than others, and I'd probably use these before those meant for touc-ups on cars.

Sure some good results can be achieved using car paint, as the models shown here demonstrate, IMHO though these cans can be great to replicate painted aluminum finishes, like 50's RAF aircrafts or Soviet built ones (where often the metal was painted over with a coat of clear mixed with aluminum paste). I can slso see them useful to replicate certain dull metallic finishes, that are often seen on several panels on NM aicrafts. For a high shine metallic finish as seen on many USAF types in the '50s though, I feel that there are better products out there

 

P.S. Back to the OP question, one cheap option is metallic foil. It's a technique that requires it's own set of skills, however can lead to some impressive results

[71chally]

10 minutes ago, Giorgio N said:

P.S. Back to the OP question, one cheap option is metallic foil. It's a technique that requires it's own set of skills, however can lead to some impressive results

Especially Kitkat wrappers!

 

 

That is a good pic @72modeler, one of the crispest I've seen for detail

Edited October 10, 2017 by 71chally

[The Tomohawk Kid]

9 hours ago, Giorgio N said:

 

I appreciate that Halfords cans are very good and give a nice uniform finish, contrary to other cheaper cans, however the size of whatever flake is in the can depends on what the paint is supposed to be for. These rattle cans are made to reproduce 1/1 scale car finishes, a particular effect that is not really trying to reproduce metal.

Without wishing to bang on did you take a peek at Bentwaters 52, finished in Halfords?

 

Have you used Halfords before? They are very different from other automotive paints.

 

Halfords don't use flakes as you call them, furthermore the paint when cured responds positively to buffing, t-cutting, Mircromesh and masking.

 

A £6.99 canister will last a lifetime too, which was what the OP was asking.

 

Lastly, the UK modeling fraternity owes a debt  of gratitude to Halfords Appliance White!

 

Thomo.

Edited October 10, 2017 by The Tomohawk Kid

[Giorgio N]

2 hours ago, The Tomohawk Kid said:

Without wishing to bang on did you take a peek at Bentwaters 52, finished in Halfords?

 

Have you used Halfords before? They are very different from other automotive paints.

 

Halfords don't use flakes as you call them, furthermore the paint when cured responds positively to buffing, t-cutting, Mircromesh and masking.

 

A £6.99 canister will last a lifetime too, which was what the OP was asking.

 

Lastly, the UK modeling fraternity owes a debt  of gratitude to Halfords Appliance White!

 

Thomo.

 

I have seen that B-52 and it's a great looking model. However the same modeller mentioned that he also used Plastikote chrome silver for the shinier parts, a type of paint that has a good reputation for achieving some interesting finishes (and an equally bad reputation for other reasons, like seemingly never drying). Halfords paints here represent areas of duller metal, something that I agree these paint can represent well (and let's not forget that many "natural metal" finished aircrafts actually had several panels painted in aluminum like finishes).

I have used Halfords paints before and while they may be different from other automotive paints, their formulation is such that at best they represent a certain automotive paint, with the same size of pigments and so on (I used the term flake in a generic manner here). This is something that Halfords paints do very well. The final result is what each car manufacturer specifies for a certain colour code (all car specific Halfords paints are matched to a manufacturer colour code), and this is what IMHO is not an ideal reproduction of natural metal, simply because this is not what the paint manufacturer want it to be.

The abovementioned Plastikote and other similar paints are a different story as the manufacturers have formulated these paints to imitate metal.

Agree that at £6.99 halfords cans are good value for money, other products like Tamiya's cans are much more expensive. It's in the end each modeller's decision with an eye to the final finish and another to the wallet

[PhantomBigStu]

16 hours ago, The Tomohawk Kid said:

Without wishing to bang on did you take a peek at Bentwaters 52, finished in Halfords?

 

Have you used Halfords before? They are very different from other automotive paints.

 

Halfords don't use flakes as you call them, furthermore the paint when cured responds positively to buffing, t-cutting, Mircromesh and masking.

 

A £6.99 canister will last a lifetime too, which was what the OP was asking.

 

Lastly, the UK modeling fraternity owes a debt  of gratitude to Halfords Appliance White!

 

Thomo.

 

I hate appliance white with a passion, not been able to get a grip with it, lost a Valiant and a Airbus 350 to it........why I terrified of touching the airfix victor in the stash 

[Killingholme]

On 08/10/2017 at 6:13 PM, 71chally said:

One handy thing with the 36 is that the two metal finishes tend to be grouped together, ie nose section and tail section, middle of the fin and major sections of the wing and tailplane are shiny natural metal.

 

This photo kind of shows this, but use more to illustrate all the different areas,

 

It was a long time ago, and it was on the original silver/grey plastic Monogram kit painted with white undersides but I genuinely don't remember using more than one tinlet of Humbrol 56 for dull bits.

 

Thanks for the tips everyone.

 

Nice photo- and it illustrates well that the fuselage skin differed between variants. The reconnaissance RB-36s had a pressurised photo compartment in bomb bay 1 (the foremost)- this was therefore skinned in 'shiny' aluminium.

 

Compare the skinning to a 'straight' B-36, you can see the difference.

 

[Colin W]

Hi

I did my B36 overall gloss black then overall  with NISSAN silver, both from rattle cans. Then used Alclad magnesium for the presurised parts and aluminum for the other parts. It gave a great finish for a reasonable price. 

 

For your other question about display,  I built a framework to hold the tail with arms to support the wings. If you Google "grb36 aircraft resource centre " then you will find my model and the support. 

 

Or try...

https://www.google.co.th/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com/Fea1/701-800/Fea771-B-36-Whitehouse/00.shtm&ved=0ahUKEwjR8_bV7JXXAhULOo8KHfSBD1EQFghXMA4&usg=AOvVaw04g_RiEu8-5V2mMmbCDK6G