opus999

I've never seen one of those before... What a neat looking aircraft! You did such a great job with it too; it really could pass for 1/72.

You should! There can't be enough F-80's!

Thanks Stew. I have plenty of scrap... I'll give it a try!

I use my wife's oil paints (shhhhh.....!) which are Winsor and Newton in a tube. She has a full range of colors, which is nice. I really have to "wing it" when choosing colors. When it comes to paint oxidation, I'll do a random placing of dots, mostly close to the paint color (that is, light brown on a brown, light green on a green, etc.) with just a few white ones. For dirt or oil I might use burnt umber or burnt sienna. The key is to not make it too dark -- it really needs to be subtle to work right. I do this on an acrylic clear coat so if I guff it up (which sometimes happens ) I can remove it with paint thinner (the mild stuff). the gloss can make it hard to see the effect, since the oil paint looks matte or flat, but holding it in the light just right will overcome that. The oil takes, maybe, 12-18 hours to totally dry, at which point it is very hard and can be difficult to get off. It stays soft for 2-3 hours which gives plenty of working time to get it to look right. I just use a soft, broad bristle brush (or sometimes my finger) to just keep working it around until it looks natural, but you need to watch out for streaks. A couple of examples where I used this technique: Spitfire Mk. IXc -- I think this was my best attempt so far. I purposely put it on a little less subtle because I wanted more of a desert sun fading/oxidation look Ji-2 -- It may be hard to see in the photos, but I used a greenish-yellow on the spine and in some places on the wing to give the paint a little tone and then some white for a little sun-fading. It is pretty subtle though. When I get to this stage of the build, I'll post some photos. Good luck!

Thanks. I haven't been brave enough to try airbrushing exhaust streaks on, but I've seen many cases where it is more realistic than just pastels. Especially when there are several colors involved, like the F6F Hellcat or the AD Skyraider. I'm currently working on a P-40 that might need the multi-color approach.

Not too much to report -- yesterday I hand brushed Alclad's Aqua Gloss on and let it cure for 6 hours while I helped with a Scout orienteering class. Last night I put all the decals on and this morning brushed more Aqua Gloss on to prepare for dot filtering. I am disappointed in the finish. The surface is quite rough in spots even after 3 coats of aqua gloss. I believe it had to do with the enamel Olive Drab. I think there was some coarse pigment or some other junk coming through the airbrush. This roughness will ruin the look from dot filtering, so I will need to be very careful to avoid those areas. So why am I doing dot filtering? Well, I've found it to be the best way (for me) to re-create paint oxidation from sun exposure and also to recreate dirt that has been smudged into paint (e.g., from walking on the wings). I'd really hoped to finish today, but I think there is still way too much to do (both on the model and around the house).

This is great! I love the subtle weathering and the not-so-subtle wear! Combined with the paint finish it makes it very realistic looking. The Frank may be my favorite Japanese fighter and this is a terrific example. Did you paint the exhaust streaks on?

Beautiful presentation of such a neat looking aircraft! Fantastic!

Thank you! I really strive for subtle. As for the wheel wells, it was a challenge for sure!

I'm currently working on the P-40M, which you've seen, and just this morning started a pair of Spitfires that I plan to start posting about tomorrow. I'll tag you when I do.

One of my first builds was painted with poster paints! We've come a long way!

Wow, thank you guys! That really means a lot to me.

Very nice job Troy! I really like the believable weathering and especially like the oil streaks on the bottom!

Very nice looking! I really like the ordnance.

Very sharp job! The paint and finish are very well done. I'm not familiar with this aircraft, so I guess I need to educate myself!