Nikola Topalov

The hardest part for me now is judging how much to cover initially knowing that weathering and subsequent coats will affect it. It's just like regular pre-shading only more difficult because if it is with black, no risk of too much of it showing through since it only gives a darker tone of the base color with no hue modulation. Still long way to go until I master this one. In reality, the red is more subtle but it's very hard to get it right with phone camera and regular room lighting conditions so you guys can see it properly. I'll keep trying to take better shots without all the fancy setup. Best, Nikola

The hardest part for me now is judging how much to cover initially knowing that weathering and subsequent coats will affect it. It's just like regular pre-shading only more difficult because if it is with black, no risk of too much of it showing through since it only gives a darker tone of the base color with no hue modulation. Still long way to go until I master this one. In reality, the red is more subtle but it's very hard to get it right with phone camera and regular room lighting conditions so you guys can see it properly. I'll keep trying to take better shots without all the fancy setup. Best, Nikola

And a few more where the effect of complementary pre-shading can be seen slightly better: Best, Nikola

The current build - Revell's 1/32 P51D. I try to keep the initial effect very subtle and then modify with post shading later. My phone camera and the dining room light bulb just can't capture the subtle differences and tonal variations that well, but they are there, trust me. Best, Nikola

Btw, brilliant model Lanmi. Amazing paint work and weathering. And in 1/72 scale... Great stuff! Best, Nikola

Complementary to blue is orange. If you are interested in this, study the colour wheel and it will all be clear. I started this thread some time ago with this topic, and it might explain better what Lanmi and I have been experimenting with, although I did not do marbling, just pre-shading: Best, Nikola

Great model with beautiful paintwork and weathering! Well done! I love the blue tones on the tan base. I like that you take artistic liberty at experimenting with colours and their effects. My approach too. Here is the link to my experiments with complementary pre/post shading covering few models: And a link to the current build where I use the same method: Colours are fun! Best, Nikola

OD finished. My phone camera and the dining room light bulb just can't capture the subtle differences and tonal variations that well, but they are there, trust me. Oh well, pics below.

Neutral Grey base over blue pre-shading on the belly finished. I try to keep the pre-shading effect very subtle initially and then modify where required with post-shading afterwards.

Beautiful model! Well done man! Paint work and weathering are top notch! Photography is also great. Best, Nikola

I agree, for some shots in a specific context definitely. I just find the absence of the shadow on the black base and background to take away the feel of a model standing firmly on something and the "gravity" aspect of it. In certain shots it looks like a sticker on a black background with no reference to the base. I might be wrong of course, but the pros also recommend off-white or gray as the choice to go with, also due to color reproduction. I am no pro of course so I go along with their advice.

Brilliant model Fuad, as usual. Well done man! The only thing I would ditch is the black background Best, Nikola

Hi gents, As I have reached the painting process on my 1/32 P51, I thought that now would be a good time to open another box. This time I chose Italeri's Hurricane Mk.1 from Malta as I find this scheme very appealing to my eye (that and this time I wanted to go with something that requires minimal masking) I will be building it OOB since it has some PE goodies included and will probably be doing it with an open engine so some additional wiring might be called for. I'll see. So, nothing much for now, just this small intro. Thank you for taking an interest. Best, Nikola

Well, here is some contradictory information for you: The painting instructions say that the checkered pattern only goes to the front end of the exhaust stack: The decal disagrees since it has a cutout to go around the stack past the front end of it: And if I see it correctly the truth is somewhere in the middle as the pattern only slightly goes past the stack front end: So, I painted the nose yellow and will either bite the bullet and paint the damn thing or cut out only the red squares of the decal and apply them to the painted yellow (this should make the decal easier to conform to the shape as well. I'll see.

Thanks for the "heads up" Russ! Appreciated! Best, Nikola