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Nikola Topalov

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Everything posted by Nikola Topalov

  1. Just WONDERFUL! Great work! Your work and Chris Wauchop's P38 are the best I've seen. Cheers, Nikola
  2. Thank you Alt! Appreciated. You are welcome. I am curious as well. I hope I don't screw it up. Cheers, Nikola
  3. You can even go further when doing a "virtual light source" method (I don't know the proper name :)) and introduce "warm" colours for pre-shading "cold" base colors in areas which will be in shade and vice versa, "cold" pre-shading for "warm" ones. This is done in painting. The complementary pre-shading method (pre-shading base color with it's complementary) came to my mind recently and it is more of an artistic than realistic approach to painting models, but I like to mix both in my work and try to be somewhere in between. We'll see how far I can develop the method. Looks promising to me anyway. Best, Nikola
  4. Hi Alt, As for my complementary pre-shading method, if you wish to take a look, here is the link to WIP, my first experiment with a Zeke (did it only on the exterior this first time): And here is the link to RFI: Thanks for looking! Best, Nikola
  5. Hi guys, Just an update on the Widow: Dark yellow primer and complementary pre-shading finished for the interior parts of the plane. I used red pre-shading for interior green base (cockpit etc) and purple for zinc chromate and aluminium (wheel wells, underside, etc...) The project is going slowly because I had to spend A LOT of time cleaning flash and seam lines from every single piece. The molds are really old. I can't imagine what's in store for me when time comes to fit the pieces together, as the wings already caused some slight issues, but we'll see. The kit is notorious for a reason, but hey, it's a skill honing challenge. Also it's a great subject so I keep on going! Anyhow, bellow are the project update photos. Again I apologize for the image quality. Thanks for looking guys. Cheers, Nikola
  6. You are very welcome Mike! We are here to share experiences, learn from each other, improve and explore the hobby together. I've learned so much from the guys here on the forum. Looking forward to seeing your "Butcher Bird". Enjoy the build! Best, Nikola
  7. Hi Mike, As far as I know, the primers are sprayed at higher pressures. I usually use pressure around 25-30psi when spraying Vallejo primers, with a couple of drops of flow improver, which I use with paints also. Makes life much easier, for Vallejo paints at least. Tamiya doesn't seem to dry at the tip that much, but I also add flow improver. Hope this helps a bit. Cheers, Nikola
  8. Thank you very much Mike! Appreciated! If you wish to take a look, below is the link to the post where I made a rough "virtual" test for the planned complementary pre-shading scheme I am planning to do on the Widow (bottom of the post): Color business is fun! Cheers, Nikola
  9. Hi Mike, First, great job for a comeback project. Nice little Zero. Well done! Glad you came back to the hobby. We all eventually gravitate back to it, haha. Few suggestions on paintwork from my humble experience since I am a recent "comebacker" too: As for pre shading, from the photos it looks to me like you did more of a black basing than pre shading, which then usually is followed by marbling technique. Pre shading should be done in certain areas only and vary in thickness as well and, how I see it, it is supposed to give color variation to the scheme. You can use white as well to highlight certain areas before base coat. Also, play with paint thickness and airbrush distance to try and get as smoothest paint cover as possible. The coat which you spray should be wet when it touches the model so it levels itself out. Granulation and orange peel happens when the already dry paint hits the plastic. You might know this already so sorry if I am preaching to the choir. Pre shading does not have to be with black either. Recently I have come up with, experimented and adopted what I call a "complementary pre-shading" method where I use complementary colours to the base color to pre shade. I even take it further by introducing warmer pre-shading colors for shadow areas when using colder base colors and vice versa. This is more of an artistic approach to modelling, but I like to balance both this and the realistic aspect of modelling. In my opinion it gives very interesting results. Also, if you are using the pre-shading technique, thin the paint even more and go with multiple thin passes rather than one heavy coat so you don't lose the pre-shading underneath. I am sure that bigger fish than me out there will give you more experienced advice. Keep playing with various effects and enjoy the hobby. Having fun is what's most important in the end! Cheers, Nikola
  10. Hi Koralik, Amazing paintwork! Beautiful model! Well done. Great photos too! Cheers, Nikola
  11. Hi Opus, Very nice and subtle color variation. This I admire a lot. It looks more realistic in my opinion. That is the whole trick I think, to judge the right moment when to stop. It's a very thin line between just right and overkill. This is the artistic and talent part of our hobby, at least for the paint work. Maybe some panel line variation could do it good, but it's great as it is anyway. Good stuff! Keep it up. Cheers, Nikola
  12. Hi Opus, Great work! I love the subtle color variation which you have mentioned. Any more would be too much in my opinion. You obviously have an eye for color finesse and know when to stop. Great subject too! I didn't know about this plane. Glad I saw your work Cheers, Nikola
  13. Hi Opus, Thank you very much for the compliments! Much appreciated. I am glad that you like my work. As for my complementary pre-shading method, I will use it again on my current build, Revell 1/48 P-61 Black Widow, "Midnight Mickey", which has OD/green for base color. If you wish to take a look, here is the link to the post in WIP thread where I did a rough "simulation" of the planned painting process: Do you have any pics of your work which you mentioned?I would very much like to see it. Thanks in advance. Cheers, Nikola
  14. Hi guys, Finally, here is the link to the RFI: Thanks for looking! Cheers, Nikola
  15. Thank you very much Opus! Appreciated! Here is the link to RFI if you wish to take a look: Best, Nikola
  16. Brilliant, just brilliant! I love it - the subject, the execution, all of it. Hats off! Best, Nikola
  17. Great work Roman! Well done, beautiful model. Best, Nikola
  18. Hi guys, Just wanted to share with you my rough "virtual test" for the complementary pre-shading method for the Widow. The colors are approximate. Here it goes: Step 1 - Dark yellow primer: Step 2 - Complementary pre-shading: Step 3 - Base color: Bellow - Regular pre-shading for comparison: Comments, opinions and criticism are more than welcome! Thanks for looking guys! Cheers, Nikola
  19. Hi Schwarz-Brot, Thank you very much! Appreciated! Very interesting and inspirational stuff! Best, NIkola
  20. Hi Bill, Thank you very much for showing your work. Great model and very inspiring! I'd be very very glad if I even get anywhere close to that. Cheers, Nikola
  21. Brilliant work! Well done! Very interesting camo scheme! Best, Nikola
  22. Hi Bill, Cool! What's the HB kit like? Have you got any pics of your build for inspiration? Cheers, Nikola
  23. Hi Ron, I was surprised myself when I opened the box and saw gray plastic since all the reviews I saw showed black. Maybe I got magically lucky and this one is not so bad in terms of fit issues which everyone talked about. What was your experience? Cheers, Nikola
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