HoolioPaulio Posted June 2, 2019 Share Posted June 2, 2019 My second car build, just finished yesterday. Again I'm pretty happy with most of it, but the rubber window seals and rear lights are terrible. Unfortunately hand paint detail is my worst skill, and I guess I just need to practice that. Any tips, tricks, or practice techniques welcome on detail painting with a brush. Finished in Vallejo signal red, and I custom printed the number plates on a blank white decal sheet. Paul 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeroenS Posted June 2, 2019 Share Posted June 2, 2019 You could use a Molotow acrylic marker for the window surrounds. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schwarz-Brot Posted June 2, 2019 Share Posted June 2, 2019 What happened to the rear lights?! Masking the window surrounds is a valid option but tedious. Markers may help as they give more control than a brush. And they are available in any colour imaginable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoolioPaulio Posted June 2, 2019 Author Share Posted June 2, 2019 I'll look into those markers guys, thanks. Yeah the rear lights didn't go well. You are supposed to paint on the inside of the plastic for them, and there was nothing to outline and separate the colours from the black or each other. I now realise I should have done the black first, because from the inside they look neater with a clean black line over the top. Lesson learned hopefully. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeroenS Posted June 2, 2019 Share Posted June 2, 2019 Tamiya clear red (x-27) and clear orange (x-26) are great for painting lights. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schwarz-Brot Posted June 2, 2019 Share Posted June 2, 2019 I see. Also you should use clear paints to do that. If therse no chromed backing it helps to paint it silver or white or even use a chrome marker to make the lenses "pop" more. If it is dark in there they look like solid or just too dark. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Brown Posted June 2, 2019 Share Posted June 2, 2019 Sharpies work well as window surround. Rick. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spiny Posted June 2, 2019 Share Posted June 2, 2019 Looks good, another excellent build and I don't think you've done too bad with the window surrounds - certainly you've done better than I can manage freehand. Personally, I use the Tamiya 2mm tape to mask off around the window seals, burnishing it down with a cocktail stick to minimise paint bleeding through under the tape. As Schwarzbrot said above, it can be tedious but it doesn't take too long once you're in the swing of things and using a fine pair of tweezers. I mask all my window frames now, whether painting (rubber) or using the marker (chrome), although I appreciate that's not for everyone. If you haven't already, I would definitely suggest looking into the head-mounted magnifying glasses for detail work too - it's much easier when you can see what you're doing! Finally, I can't back up Jeroen's recommendation on Tamiya clear for tail-lights, but I would steer you away from Revell's clear red (the orange is ok) which seems a bit pinky and takes about ten layers (I'm not exaggerating!) to get a decent result. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoolioPaulio Posted June 2, 2019 Author Share Posted June 2, 2019 Thanks guys, I need to put clear red and orange on my shopping list, as I've got the bug for doing cars now. Definitely going to look into marker pens for the window surrounds. Proper masking tape will also help, tedious doesn't bother me too much. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan R Posted June 4, 2019 Share Posted June 4, 2019 Maybe it's just me, but I didn't get on with Sharpie marker pens. I reverted to the Tamiya masking tape, burnished down with a cocktail stick, then cutting with a brand-new scalpel blade, followed by painting. I can echo the clear paints for the light lenses. You can paint them on the outside with care. I agree with backing the lights with chrome (or silver if you don't have chrome). It makes the light colours pop. Cheers, Alan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmatthewbacon Posted June 4, 2019 Share Posted June 4, 2019 Markers are definitely the way to go for trim, IMHO. I've got a Staedtler Lumocolour Permanent B (Broad tip) black pen designed to write on CDs for example. Contrary to what you might think, the broad (1mm-2.5mm) chisel tip makes things much easier. Because of the chisel edge, you can "hook" the marker tip over the inner (window side) edge of the trim and stroke it along keeping the same width of line all the way. By adjusting the point where you hook it, and the angle you hold it at, you can vary the width of the line consistently and cover the whole of the raised trim section. You can also come at the window aperture from the inside or outside with the same technique, depending how much trim you need to see. If you get a Molotow chrome bullet tip marker, and carve the end to a chisel point as well, you can do the same thing in chrome. With the combination of black and chrome markers, and putting overlaid trim lines onto the window aperture, and/or the edges of the clear plastic, you can reproduce pretty much any real life combination of rubber seals and chrome or black trim... For rear lights and indicators, I use Tamiya Clear Red and Orange. If you paint both sides of the clear piece and the edges, the colours are plenty dense enough with one coat. Then use your markers to do the required outlines, "hooking" onto the edges of the clear plastic if needed. Finally, put some chrome on the back of the coloured plastic as the reflector... best, M. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoolioPaulio Posted June 4, 2019 Author Share Posted June 4, 2019 Thanks guys, my Tamiya X-26 and 27 should have arrived today with any luck when I get home. Going to see if I can coax the rear light off with my scalpel blade, then clean it up and try again. Fingers crossed. The kit was cheap off Ebay (I keep looking out for bargains coming up), and was mainly to practice, so not worried about making anything worse on this one. I just want to get better before before I buy either my Impreza '99 or Skyline R34 kit for display Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoolioPaulio Posted June 4, 2019 Author Share Posted June 4, 2019 So I easily removed the rear light lens, turns out the glue was in the wrong place where the plastic did not meet and had just barely held it in place, so every cloud and all that. Soaked it in neat Vallejo airbrush cleaner for 30 minutes, scrubbed it with a toothbrush and it came up near enough spot on... So I re-painted it, starting the the black border, 3 layers of Vallejo black, because its currently model air until I pick up the thicker model colour for brushing tomorrow. Then used the Tamiya clears, 2 coats to get them even. The picture is not as good because the original was shot on a sunny afternoon with light diffused through the kitchen blinds, but it still looks a million times better to me. And I've also tidied the window surrounds up a bit, so I'm happy now. Its still not perfect, but a damn site better Thanks for all the feedback already. Looking forward to my next build when it arrives, Tamiya 1:12 Ducati 916. Bargain off Ebay as its just missing the decals. I'll print my own number plate decal, and just leave the rest as a de-badged custom colour, probably in metallic bright green. Paul 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeroenS Posted June 5, 2019 Share Posted June 5, 2019 Nice reboot! Much better indeed. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Brown Posted June 5, 2019 Share Posted June 5, 2019 That's better! Nice to see you're quite willing to "Have a go" when it comes to rectifying a problem. As for Vallejo MA black it's about the best black you can get in my opinion. Sprays beautifully and hand paints a treat. Try Hiroboy if you need anything for the Ducati. I can recommend their Ducati red. Not sure if they have any decals for the 916 though. Rick. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schwarz-Brot Posted June 5, 2019 Share Posted June 5, 2019 (edited) I am also a fan of the Vallejo Model Air range. Thicker paint does not equal better opacity. But it usually equals more visible brushstrokes. The backlights look very convincing now. Good job! Edited June 5, 2019 by Schwarz-Brot 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex SZ1996 Posted June 5, 2019 Share Posted June 5, 2019 not bad, but sure there is a few things that could be improved. nice save on taillights, looks a lot better than first. the paint looks kind of flat, but im not sure if you wanted it to be that way. personally i like shiny paint. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoolioPaulio Posted June 5, 2019 Author Share Posted June 5, 2019 Thanks all. 1 hour ago, Alex SZ1996 said: ...the paint looks kind of flat, but im not sure if you wanted it to be that way. personally i like shiny paint. At the moment I'm a 'take it as I can' kind of guy, I've had a couple of attempts at gloss top coating already, and they didn't go so well, so I'm happier to not risk making this any worse for now. As my confidence grows further down the line I'll do some more research and have another go. For now, my model cars will have a 'matt vinyl wrap' finish, which to be honest I quite like on real cars. But when I get the stage of being able to do it better, I would prefer them to be shiny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Brown Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 It's very hard to get a perfect amount of shine, I see way too many models that are far too shiny and appear toy like. My old mini was actually quite flat rather than gloss! Modern cars are quite different though. Good effort. Rick. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now