Nikola Topalov Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 (edited) Hi gents, Just started my first 1/48 model and for that I chose an older, somewhat simpler Zeke by Tamiya. I am going to build it OOB with a closed canopy so not much excitement there. However, I am going to try out a new technique for pre-shading, which I borrowed from my experience in art, painting and colour theory, and which I call COMPLEMENTARY PRE-SHADING for now, I will use complementary colours of the base colour to pre-shade and see what I get for colour variation. The base colour in this case will be IJN Ash Gray, so the complementary colour for pre-shading will be in the purple range. This should give an interesting end result, but I might be completely wrong. We'll see. Wish me luck, haha. Maybe someone has done this before and if so, please share your experience before I ruin the model completely. 😀 Also, I could use some tips on weathering "Zekes" so those are more than welcome. Thanks in advance guys! Cheers, Nikola P.S. Here are some pics of the work began. Nothing much since the canopy will be closed. Thanks for looking! Edited October 31, 2019 by Nikola Topalov 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom216 Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 It'll be interesting to see how your experiment goes. And even if it doesn;t turn out as you hoped, it could always be camouflaged under a wealth of chipping and weathering! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marklo Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 Interesting experiment. wrt weathering, all I know is that the standard of finish on Japanese aircraft was very poor and it’s not unusual to see large flakes down to bare metal to the point that it might actually look overdone if modelled accurately. If you can help it find a specific reference photo and follow it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortCummins Posted October 31, 2019 Share Posted October 31, 2019 I'm interested to see how the pre-shading turns out. I've seen a few builds that have been black based and different colours used for the marble coat, these didn't make much of a difference, to my eye, but I've only seen photos and we all know its better to see something "in real life" as often subtle tones are lost to the camera and computer screen. best rgds John(shortCummins) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey-1980 Posted October 31, 2019 Share Posted October 31, 2019 dialed in for your build.....great kit as well to build. Goes together well with minimal filling needed. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nikola Topalov Posted October 31, 2019 Author Share Posted October 31, 2019 On 10/30/2019 at 4:40 PM, Thom216 said: It'll be interesting to see how your experiment goes. And even if it doesn;t turn out as you hoped, it could always be camouflaged under a wealth of chipping and weathering! Hi Thom, You are right, nothing to lose. One either wins or learns! Best, Nikola Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nikola Topalov Posted October 31, 2019 Author Share Posted October 31, 2019 On 10/30/2019 at 5:01 PM, Marklo said: Interesting experiment. wrt weathering, all I know is that the standard of finish on Japanese aircraft was very poor and it’s not unusual to see large flakes down to bare metal to the point that it might actually look overdone if modelled accurately. If you can help it find a specific reference photo and follow it. Hi Marklo, Thanks for the info. I will have to do my homework on Zekes Regards, Nikola Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nikola Topalov Posted October 31, 2019 Author Share Posted October 31, 2019 8 hours ago, shortCummins said: I'm interested to see how the pre-shading turns out. I've seen a few builds that have been black based and different colours used for the marble coat, these didn't make much of a difference, to my eye, but I've only seen photos and we all know its better to see something "in real life" as often subtle tones are lost to the camera and computer screen. best rgds John(shortCummins) Hi John, You are absolutely right, colour business is very tricky and hard to represent truely. We'll see how it turns out. I will try to make the best photos my limited skill and knowledge can do. Best, Nikola 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nikola Topalov Posted October 31, 2019 Author Share Posted October 31, 2019 1 hour ago, Mikey-1980 said: dialed in for your build.....great kit as well to build. Goes together well with minimal filling needed. Hi Mikey, Good to hear that about the kit, haha. Regards, Nikola 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nikola Topalov Posted November 7, 2019 Author Share Posted November 7, 2019 Hi gents, Just an update on the Zeke and the complementary pre-shading experiment. Since the pre-shading is in purple, I primed the model in dark yellow, this being complementary to the purple hoping to add more colour interplay. The next step will be the moment of truth, the base colour IJN Ash Gray. Will update when done. Thanks for looking! Best, Nikola 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Boak Posted November 7, 2019 Share Posted November 7, 2019 Is it worth adding that the Zero wasn't in ash grey, although examples left out in the Pacific sun certainly went that way? You are looking for a somewhat yellower/pale brownish colour - check Nick Millman's Guideline book on the A6M2 (well worth buying), his Japanese aircraft blog, or Colourcoats newer paint. I think some of the Japanese companies have changed to more accurate representations but I don't know which. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troy Smith Posted November 7, 2019 Share Posted November 7, 2019 13 minutes ago, Graham Boak said: I think some of the Japanese companies have changed to more accurate representations but I don't know which. Tamiya XF-76 was rated by Nick as decent match for the colour when lightly weathered. Tamiya made it to go with their 32nd Zero IIRC. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Boak Posted November 7, 2019 Share Posted November 7, 2019 He also suggested RAF Hemp, but I seem to have slightly different shades in different company's tins. It was one of those colours that look differently in different lighting conditions: something like milky coffee is the best "vague guide" I can come up with. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nikola Topalov Posted November 7, 2019 Author Share Posted November 7, 2019 Thanks very much for the advice guys! Will look into that. Much appreciated. Best, Nikola Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigglesof266 Posted November 7, 2019 Share Posted November 7, 2019 1 hour ago, Troy Smith said: Tamiya XF-76 was rated by Nick as decent match for the colour when lightly weathered. Tamiya made it to go with their 32nd Zero IIRC. Thanks for confirming that Troy. I'm an aficionado of IJN and IJA WWII types, and have numerous Zero model types representing different phases of the war. Looking for reasonable suspension of disbelief representation vs irrefutable colour match accuracy to the nth of a percent, that's what I use as a matter of convenience OOTB(ottle) for early carrier based Zeros. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billn53 Posted November 8, 2019 Share Posted November 8, 2019 Impatient to see how the complementary preshading works out. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marklo Posted November 8, 2019 Share Posted November 8, 2019 (edited) Same here, the priming and preshading makes a whole lot of sense but still very eager to see what the topcoat will look like. Edited November 8, 2019 by Marklo 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles87 Posted November 8, 2019 Share Posted November 8, 2019 Me too. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil5208 Posted November 8, 2019 Share Posted November 8, 2019 Intresting, have you done a test to see the effect of the purple under the ash grey. I've done similiar with dark blue under RLM Sky Blue but not tried a disimilair match like this. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nikola Topalov Posted November 8, 2019 Author Share Posted November 8, 2019 9 hours ago, billn53 said: Impatient to see how the complementary preshading works out. Me too! I hope I don't mess it up, haha. Will do my best. Cheers, Nikola Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nikola Topalov Posted November 8, 2019 Author Share Posted November 8, 2019 (edited) 4 hours ago, neil5208 said: Intresting, have you done a test to see the effect of the purple under the ash grey. I've done similiar with dark blue under RLM Sky Blue but not tried a disimilair match like this. Hi Neil, No, I haven't made a test sample. The model is my guinnea pig for this one. As for the colors, the idea was to try out complementary color combination and see what I get. As I said in the opening post, I borrowed this from my experience with painting and color theory. This is more of an artistic than realistic approach, but I would like to try and balance both in my models as much as I can, hence the experiment. We'll see how it turns out. Maybe it is a complete miss. I will also try red pre-shading under a green scheme one one of my next builds. Best, Nikola Edited November 8, 2019 by Nikola Topalov 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nikola Topalov Posted November 8, 2019 Author Share Posted November 8, 2019 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. Will try that as well one day. Best, Nikola Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nikola Topalov Posted November 9, 2019 Author Share Posted November 9, 2019 OK gents, Here she is, after a number of thin passes of base color. The colors are much better in reality, but you all know that excuse, haha... We will have to wait for proper photos in the end. I might have missed the exact color of the Zeke, but that is OK because it wasn't my primary intent on this one. I like it so far. Looks promising. You be the judges. Cheers, Nikola 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billn53 Posted November 9, 2019 Share Posted November 9, 2019 Lovely! I’m going to have to try this sometime. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marklo Posted November 9, 2019 Share Posted November 9, 2019 Looks good to me. Would seem to be much more in line with the discussion of the colours earlier In the thread. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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