Luke1199 Posted June 21, 2023 Posted June 21, 2023 So the Go Large or Go Home groupbuild is currently ongoing and I have a 1/32 Bf109K-4 and a 1/24 Fw190D-9 in progress, but I quickly realised I've never built any second world war German aircraft (aside from an Avia S-199) and never actually tried a mottled camouflage scheme. Now I don't fancy my first attempt to be on one of those big kits in case I make a right mess of it so I got myself the 1/48 Hobbyboss easy-assembly Bf109G-6 and Bf109F-4 to practice on first. I've built a few of these hobbyboss easy assembly kits and they always go together in no time, perfect for me since the paintwork is my focus. I have the Vallejo late-war Luftwaffe set already which I know sprays lovely and my dad has about 40 years more experience than me so I'm sure he can give me a few pointers 😅 I'm on a bit of a Luftwaffe kick at the minute too so I'll likely add a few more 1/48 kits to the collection and maybe get them built up in here. Thanks for looking in! 8
Gordon J Posted June 21, 2023 Posted June 21, 2023 Never tried a Luftwaffe mottling either so I shall watch this with interest. 1
Clio182 Posted June 21, 2023 Posted June 21, 2023 Also keen to see how these turn out. Both the quick build kits and the paint-jobs. Best of luck with them. 1 1
amos brierley Posted June 21, 2023 Posted June 21, 2023 Hello @Luke1199. Here’s a few thoughts about mottling : . I always spray at high pressure, 30-34psi, I want the paint to come out in a very precise manner. . I always spray areas 1/16” ie, the thickness of a pencil line, this results in a slow process, but spray patterns results are tight. No open needle and definitely no blasting. . Thinning the paint has to be done well, it has to like green top milk, thin just right. Go too far and thin to red top and at any pressure you’ll blow the paint into run’s. Don’t thin enough and the paint will splatter. . Keep the airbrush moving, you don’t want to create stop blotches. . If you’re not doing the keep it moving technique the try the on off technique - trying to achieve little dots off colour and hopefully building up a bigger dot or mottle. . As always blow the paint inwards into the dot, by moving the airbrush at all angles the spray pattern will just expand, great if you want larger very soft patterns, not great if you want the tight tighter dot’s. Hope this helps. 😉 2 4
Luke1199 Posted June 21, 2023 Author Posted June 21, 2023 My current airbrush is quite basic but I'm planning on getting something a little more versatile in the very near future, I'm not expecting anything stellar from my current airbrush but ultimately I think I can get much better results than a paintbrush. Thanks for the tips @amos brierley, they'll definitely come in handy here! 1
Jordan Giddins Posted June 21, 2023 Posted June 21, 2023 I would suggest practising to get the right balance of paint thickness, air pressure and spray distance. You can always go back with the underlying colour to tidy up any overspray. If you're thinking of upgrading your airbrush a built in Mac valve is very helpful to adjust the air pressure as you're spraying. A thin mix and in nice and close should give the best results. 1 1
Luke1199 Posted June 23, 2023 Author Posted June 23, 2023 The G-6 went together fairly quickly but the cowling section is incredibly awkward and took a lot of sanding. The F-4 also arrived and now I know how to tackle the cowling it should be much easier to put together. Few small bits to add before I start spraying. Going to mask off the canopy and apply it now, never usually do it but since the whole thing is going to be sprayed it saves me painting it with a brush down the line. Have to say if I was buying a kit for a newbie I'd get them the P-51 or F8F over this kit any day! This one has been fighting me at times. Hopefully get spraying tomorrow- looking forward to it. Dare I say I'm excited? 5
Luke1199 Posted June 25, 2023 Author Posted June 25, 2023 Good progress today, the bulk of the paintwork is done. Need to do a few small touchups and sort out the right wing as I messed up the camouflage pattern a little. The camouflage on the wings also needs extending over the wing root but overall very happy with how this is going and a very happy with the Vallejo acrylics. But now its on to the mottling.... Thanks for looking in! 8
Jordan Giddins Posted June 25, 2023 Posted June 25, 2023 Paintwork looks great, best of luck with the mottling. 1
Luke1199 Posted June 27, 2023 Author Posted June 27, 2023 Well I finally bit the bullet and mottled it! I'd be lying if I said I wasnt terrified that I'd be too heavy-handed and just blast half the fuselage grey at some point but its done and with the tools at hand I'm pretty happy. It's quite a mottle heavy scheme and maybe a few mottles are OTT but once its washed and weathered it should balance the whole thing out. Got the F-2 to start as well and I'm tempted by the Hobbyboss Me262 or one of their Dora's, the more practice the better before I give it a go on the big kits! Thanks for looking in! 16
Jordan Giddins Posted June 27, 2023 Posted June 27, 2023 The mottling looks great Luke, nicely done. 1
Luke1199 Posted July 11, 2023 Author Posted July 11, 2023 Hi all, small update- painted the yellow parts on the Messerschmitt (worst colour to paint on models?) and now its glossed awaiting its decals. Hopefully wrap this one up by the end of the week. Got another kit too, the Hobbyboss Fw190D-13 in 1/48. Looks like most Hobbyboss 1/48 kits, relatively straightforward. The pull here was the scheme- looks like a nice challenge! Going to give myself a kick in the backside too and get the big Dora together. Thanks for looking in! 3
Winded Penguin Posted July 12, 2023 Posted July 12, 2023 Great work on the mottling👍 The Dora scheme looks nice too, and no yellow to paint on that scheme, unless you intend paint masking the insignia 😉 1 1
Luke1199 Posted July 12, 2023 Author Posted July 12, 2023 About to apply the decals, tried a sludge wash for the first time and I'm really pleased with how it turned out- seaped into the rivetting nicely! Decals shouldn't take long, the nice thing about props is they aren't covered head to toe in stencils! I'll take this over an F-4s stencils anyday! 6
Luke1199 Posted July 19, 2023 Author Posted July 19, 2023 Hi all, completed the Hobbyboss G-6 last weekend. I'm over the moon with how it turned out, probably my favourite build I've done! I have the Hobbyboss Bf109F-4 and Fw190D-13 ready to build and picked up this as well... I may have went a little mad and picked up the G-6 and E-7 boxings too 😅. Looking forward to the Eduard kit though some fantastic options, plenty mottling to be had. Leaning toward the Italian scheme, may need tips on painting the leading edge pattern though? Thanks for looking in! 8
georgeusa Posted July 19, 2023 Posted July 19, 2023 This is a truly good start to mottling, way better than my first attempt. (Don't ask.) With more practice, your technique will be even more developed and honed. Congrats. Thanks for sharing. 1
Werdna Posted July 19, 2023 Posted July 19, 2023 4 hours ago, Luke1199 said: may need tips on painting the leading edge pattern though? curly-edge craft scissors... 1 1
Winded Penguin Posted July 20, 2023 Posted July 20, 2023 Great work, no wonder you're pleased 👍 Another nice scheme for the Italian one. You probably already know the RLM76 on that one looks to be what AK paints would call the version 2 late war version ? 1
Luke1199 Posted July 20, 2023 Author Posted July 20, 2023 4 hours ago, Winded Penguin said: You probably already know the RLM76 on that one looks to be what AK paints would call the version 2 late war version ? I already have a bottle of vallejo on the way 😉 1
Mike Posted July 20, 2023 Posted July 20, 2023 Nailed it. It’s not as hard as some people think. I remember my first mottle job, being quite anxious about screwing it up, but it went ok in the end. All you need is a decent airbrush that is scrupulously clean, well-thinned paint and a little patience, plus some index finger control 1
Werdna Posted July 20, 2023 Posted July 20, 2023 20 minutes ago, Mike said: All you need is a decent airbrush that is scrupulously clean, well-thinned paint and a little patience, plus some index finger control ...plus the knowledge that if it doesn't go well, you can always just rub it back, overspray the base colour and go again.. Talking of which - I often overspray some of the base colour on top of the mottling, which helps blend it in nicely and feather some of the darker patches... 2 1
Luke1199 Posted July 20, 2023 Author Posted July 20, 2023 2 hours ago, Werdna said: Talking of which - I often overspray some of the base colour on top of the mottling, which helps blend it in nicely and feather some of the darker patches... I had noticed looking at various other builds and real photographs that the mottling looked sort of cloudy and faded, I'll have to give this a try- thanks!
Werdna Posted July 20, 2023 Posted July 20, 2023 1 hour ago, Luke1199 said: I had noticed looking at various other builds and real photographs that the mottling looked sort of cloudy and faded, I'll have to give this a try- thanks! Overspraying it works well. I used it to (I hope) good effect on the He219 I built last year, in order to feather the transition between the two top-side colours.. Not strictly mottling as such, but the overall effect is similar.. https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235109739-heinkel-he-219-uhu/ 1 1
Luke1199 Posted July 22, 2023 Author Posted July 22, 2023 Hi all, few more arrivals- think I've got a little mottling mad but if I've learned one thing from this hobby its that you've got to make the most of it when you're really inspired to build! So picked up the Eduard G-6 Profipack and E-7 Weekend kits, some great schemes in both Began work on the G-10 but nothing noteworthy yet, just interior and wing assembly- but I have started on the big Dora which kick started this whole project. And just to give an insight into how large a 1/24 Dora is here's the wings compared these 1/48 Bf109s I'm practicing on... And since these builds are to prepare me for that kit here's the scheme for the Dora, I love the patchwork look it has though it did lead me on a trip down the RLM76a/RLM84 rabbit hole 😅. Hopefully have an update on the G-10 soon. Looking forward to getting some more painting done! Thanks for looking in! 3
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