painting model aircraft

Painting Model Aircraft - One of the things that I think really helps to emphasize the three-dimensional nature of a model (particularly the plane) is highlighting the lines of the painting that cross its surface. The lines of the painting with subtle shading applied help give visual depth to the surface of the model. Like most modeling techniques, it's easy to overdo it, which leads to distraction.

The following is a step by step guide to my style. I am in no way advocating this as the only way or even the best way to highlight the lines of a painting. I simply hope that you will find something useful for yourself through your post.

Painting Model Aircraft

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so rather than talk you to death (or sleep), I have a brief introduction to the challenges of painting lines, colors, and colors I find work best, and then straight to the pictures.

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The method I'm going to describe involves washing thin paint into the lines of the painting. As you can imagine, it takes hollow board lines to make. I've read about ways to highlight raised panel lines, but never tried them (I'd rather bring back panel lines for these old kits).

Having said that, even the newer sets that have the plate lines indented often require some preparation if you plan to wash them. In their attempt to make the panel lines on the sets very precise and appropriate to the scale of the model, the manufacturers (Hasegawa is a good example) inadvertently made it difficult for the wash to stay within the panel lines.

Why is that? This is because the panel lines are very shallow and after applying maybe some coats of paint, clear gloss (for decals) etc. the panel lines fill in!! This means that our laundry will not stay in the recess and may spoil the effect.

Preparation for washing the chalkboard actually begins long before the model is painted. In fact, in most cases it can start even before the model is compiled. This is because the right time to describe our board lines is when each part is easiest to work with (i.e. not connected to other parts).

Painting Model Airplane Stock Photos

We do this with the drawing tool and lightly draw the lines of the existing canvas while the group is still in parts. This deepens and sharpens the lines of the existing painting and makes our subsequent task of washing the painting easier. I find that you don't need to tap the hammer during this process, just the weight of the tool itself (provided it's blunt) will remove enough plastic for our purposes.

After a lot of experimentation, with many different drawing tools, I finally settled on Tamiya PLASTIC SCRIBER II (74091) to be my go-to for almost all my line scribbling tasks. The Tamiya pen is a brand new Olfa cutter, but it has a very precise cutting tip that allows it to be used on models of all scales. The wide grip allows me to control the printer with much more confidence than others I've tried that have smaller, narrow grips.

I have found that not all combinations require a prior prescription. As you become more experienced with washing, just by looking at the surface of the model, you will feel the lines of the painting that do not require prior writing. If in doubt, just apply some wash to the bare plastic and see how well the lines of the board stick to the wash. If they don't want to keep the wash at this point before painting, you can bet you'll have problems later after the clear coats and coats.

For further explanation, consider the two images below. Both are Hasegawa A-4 Skyhawk equipment. The left side was painted and had a washboard on it without marking it first. The part on the right (created after a lesson learned from the left) was painted and washed after giving the kit board lines a light preset description. The difference is obvious if you look closely at the access panels on each tail and notice that the panel lines (and rivets) on the right-hand Skyhawk are more uniform and cleaner. The washed plate on the left tail is incomplete and inconsistent.

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It is important to choose the type of paint (enamel, acrylic, water-based, ink, etc.) and color (black, brown, oil, etc.) that you use to wash your paintings. why? Well, to make our dishwashing job easier, we need a paint that spreads well when thinned, can be easily removed with a thinner when it dries, and able to retain color when applied in a very thin mixture.

As you follow the steps below, you will see that I always seal the final paint scheme on my models with an acrylic gloss clear finish. I do that for two reasons.

It is worth explaining the choice of clear acrylic gloss. I chose a clear gloss because it encourages the thin plate wash paint to flow in relief lines and allows me to remove any excess from the pattern surface. I chose clear acrylic paint because the paint I use to wash the boards myself is enamel based. With a clear acrylic, I'm not likely to have problems with the mineral solvent I use to remove excess wash from the surface of the model after it dries.

So, what color should I use exactly? Based on trial and error, I settled on Model Master Enamel - Burnt Amber (#2005). I love Burnt Umber's Dirty Oil Paint and have found that it comes off easily when dried with fairly mild solvents like White Spirit. I've tried using Humbrol wash enamel, but once it dries you almost need sandpaper to remove the excess (not a good thing). To be honest, I haven't tried acrylic wash paints because I was so happy with the result of Model Master. As a general rule, I find that acrylic paints have a rough pigment and are not as suitable for fine effects as enamels or oils.

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Update (2021): Since I first wrote this article in 2004, the modeling world has moved on. These days, typical enamel paints are no longer available and we are spoiled for choice with pre-mixed sheet wash products. These days I use Ammo PLW products regularly and recently the very excellent Tamiya Palette Shaping Colors. Besides not having to blend my own washes, everything else you see in this article is still how I highlight palette lines to this day.

Some designers use the artist's oil paints to wash the paintings. I use oil paints for final weathering (oil slicks etc.) but find that you have to apply quite a lot of layers of oil wash to get proper depth of color for the lines of the painting.

Finally, remember that you don't have to use the same color for all of your painting's washes. I often lighten or darken the Burnt Umber base color depending on the color scheme of the plane. For some models, I might use a completely different color (say the light gray of a black aircraft like the F-1117A). No matter what paint you use, the basic techniques of model preparation and washing still apply.

Using whatever color you like, complete the basic coloring of the pattern. At this point, the general painting of the model is complete. Keep in mind that the type of paint (acrylic, enamel) you choose to paint your model is not important for washing the board, because in the next step we'll be sealing it under a clear coat anyway.

Balsa Pattern Model Finishing/painting Techniques

Cover the entire surface of the model with clear acrylic glitter (such as Future, Tamiya, Gunze, Polly S, etc.). This provides a protective layer for the paint (especially needed if you're painting with enamel) as well as a glossy surface for applying the decals.

You should always apply decals to a glossy surface. When the stickers are dry (say overnight), wash off any excess adhesive with warm soapy water and apply another coat of clear gloss to the stickers to seal. This also ensures a consistent glossy finish across the entire pattern/decals and helps achieve the "painted" look.

Mix board cleaner with a mild mineral solvent (I like White Spirits). Do not use thinners, as they are very hot (aggressive) and can remove varnishes and clear coats. A rough guide to the proper mixing ratio is about 3-4 drops of paint per thimble full of thinner. If you are using a pre-mixed washboard like Tamiya or MiG Ammo PLW, just mix it well before proceeding.

Using a small brush (I usually use a size 0), apply the wash to the lines of the painting. If diluted properly, all you have to do is touch the tip of the brush to the painting line (corners are good places to look) and the liquid should flow into the lines on its own. If that happens

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