First post in a long time. After having my work room filled with boxes for the better part of a year, I have finally cleaned out the room and have been able to start trying to learn how to build models again.
Before I begin, i wasn’t sure if this should be a Aircraft related post or a technique related post. I did a search and didn’t find anything…of course I may be calling this the wrong thing, but anyway…
I am currently building a Revell 1:32 F-15E kit that I have had for the better part of 6 years. My question is this. What type of base coat should I apply to this model before adding the final Dark Grey paint? Do y’all just apply a basic grey primer, or do you use a metalic base coat to simulate the raw metal that the plane is built from? Or is this one of those questions that have multiple answers and bascially comes down to your own personal preference?
I’m curious as to how y’all handle this on modern aircraft models.
Not knowing a lot about modern jets-- are they aluminum under the paint?? If so-- and you want to weather it to show it off-- then I would say still do a primer coat-- then metal-- then your gray…otherwise the metal paint won’t coat so well…
I guess I answered it-- either way-- primer first. I am using white under my yellow Texan paint-- I would say either white or gray-- depending on the shade of gray you are going for-- a white undercoat will give you a lighter coat of gray than a gray undercoat would I would think…
NOT speaking from experience, but I would think it would depend on what you want to come up with. I’d say for such a large plane you’d want a basecoat.
Again no experience, I have no idea if it makes a difference whether you have large surfaces or small when undercoating.
As far as the silver, if you intend on giving it that chipped paint look, then by all means.
Before i joined this forum, i thought primer simply meant some neutral color so that “transparent” colors will need fewer coats (i.e. yellow and white). Apparently, primer is like thinned down putty that’s been put in a rattle can. It helps because you can see where your model needs sanding, it provides the base coat for the proper colors to come through, and it helps your paint stick to the model… Also, this is not from experience because it’s only now that i’m using the stuff. [:)]
I’m surely not an expert but I don’t think I’ve ever seen natural metal peaking out from a modern fighter. (except the exhaust, etc.) I think in this time of radar absorbant paints and such even one little chip would defeat the purpose… like I said though I’m no expert.
WW2 a/c are a whole nother story ( especially naval aircraft… sea air was bad on those WW2 paints!)
