HI:
I have just finished a 1/144, and 1/72 scale B-29. The 1/144 is going on my airport diorama for my airliner collections. Can any body give me any tips as of how to reproduce the natural on B-29s. I would like for both spray cans, and an airbrush. I mainy use spray cans. thanks
Alclad II is the best metal finish I have used. It dries to the touch almost immediately, goes on easily, and looks spectacular. However, your prep work must be flawless. Alclad is so shiny that all imperfections will show up as if they were in chrome. But the results are worth the effort.
Testors ‘Silver’ spray paint. Not ModelMaster. Just plain Testors.I used that on a WWII B5N2 Kate and it worked nicely.
If you are wanting to use spray cans, you might try the Tamiya Silver Aerosol lacquer. I’ve heard good things about it, but it seems to take about two weeks to cure. Of course, Testor non-buffing aluminum in the spray can is widely available, but my experience with the plain silver enamel is that it never, never dries.
Why paint? Applying aluminum foil is SO much easier than trying to simulate an aluminum finish! Check out the Natural Metal Finish forum.
The standard NMF .sig: “It looks like metal because it is metal!”
Try automotive paints. I used to use automotive acrylics, aplied directly to the plastic (airbrush only). The adherence of the paint is very strong and it don’t need any primer, and you can put any masking tape over the paint - it don’t peel or mar! You can handle the kit without any fear. The fast drying time (approx. 15~30 minutes) is another good feature of this paint. And yet, if you want, you can polish the painting (just like a “real” car painting).
The “aluminun” automotive acrylics provides an absolutely real metal finish, for me it is the ultimate metal finishing for plastic models.
CAMO IT!!! Oh wait…
It don’t sound too bad; an interesting olive drab/neutral gray B-29A named “Ding-Ho” made an emergency landing in russia after a bombing mission (Pacific), and this plane was completely copied by the russians, and they made their Tupolev Tu-4…
Other interesting B-29s had their undersurfaces black (Korea), as well as the B-29 motherships (Chuck Yeager’s X-1).
Dont know if its available where you are but i have got good results from humbrol metal-cote paint. you paints it on, lets it dry, then polish till yer arm is dropping off polished aluminium is the best shade. decals go well over it. its best to laquer over it Hope this helps …Gregers