Thinking ahead about painting my first NMF (2 P-51’s) and was curious how you detail panel lines. One kit is raised, the other recessed. Do you preshade (will it show through), weather with wash, preshade on the raised and remove the NMF to reveal the detail??
Couple of methods I use are:
Another is achieved when you use my polishing powders to give your model a little luster.
The above DC-3 has raise panel lines and those lines were naturally highlighted during the buffing process.
You can also use this method to give panels a highlight:
Excellent information Hawkeye, thanks.
I just use charcoal to post-shade the raised lines a bit, R-man… The recessed ones get a pin-wash of burnt sienna or dark grey… I don’t do the polished, peace-time or airshow NMFs, rather I do them as if the skins have oxidized after a few months of being “un-hangared” (which actually means just varying shades of flat silver, aluminum, and other metallics from various rattle-cans (Testor’s, Testor’s Model Master, Krylon, Tru-Color, etc), along with various gloss and flat panels as undercoats to change the texture of the finished metallic)… I just likes me dirty birds, I guess…
Yeah, I picked up some Testors NMF rattle cans from one of my LHS for just that. The Aluminum, Mag., etc. I was concerned if a preshade would even show through the NMF, have never done a preshade anyway. As far as having a nice shiney surface on a battle hardened 51, I would suspect that was only at the time of delivery. Although I think I remember reading that waxed or polished surfaces did help with aerodynamics.
On the last NMFs that I did, I used Model Masters Metallizer, Aluminum, non-buff. I sprayed the entire surface, straight from the bottle, then added a drop or two of MM Metalizer burnt iron, and went back and post shaded the panel lines, followed by a raw umber (acrylic) wash.
1/72 SB-2
1/48 Lightning, This one, I did the opposite. Sprayed the darker aluminum overall, then filled the centers of the panels with the lighter alum.
Looks awesome fermis, thanks for the reply. I am a little scared about using the NMF for the first time but… you have to start some time!
It’s just paint!
The only difference is in the prep work. Any flaws in the plastic WILL be amplified! After sanding with the finest grit sandpaper I have, I’ll use a buffing wheel in a Dremel to polish the plastic. Also, if you’re going to have other colors, such as anti-glare panel, or like a blue nose Mustang, mask off the bare plastic, then spray your color. Once that’s dry, mask off your colored areas and spray your NMF. Metalics don’t do well when you put tape on em (moreso, the problem is when you remove the tape!).
Not to be sycophantic Hans but i couldn’t agree with you more about the mirror-like finish on NMF Mustangs and such. Seems completely unrealistic for combat aircraft given that most were kept in harsh outdoor conditions. Having said that; do you mask any panels to assist in varying the shade. I too use spray cans a lot and am trying to do what you described.
I have also read where instead of masking the NMF surface (due to removal issues) you cover with damp paper pre-cut to fit the areas wishing to protect.
Depending on what NMF product you choose, masking is a concern. Not an issue for the products I produce. [whstl]
Right now i’m thinking of cutting corresponding shapes out of cardboard and using them as masks thus precluding the risk of tape on the finish. It could be a little dicey because of overspray issues but i’m going to try it anyway; experience is sometimes the best teacher!
I generally apply the texture under the NMF, rather than over it… Using gloss, semi-gloss, and flat paints under the NMF, and charcoal over it, will go a long way in changing the NMF appearance… Keeps the masking/NMF contact to a minimm… I sometimes use a little Dullcoat too… I also apply masks to ceratin panels using “Post-It!” notes sometimes too… It’s low-tack and doesn’t lift the paint…
Yah, wet newspaper work well for that… Just be sure to soak up the excess water with a paper towel after it’s applied… You don’t want any water on the surface to be painted…
As for “polishing” aircraft in operational units, it’s a general rule-of-thumb for me that “High-Time equals Low-Shine”… I recall watching an episode of Baa Baa Black Sheep with my Uncle John (a Catus Air Force P-39 pilot), back when it was on prime time, and he always said “those Marines must had a lot of ground time to keep those birds that shiny on an island with coral runways”… Truthfully, I can’t write what Uncle John has actually said about those planes in the show (and what he thought of it in general), since this is a family rag, LOL… But you can get an idea if you add about thirty more years of experience in “cranky” to my own personality… John’s been in a bad mood since 1942, I think…
Dad’s P-51 wasn’t very pretty either, even though he was England… The one photo I had of it showed that it looked way more like it was painted silver, rather than bare aluminum, so I always used those two guys as refs, lol… (John’s still with us, but Dad passed about 14 years ago) Dad said their planes (the P-51s, not the P-38s. Those were camouflage painted) got regularly cleaned by the wonderful British climate, rather than getting washed, waxed, and polished… The crew-chiefs and armorers spent all their time with the stuff under the aircraft skin, rather than on it… The only time he recalled that they were ever purposefully washed was when someone like Doolittle or Ike was gonna visit the airpatch, if was going to get painted (like when they got the Invasion Stripes), or if it was full of blood…
I also appreciate these excellent tips as I too recently picked up the Tamiya P-51D and P-47D bubbletop. These will also be my first NMF paint jobs which I’ve always hesitated doing but I feel comfortable doing a few now especially with the advice I get here from you all.
Thanks , Joe
I hadn’t thought about changing the color underneath; i have always just used gloss black. I will certainly try others in hopes of achieving the desired affect. Thanks again for the great tips!
I’ll tell you what Hawkeye, I had already bought the MM Metalizer rattle cans before I read up on your products. If they give me fits on this project, I will be contacting you because I have a B-25, P-38 and a BIG B-36 Peacemaker that all will need a NMF. So I will give your products a shot. [;)]
That’s what I did too, until someone here mentioned he used different textures under the NMF to vary the panels… Stikpusher, I wanna say, but I ain’t sure… I thought, “Makes sense, since metallizers pick up and enhance every flaw in the plastic and/or undercoat, why not do it on purpose?” and gave it a try, and was really pleased with the results…
In looking at the MM Metalizer cans, it doesn’t recommend any specific undercoat, what do you use?
Black, dark blues, and white or yellow flats and glosses, even Glosscoat and Dullcoat… Whatever Krylon or WalMart paint I got the most of, lol… Color doesn’t really matter, at least as far as I can tell… It’s the texture, and the contrast moreso than the exact color… 'Cept red… I swear the P-47 I did with flat red under it was a very light metallic pink in certain light…
Undercoats are only necessary for two reasons…if the NMF is a lacquer base and if the paint itself is translucent. As you (should) know lacquer can attack styrene, hence the need for a primer. Translucent paints need a contrasting base color because they allow the underlying color show through. One way to get tonal effects is to paint the primer or base coat using different colors…black, blue, white and gray as examples which will cause the translucent NMF to give various shades.
My products little or no translucency. They cover so the color is consistent. One nice advantage as well is you can tint them as you go. Start with a base of aluminum for example, mask off a couple areas and by adding a drop or two into the paint cup (stir) you can apply a differential tone effect to contrast the previous color.