I’ve read a lot of discussion on the USS Constitution, which I have started on myself. Thought I’d ask opinions directly.
Ship hulls seem to have a glossy look, whether from paint, pitch or water, but I see that most paint them matte. I painted a portion with gloss and like the look I get, but wanted to hear other thoughts before I do the whole thing.
Is the gloss too much for the scale?
Even modern paints chalk and lose their gloss after being in the sun awhile. Vintage paints did that very quickly. Unless you want to depict a ship just after painting, a matt or semi-matt is probably more realistic.
However, ship models are a bit different that most other genres of scale models. There has always been a sizable fraction of model ship builders who model ships to create a beautiful work of art rather than an accurate replica. This is more common with those building wooden models vs plastic ones, but there is still a faction that builds plastic ships for beauty rather than authenticity. No right or wrong here, just your motivation for modeling.
I have been building ship models now for over 65 years. The battle between the two factions was there before I started and undoubtedly will continue after I am gone. Note too that for modelers building for others, the customer is often looking for room furnishing/decor, and could care less for authenticity, and the customer is always right for a business.
I prefer satin for a showy ship and flat otherwise. I also only use black on larger scales like 1/64. Otherwise I prefer a flat dark gray, currently my fav is Model master NATO Black.
Back in the day, the Polly Scales Engine Black, Grimy Black, Steam Power Black were the go-to.
Good points. I guess I am somewhere in the middle between show and authenticity. I haven’t built a model ship since I was in high school, mainly have done armor and planes. This model is the 1/96 version and was a gift about twenty years ago, and only now have dug it out, thinking I can give it the attention it deserves.
Don,
Please don’t forget that there are modelers who build wood ships for historic accuracy as well! [t$t]
Bill
Good points. I guess I am somewhere in the middle between show and authenticity. I haven’t built a model ship since I was in high school, mainly have done armor and planes. This model is the 1/96 version and was a gift about twenty years ago, and only now have dug it out, thinking I can give it the attention it deserves.
Oh, I certainly do not forget that. I am a replica guy, I paint my wood models rather than stain and varnish them. It is just that I find a higher percentage of folks building for sheer beauty in folks building wooden models. I find far fewer plastic modelers doing that. And the manufacturers of the wooden ships encourage that, as they tout the beauty of the hardwoods they furnish in the kit. I wish they wouldn’t-- I much prefer basswood for planking. I sometimes trash those brittle hardwoods that come in the kits and replace it with basswood.
I mostly build cars and it’s such a struggle toget a smooth gloss finish that I’m loathe to weather and “ruin” it even in the name of accuracy. However, I justify it by saying that at some point everything was brand new, even if just for a little while!
Ken
Hmm.
The answer I would give is this ;
When painting sailing vessels you have to decide on the moment in time you are aiming for .Just home from say , three years at sea . Definitely flat colors .Newly launched after a re-fit , Semi-Gloss .