Here is my Hasegawa 1:48 Ki-43I Hayabusa for the Japanese Aircraft GB. It only took me three weeks of actual building (oob) where normally it has been taking me 3 months per kit! I haven’t built many kits but this one is by far the most exquisit and well engineered kit I have completed. If you want a good build of a Japanese aircraft, I strongly suggest giving this one a try.
I tried a different technique of weathering, using tape to peel off the paint chips (thanks Chris_in_ Japan) and I think it turned out rather well. I also added a bit of light grey in my final dullcoat to tone down and dull the colours to make it look a little faded. Please let me know what you think!
I have done it up in the markings of the 18 victory JAAF ace, Maj. Tateo Kato (kit decals). It is the kit with the motor in it but I don’t have a battery yet so couldn’t take pics with the prop spinning.
Nice job on the weathering Jay, I always like trying new technique’s. I cant really tell by the pics, but the underside of your bird does not look as weather as the top.
I wasn’t really sure how to weather the underside. It is supposed be NMF, how does bare metal weather? I’m not too sure on that one but it won’t be sitting upside down on my shelf so I’m not that worried. Good question though as I thought about it after I flipped it over.[:)]
Im no expert by any means[B)] but when Im doing a bird in NMF I use alclad and it comes in different colors of NMF.After I let that dry I follow it up with a little wash. Come to think of it the only time I see the bottom of my builds is when they get a dusting.[;)]
Always keep in mind that the underside of the aircraft, protected from the sun and the feet of mechanics and pilots walking on it, will never be as weathered as the top. In fact, the most you’ll get on the underside is maybe a little fading with age, but mostly stains from oil and hydraulic fluid. Also, check out where the exhaust exits, because on some IJN planes, or other nations’ planes depending on the engines, such as the SBD Dauntless, the exhaust comes out of two pipes near the bottom on either side, so you may have some exhaust staining along the forward bottom of the fuselage.
But, as pointed out above, your “chip” weathering, caused by hard use and lots of boots scuffing the metal in rough, outdoor maintenance conditions, is outstandingly realistic and I take my hat off to you. But as for the underside of your model, it looks just as it should look IMHO.
Very nicely done Jay. I haven’t tried the Hasegawa 1/48 Oscar yet, having built a few of the Fine Molds & Nichimo kits, but you have made me think about doing one.
Beautiful work on the Oscar. The weathering is exquisite and very realistic. As Tom said, the underside would only show oil stains, gun powder stains and maybe some mud splashed up from the wheels. I thought that the Oscar series used three bladed props. Did the early ones use two blades?
Yes the very first series (I) used the dual blades, from the II on they had three. I found numerous pics from late 1941 and early '42 that shows the I’s. Some even show a mix of series.
Jay… only 3 words for you. FAB - U - LOUS. Really nice work. Did I miss a thread here somewhere? What was the technique you thanked Chris_in_Japan for? Inquiring minds want to know!
I’m with wingnut…how you do dat? I have used Swany’s version using salt witch turned out very nice but any further info can always help. Very, very nice job.
Beautifully done Jay. Do share the tape technique with us all!!! I heard a comment on this forum before that suggested the roundels (I can’t spell roundel in Japanese) were always kept frehsly painted. I’m certainly no expert, anyone else know anything about this?
You have really done the twin blade justice!.. The weathering is just about right for this bird… If you are worried about the underside, then yes, you need to age it with chip marks, gun smoke, exhaust, oil ect… I’d take a dark grade pencil, and on the areas you want to do, then softly rub the pencil on that area… I would then use my finger to smudg it into the desired smudg or spill that you need… A little practice and you will get it… If you are able, you can use colored pencils for different effects ect. It takes practice, but you will get it… Then give it a light spray with a dull coat to seal the smudge from smudging off!..
The underside does actually see alot of wear and tear, and paint fades with the sea/salt air. And with the Japanese lack of primer, you can guarantee that the under bellies looked just as rough!
For the weathering technique that has been mentioned, it is the one using clear masking tape… To break it down, I spray my model alaminium for the base coat… After it is completely dry and resistant, I then used a quick drying flat coat of IJN green and spray it evenly on the alaminium… Depending on the quickness of the paint drying, I usually let it dry a little (2-5 mins) and then carefully place the masking tape over the areas I want to weather. I then rub it evenly to cover the area, and when happy, pull the tape up… It should then leave the effect of weathered and faded paint while leaving the alaminium to show from underneath…Takes practice, but a great technique none the less…
Very nice build, Jay! The paint chipping looks very realistic, and your method of fading the paint using the grey in the dullcoat turned out quite nicely.
Thanks for the comments, Chris_in_japan, Marc, Tug_cap, Tigerman, wooverstone, Dave and Mark Joyce. I went for the inbetween weathered look, well weathered but not extreme. Thanks for speaking up Chris, I was hoping you’d see it (hence my thank you in the original post)
Chris, thanks again for the technique tip, after I saw and read your method, I really wanted to try it but instead of waiting for a few minutes for it to dry I waited until the next day. I think it turned out pretty good. I also used silver enamal as the base/primer. I’m still afraid to try alclad. I 'm glad you like it, it looks really nice sitting next to my almost pristine A6M2b Zero from Pearl Harbour. A good contrast.
BTW, I finally got a battery for the motor and when the power is on it looks so cool! I felt like a little kid again! I might have to take some pics of it with the prop spinning.[:D]
Well Done, jboutin. One rarely sees a nice job done on heavy weathering, but you pulled it off just fine. Maybe a little bit of a “dirtier” wash on the underside to complinet to heavy wear on the top side would be a nice addition, but either way you have to be proud of the build. Very nice.
