Hey guys,
I just started using an airbrush a while back and I’m decent at laying down solid color schemes. Problem is, I have a real bad itch to build a Bf.110 with one of those crazy mottled paint schemes. Does anyone have any tips for achieving this effect or any books/websites that give a good method for reproducing a nice paintjob??
Thanks
If it’s one of those tight mottles with lots of little bits (as opposed to the spaghetti lines used on other aircraft), there’s one of two methods that may work, especially if you’re used to flat paint schemes.
If the mottles have hard edges, I recommend liquid mask. Paint the color of the mottles, then appy liquid mask with a toothpick. Just take your time. Spray the other color, then peel everything off. It’ll take a while, but is generally fool-proof.
If the mottles are soft edged, this is slightly more difficult. The best thing to do is take a sheet of paper or an index card and cut it full of holes in a random mottle pattern. Somehow suspend it above the surface of the model using something like sticky tak. Spray your mottle color at a 90 degree angle throught the masks. The raised mask should allow a soft edge to appear around the edges.
Now, I haven’t tried either of these, so I can’t give any specific tips. But it’s a place to start.
Mottle looks best if done freehand, but it takes some practice to get it right. Thin your paint a little more than normal, set your compressor PSI lower than normal, around 10 psi. Spray with the AB very close to the model, about 1/4", and use short bursts for tight mottle or longer bursts for larger mottle. Practice on a scrap model or styrene sheet until you find the paint thinning/PSI settings that work best for you & your AB set-up. A good double action AB works best, but I’ve had good results even with my old Paasche H, using the #1 (small) tip. Finally, practice, practice, practice before trying it on a model you want.
Regards, Rick
Or you can go back to basics and do it by hand. Using a sponge (either a sponge alone or you can buy packs of different shapes and sizes mounted on handles [like larger versions of a make up brush/sponge thingy]). Dip it in the paint, rub some of that paint off, then slowly work in the soft edged mottle.
Rick has given you very good advice and an excelent starting point. My only critisism is he only wrote “practice” 3 times.[;)] I’m back in the hobby a couple of years now and I am STILL practicing… atthe very least just be fore i do the fuselage for real[:D].
If you are using a double action AB and have problems controlling the paint… back the needle out a tiny bit and lock it in place. you only have to worry about distance and pressure then.
I’ve got a Iwata Eclipse CS and some old scrap milk jug plastic…is that plastic a good surface to practice on???
Seeing as how that’s what’s going to be painted eventually anyway, I would think yes. [;)]
The Iwata is a great AB & should be more than capable. I’ve never tried old milk jugs, but as long as it’s not an oily surface it should work well.
Regards, Rick