Hopefully this is simple. I am building the Tamiya ME109. The paint or camo scheme is the light blue undersurface, a dark grey and light grey mixed in a camo pattern on th wing (upper surface). The wing surface is the typical camo pattern. The side of the fuselage is actually the blue from the undersurface and splotches of the greys used on the wings. My question is, I would think you would first paint the light color and come back with the dark. Is that the way to do it? Seems to me if you try to cover a dark base with light it is a problem. Hope I am not too confused. The top of the plane, looking down on the fuselage is the samepattern as the upper portion of the wings. Anyone done this and helpo me with the correct sequence.
Hi,
Had a similar problem with a 190. Try this, spray the fuselage the same colour as the underside. Then spray the lighter camo colour on the wings & upper fuselage. Then mask off the splinter pattern for the last darker colour. this should leave just the mottle pattern which should be done free hand, over the underside colour on the fuselage if you see what i mean. Have a practice first, as the mottling will make or break the whole finish.
Sav
What is the best way to hand do the mottle? Sponge?
never tried sponge. you can use a brush. don’t know how much overspray would be visible in scale. if you have an airbrush, you can freehand it. or with an airbrush or spray can, cut some shapes in paper or card stock, hold it close to the fuselage and spray through it. practice on some scrap. see what works best.
An old tip on mottling with a brush - is to cut 2/3 of the brisles off the brush and then stiple (with presumably a fairly dry brush), like Wayne says, try first on a test piece first…let us know which method you use…
The real aircraft were mottled with a spray gun, so airbrush is the best way to replicate it on a model.
I’ve seen factory photos of 109s on the assembly line, and they seem to be painted with the RLM76 blue underside color all over, as a primer, first. Then the topside colors are applied next. That’s also the way i paint my 109 models.
I did a 109 recently and i didnt do the spotted patter on the sides…but for the splinter pattern its probably best to do the lighter color first…this way you wont have the darker color showin through if you did it the other way around…but i didnt use a blue color in the underside…actually i used more of a flat light grey color and it looks good and is really smooth to the touch…and i did a olive drab lookin color and dark green on the top…
Just finished this masterpiece. It is on the shelf. The mottle on the side actually came out great. I simply took an old brush, trimmed it a bit so it would be even, dipped it in the paint and wiped it off as if I were drybrushing. I then just splotched it on the isdes in no ordered pattern. Gorgeous. The only problem with this plane was the top paint job did not feather into the fuselage side. I masked it and it is too too straight. But, with time, I will not notice and it looks good.
I do have a final question. How do you mount the shield or whatever it is inside the cockpit? Is it mounted to the piece of canopy or to the fuselage? I have left it off at the moment.
Hello
Incidentally, Airwaves makes a PE mottle mask in 1/32, 1/48 and 1/72 (that is, three different items) and Eduard makes at least another one in 1/48. Unfortunately I’ve not tried them.
the “shield” that you refer to is armour plate to protect the pilot - there are two tabs on it that fit into two corresponding notches in the the canopy