Got to thinking the other night about how to do mottled camoflage on fuselage of WW2 Luftwaffe fighters (Bf109s, Fw190s, to name a couple). Can it be done using a single action airbrush or is it better with a dual action airbrush? Below is what I’m talking about:
Several types of small area camouflage are much easier done with a DA brush. While some camouflage can be done with a SA brush, the small area ones really do benefit from a DA. I do 90% of my airbrushing with a SA brush, but do have a DA brush that I use just for camouflage.
The reason I use the SA ordinarily is that it is much easier to clean than the DA brush. I have both brushes online with a t-fitting on my compressor output, so no unhooking and re-hooking, just grab the brush I want and turn on the compressor.
Easier with a dual-action, but certainly do-able with a single-action. Just need to thin the paint sufficiently and, as I recall from my single-action-only days with a Badger 200, tweak the needle setting fairly frequently. (A fine spray tip helps as well, if you have one.)
You could also go the masking route and make a template by cutting or punching random holes in a piece of cardstock or stiff paper, and using that to spray your pattern. That gives you a little more control up front as to how large you want your patches to be, and their spacing.
Hmmm… Looks like I’ve got a little bit of testing and trying out to do using a single action airbrush. I am definitely looking into getting a DA version down the road though.
I do like the template idea as well. I’m guessing you hold the template away from the kit when airbrushing?
You can also do mottling with a mask. I used a 3x5 note card poked some rough holes in it and used it to do mottling on the side of a 109.
Correct. I use little rolls of low-tack masking tape, or blobs of Silly Putty.
I have done my Luftwaffe mottles freehand, using single action airbrushes, both internal and external mix types. It’s all a question of practice, practice, and more practice. A good excuse to build more Luftwaffe subjects. The basic trick is your paint/thinner mix ratio and dialing down your air pressure.
[dto:] Ideally you have a “paint mule” to try this stuff out on, or at least a big scrap of cardboard, so you can get a feel for the thinning of your paint, pressure, distance from the surface etc. But it can be done with a single-action for sure.
1/48 scale Bf109, freehanded with single-action…
1/72 scale Fiat CR.42, freehand single-action:
1/48 He162, single action through cardboard masks…
I’ve never tried it with an SA. What works for me is a DA.
I thin the mixture down and practice by holding note cards. low pressure works best (5 - 10 psi). A trigger limiter is also something that can really help, so you can more easily get a uniform coverage.
Dang…I wish I had seen this earlier. I brushpaint…and just tried my hand at freehand camo for a P-40. A 3x5 card would have been perfect. What a great tip!
Thanks.
I did these mottles freehand with my Single Action Internal Mix AB
and these were done freehand with my old Badger 350 external mix single action
Nice looking mottled camo schemes in here. I’ll just add that there is no substitute for learning to do it freehand with an airbrush. Masks just don’t produce a very realistic effect in most cases.
Agreed about practice practice practice. One other point is that sometimes, say JG-2 in the Battle of Britain, units applied their fuselage side mottles using sponges rather than spraying it on.
I haven’t had many occasions to spray mottles but this is probably my best shot so far:
And perhaps these count more as “squiggles” and not mottles, but what the heck:
That Mig looks very sweet! I don’t think there is much difference between mottles and squiggles… except perhaps that squiggles are communist and mottles are national socialist… 
Very nice work Stik and Tex.