Hi everyone, I got a scale model for Christmas and been reading up on techniques on building a realistic model.
One thing I noticed with the very nice models I’ve seen online are the details on the instrument panels in the cockpits.
What methods can accomplish that for a beginner? I don’t have an airbrush and will probably start with using a brush.
Thank you in advance for your help and advice.
I assume that you mean the dry brush technique
Hi Alkaseltzer, welcome to the forum. has the kit you have got raised detail on the panel? if so you could use drybrushing, all this means is you have very little (almost none) paint on your brush and you lightly brush across the panel. if say the panel is black you can use silver or white, which ever is aproprate to the plane you are building and if it is light grey use black. if you look in the techniques section you will find tips on this and other techniques. hope this helps. Greg
OOPS sorry bout that never mind gregers has gotchyal ol[:D][:D]
alkaseltzer01 hello and welcome to the forums!![:)][:)][:)]
i do both armour and planes (or the “dark side”[}:)] and “wingy thingies”[:p] as you might see them referred to, depending on whose opinion!!), and have found people in both areas really really helpful in these forums.
from what i’ve seen a chap called pixilater makes wicked aircraft and has been helpful to me in terms of techniques, so keep an eye out for him in these forums…
more specifically, if you go to the techniques forum, you can get pretty much all the info you need…
what kit and scale have you got? if it has a simple one colour camo scheme it may be worth buying a spray can to get a smoother paint application…
either way, even if budget prohibits extra stuff, just ask away and i’m sure the guys on here will help you out no end.
hope all goes well.
regards,
nick
Thanks everyone for your input.
I got a Revell/Monogram B17G. I plan to do it in the olive drab (for some reason I like the green over the aluminium).
This will be a forum that will benefit me very much as I dive into the world of scale models. Gald to see that it’s a friendly group out there.
Welcome, alkaseltzer !
One of the most important things I use are good reference photos. (I know I found a good online source for the B-17, I’ll have to look it up for you) When I paint an instrument panel that has raised features within the dials, I use a #000 brush, with a minimal amount of paint on the end (you don’t want the paint to “flow” into the dial). I apply it with magnification, under strong light (may be due to my age !) Holding the panel in one hand & the brush in the other, I keep both elbows on my worktable. This keeps things steady. If you don’t wear glasses, you can pick up a pair of reading glasses fairly inexpensively at a pharmacy or discount store.
I also drybrush (see techniques section) the panel, as it adds a sense of depth. My last step is to apply Future floor polish, with another #000 brush (that I only use for this purpose) one drop at a time to each instrument face. This simulates the glass over the dial, and also “darkens” the black in the dial so it doesn’t look like part of the panel.
Hope this helps, and welcome to the great hobby of scale modeling !
What fine timing! I’ve just started detailing the cockpit of my F-86F… Hmmm… I like that technique, Pixilator! i might try it with a future substitute over here!
alkaseltzer01: A B-17G?? Sweet! [:)] Yeah, i think olive drab is better because natural metal finishes are a pain to model! what scale is she in? Probably 1/48 if your instrument panel has raised lines, huh? you can get a couple of color references online
as to what color the dials, etc… should be. Another place for modeling advice is the homepage of another guy around here called Swanny. here’s his homepage: http://swannysmodels.com
oh, and about that airbrush issue, i don’t have one either (I’m hoping to change that soon)! Brushes work just fine, and there are just some things an airbrush can’t do, so don’t feel bad about that.
If you have any questions, just jump right in. Oh, and Welcome to the Forums!! [:D]
if your looking for a good website to find out modeling info, this one here is good, or you can go to www.aircraftresourcecenter.com they have some good articles on modeling techniques n stuff, alot of the reviews in the galery also have little bits of very usefull info
jim
It’s the 1:48 scale. Thanks for the sites. I actually found some of them on my browsing and found that I can just look at the pictures of people’s work for hours. It’s pretty amazing what everyone can do out there. I can’t wait to get started… still in the process of collecting the tools and paint.
Welcome new modeler,
Since that B-17 has a lot of area to paint, try spray cans. I built the 1/48 B-17 and B-24 and since I hate cleaning my airbrush and have a limited amount of time, used spray cans. Krylon, that you buy at Walmart, makes a great set of camo colors that hunters use, if it’s not in the paint section, try the hunting section. I use the Olive Green and Medium Primer Grey and it turned out better that if I mixed and airbrushed them. These paints do not hurt the plastic, are easy to work with, and dry a nice military flat. They are also about half the price of Testors paints and IMHO are far much easier to use because the paint dries almost instantly so you wont get runs or orangepeel if you go to heavy.
For a final clear coat to protect your decals and blend in you weathering, go into the Floral Department and pick up a can of Floral Satin Clear. This spray is used to dull floral arragements and too is very easy to use and unlike other clearscoats, won’t fog up you clear plastic.
Have fun
Scott
Cool. There’s a Walmart 5 mins drive away compare to a hobby store 20 min drive away. I’ll probably have to get to both as Walmart won’t carry other supplies I’ll need.