Hi all.
I’m currently building the Academy 1/32 Nieuport. The majority of the plane will be finished in a silver.
How would I go about weathering and applying a wash. What colours could I use? With my other models I usually mix the base colour with white and then dry-brush the specific areas to create wear and tear. Obviously this method would not work well on a silver finish. I have never “washed” a plane before. Would it be possible to make use of a black wash??
Regards,
A dark wash would be OK in selected ‘strategic’ places such as the gaps between ailerons and wings for instance. For a slightly faded look, drybrush some white over the ribs, edges of the fuselage,… I’d use oil paint in tube (for the white). Better control over what you do!
Some dark stains can appear under the front fuselage (stuff leaking from the engine) and some brown stains can also appear on the underside of the bottom wing and lower part of the rear fuselage, just over the wheels and the tail skid (mud & stuff kicked in there by the wheels and tail skid).
Brings up a question I have about grime on WW I planes. We all know that the old rotary engines were lubricated with castor oil. This oil is clear, and though I doubt if that makes any difference in the crud it left behind once the oil mixed with dust and dirt, I do wonder if it spread differently. In other words, does anyone know if WW I a/c should be stained differently than, say, WW II a/c operating from similar crude facilities?
A note: We all know about the short life expectancy of these aviators in the First World War, and that the romance of the white scarf blowing in the wind is basically all a bunch of bollocks, as the song goes. But did you know that added to their miseries was the castor oil itself? It was constantly blowing in their faces, and subsequently got down their throats, so these pilots had perpetual cases of the trots. So say the history books.
Thanks for the info and the interesting facts from sharkskin.