I’m working on a Williams Brothers model of the Schoenfeldt Firecracker racer from the late 1930s. It had a wooden prop. I know a wood grain decal sheet is available but I don’t want to buy one for just to use just a small strip of it. Any suggestions about what paint is close to wood.
Check out the Knights of the Sky Group Build thread. There’s lots of guys there who have been demonstrating their simulated wood techniques with impressive results.
Many paint the prop with “wood” colored paint, really a tan color. Then they use sienna (red-brown) or umber (brown-black) OIL paint to brush-streak the prop surface until they get the ‘woody’ look they are after.
The hard part is getting the laminations to look like, well, laminations, if the prop was so constructed.
A bit of googling found these resources:
Scott Aikens build of Williams Bros. kit
http://modelingmadness.com/scotts/civil/firecracker.htm
Scott is a great guy and there is much good info here on your kits build…
Here’s a replica. The wooden prop has a mildly prominent grain/lamination, so watch out trying to make it look too “woody”…
http://www.airventure.org/2007/news/070712_firecracker.html
More, a replica “walkaround.” Follow the arrows:
http://picasaweb.google.com/travelerpainter/OshkoshMisc/photo#5127575135539399170
Two from Fiddlers Green (makers of great paper card models)…
http://www.fiddlersgreen.net/AC/aircraft/Rider-Firecracker/info/firecracker.jpg
http://www.fiddlersgreen.net/AC/aircraft/Rider-Firecracker/info/info.htm
IPMS Stockholm has a site describing how to paint wood. I just can’t find it at the moment.
Edit: found it.
http://www.ipmsstockholm.org/magazine/2003/03/stuff_eng_tech_wood_grain.htm