I´m currently working on a Lindberg JU87 Stuka. The whole kit comes in white plastic, and I´ve already prepared the wheels for painting, for which purpose I´ll be using acrylic paint.
Two questions:
What kind/color, if any, should be used to prime the wheels and all other parts of the kit?
The instructions indicate that the wheels must be painted in black, but I´ve noticed in different pictures of WWII model kits that the color of the wheels tend to be grayish. Is there a specific color that should be used instead of black, if not, can the correct color be obtained by mixing black with gray/white?
most rims on luftwaffe aircraft were plain black, almost semi-gloss in appearance. I’m guessing the gray you mention is a result of wear and dust/dirt/mud. I paint mine semi gloss black, then drybrush with light gray, then after washes and gray and brown pigments it really doesn’t matter what color they are to start out with anyway, lol!
You’re wondering how to paint a good rubber/tire black color you mean? Add a little bit of red-brown to your black color, or try a rubber color right outa the bottle, such as Gunze’s tire black H77. Its what I use, but like I said, don’t fret so much as to the exact color because your washes and pastels will change the look anyway. Such as these:
The tires aim for off black. If you don’t have a jar of tire black, just add a little grey. As Nathan suggested, you can add a hint of red/brown, particularly if you don’t plan on any post weathering. Also keep the finish as flat as possible on the tires.
I paint my tires Tamiya XF-63, an idea i got from a book on modelling German fighters. I find it much easier to get a better finish than when i started with black tires.
