Hi guys,
Just a general question here. I’m about ready to finish my Academy F-86E in 1/48 scale. So far the kit has gone together wonderfully and I’d like to carry my luck over to the finishing side.
What are your thoughts on preshading the panel lines on a natural metal finish? I’m not sure if I should apply a preshade or if I should just apply a light wash to highlight the recessed panel lines.
Thanks!
Eric
I’d post-shade with a pin-wash if I were you…
I agree with Hans. NMF doesn’t fade like paint, it oxidizes.
Regards, Rick
Highlight your panels afterwards with a PITT artist pen.
Eric,
We hope you post some pics! I am just about done with my Hasegawa F-86F over in the NMF GB.
Thank you Rick! “Oxidation”! That’s the term I was looking for. I knew it wasn’t a “paint fading” look I was trying to achieve, but rather, something else. So it sounds like a pin wash is, indeed, in order. Thanks guys.
Ibuild, you’re right. I really need to post some more pics of this plane as well as the others I’ve completed. I’m always so happy with the luck I’ve had when it comes to how my models turn out. I’ve been on this forum a long time but I don’t really post much of my work. I really wish we could just upload the pics directly rather than having to load them to some other photo hosting web site and then load them from there. Too much of a PITA but that’s just my opinion. I’m sure it’s not for others but it is for me. I will try to post some pics as soon as I’m done. I’d love to join some group builds (like your NMF GB) but at the rate that I work on planes, I’d just join in a day late and a dollar short.
Thanks!
Eric
I wish we could upload directly too, but oh well… I get the bandwidth issues it would cause…
The trick to using the photo-hosting site with a minimum of fuss is to have more than one browser window open… I’ll sometimes have 4 or 5 browsers open when I’m posting pictures…
Anyone have tips on doing oxidized alum?
E…
From what I’ve learned and seen, aluminum doesnt rust, it turns a dull white so…
I havent tried this yet, just an idea at this point but my idea is this. Basically the tamiya flat base in future trick. One of the side effects of a bad ratio of flat base to future is the white frosting you from too much flat base. My idea is simply finishing the NMF then coating it with flat future to get the oxidized aluminum look, maybe trying a q-tip in windex to remove some of it to control the oxidation.
Like I said I havent tried it yet
Yeah, Heavy Aluminum oxidation will actually leave a whitish powder residue that you can rub off with your finger… Personally, I just Dullcoat the aluminum finishes to varying degrees in order to simulate the oxidation…
Regarding the oxidized aluminum effect on a NMF model, I’ve found that the various silbergrau or silver-gray colors work very well for this, and no mixing is required. If necessary, you can overcoat them with a matte varnish.
I have them from Vallejo (#70883) and from Mister Kit’s line of WW I paints, since the color was used widely on Nieuports and Pfalz aircraft as they came from the factory. It was just a gray with aluminum powder thown into it for toughness. But it looks just like oxidized aluminum, especially if you spray it on at a very low pressure so that some of it drys before it hits the surface, hence giving you that powdery look.
TOM
Would a Korean War F-86 actually get oxidized or would the maintenance crew keep things polished?
If you look at pictures of the K-bases from the Korean War, you’ll see that they were pretty spartan… No hangars to really speak of, just tentage… Maintenence was carried out in whatever the weather was and the aircraft (and maintainers) were exposed to the elements just about all the time…
I’ve seen some of the land-based Corsairs and Skynights which looked like they were ridden hard and put away wet. I wasn’t sure if they treated the Sabres the same way. On the black Corsairs, the effects of mud, maintenance and the weather was clearly evident. On the shiny Sabres, it was kind of hard to tell.
I guess I need to find some good color references of the Sabres in Korea. The B&W photos are good and all but they don’t really show the details in the greatest detail. [^o)]