I’m trying to get started on the Revell 1/48 Lunar Landing Kit and I have a question about painting. What color to use for the accent stage, Silver or Flat Aluminum? I’m having trouble spraying both Tamyia and Model Master silver paint with my airbrush. Any suggestions to help spray these mediums better would be helpful. Or would the Flat Aluminum color be a better option? Would really like to see what people have done with this kit as far as coloring.
I think flat aluminum would be a better choice. A really good silver paint looks more like polished aluminum, which I don’t think the LEM was. And a bad finish with silver paint looks terrible. I find it much easier to get a decent finish with flat aluminum. In fact, we need more flat aluminums- one in each major brand. Aluminum dulls rapidly unless it has a super polish on the surface, and few aerospace vehicles have that sort of finish.
Thanks for the suggestion Don. I think I agree with you, my first airbrush work I attempted was a Revell 1/48 P51 Mustang. I tried spraying the body with both Tamyia and Model Mast Silver, very dissapointed and frustrated with the results. So bad I’ve suspended working on the kit. I think I will try the Tamyia Flat Aluminum and practice a bit more before starting on the LEM.
You might try alclad. Alclad makes three different aluminum finishes, a polished aluminum (you don’t want that), a just plain aluminum (I think that would be best for space stuff) and a “white” aluminum for a highly weathered aluminum appearance. More work than regular paint, but a nicer effect.