i saw this done on a t34 in fsm. does it work that good?
I haven’t tried it yet but some here swear by it.
In fact, Shermanfreak told me that idea in the family build…and its a good one!
Regards, Dan
When I first heard of this method … I was extremely sceptical. One day I gave it a try and I was very surprised by the results. Crisp, clean, excellent coverage (no lines) and it dried extremely quick. Took dullcote without any blemishes.
The only thing I haven’t tried on it was a wash but I can assume after taking a dullcote, the wash would be just fine.
I wished I used it on those Panther roadwheels.
its the method i use and i must say im very pleased with the results. ive only used the method twice, on my stuart honey and academy M-18 and im very pleased with the results. After i use a flat overcoat you can not even tell the difference between paint or the sharpie.
the only thing i would say is to go over it again with the sharpie before you use the dullcoat cause i did mine about a week earlier and the sharpie seems to wear a little bit and smear off with the slightest touch after a few days, but once you use the dullcoat theres no problem and it looks just like paint with a real nice crisp line around the rim.
I used a fine point Pentel Pen on my Panther D’s roadwheels. It was easy and fast. The only problem is that it came our a little bit shiny BUT when I applied the wash, the shine was gone.
It’s a good trick. I agree with Sherm, a dull cote could take away the shine.
I do it almost all the time. I read about it in Mike Ashey’s book. Even if it has some streaks left when you’re done, the dullcoat seems to make the streaks go away. Fast, easy and looks great. Can’t beat it.
I did the T-34 article. I needed a technique for painting all those ruddy road wheels quickly (remember it was a “build a tank in a weekend” project) when I came across the tip in a Mike Ashey article. It worked like a charm: You have plenty of control, so you get the color exactly where you want it to go, and the marker ink is very thin so it doesn’t build up and obscure details. The only slight downside is that when you look at it in certain light from a certain angle, there is a purplish-bluish cast to the color. But dullcoating takes out a lot of that.
yep, I use that method!!! I really like it. like others have said, nice coating, no lines, good control.
Thats the only way I go anymore.Just roll the wheel along the table as I color it so it’s pretty quick too. I have not had a problem with washes, thats pretty much how I get the line between the rubber and steel.
I just got a book How to Model World War II German Armor (great book) writen by Carl McLaughlin (published by FSM) and that is the way he suggests using. I haven’t used it yet but it seems like it would work great.[:P]
How does it work on plastic tires? I’ve gotten sick of painting those to after my Avenger and M-20 {six wheels} and I still have two half tracks and a Stuart to do!
Wow! thanks guys. [:D]
Well the Stuart wouldn’t be a problem, but give the others a try and see what happens. I haven’t tried it on anything as large as a tire. If it doesn’t cover well, you can just paint over it and you haven’t lost anything.
Yesterday I tried using a Sharpie on this Panther D I’m currently building. 12 roadwheels per side mind you! I kept making little mistakes! Not much of an edge between the tire and the wheel. Guess my 50 year nerves aren’t what they used to be because before long I’d have a stray mark where I did not want it. Finally gave up!
Today I went to Office Max and bought a green plastic ‘circle template’ for $3.19. The best $3.19 I ever spent!! I was able to airbrush all those roadwheels in under two hours time! For me that template saved so much time and frustration it’s almost unbelievable!Anyway I recommend you think about buying one if you don’t already own one. I’ll still use Sharpie pens for certain uses, but this ‘circle template’ for me is a winner!!
Glenn
Can’t wait to try this one!! Sounds great.
I have done bothe methods - circle template & airbrush w/ a Pzkpfw IV-D
and the Sharpie on my Panther.
my template problem was no template ‘exactly’ fit the rims.
(maybe i needed a metric template!)
w/ the sharpie, i had a few slips, but w/ so may roadwheels, and all the
overlap on the Panther, i should have no problem concealing them.
i guess no method is foolproof! [:o)][:D]
(i am speaking only of myself!)
ed.
I agree that no method is foolproof! I was fortunate in that the template’s sizes fit the roadwheels of this Panther D kit!
Glenn
(nobody’s fool!)
I use the template method too. Not having the exact fit hasnt been much of a problem. The over spray that gets on the rubber part is hardly noticable, especially after the weathering is done.
I did try the Sharpie way too. I was using a brand new marker, and it just seemed to dry out on the tip as I was (painting) with it. Ive tried it numerous times, with different markers and it just seems to keep drying out the tip. I know, its a simple task, drawing with a pen, but what am I doing wrong? I have the same problem with my fine tip pen when drawing in panel lines on a/c.