Hey guys,
I’m working on a 1/72 F-4J for my Blue Angels project. I have it built and base-coated. Before I lay down the blue, I want to do the NMF areas first. Normally, I do the blue first, followed by the NMF, but I end up messing up the blue.
For the leading edges and what not, that’s easy - I just use SNJ powders. But I was wondering how I would get that multi-shade, burnt, blued metal look, aft of the cans? I have SNJ aluminum and steel, a large array of Testors’ metalizers, both buffing and non buffing and Alclad II chrome, aluminum and one other, I forget. I also have pastels and acrylic clear blue and clear purple, for tinting, if necessary.
So, what’s the best way to get that look, I’m after?
Thanks,
Fred
I use Testors Metalizers almost exclusively. On the F-4 exhaust I’ll usually use titanium for the concave panels directly aft of the burner cans and non-buffing aluminum for the flat panels above.
Adjacent panels are often slightly different shades, which is pretty easy to replicate by slightly tinting the base color and overspraying adjacent panels. I’ll either use Post-It notes or Scotch blue painter’s tape that I have stuck to my forehead to reduce the tackiness to mask off the panels. I also will do some freehand highlighting using burnt metal or other colors, but this is easier in larger scales. It really helps to have some color reference photos handy to refer to. I think the trick is to be patient and go slowly. My preference is to be subtle, especially in smaller scales.
I’m currently getting stuff together to do a 1/32 Blue Angel F-4J. I’m going to one of the planes that flew with J79-8 engines with the short burner cans. (I’ve been watching my copy of Threshold: The Blue Angels Experience repetitively over the past few weeks, especially the cockpit shots that show the modifications to the instrument panel and the pilot’s harness.)
Quick story:
The Blues flew a F-4 show at the Purdue University airport back in the early '70’s. One of my fraternity brothers was at the airport when they arrived the day before and was able to chat with them for a few minutes. He mentioned that there was a party at our frat house that evening and jokingly invited them to stop by. So…about 8PM there was a knock on the door and there they were! They were obviously in recruiting mode but spent about half an hour mingling and talking (no alcohol of course) before heading off to another PR event.
About six weeks later a package arrived with a large nicely-framed montage of photos, signed by the whole team. It hung in a place of honor in the fraternity house for many years and no doubt had an influence on me when I applied for Aviation Officer Candidate School in Pensacola during my junior year.
The first time I had a chance to visit the Viet Nam memorial in Washington DC, one of the names I looked up was Harley Hall, who had been the Boss, and ended up being the last pilot shot down and killed on the last day of the Viet Nam war.
For anyone who ever saw either the Blue Angels or the Thunderbirds fly a F-4 show, it was a viseral, literally ground-shaking experience.
Mark
Seen the Blues perform many times, maybe a dozen or so, all the way back to and from F-4s to A-4s to F-18s… Being an Air Force Brat, it’s kinda blasphemous, but I prefer the Blues over the Birds…
There’s just something about that “Blue Angel Blue” paint…
Don’t get too hung up on the bare metal… Those areas (as well as the rest of the aircraft) were meticuously maintained by the ground crews, who started wiping them down as soon as they were chocked and shut down… The metal areas right around the burner cans (and the cans themselves) almost looked like they were Blued or Parkerised like a military rifle, and appeared dead-flat dark grey, apparently to hide the soot from those big-gass flyin’ smoke generators… Check out “Number 6” here:
http://cdn-www.airliners.net/aviation-photos/photos/0/3/3/1265330.jpg