The weekend's B-17E work

Whew, what a weekend - between the rush Christmas shopping with the wife and the boys home from college for the holidays it’s very difficult to get modeling time wedged in but I managed to do a little. My cats are definitly not happy about all the excitment and have retreated to the modeling room which makes it just that much more difficult to actually model.

The weathering process has begun and I’m experimenting with different methods of accenting raised panel lines. I tried some standard sludge wash but that did not take very well. I tried some work with a sanding stick to abrade off the top layers of paint and expose the darker undercoat but that was a lot of work and I didn’t really like the results. Next I tried a .005 Micron archival pen to trace the raised lines but that created a very stark look that I didn’t like either. Then I went back to the sludge wash idea and tweeked it with some brown ink and flow aid and ended up with a result that I could live with.

I probably should have gone for a different color ink as this one went a little red on me and that was even after I added some black to it. The fueling caps were streaked by placing a drop of wash on the cap, letting it dry then slightly dampening my fingertip, placing it firmly on the spot and giving it a quick wipe to the rear.

Next I will start with the Tamiya Smoke and work on some exhaust staining. Keep in mind that this is still real glossy from the Future and will be flattened with Polly Scale clear flat near the end of the process.

What’s really been difficult is to NOT work on the He-111B project before finishing this one.

Hey Swanny,

That’s going to be one unique and good looking model when you get it finished… heck, it’s already looking pretty good! Thanks for the update, I was looking at your prevous post on this model tonight.

Sounds like your cats are of the same linage as mine, as she gets quite upset at the prospect of company!

Take care…
Frank

Man, i love how clean the seams between the camo colors are! Looking good, swanny! Just a question: do you use a wash on your models? How exactly do you apply it and what happens once it’s there? let it dry completely, wipe post of it away when it’s partially dry, or dab some of it off, or what? [:)]

Looks good so far Swanny!

looks great swanny![8D]
makes a change seeing a b-17 in raf colours…kind of like seeing a lanc in US garb!!
regards,
nick

Hmmmm, a Lanc in US garb. Now see what you’ve done Mayhew?

Shrikes, The wash I’m using on this is a mixture of Grumbacher Black and Sienna acrylic paste + a few drops of Higgins water soluble dark brown ink + a few drops of Liquitex flow aid + one drop of liquid dish washing soap + lots of water. I brush it onto the panel lines (raised or recessed) and let it dry. Now, using a good quality paper towl cut into 4 inch squares and folded into a tight pad,

and dampened ever so slightly I wipe the model from front to back. Some spots may need a little hard scrubbing to get the wash residue to just the level I want while others just need a very light touch. Remember, the whole thing is Futured well before hand and given a few days to dry so all the decals are sealed and the paint can’t absorb the wash. It takes a little practice but, with that Future layer if you don’t like the results just use a wet towel to remove it all and start over. From here I’ll use Tamiya X-19 smoke for exhaust staining and gun blasts then do some work with a little paint chipping. Once the results have been achieved that you are looking for seal the whole thing with another coat of Future or a dull coat. At this point I will also use some pastel chalks as a final step. Once all this is done I’ll remove the masks then install the propellers, antenna and remaining guns.

Hey Swanny. How do you try the different techniques without messing up the model? Like the sanding? Do you try it in some obscure place on the model and then just touch it up if you don’t like it?

With the washes if you don’t like they just wash it off and you start over. For the sanding I worked over the tail, didn’t like it so repainted the areas, re-Futured them then tried the pen. Same thing - repainted the area and re-Futured. I didn’t do large areas and repainted with a touch-up brush so I was not getting large build-ups of paint. It was a little frustrating finding something that I liked and I did have to stop and go play some video games just to cool off from the frustration of a failed process but it paid off in the end and next time I work with raised panel lines I wil know what to try first.

Burp … It’s done! Doing the big photo shoot tomorrow on blue screen and will post pictures, for now - just taking a deep breath.

Looking great swanny.[bow] Cant wait to see it when everything is finished.