Thanks for that photo 66misos!
I've been thinking about how to add that. I'm not sure if I should try to paint it by hand, or mask it.
Thanks you for your kind words regarding my weathering. Someone else had asked about that in a PM, so here is what I wrote to them with a few additions. Please let me know if I can clarify anything.
Here are the steps I used on this kit:
- First I painted all of the base colors on the top and bottom surfaces.
- I then used a diluted solution of white craft paint to hand paint the winter camo
- After that dried, I used a very thin solution of Tamiya white to airbrush over the hand-painted portions of the winter camo to blend them in a bit
- Once that was dry, I used a method similar to the "dot filter" method used in armor modeling, using white and raw umber oils. Working a section at a time on the model, I gave it a light coat of turpenoid, an then applied small dots of both oils paints to the surface in a random pattern. Next, I used a large soft brush to streak them back on the wings, and up and down on the fuselage. The brush was lightly moistened with turpenoid. I continued this process until I thought it looked like I wanted.
- Once that dried, I made a very thin solution of turpenoid and burnt umber, and using a large brush with stiff bristles, I "splattered" the mixture on the underside of the aircraft. I did this by moistening the brush in the turpenoid/oil solution, and then "flicking" it using the edge of a thin metal plate to rake the brush against. I kept applying this until I thought it looked right. I tried to make sure and concentrate some stains where the tires would throw mud on takeoffs and landings, and where the engine would spray oil.
- Then I gave the model a coat of Future and let it dry overnight.
- Applied decals, then another coat of Future.
- I gave the model a panel line wash of burnt umber and turpenoid (
I forgot to add this step in my original PM!)
- I made a very diluted mixture of 91% alcohol and a few drops of Tamiya XF-55 Deck Tan. I airbrushed this on in a very random pattern, swirling around the airbrush in loops, lines, circles, etc., almost as if "scribbling" like a child would with a crayon. The intent is to get a somewhat dirty, faded but random pattern to break up the monocromatic look further. I did this all over- across panel lines, etc., NOT just in the middle of panels. Reasoning there is paint fades/ gets dirty everywhere, not just in the middle of a panel.
- Next I made a very thin solution of 3 parts XF-69 NATO Black with 1 part XF-9 Hull Red. Using this thin mixture, I post-shaded the panel lines. It should be thin enough that it takes 2 or 3 passes before it shows.
- I used the same mixture to add/enhance the various oil streaks and stains, as well as using it for exhaust stains.
- I then used a Prismacolor Silver pencil to add a few paint chip areas on metal parts
- Final step was to add a coat of Vallejo Matt Varnish to flatten the whole thing out. I prefer my models dead flat, with no gloss. (Just personal taste really...)
On this aircraft, I wanted a heavier appearance. Sometimes I try to imagine the airplane as may have looked even if there are no photos. A photo represents one point in time. I often like to take some artistic license and think how it may have looked after much use, or maybe after some maintenance to a certain area, or maybe even how it looked before it was very weathered.
Basically, because I build so many kits per year, I have many opportunities to experiment with my weathering technique. I generally use the same basic techniques as described above, though I may vary the order.
Sometimes I may also do an additional step in the initial painting process. I'll paint the base coat, and then apply tints and shades of the basecoat to break up the monochromatic look, and then overspray it all with a thinned dilution of the original color. This works well on aircraft with a single color on top and bottom, or if the camo pattern is masked off. (For this LaGG-3 I did freehand camo.) An example of this is a P-51 I did recently in RAAF markings. For this one, I tried to get a more sun-faded look to the paint, but not quite as dirty overall.
If you are interested, you can see more photos of that P-51 here:
http://goo.gl/Gojdw (as well as most of my model photos)
Each model is a slightly different adventure, depending on my mood. The methods above are my basic "toolkit", but how I use them- to what degree, and in what order- may vary slightly depending on the effect I am trying to achieve, or if I'm experimenting with a new variation or technique.
The splatter method I used is something I have only recently begun doing, as I thought my models lacked some evidence of mud, dirt, etc., that would naturally be present when flying from unimproved airstrips in varying weather conditions. I've actually been considering building an F4U-1A Corsair from the South Pacific area specifically to try some very heavy weathering techniques that will (hopefully) simulate the weather extremes those aircraft faced.
It's always an evolving process- but it's fun!