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When to paint?


StuartMont

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Good morning,

Working on an airplane model and there are several steps where all of the individual pieces are painted the same color (for example the two engines that have to be assembled).  Perhaps a simple question for you:  should i paint after assembly of that step or on the sprue.  i ask because some of the tiny connections cannot be easily masked (by me).  I would love to hear thoughts on this.

thanks,

Stuart

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Stuart, I usually will paint the sub-assemblies first before installing them on the model; especially ones where it would be most difficult to get to after installation. Then the overall fuselage and wings will be masked and/or painted, depending on whether it's camouflaged or a solid overall color.

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Thanks very much for the response.  sorry for not being specific enough.  i understand the sub-assembly (the engine in this case) should be painted prior to attaching.  my question is this.  the engines on this model consist of many pieces (some quite small with tiny joins), all painted semi-gloss black.  so do you assemble all of the many pieces of the engine and then paint them?  or do you paint the pieces before cutting from the sprue?

Stuart

 

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Depending on the engine; I'll assemble it first and then paint it using a fine brush to clarify the details I want to show. I also won't paint any part of it that won't be seen. The only time I do an entire engine is if I have it on a display stand to show it off.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I would like to post photos and get feedback.  the model is the 1/32 scale Mosquito by Tamiya.  I've got the cockpit and engines built.  should i post them here?  I'm a little nervous about doing it since there will be many mis-steps but i really want to get thoughts on how/where to improve.

 

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By all means Stuart, post them here. We've all been there and in my case; I'm still doing many mis-steps so you have nothing to worry about. Besides, seeing something in pics is a lot more helpful for us so we can express those thoughts you are looking for.

 

Bring them on Stuart!

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These are photos i took yesterday.  Please comment on everything 😀  I don’t use an airbrush and struggle with getting a good finish.  Thanks so much for your help.

 

347A1EB2-93B1-44CC-865F-339ECEC5BB83.jpeg

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8D6CA406-903B-4F41-8AF2-77D3A245CD36.jpeg

29639ACC-10A5-4F79-8B86-4A4BE103F29C.jpeg

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These are the other planes i have worked on.  The large decals on the F-14 ripped immediately and i need to remove them and finish the flat black markings.6CE249C9-CF92-4735-977B-02D9D7C92872.thumb.jpeg.836d3eb6fed4ced5cb127ad4ac07c69f.jpeg1C144C16-B967-45AF-AE4C-5216269E6C55.thumb.jpeg.7089ed47194afd39409d3861dd4805e3.jpegB307C8D4-81F0-489F-BB94-699FEC7B51A5.thumb.jpeg.d57764f84d49950bb910e184388e96b9.jpeg

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As you can see I have problems with decals (the stripe on the Spitfire) and reality (the closed canopy on the F-14 with the ladder attached) - is that possible? 😀

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Stuart, your paint work on the engines is exquisite. Very nicely done. Now would be a good time to put a wash of some dirty brown or oily color on them to signify dirt and grime in the crevices. The cockpit looks very well done as well. Your pilots look pretty good, applying a brown wash to the faces would make them stand out even more. Your other planes are most impressive as well; especially since you don't use an airbrush. I've had the same issues with decals as your yellow stripe, but finding a replacement to put over it should be fairly easy. Some people find it even easier to just mask it off and paint it before decaling the plane. And it is possible to have the ladder down on the F-14; either someone forgot to close it up after maintaining the canopy, or they lowered it to polish the canopy and went to get the polishing supplies after lowering the ladder.

 

Personally, I think you are an exceptional modeler who fits right in here. We are our own worst critics; your work is better than you think. Keep them coming Stuart!

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Thanks so much for the kind words and i appreciate the input.  I do love building these planes and plan to do so as long as my brain and hands let me. Retirement and Covid have finally provided the impetus to start.  This mosquito I’m finding to be the biggest challenge so far.  It’s going to take me a while but i plan build the P-51D next.  What a beautiful plane that is. 

I thought about painting stripes in lieu of decals and i think that’s the only way to fix the F-14 decal debacle.

One thing that’s hard to see in the photos is that the figures are very shiny.   I found a video about painting small scale figures and it seemed there is a product that he literally poured over the figures that he said will fill in crevices as well.  Are you aware of anything like this?  I’ll find how to do a brown wash and use it on the pilot and navigator.

I do plan to learn weathering techniques.  Right now I’m saying they are fresh off the assembly line 😀

Thanks again.  I would like to keep posting photos and asking questions.

Stuart

 

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