How to?

[DavidJC]

We've all seen all the stunning builds since this site was launched I think, and perhaps many of us - I included - have been inspired to try and take our modelling to the next level to try and achieve the same standard. But to do that, some of us need guidance. We have the inspiration, but not the skills.

 

There are those of us not as skilled who'd love to be able to produce the models we've seen on here and would really appreciate some guidance as to how you weathered your build, or overcome a particular problem. Of course any one modeller who shows us his fine model(s) is not going to be aware of what we know or what we don't know, but personally speaking what I'd really appreciate is a guide and/or explanation as to how a particular technique has been applied. At the same time, I appreciate it's up to us to ask in any one thread how such a finish has been achieved. For my part I have done on occasion: how did you do x, y and z.

 

Similarly, on my part as an inexperienced modeller, should it ever happen, I would quite happily pass on any tips that anyone likes the look of. So I'd make a plea - please please keep posting pictures of your stunning builds, but please also explain how you arrived at the build you did; especially when asked.

 

[Andy Moth]

DavidJC

Which techniques did you have in mind ?

You would be suprised how easy some of them are to pull off.

Also be very careful about magazine builds as some very clever photography hides a multitude of sins and lets be honest , these are made by professional model builders. One mentions this since for many years the stash remained unbuilt because one felt that one was just not worthy, looking up at the masters.

My own pet hate is black panel lines - no aircraft ever had a scale 2 inch gap between panels.

Much better is the modern idiom of modulation where the panel line can be "suggested" by spraying (if you have an airbrush) or painting a slightly lighter shade in the middle of the panel. For example - in classic RAF Olive Green / Flat Earth - adding a little yellow to the OG will make the panels "appear" seperate.

Dry brushing with a light touch brings a cockpit to life.

Washes make detail pop.

Pre-shading breaks up the monotony and adds depth and interest.

The so-called "Spanish style" of zenithal lighting - is used a lot on Armour to make OD look a lot less boring and can be used on Aircraft and Navy subjects as well.

Just one thing though - Figure and bust painters (good ones) are gods , no amount of advice will make up for a lack of talent and only vast amounts of practice will get one half way there to sit at their feet gazing up in awe... guess how one knows this....

[DavidJC]

I think what I was trying to get at was, if someone asks someone how they did something, it'd be great to have an explanation as to 'how'. I accept that it wouldn't be fair for any modeller to go through a blow-by-blow account on each and every model they post else nothing would ever get done.

 

As an example, you mention some great techniques in your post above, some of which I am familiar with, others I am not confident in trying, but let's take dry-brushing as a more or less random example. I am familiar with dry-brushing (though not brilliant at it) after research, but let's say I wasn't. It's easy for an experienced modeller to say 'I dry-brushed the cockpit to bring out the detail' - which it undoubtedly does. Let's now say someone's impressed and asks 'how?' It would be great for the modeller to give an overview as to how he dry-brushes to gets the results he does.

 

As an aside, personally speaking, I do prefer a light wash in panel lines as opposed to pre-shading (probably because I can't do it and not really sure how to anyway), and I guess this is the crux: neither method explains how they are done, merely what was done. If I can refer you to a weathered Gnat model on here which was stunning. I'd love to know how that was done - I can see what he did, but not how he did it. It'd be lovely to think that if the modeller was asked, how did you get that result, he'd be able to explain how.

 

I take your point about figure paining, nonetheless, if we are to learn, we need to learn from those who can who, I hope, would be able to spare some time to help those of us aspiring to that level.

 

Hope I make sense in all of this!

[paul-muc]

There are some tips at the Humbrol subforum on this site. And a lot more at the ATF and UAMF forums. Very interesting is also the ongoing group build of the Spitfire at the ATF forum with a lot of insight in "How To".

[Andy Moth]

Prefectly happy to show anyone how an effect was achieved, the biggest problem one finds even with SBS explanations is that lighting and video effects do not often show clearly how something was done.

One has seen loads of publications with some very thorough explanations including plenty of photo's that still left one none the wiser as to how it was achieved (how to do glazes on figure painting with acrylics still leaves me stumped until a very experienced figure painter said "can you do blends with oils ?" I said yes and he curtly replied "Use oils then".)

As for dry brushing - well lets take an instrument panel as an example.

Most (but not all ) we shall assume will be black - so lets paint it good old NATO black which is in fact very dark grey or "scale black".

Select a slightly lighter colour and using a largish flat brush , scrub off virtually all the paint on a paper towel until there is virtually no paint left (test on a bit of scrap). Flick the end of the bristles over the raised detail, stop and check to see the effect. Stop when it looks good to you.

That last bit was the rub - stop when you find it pleasing.

The top modellers are perfectionists (this one isn't) so will redo something over and over again until it is perfect - very admirable and the results speak for themselves. This one is a realist so good enough will do.

The new tool Gnat build in the Airfix magazine left me a bit cold - assuming we are talking natural metal/Orange.

Those slightly overscale panel lines seemed to be an open invite for a wash.

Looks fine if subtle enough and overblown if not.

Having a look at photo's of a real one - not a panel line in sight, so how to make a smale object look less boring or toy like ?

Well one way is very laborious and is to mask off all the NM panels and slightly vary the tone of Ally paint used - results in a patchwork that looks a lot more interesting and realistic - a spot of post shading on the orange bits (slightly darker shade of Orange sprayed near the panel lines) livened up that part.

But as far as one is concerned, if your happy with what you have done , then that's just fine, the point is give techniques a go on old kits, if it works or you like it then have a go on something more meaningful. Practice is everything.

As for figure and bust painting - check out the work of Sang Eon Lee - simply stunning. After thrirty years on and off of trying to get anywhere near the quality of such painters , maybe half way, know all the techniques, yet lack that one thing he has - talent. It wont stop me trying though.

[Sgt.Squarehead]

 Writing any sort of complex 'how-to' with the forum in its present state is an exercise in futility.....Until the delays in approving images are resolved and/or we can edit our posts for a longer period I won't be wasting any more effort attempting to post build details here, it's just too frustrating.

[Brian Canell]

The Airfix Book of Scale Modelling is really useful;

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Airfix-Book-Scale-Modelling/dp/1844861260/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1456138492&sr=1-1&keywords=airfix

[Ratch]

 I'm sure if you asked a specific question it would be answered as best we can. Too often folks go to the trouble of making a pre-emptive post, illustrating how to do something or other. The post gets no reply and sinks into oblivion under numerous other posts and serves no purpose. I'd be willing (and I'm sure others would be too) to answer specific questions.

[Matthew72]

I second Ratch's comments.  I do hope everyone shows the politeness to reply when someone has taken time to query them on how a result was achieved.  This site can be a great medium for encouraging new modelers to take up the hobby!