Modeling Tips

I thought it would be usefull if we had a topic for Modelling tips, so if you have some, post em.

Skua, if you can, it might be good to sticky this topic so it doesn't get lost with some of the others.

 

Dry Brushing- it's a good thing.

 

Try to find the order of assembly you like. The one on the instructions is often not perfect.

 

but always keep in mind that you will take a shortcut and find out you left a piece out and you will cry for it, like I did last sunday will puting togheter an Ar E555, the engine cluster :angry:

 

I recommend the use of liquid cement, tamiya have 2 types: a regular and extra thin ( my favorite ) they apply with a little brush, I also use the one from modelmaster or testor and the good thing about this one is that is applyed by a fine ttubing,it helps a lot in small spaces

 

I've got no experience with Tamiya glues, but I always use Revell Professional with is also one of my favourites. It's very thin and if you apply it in small 'drops' on un-painted parts is works wonderfully and dries instantly. Only problem is you have to remove paint from the places where you want to put the glue.

 

I'm working on a panther G right now but while painting it I get less and less confident about it. I think the colours are in a too big contrast to each other, the lines of the paint what should be camouflage seem very sharp. And I think the colours are too shiny. It all looks too artificial. Does anyone know how I can make these colours more matt or, how do I say this.. more real then they are now?

 

Matt varnish, then gently drybrush with white.
This tones down the colours & gives a 'worn' look.

 

That´s good advice. It´s easy to do and gives a nice effect. Don´t overdo it though. There is also what´s called the "scale effect", which basically says that the smaller the scale, the lighter the colour should be. Mixing your colours with a dash of white will often give the model a more realistic appearance.

 

Well thanks for the advice, but my major problem in this is that I have no (dry) brush apparates or anything; I'm still painting my tanks the old way round; with brushes.
Is there a way to solve my problem with just that? Or shall I have to accept those nasty shiny colours as a result of painting with brushes?

 

Ah, ok, Drybrushing.

No special apparatus needed.

1) put paint on brush
2) wipe most of the paint off the brush (use a tissue, or 'paint' a bit of paper, or something)
3) when the brush looks 'dry', test by gently drawing it over a rough surface (I tend to use whatever is to hand - in fact I often use the back of my hand!). It should leave a faint residue, looking like you have paint-coloured dust on the surface. If it leaves large bits of actual paint, repeat 2). If it looks good, move on to 4)
4) gently draw your paintbrush over your model.
5) Repeat until whole model is finished.

I would stress - PRACTICE FIRST!

Where to use drybrushing:

1) oil/powder/soot stains
2) rust
3) all-over coat of white/light gray/whatever to look 'worn
4) a lighter shade of the colour used for 'fabrics' - eg: seats, uniforms, etc.
5) on metal areas that were frequently scuffed - like the sides of tanks, the wings of aircraft, etc
6) you can also do nice colour 'blends' this way - eg: red to yellow, through orange
7) mud, and other weathering
8) I have used drybrushing to camoflage a Priest SP gun - it gives a nice soft edge to the different camo colours without the need for an airbrush (which gets tricky on 1:72 tanks!)

Hope this helps Panzer!

 

Whoo, nice post Ricky!

I made a 1:76 scale Priest once, I didn't actually paint it but it was hard enough already. What's with that 105mm gun breech that it has to be so small?

 

It's the easiest way to preserve detail at that scale.
But *$!%ing fiddly!

My Priest was also my first model where I painted rubber tracks. Worked suprisingly well.

 

TippEx / Correction Fluid / Liquid Paper (or whatever you call it) makes a very cheap and quick-drying filler putty for small gaps.

 

Now that's a good one! thanks again! Never knew it could be so easy...

 

I reccomend shading.Use a thinned down black or rust color to shade all depressed areas.Games Workshop make a wash called Chestnut.It's a tedious process ,but works well with drybrushing,which highlights all the raised areas.The two techniques combined make a huge difference.Also,remember,we are painting tanks.They don't have to have a flawless paint job like a car.Sometimes what looks like a shitty paint job is the most realisitc looking for a tank.

 

For attaching 'glass' (eg: cockpit canopies, gun turrets etc on aircraft) use white glue / PVA glue / UHU / whatever you call it to actually glue it down. This will not cause a 'mist' over glass like superglue or even poly cement can, dries clear so 'slips' are fine, and even can be used to fill gaps between the glass & the fuselage.

 

Always dry fit, and try to see the colour of the paint on the surface you wish to paint.

Using modelling putty to fill in the cracks or even to change the texture of a surface. With this said always practice on a similar surface (plastic to plastic) as the model you are building.

The Painter's Tape, the green stuff, has a very mild adheasive and I have successfully used it to hand paint a checkerboard effect on a lead figurine.

Cheers!

 

OK tank freaks.As long as they are of good quality,I highly recommend individual link tracks.On some vehicles sagging tracks are essential for a realistic look to the tank.Tigers and Panthers are good examples of this.They are time consuming and tedious but well worth the effort.Not to mention they hold paint a helluva lot better than vinyl tracks ever will.

 

Absolutely! What took you so long to find that out? :lol:
but for serious; you're right, no doubt. Especially with the Tiger and Panther.