Yes
you are right, if you find something strange in this title. Revell actually
released a Me 109G-10, not a K-4 in the 1/72nd scale. I actually have
built a Revell Me 109G-10 previously and it is featured on ARC (follow the link)
http://www.arcair.com/Gal2/1301-1400/Gal1329_Me-109_Bade/00.shtm
Now
I wanted another late war 109 and wanted something more elaborate on painting.
It is not too hard to alter what still is a decent G-10 kit into a K-4. Just a
little filling and sanding then scribing job : that is all mainly in the
position of a compartment door on the left side of the rear fuselage.
This
project really is a painting project. I am not too familiar with Luftwaffe
camouflages but I started to grow an interest in the complicated and less
standard late war camos. I felt building a few late war Luftwaffe machines was a
good challenge to improve my airbrushing and weathering techniques. Most of my
effort was therefore put in the painting of this model.
Although
I also have one or two Fine Molds Me 109 G or K in my stash I went the Revell
way. I originally thought I would build straight from the box but I am not used
to it any longer, so improvement had to find a way. I basically used a salvaged
resin cockpit (already painted then I saved some time), resin propeller and
spinner (a weak point of the Revell model), resin exhausts and tail wheel and
also a few metal parts (antennas mainly).
The
rest went fast as I basically built as per instructions. Oh yes, I also cut
flaps.
I
decided not to correct the excessively wide wheel track of the Revell little 109
and leave the leading edge flaps retracted, all with the aim to keep my little
project simple.
Click on
images below to see larger images
As
I said before I intended to put my effort in painting. I first had to decide
what Karl should I build. I looked out for documentation and decals and found at
least one Me 109K, “blue 16” which was both portrayed in one of my books
(the excellent Japo on the Me 109K) and displayed on one of my decals sheets
(Eagle Cal as you might have guessed)
All
paints are Gunze acrylics airsprayed with an Aztec airbrush. Paints are thinned
with isopropyl alcohol. I do not use any form of pre-shading at all.
I start building up main camouflage according to instructions and available
documentation.
Then,
you can start the weathering game. I start mixing camouflage shades, or colours
close to camouflage shades to start and build up my effects. I also mix these
shades with black, white or different greys for panelling (either center of
panels or border of panels). This is to progressively build up the patchwork
effect.
I do not fear to paint quite early in the building process and as building goes,
cement, thinning, filing or whatever will spoil my base colours. Never mind,
model paint repairs or touch ups will be used to portray real aircraft repairs.
No fear here.
Aircraft is decalled then. I generally do not varnish my model before decalling
as I find good quality decals (Microscale or Cartograph films ie most
aftermarket decals), softening solutions and the thin grain of acrylic paints
make it unnecessary. I generally find varnish layers kill paint effects, kill
sheen effects, and make a second satin/matt cote necessary further killing your
paint/weathering effects.
Once my decalling is done, panel lines are enhanced with a wash of sepia or dark
grey artist oil paint (I tend to avoid black except on flying surfaces hinge
lines or very dark camos). Panel lines enhancing also is done on unvarnished
surfaces.
*
Why oil artist paints? Oil paint solvants (white spirit; turpentine) are not
compatible with base acrylic paints and won’t spoil them easily (if painting
with enamel paints, prefer water based/acrylic paints or inks to enhance panel
lines). Oil paint thinners are used to wipe excess dark wash
* Why unvarnished surfaces? As I said before varnish kills paint effects. Also
unvarnished camo paints tend to catch wash grim better when you wipe excess wash
and also will build interesting vague border effects whereas gloss varnished
surfaces wipe sharply and neatly creating plain straight lines.
You
can then start adding dust (artist/modelling powders), oil stains (dragging inks
with a finger, dragging thinned artist oil based paints with a thin brush). I
observed some quality three view drawings and found out white/light grey
vertical lines might improve final aspect. I used this technique for the very
first time on this model : thinned while oil paint dragged vertically with a
thin brush in dozens of blurred thin vertical lines.
Aircraft is finished with a thin uneven layer of satin varnish. It's kept
minimal to seal powders and decals.
* It's uneven because sheen vary on aircraft (sun exposure, oily engine
cowlings)
* it's minimal because as said above varnish layers conceal paint/weathering
effects
* it's possibly minimal because as written above no previous gloss layer was
used so a light spraying is enough to get sheen in the satin/matt range.
As
a sum up, weathering is built progressively during the construction process.
Time is an ally, because a progressive weathering process will avoid you
symmetric and systematic effects.
Eric BADE
Click on
images below to see larger images
|