| For this guide I have taken the model Spitfire that | | | | Once this way done, I used a wash to highlight oil |
| I built when I was compiling my Model Kit Making | | | | & dirt on certain areas. |
| Guide, and spent some time weathering where | | | | The wash that I used was basic watercolour |
| necessary to aim to make it look a bit more real. | | | | paint, in this case black. Just paint the areas you |
| As when making a model from the start research | | | | want to highlight and the black wash will naturally |
| is one of the first things to do. I checked out the | | | | run into any recesses. When dry, carefully clean |
| web to find some pictures of the most common | | | | off the excess wash with clean water. I used a |
| places to find wear & tear on Spitfires. | | | | cotton bud and a fine brush to do this. |
| The first things I had to do were remove the | | | | I also painted the exhausts and the underside of |
| propellers, canopy & exhaust nacelles. | | | | the aircraft to show signs of dirt. |
| The main wear and tear from pictures I have | | | | I also painted the leading edges of the propeller |
| seen appears to be around the nose, wings roots, | | | | blades silver. |
| and cockpit and around any moving parts on the | | | | That's it, once cleaned up and the props & |
| wings. | | | | canopy replaced the model was done. |
| A good tip that I do is paint any major wears | | | | Notes: |
| areas silver (or whatever colour the real aircraft | | | | Aim for realistic effects, remember the scale of |
| would be BEFORE painting). In this case I painted | | | | the model and think about how much wear |
| the nose silver and the wing roots. I dry brushed | | | | & tear there would actually be. Resist the |
| some silver paint around the cockpit where the | | | | temptation to do too much, STOP when it looks |
| canopy would have been sliding open & | | | | real, this is the point it is finished. |
| closed, and also on the tail. | | | | Practice on an old kit or bits of plastic to get it |
| Once the silver paint on the nose & wings | | | | right BEFORE trying it for real. |
| was dry I then painted the camouflage colour | | | | The wash I used was water based because the |
| over the silver. I let this dry, and then I used a | | | | kit was painted in acrylic. Make sure the wash IS |
| sharp blade to scrape away the camouflage paint | | | | NOT the same type of paint as the kit or things |
| where necessary to reveal the silver below. This | | | | will go wrong very quickly. You could use a chalk |
| is very effective and I feel looks a lot more | | | | wash if you wish instead. |
| authentic than painting silver over the camouflage. | | | | |