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**FINISHED** Airfix 1/24 Mosquito build log
- Thread starter Scrodes
- Start date
Airfix 1/24 Mosquito build log
woooo...nice...
woooo...nice...
Sherman 18
Master at Arms
Airfix 1/24 Mosquito build log
Airfix 1/24 Mosquito build log
Update time! :yipee
Let's see if I can't make this a decent SBS on my method of doing soft-edged camouflage.
I have never been a fan of hard edged camo - I guess it reminds me too much of brush painted models, and none of mine ever looked good.
The Mosquito has both hard and soft edged camo - the demarcation line that runs along the side of the fuselage is hard - I simply used masking tape for this.
I start by marking the boundaries of the camo - I use pencil and keep it light and inside the edge that I'm actually going to paint (it's easier to cover if it's in the middle of a patch of green than it is if it's right on the edge.
(to keep my paint table relatively clean - and to make the model a little more portable as the paint dries, I paint on the cardboard from the bottom of a case of pop)
A reference check showed the Airfix instructions were more or less correct (although the Airfix diagrams contradict themselves when they switch from top to side view)
I preshade again - I had already preshaded the whole model, then I painted the entire airframe the light gray. This way I don't end up with any bare plastic where the grey meets green. This time I only preshade inside the green areas. You can see my pencil tracing.
The upper/lower demarcation line on the mosquito is harder than the upper surfaces, but it's not a hard line like on the fuse - I use rolled blu-tack to give a medium soft line. The fatter the roll, the softer the edge will be, so it's important to make the roll relatively consistent.
The green has been sprayed - but needs to be faded (post shaded) still. This 'nightfigter' scheme (puzzlingly applied to all day fighters) is actually a very stark contrast, but I want to tone it down, and break up the monotony of it.
Got a little complacent and sprayed green on the wrong side of the pencil line lol. Happens every time.
First lightened coat blotched on. I spray in circles when fading - it helps make the fading seem far more random.
I kept lightening the green until the final shade which was 50/50 Dark Green and Zinc Chromate Yellow mixed 30/70 with thinner.
It's important when free-handing a soft edge like this to follow basic principles. In this case spraying perpendicular to the surface is facilitated by standing the model up - otherwise I'd tilt the airbrush so far forward paint would spill out of the cup.
I have learned new techniques working in this mammoth scale. Tire dressing sponges are an amazing way of supporting the model - they're firm enough to support its weight, but soft enough not to scuff the paint. The papers are on top so I don't paint the sponges - I still have to use them on my car lol.
Specifically this photo shows the plane after I have gone back over the upper surfaces with the gray and tightened up the green overspray.
These have come in so handy with this build because it is incredibly annoying having its landing gear on, and I don't want to lay it upside down on its canopy while painting the bottom.
Now it's time to finalize the lines - the gray oversprayed a bit, so I tighten up the odd spots like this.
I place wax paper on top of the model, trace the markings and then transfer them to paper which I then cut. Because I don't want a hard line, I have to elevate the paper off of the surface.
The whole model could be sprayed this way to begin with. I've done it in 48th scale, but the size of this model begged for a freehand finish.
Sometimes it's just not possible to cut the right scallop into paper. Here I use rolls of blutack again. This is right before the final spray of green.
spray across the mask, increasing the angle each time to move the paint closer and closer to the edge you want. The higher the paper the softer the line. So for this photo I sprayed from the right, across the paper (with a post it on the back of the paper so I didn't spray behind it on the gray).
Same principle with blutack - spray across, not into the edge you want. Here you can see the masking tape for the horizontal line too. Again a post it was held so I didn't get and green behind (to the right in this photo) of the blutack.
Masking removed! You can see the edge of the green under the guns is harder than it is over the nose, but not hard like a masked edge.
The model was up-ended on it's nose again and gloss coated. Then my most hated part. Decals.
All done now though!
This kit provides nice decals printed by Cartograph. As you can see they sat down nicely with set/sol and then Mr. Mark Softer. It would have been disaster without the Mr. Mark Softer - Micro Sol just isn't strong enough, this is always my experience.
Don't forget the fading will lose some contrast under the gloss coat, so post fade until it almost looks silly. You wont get all of the contrast back with the flat coat.
Now just some weathering and flat and we're all done!!!
I've totally fallen in love with this girl now, she's beautiful.
Update time! :yipee
Let's see if I can't make this a decent SBS on my method of doing soft-edged camouflage.
I have never been a fan of hard edged camo - I guess it reminds me too much of brush painted models, and none of mine ever looked good.
The Mosquito has both hard and soft edged camo - the demarcation line that runs along the side of the fuselage is hard - I simply used masking tape for this.
I start by marking the boundaries of the camo - I use pencil and keep it light and inside the edge that I'm actually going to paint (it's easier to cover if it's in the middle of a patch of green than it is if it's right on the edge.
(to keep my paint table relatively clean - and to make the model a little more portable as the paint dries, I paint on the cardboard from the bottom of a case of pop)
A reference check showed the Airfix instructions were more or less correct (although the Airfix diagrams contradict themselves when they switch from top to side view)
I preshade again - I had already preshaded the whole model, then I painted the entire airframe the light gray. This way I don't end up with any bare plastic where the grey meets green. This time I only preshade inside the green areas. You can see my pencil tracing.
The upper/lower demarcation line on the mosquito is harder than the upper surfaces, but it's not a hard line like on the fuse - I use rolled blu-tack to give a medium soft line. The fatter the roll, the softer the edge will be, so it's important to make the roll relatively consistent.
The green has been sprayed - but needs to be faded (post shaded) still. This 'nightfigter' scheme (puzzlingly applied to all day fighters) is actually a very stark contrast, but I want to tone it down, and break up the monotony of it.
Got a little complacent and sprayed green on the wrong side of the pencil line lol. Happens every time.
First lightened coat blotched on. I spray in circles when fading - it helps make the fading seem far more random.
I kept lightening the green until the final shade which was 50/50 Dark Green and Zinc Chromate Yellow mixed 30/70 with thinner.
It's important when free-handing a soft edge like this to follow basic principles. In this case spraying perpendicular to the surface is facilitated by standing the model up - otherwise I'd tilt the airbrush so far forward paint would spill out of the cup.
I have learned new techniques working in this mammoth scale. Tire dressing sponges are an amazing way of supporting the model - they're firm enough to support its weight, but soft enough not to scuff the paint. The papers are on top so I don't paint the sponges - I still have to use them on my car lol.
Specifically this photo shows the plane after I have gone back over the upper surfaces with the gray and tightened up the green overspray.
These have come in so handy with this build because it is incredibly annoying having its landing gear on, and I don't want to lay it upside down on its canopy while painting the bottom.
Now it's time to finalize the lines - the gray oversprayed a bit, so I tighten up the odd spots like this.
I place wax paper on top of the model, trace the markings and then transfer them to paper which I then cut. Because I don't want a hard line, I have to elevate the paper off of the surface.
The whole model could be sprayed this way to begin with. I've done it in 48th scale, but the size of this model begged for a freehand finish.
Sometimes it's just not possible to cut the right scallop into paper. Here I use rolls of blutack again. This is right before the final spray of green.
spray across the mask, increasing the angle each time to move the paint closer and closer to the edge you want. The higher the paper the softer the line. So for this photo I sprayed from the right, across the paper (with a post it on the back of the paper so I didn't spray behind it on the gray).
Same principle with blutack - spray across, not into the edge you want. Here you can see the masking tape for the horizontal line too. Again a post it was held so I didn't get and green behind (to the right in this photo) of the blutack.
Masking removed! You can see the edge of the green under the guns is harder than it is over the nose, but not hard like a masked edge.
The model was up-ended on it's nose again and gloss coated. Then my most hated part. Decals.
All done now though!
This kit provides nice decals printed by Cartograph. As you can see they sat down nicely with set/sol and then Mr. Mark Softer. It would have been disaster without the Mr. Mark Softer - Micro Sol just isn't strong enough, this is always my experience.
Don't forget the fading will lose some contrast under the gloss coat, so post fade until it almost looks silly. You wont get all of the contrast back with the flat coat.
Now just some weathering and flat and we're all done!!!
I've totally fallen in love with this girl now, she's beautiful.
phantom II
Master at Arms
Airfix 1/24 Mosquito build log
This bird is really looking good
I have to confess, blue tack has become one of my favorite painting tools :geek
Great to see that someone actually makes good decals :yipee
Cheers, Christian B)
This bird is really looking good
I have to confess, blue tack has become one of my favorite painting tools :geek Great to see that someone actually makes good decals :yipee
Cheers, Christian B)
Airfix 1/24 Mosquito build log
Outstanding technique with the raised mask, pretty slick. Thanks for sharing this!
Outstanding technique with the raised mask, pretty slick. Thanks for sharing this!
Adam Baker
Active member
Airfix 1/24 Mosquito build log
Very nice!
I've used a similar method for painting just using silly putty, but I've not tried painting camo yet w/ raised masks, but I've seen it done in the past, and something I plan on doing eventually when I have a need to do that. Always really impressed with the results people get using that method.
Very nice!
I've used a similar method for painting just using silly putty, but I've not tried painting camo yet w/ raised masks, but I've seen it done in the past, and something I plan on doing eventually when I have a need to do that. Always really impressed with the results people get using that method.
Airfix 1/24 Mosquito build log
Thanks guys! I always worry when I ramble on that no one will be able to make heads or tails of what I've said.
It's always either using this method or overspraying one colour then the other over and over again until I die. I tighten it up as best I can and then the areas where there's weird curves that just wont paint nicely have to be dispatched with this method.
Thanks guys! I always worry when I ramble on that no one will be able to make heads or tails of what I've said.
It's always either using this method or overspraying one colour then the other over and over again until I die. I tighten it up as best I can and then the areas where there's weird curves that just wont paint nicely have to be dispatched with this method.
Airfix 1/24 Mosquito build log
Yep every now and then I don't screw the decals up.
Yes that's what they're for. I detail cars on the side....but much like this hobby, people normally balk at the money you would want to do the work for them. I prefer tire dressings that leave a matte natural looking coat on the tire. The sponge does work better, the applicator side is curved so the sidewall of the tire sits nicely in it. Product also goes further.
Yep every now and then I don't screw the decals up.
Yes that's what they're for. I detail cars on the side....but much like this hobby, people normally balk at the money you would want to do the work for them. I prefer tire dressings that leave a matte natural looking coat on the tire. The sponge does work better, the applicator side is curved so the sidewall of the tire sits nicely in it. Product also goes further.
Airfix 1/24 Mosquito build log
Honey Hush!
Sweet ride.
Honey Hush!
Sweet ride.
Airfix 1/24 Mosquito build log
Thanks man. I have an affinity for '90s Japanese sports cars - hence my avatar.
Honey Hush!
Sweet ride.
Thanks man. I have an affinity for '90s Japanese sports cars - hence my avatar.
Airfix 1/24 Mosquito build log
I think you also got an affinity for Wax On, Wax off...
Really a great shin on her.
I think you also got an affinity for Wax On, Wax off...
Really a great shin on her.
