Tips and techniques for

creating better models

DRY BRUSHING
MODELS
How to Add a Realistic Finish to Your Models

www.finescale.com
 Dry-brushing
A simple way to add highlights to your models
By Chris Appoldt jim Forbes photos

L
ooking for that last bit of dimension flat white, and watch how the subtle con- With an old paintbrush and some enamel
and realism on your models? Try the trast in shades makes a startling paints, you're ready to bring out fine detail
dry-brushing This tech- On tracks, try dry-brushing some you never knew was there.
nique brings out detail which might earth-colored paint. The effect tones down
otherwise disappear on a model by high- the "clean'' look of treads. Tracks and drive onto the panel.
lighting the raised surfaces. It works by sprockets also benefit from a dry-brushing Wheel wells on aircraft can also benefit
dipping a short, stiff brush in paint, then of steel, silver, or rust paints, as their edges from highlights added by dry-brushing, as
brushing off most of the paint and pig- are constantly .experiencing a wearing, can leading wing edges and walkways
. ment from the bristles. Lightly dragging paint-chipping motion. where paint is frequently faded and worn.
the brush over raised detail deposits a very Turret-mounted machine guns can Model jets have afterburner cans that can
small amount of the pigment, highlighting have their detail highlighted by a dry- be drybrushed with steel or aluminum
the raised sections only. brushing of steel-colored paint, and the paintS for . a nice effect, and a little black
Dry-brushing is an effective technique cannon barrels and exhaust mufflers can applied near gun ports looks great, too.
for almost any kind of modeling, but giv- look extremely realistic if there's some dark . Figures. Take a photograph sometime
ing some thought to what medium you'll colors dry-brushed on as soot. and give the clothing a close examination.
use and where you'll apply it will help you Aircraft. Dry-brusliing buttons and See how shadows depend on how the per-
to achieve maximum realism. knobs in model aircraft cockpits is a lot son's clothing hangy on them?
Ground . bound. On model trucks, easier than trying to paint them one by Dry-brushing the clothing on your figures
construction equipment, and especially one. Try using silver, white, or light gray helps create the illusion of this shadowing,
armor models, dry-brushing works well on enamel paint to make the details on the since the deep, recessed areas of the "fab-
bolt heads and upper surface areas, where consoles stand out. A few dozen passes ric" folds won't get Again, try
the real vehicle is weathered from wind with barely any paint on the brush will a lighter shade of the base color, or even
and sun. Try dry-brushing with a bit of yield better results than just a few heavy flat white, if you want to "pop" a highlight
your AFV's base paint mixed with some passes, since that way paint won't bleed into view., FSM

72 nneScale Modeler March 2001

 BEAVER MODEL
Order an authentic 1124 scale replica.
DeHavilland Beaver Floatpfane. ""
,::ti..
The bright yellow model with.24" wing
span bas 26 snap together pieces.
Send $23.95 via check or money order (US funds) to:
Cedar Creek Trading Post, PO Box 438
Cedarbu rg, Wl53012
Orders outside continental US add $6 tor shipping

LIGHTS
THE FINAL TOUCH OF REALISM!!
7 fully assembled systems, designed for plastic
models and featuring WHITE, super brite LEOs,
priced from $9.95 to $19.95. Made in the U.S.A.

am See your hobby retailer or contact

RAM, 229 E. Rollins Rd., Round Lake
Beach, IL 60073 (647) 740-8726

Clip down an old brush, making the bris- Lightly drag the brush over the detail you Rat: Resins
tles short and stiff. Lightly dip it into the want to highlight. Don't try to leave a coat "<;,;""' "'""•' 1/72 cast resin kits
Airspeed Courier £20.50- £24.08
paint- you don't need much . Next, on a of the new color, just a trace of it. If you've Miles Kesl
. .
£24.08
£24.50.£28.78
paper blotter, brush off almost all of the correctly removed most of the paint in the £24.50.£28.78
£24.50.£28.78
paint. You'll barely see anything at all on first step, you' ll get about 10 passes before £24.50 . £28.78
£24.50 . £28.78
£24.50 . £28.78
the paper when it's ready. you need to re-wet the brush. S f24.50 . £28.78
3
v £24.50. £28.78
£32.50 . £38.18
£47.50. £55.81
£47.50 .£55.81
£47.50. £55.81
£51.50. £60.51
Price is in pounds sterling.
Payment accepted by VISA, Mastercard or /MO.
Postage is charged at cost on credit card orders, otherwise 15% of order value
in British Isles and 30% of order value elseWhere.
'
Aircr aft In Miniature Limited
19 Watling Str eet, Nuneaton, War wickshire,
IA1il CVll 6JJ, E n gland
"Zr +44 (0) 24 76 37 57 37 (Voice & fax)
email: [email protected]. uk Webs ite www.aim72.co.uk

This Black Box NACES ejection seat is A third round of dry-brushing passes
going into a 1/48 scale F-18. Hornets on leaves the NACES seat with a lot more
aircraft carriers see quite a bit of wear, so dimension than it had with its initial flat
Chris added another application of dry- black paint job. If you've drybrushed areas
brushing. The trick is to go slowly. Better that you don't want highlighted, just go
too little than too much . back and retouch with the original color.
······;>(..,._GO TO) ...... ;>

Aircraft, Armor,
Ship Kits, Decals,

8' Magazines
& Books

121 88 Brookhurst Street, Garden Grove,

Wooden truck beds become visibly worn as objects are loaded into them, and the sun CA 92840, U. S.A. Phone (7 14) 636-3580
and rain will bleach the upper surfaces of a hard-working truck. On this 1/35 scale Fort or use our 24 hour fax: (7 14) 636-9150
E-mail - [email protected]
ZiS 5, Terry Thompson simulated wear with a dry-brushing of lighter paint- even on the
fender edges. WEB SITE - WWW.BROOKHURSTHOBBIES.COM
March 200i www.finescale.coan 73
Armor I How-To

Wash and dry-brush an Iraqi Freedom

Direct from the streets

of Baghdad, the M1A 1
Abrams tank! John used the
Tamiya mine-plow version with
extra detailing parts from Eduard
and AFV Club tracks. A thorough wash
and dry-brush finish makes this model look
as though it just rumbled into your living room .

20 11ne5cale Modeler July 2003

 1/35 Scale

Finishing techniques reveal

your hard-earned detail
Story by John Plzak
Photos by William Zuback and jim Forbes

Y ou've spent hours researching, building, and

detailing your latest kit only to watch all the
fine detail disappear when you paint it. The
problem is that details on small objects like
models don't cast shadows large enough to dis-
tinguish them from the surrounding area. The solution is to apply a wash and use dry-brushing to enhance
shadows and highlights on your model. These techniques will make that hidden detail pop out and repro-
duce some of the effects of weathering at the same time.
The process requires no expensive tools and only a few supplies,
some of which you already have on your workbench. I'll demonstrate
it on a timely subject: an M1A1 Abrams tank, the spearhead ofU.S.
armor forces in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The model. Building and detailing the model was straightforward. I started with
the version of the Tamiya M1A1 kit equipped with a mine plow (No. 35158). The kit
is more than 10 years old, and though it's fairly accurate, I decided to update it with
Eduard's photoetched brass detail set (No. 35-333). Eduard even includes the louver-
like protrusions on the turret for the infrared IFF (identification friend or foe) devices
used on Iraqi Freedom coalition vehicles - the kind of detail that benefits from the
wash-and-dry-brush process.
The kit's tracks have guide teeth incorrectly located in the middle of the track
blocks instead of between them, but fortunately I found an AFV Club set ofT-158
tracks (No. AF3512) that are more accurate for M1A1s in service today.
Despite extensive media coverage of the war, I had some difficulty coming up with
markings for my M1A1. Eventually, I found a photo in a special edition of US. News
and World Report showing several M1s apparently with the 2nd Brigade of the 3rd
Infantry. Like their Desert Storm predecessors, Iraqi Freedom M1s are loaded with
external stores that seem to include everything but the kitchen sink. I gave my Abrams
a pile of accessories from Greif's "Modern U.S. Tank Crew Gear" set (No. GF004) and
the Academy "Tank Supplies II" set (No. 1383), but it still looks underdressed!
Coming out with the wash. The first phase in finishing my M1 was to apply
the wash. A wash is simply highly thinned pigment- mostly thinner and only a touch
of pigment - applied over the base coat. Just about any water- or oil-based paint can
be used in a wash - enamels, acrylics, watercolors, or artist's oils. I've tried the exotic
mixtures some modelers use, like chalk pastels diluted in lacquer thinner, but I prefer
the artist's oils.
Artist's oils have several advantages that make them ideal for washes: opacity,
intense colors, and finely ground pigments. Many modelers fear the long drying times
of oil paints, but when thinned as they are for a wash, they dry in a few hours.
Compared to modeling paints, artist's oils are expensive, but only a small amount is
needed to do an entire model. One tube will usually last you for years, and you don't
need many colors. Most of my washes are made using burnt umber (dark brown) dark-

July 2003 WW1N.&nescale.cotn 21

 . i

Here's John's Abrams and plow before painting. The dark items Tools of the trade: John mixes artist's oil paints and thinner in a
are photoetched brass details from Eduard. Larger detail pieces six-hole mixing palette. A fine brush is used to apply the wash.
were left off the model until after the wash and dry-brushing For dry-brushing, John will mix colors on the ceramic tile, then
steps were completed. apply them with a short-bristle brush.

With a blob of burnt-umber oil paint on the rim, John pushes a With the solution thoroughly mixed and resembling strong cof-
little into the shallow pool of mineral spirits. fee, John draws off excess wash on the rim of the palette.

ened with black. For thinner, I use ordinary mineral spirits ing well from time to time to check the intensity of the color, 4.
(paint thinner) purchased at a home center or hardware store. Apply the wash. There are two ways to apply washes. For
Apply the base coat. I completed all the basic construc- a small area where you want to represent weathering as well as
tion steps and added the major detail items to my Abrams, 1, shadow, such as a truck cab floor, flood the entire area with a
before I applied a base coat of acrylic Polly Scale U.S. Desert coat of wash, 5.
Storm Sand (FS 33446). I use acrylics for my base coats because For large areas like the hull and turret of a tank, I prefer a
the mineral spirits in the wash won't damage the paint even if more controlled method. Fill the brush with wash and touch it
it's had only a few hours' drying time. The thinner will wrinkle on the model, 6. The wash will easily flow around raised or
an enamel base coat if you don't wait several days for the base to scribed detail. If it's too dark, remove most of it with a cotton
dry or apply an acrylic flat clear coat as a barrier. swab or a dry paint brush. If it is too light, add more pigment to
Mix the wash. Mix the wash in a small container that's the wash and apply more to darken the area. Remember that the
disposable or easy to clean, 2. I mix mine in a plastic six-well wash will dry lighter than it looks when first applied.
artist's mixing tray. I use a white tray because it allows me to Experiment a bit to learn how much pigment is needed.
check the color density of the wash before I apply it. Don't worry if the color varies a bit on the model. The paint
When preparing the wash, you don't need to squeeze a big on full-size AFVs doesn't weather evenly, and colors can vary
glob of paint out of the tube. Remove a small dab about the size quite a bit from one part of the vehicle to another.
of a BB with a toothpick and place it on the edge of the mixing Continue applying the wash wherever there are details on the
pallet. Fill the well about three-quarters full of mineral spirits. model, 7 . The pigment will settle quickly in the mixing well, so
Using a fine brush, stir some of the paint into the thinner, 3, stir often and test it frequently on the pallet. The wash will also
adding paint until the color of the wash looks like strong coffee. darken as you use up the thinner in the well. Add more thinner
Work the brush as though you're cleaning it until it's clear of and remix as necessary.
pigment. While stirring, tap the bristles on the side of the mix- What have I done? Mter about half an hour, your model

ZZ FineScale Modeler July 2003 ,

Here are the wash and dry-brush techniques in a (lug)nutshell: wheel color airbrushed; burnt-umber wash applied to the wheel
(left to right) first the tire color was sprayed on the road wheel; a details; dry-brushed highlights add depth .
lighter gray dry-brushed on the tire edges; tire was masked and

The fine brush transfers the wash to the recessed detail of the The wash has been applied to all the topside detail on the hull. It
hull. When properly thinned, the wash should flow quickly looks messy now, but don't fret! The excess will be cleaned up in
around hatches and along recessed panel lines. the next step.

will look awful - very uneven and blotchy. Don't panic! Your
hard work is not ruined. Let it dry for another hour or two, then How the mine plow works
take a cotton swab dampened with mineral spirits and carefully
go over the entire model, 8. Don't rub too hard or you may rub The mine plow developed for the Ml tank is based
through the paint. Pay particular attention to the large flat areas on a Soviet design. It works by pushing aside most of
of the model. You just want to cover the model with a thin coat the mines rather than exploding them. A small "dog
of thinner, and gently remove the wash from the areas where it bone" roller suspended on a chain between the plow
doesn't belong. blades trips mines with tilt-rod fuses.
When the thinner dries, the wash will be much more even. The plow was very effective in Desert Storm and
Let it all dry overnight before you move on to dry-brushing the later in Bosnia and Kosovo. It also works well against
model. defensive berms and dug-in emplacements. No doubt it
Dry-brush fundamentals. The second phase of the fin- was put to good use in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
ishing process, dry-brushing, is almost the opposite of a wash. The plow unit simply bolts to the front of any Ml
Paint is applied to the brush, then removed until almost none is tank. The right periscope is removed from the driver's
left. The brush should be dry, hence the term "dry-brush." As hatch so the hydraulic control cable can be routed into
the brush is passed over the model, small amounts of paint col- the driver's compartment.
lect on the high points of the details (see photo 5). T amiya did an excellent job of reproducing the plow
Dry-brushing can be done with either enamels or acrylics. I in its M1Al kit, including the fme chain and turned-
use acrylics for small jobs like tires or road wheels, but for large brass "dog bone." It can be positioned on the model in
areas I find enamels mixed with artist's oils work best. Enamels the deployed or stored mode, and the deflection plates
give me access to a wide variety of colors, while the oils will can also be shown extended or stowed. -john Plzak
increase the paint's blending ability and working time.

July 2003 www.&nescale.colft 23

After waiting an hour or two for the mineral spirits to dry, John With most of the pigment removed from the flat brush, a light
wipes off the excess wash with a thinner-dampened cotton swab. grazing of Testor steel enamel on this tow cable shows how
effective a good dry-brush technique can be.

more pressure if the results build up too slowly.

Go over the entire model, then add more white to
the base and go over everything again, this time
using less pressure. Add even more white and do a
light third pass just on the high points. Take care: If
you put down too much of the final color, your model may end
up looking frosted. Let it dry overnight, and if the finish looks
a little too uneven the next day, apply a topcoat of your favorite
clear flat.
Make it metallic. One of the best ways to replicate
metal is to dry-brush the parts with metallic enamels.
Two of my favorites are Testor steel from the bottle and
Testor chrome silver from the paint marker.
Begin by applying a coat of flat black paint to the
parts to be metalized. Put some of the metallic paint
on your pallet, pick up a bit with the brush, wipe the
brush almost dry, and work it over the details. To use the
paint from the pen, I simply push in the nib several
Here's the finished mine plow, effectively washed and dry- times on my tile pallet until I have a small puddle of
brushed . Note the metallic sheen of the plow blades, created paint to work with.
with a dry-brushing of Testor chrome silver. You'll be amazed at how realistic items like shovels,
tow cables, and track links can be made to look using
You don't need a lot of oil colors in your pallet; you'll mainly this method, 10.
use white. Yellow ochre is useful when working with greens These finishing techniques are not difficult to learn.
because it will keep the white from bleaching out the color. I like They will give the appearance of any model a shot of
to mix the paint on an old piece of white glazed wall tile. As realism and show off the fine detail molded into modern
with the wash, the white surface helps me check the color. The kits. Practice them a bit, and soon people who see your
tile also won't absorb paint and is easy to clean when I'm done. models will say, "Look at all the detail! How did you do
Small, stiff, flat brushes with short bristles work best. that?" FSM
Scrub-a-dub. Find a paint close to your base color (it does-
n't have to be a perfect match). A small amount is needed, so use
a toothpick to scoop out a dab of the pigment that has settled to REFERENCES
the bottom of the bottle. Place a dab of white oil paint next to M 1 Abrams Main BoHle Tank, 1982-92 (New Vanguard
the enamel and use your brush to mix in a bit of the white until No. 2) Steve Zaloga and Peter Sarson, Osprey Publishing
the enamel is only slightly lighter than the base color. Co., 1993
War Machines No. 6: M 1-M liP-M 1A 1 Abrams Main
Load the brush with the mixture and wipe off the excess
Battle Tank Frans:ois Verlinden, Verlinden Productions, 1991
paint on a piece of paper, rag, or paper towel. You want to M 1 Abrams in Action Jim Mesko, Squadron/Signal
remove almost all of the paint from the brush. Publications, Carrollton, Texas, 1991
Start brushing the model, paying particular attention to Missing Links M 1I M 1A 1I M 1A2 Abrams Tweaks List Pete
scrubbing over the raised detail and edges, 9. It takes a little Beccera, Maj. John Charvat, Matthew M alagorski, and
practice to learn how much paint you should have on the brush Stephen Tyliszczak, www.missing-lynx.com/library/modernl
and how much pressure you should apply to the brush. Use 1-modern.htm

24 111\eScale Modelel' July 2003

 Meet John Plzak
John's byline will be familiar to FineScale Modele7"readers from his many Workbench
Reviews. This article is the Milwaukee, Wisconsin, modeler's debut as a feature contributor.
He began modeling more than 40 years ago when he received an Aurora P-61 Black
Widow kit on his seventh birthday. "I think I spent all of about 60 minutes building it,
including a nice thick coat of glossy black paint."
John became more serious about modeling in his early teens. Although armor is his
focus, his interests include aircraft, racing cars, and even science fiction subjects. A member
of the Milwaukee's Richard I. Bong Chapter of the IPMS since 1979, he has served as the
club's secretary, president, and contest chairman at different times.
Among his many modeling achievements, John is proudest of winning his first IPMS
National award in Chicago in 2001, contributing models to several museum displays built
by the Bong Chapter, and seeing his work in FSM.

Even in 1/35 scale, an M1 is intimidating from any angle. With its details brought out by the wash
and dry-brushing , John's Abrams is hardly distinguishable from its full-size counterparts in Iraq.

July 2003 25
Aircraft I How-To

Improving prepainted aircraft

A professional modeler jazzes up Revell-Monogram's P-51B
By Pat Hawkey Photos by the author

T
o make it simpler for newer modelers to build good-looking What could you do with a kit if someone had already painted it
aircraft models, Revell-Monogram has extended its line of for you? We asked Pat Hawkey to find out with this 1/48 scale
"ProFinish" kits to include some 1/48 scale aircraft. The line kit of "Old Crow."
consists of veteran kits with the major (and many of the minor)
components already spray painted. anything the budding young - or mature - modeler wouldn't
That's the good news. The bad news is that it's usually with have access to. This would be interesting.
good reason that one paints a model plane after it's built, and The ProFinish kits may not be perfect for everyone - but
certainly not before it leaves the sprue. In other words, Revell- they're a quick and relatively easy introduction to the hobby for
Monogram is _doing one of the last steps first. That presents first-time builders, and a fine starting point for advanced mod-
some challenges, but, as we'll see, the resulting plane can be elers who have experience with making corrections and adding
quite good. aftermarket parts.
My mission was _to assemble a prepainted kit, retaining its Personally, I favor any attempt to bring young blood into this
factory paint job but improving its appearance. I had to put hobby, and I hope the ProFinish line achieves that. The kits
myself in the position of someone likely to purchase one of these should make great gifts for youngsters who are spending way
kits. That person, I assumed, would not own an airbrush. (Since too much time in front of their computers - I remember my
I literally had not finished a model plane without an airbrush in delight as a kid in the late 1960s with Monogram's prepainted
about 30 years, this was a challenge to me.) I also would limit F-105 and AC-47. With any luck, these kits may inspire a
myself strictly to common Testor paints, ·as I didn't want to use whole new generation of model builders. FSM

58 FineScale Modeler September 2001

 1/48 Scale

1 The Pro Modeler P-51 B "Old Crow" is molded in olive, and 2 Care in assembly was paramount, starting with removal of
the invasion stripes, undersurface, interior, tires, prop, spinner, parts from the trees. I scissored most of them close to the sprue,
and canopy frame come prepainted in a flat finish. then cleaned off the burrs with a fresh hobby knife blade.

3 An immediate area of concern was the spinner. Without a 4 I matched the interior green with Testor Model Master Interior
white base coat, the red applied to olive green plastic was Green (34151} mixed with Field Drab (30118}, then brush
decidedly dull, and wouldn't match the decal : I glued the front painted the tail wheel well and extended the green fuselage inte-
and rear halves together without the propeller to better clean up rior. After building the cockpit interior to the stage shown, I gave
the significant seam. Next, I brush painted the spinner flat white, it a wash of acrylic flat black thinned with a 30/70 mix of dish-
then sprayed it a couple of times with Testor 1204 Gloss Dark washing soap and water. Once the wash is dry you need to be
Red . I separated the propeller blades, cleaned them up with a able to rub it off everything but the cracks it settled into, and the
medium-grit sanding stick, brush painted them gloss black, and soap breaks down the adhesive qualities of the paint. "The black
installed them individually. I masked the tips and brush painted wash adds depth and definition, and a dry-brushing of silver
them yellow over a white base coat, then added Hamilton over the top and edges provides even more. The landing gear
Standard logos to the blades from a spare Mustang decal sheet. well on the right has received this treatment.

5 Since sanding seams would mean saying goodbye to the fac- 6 With as tight a fit as I was going to get with the wing halves, I
tory finish, it was important to strive for as precise a fit as touched a loaded brush of liquid cement to the edges. Capillary
possible. Here the inner surfaces of the wings are smoothed of action took the glue where it needed to go, and maintaining
any raised blemishes with a coarse sanding stick. clamping pressure on parts kept cement "squeeze-outs" to a min-
imum along the seams.

September 2001 www.&nescale.coiD 59

7 After sanding the mating surfaces of the fuselage halves, I · 8 I swiped with a medium grit Flex-1-File across the spine to even
glued from the inside with gap-filling super glue. The fit isn't out the seam. Here I didn't use any putty. The paint .was' thick
great, even if you' re careful to line things up. I puttied the and I managed to remove the visible seam without too much
rougher seams and matched the ProFinish gray with my own sanding . Matching the black and white of the invasion stripes
mix (Model Master Medium Gray 35237 with a touch of blue) . with paint dabs from a hand brush wouldn't be too difficult.

9 Happily, the upper-wing-to-fuselage fit was pretty good. 10 I masked and painted the nose band a base coat of flat
(Underneath. was a very different story.) After carving away half white, then proceeded to mask off everything that was not going
of the given raised ridge on the fuselage and carefully applying to be Olive Drab. The hole in the nose for the prop shaft accept-
liquid cement, a styrene shim, and some epoxy putty, I closed the ed a needle file, which made an invaluable handle for the rest of
gap between the windscreen and the fuselage. the project.

11 After a few quick sweeping squirts from a spray can of 12 To eliminate silvering, I brush-painted the entire upper cowl
Testor Model Master Olive Drab (34087), my paint job was on. and the small area to be under the "kills" decal with two coats of
Some olive drab seeped underneath the masking tape, but I was Future floor polish. A second kit gave me another decal to layer
able to scrape it off with a sharpened toothpick. I brush painted over the fuselage markings, and a second "Old Crow" - the
the nose ring Testor 1114 Gloss Yellow with a touch of brown to plane carried the name on both sides. Never trusting decals to
match th'e spinner's yellow decal band. Since half of this area conform correctly to a curved surface, I cut out the red checks
would be covered by red checks, I didn't try to make it perfect. and applied them to the nose individually.

60 nneSc:ale Modelel' September 2001

13 I spent some time with a pointed brush touching up the mini- 14 I used a silver Prisma pencil to apply a few paint chips, and
mally damaged ProFinish areas, but since this model had a flat lightly added black pastel streaks trailing from nose area panel
finish and would represent a used warrior, little of this was lines to suggest oil and grime stains. I dulled out the code letters
noticeable. But my model still looked two-dimensional. To ani- and fuselage insignia with gray chalk pastels to contrast with
mate it, I gave the entire model the same flat black acrylic wash what would've been the fresher white invasion stripes. I put on
as I had given the cockpit and the wheel wells . Not only did it the canopy framing with a combination of silver decal film and
accent all the panel and separation lines between flying and hand brushed Polly-S Bright Silver. Bud Anderson's real Old
control surfaces, but it stained the flat finish a little bit as I sus- Crow featured white-walled tires (Why, Bud? Why?) and these I
pected it would. I rubbed it off the invasion stripes as much as I lifted from the Mustang International decal sheet. I turned an old
could, but liked the effect on the green and gray and left that unused landing light into a rear-view mirror, added a whip
uneven look alone. antenna, and that was it.

Pat set aside his trusty airbrush and used only Testor spray cans and hand-painted enamels to spruce up this prepainted.Mustang .

September 2001 www.&nescale.cont. 61

 Easy aircraft figures
By Rafe Morrissey

Painting figures for aircraft dioramas in

nine basic steps

I
f you’re an inveterate aircraft modeler This method is a simplification of release agent. Most kit figures have mold
like I am, you’ve probably gotten into the techniques discussed by master modeler parting lines and flash on them. Resin after-
habit of dumping any figures that come Sheperd Paine in How to Build Dioramas. market figures, on the other hand, generally
in a kit in the spares box thinking, “I’ll get It’s broken into two stages: painting the don’t have mold parting lines but may have
around to them someday” or maybe even, flesh tones and painting the uniform and flash or blobs of excess resin that need to be
“I’ll leave that to the armor guys.” If you equipment. It is ideal for 1/72, 1/48, and removed. Begin by trimming away any flash
like to photograph your models, though, possibly even 1/32 scale figures. Larger and scraping off the mold parting line with
there’s nothing like a figure to provide a figures require the much more elaborate a No. 11 hobby-knife blade. Afterward, wet
sense of scale and to help establish a con- techniques contained in Mr. Paine’s book, sand the area with some 400-grit sandpaper
vincing scene. Unfortunately for many who however. followed by some 600-grit. This blends
specialize in finishing aircraft, painting fig- the treated area into the rest of the figure.
ures can seem like a black art. The following Getting started Unlike airplane models, figures are best
method is designed to help a modeler pro- As with any model, proper preparation of finished once they’re completely assembled.
duce convincing figures with a minimum of parts is the key. Wash the figure with soap Many resin figures have separate arms, legs,
guesswork in a few easy steps. and water to remove any leftover mold- and heads. Kit figures may need an arm

34 FineScale Modeler July 2005

 1/48 Scale | Figure | How-to

attached, but most arrive in one piece. If inconspicuous area of the figure (like the Faces and hands
the figure has a complex pose, like a pilot bottom of the foot) and insert a toothpick Realistic flesh tones are the biggest
climbing into a cockpit, test fit it by tem- to hold the figure. In this manner, I can obstacle when creating a convincing fig-
porarily attaching the parts with small bits hold and move the figure during painting ure, so let’s start there. It’s best to paint
of modeling clay to confirm the pose in without handling it. the areas of exposed skin first, anyway.
relation to the model. Vallejo paints will not stick well to Picking the right colors to paint a face
Resin figures must be assembled with bare plastic or resin so a primer coat is is one of the toughest challenges artists
super glue or epoxy. Be sure to fill any essential. I prime my figures with light face. In these small scales, however, I’ve
seams with putty. A quick way to fill gray paint. The particular shade does not found a few colors in the Testor Model
seams on figures is to slightly overfill them matter much, but be sure to completely Master line of enamel paints that seem to
with Squadron White Putty or any tolu- cover the entire figure. I used Testor Acryl work every time. The colors are tan (FS
ene-based filler. While the putty is still light gray (FS 36495) on this project. 20900), military brown (FS 30117), and
wet, use a cotton swab dipped in Cutex Some modelers claim that only lacquer- radome tan (FS 33613). These are com-
nail polish remover to remove the excess or enamel-based primers should be used, mon colors and should be easy to find, but
putty. Do not to use the acetone free but Testor acrylics work just fine for me. any enamel paint of the same FS number
formula. It won’t work. The cotton swab Wiping the figure down with a cotton should work just as well. It is important to
should be damp, not sopping. Repeat with swab soaked in isopropyl alcohol helps use only enamel paints for the skin areas,
fresh cotton swabs as necessary to remove remove any traces of mold release, sanding though. They have a more realistic sheen
any excess putty. This technique elimi- dust, or skin oils, and is the key to success- and allow for the subtle blending that is a
nates the need for sanding. ful priming with acrylic paints. critical part of the process. We’ll use acryl-
ics for the rest of the figure.
Prime directive Take a good look Begin by painting all the exposed
The next step is to prime the figure. This Once the figure is primed, take a long skin areas with a basecoat of the Testor
highlights any remaining seams and good look at it under a strong light. Note Model Master tan, 2. Next, areas that
provides an even surface for later paint the areas that are in shadow and those are in shadow like eye sockets, wrinkles,
coats. Usually, I drill a small hole in an that are exposed to the most light. These and the underside of the chin are painted
are the places where darkened and light-
ened colors will be used to emphasize
shadows and highlights. Keep a mental
note of these areas in mind as you begin
to paint, 1.

1
3
1

Here is the primed navigator figure from the

classic Monogram 1/48 B-17G kit. All flash
and mold parting lines have been scraped Use a fine-point brush to lay in any areas in
away with a No. 11 blade and the figure given shadow such as eye sockets, under the nose,
a light sanding with 400- and 600-grit sand- under the chin, and recesses near clothing with
paper to smooth everything out. the Testor Model Master military brown (FS
Lay in the base flesh color with Testor Model 30117).
Master tan (FS 20900) enamel applied with a
fine-point brush.

July 2005 www.finescale.com 35

Testor Model Master military brown with Clothes and equipment white to the base color and pick out the
a fine-tip brush, 3. Be as precise as pos- Acrylic paints are ideal for painting cloth- highlights, such as the top of folds and the
sible here. For example, apply a dab of the ing because they dry dead flat. For the upper edges of the cuffs. At this point, all
darker color on the underside of the nose, same reason they don’t work as well for of the highlights and shadows probably
between the lips, and under the lower flesh tones, the flat finish of most acrylic look too stark and unrealistic, 7. Since
lip. Finally, use the Testor Model Master paints really makes cloth areas look real- it’s impossible to blend them easily, cre-
radome tan to apply highlights to the istic. My favorite brand of paint for figure ate a very thin mixture of the base color
areas of the face and hands that capture painting is Vallejo’s. These paints come in and water and apply it to the entire area.
the most overhead light, such as above the a rainbow of colors and are unrivaled in Artists call this a “glaze,” and it blends the
eyebrows, the bridge of the nose, the tops their ability to cover with one coat. Each highlights and shadows effectively. Just
of the cheeks, and the point of the chin, bottle comes with a dispenser tip that lets make sure the glaze goes on evenly and
4. When all the shadows and highlights you squeeze out just enough paint for the doesn’t pool in recesses. If the shadows
have been added to the face and hands, job while keeping the remainder from and highlights are still too stark, mix up a
blend everything with a clean, smooth- drying up. slightly thicker glaze and apply a second
bristle brush that’s slightly dampened with In most cases, acrylic paints dry too coat to the area, 8. Don’t make it too thick
thinner. Make sure there’s not too much quickly to be blended, so a different tech- though, or it will cover everything and
thinner in the brush, or you will remove nique is needed. The initial steps are the you’ll have to start over.
the paint instead of blending the differ- same as those for faces and hands. First,
ently shaded areas. Go slowly, and you will lay in the base color of the garment. Paint Vallejo is a relatively new brand of paint avail-
see the stark lines between shadow and the figure as though you were dressing a able to modelers. Each bottle comes with an appli-
highlight areas disappear. Photo 5 shows mannequin, 6. Next, add a little black or cator tip allowing you to neatly dispense precise
the final effect. You’ll notice that I didn’t dark brown to the base color and apply it amounts of paint.
worry about painting the eyes. That’s to the areas where shadows fall from folds
because from a scale viewing distance, in the cloth or belts and other equipment.
you can’t really see the individual eyes. Try Keep in mind that the shadows are only
looking at people when you’re walking on the underside of the fold and not in
down the street. They have to be awfully the entire recess. Next, add a little bit of
close before you can see the “whites of
their eyes!”

Lightly draw the fine-point brush slightly

dampened with mineral spirits back and forth
Next, lay in the highlighted areas like the fore- over the face and hands to subtly blend the
head, bridge of the nose, tops of the cheeks transition areas between dark and light areas. Use the Vallejo paints to lay in the base color
and the tip of the chin with Testor Model Don’t use too much thinner or you will smear of the uniform, life vest, and boots. Paint the
Master radome tan (FS 33613). everything. Go lightly! figure as though you were dressing it.

36 FineScale Modeler July 2005

 Once the glaze has dried thoroughly
and you are satisfied with the blended
effect, you can go in and paint the smaller
details, like the figure’s belts, shoes, buck-
les, and equipment, 9. Unless the detail
is very small, you should follow the same
procedure of laying down the base color,
shadows, and highlights, followed by a
glaze. Avoid using straight white or silver
for detail. It looks too stark and unrealis-
tic in smaller scales. Mix a little tan into
white and black into silver and they’ll
have a much better appearance.
Hopefully the techniques I’ve
described here will inspire you to pull the
figures out of an old Monogram kit, or
maybe even pick up a few new aftermarket
ones. You may not take up figure model- touch, and provides a change of pace Besides being just plain fun to paint, figures are
ing full-time, but a nicely done figure next between airplane projects. FSM an excellent way to convey the immense size of
to a model makes the perfect finishing the real aircraft in photos as in the case of this
Meet Rafe Morrissey Revell Germany 1/72 P-47M Thunderbolt.
Rafe Morrissey began modeling at the age of
6. His father, an Air Force pilot, who intro-
duced him to the hobby, kindled his interest
in military aviation. Rafe earns a living as
public affairs consultant for a Washington,
D.C.-based government relations firm. He
fits modeling in between work and helping
raise his two small daughters.

7 9

Using a process similar to that with the flesh

areas, add black and white to the base color
and use the two altered shades to lay in the
shadows and highlights. For some uniform
colors you may need to use other hues to
achieve the effect. In the case of the life vest, Acrylic paints do not blend like oils or enamels.
I used a mixture of black and red to create a When they are dry, they are dry. Instead,
dark orange tone for the shadows because make a thin mixture of the base color and Once the major elements of the uniform have
straight black turned the shadow green. White apply it over the entire area. Don’t load your been completed, finish the figure off by adding
uniforms are another special case. Use a very brush up too much or let the mixture pool in detail items such as parachute straps, buckles,
light gray for the base shade so you can use recesses. Keep your mixture thin and reapply and insignia. Tone down colors such as white,
straight white for the highlights. A dark purple as necessary to achieve the effect of blending. black, and silver by adding brown, white, and
will work better than straight black for making Don’t make your mixture too thick or it will black, respectively. Otherwise, they look too
the shadows on white uniforms. cover everything and you’ll have to start over! stark and unrealistic.

July 2005 www.finescale.com 37