Thanks all guys, I am very (extremelly) touched by your warm welcome.
To reply to Felix question about weathering technique here it goes. I adapted from a reply of the same genre I made on ARC about a couple of VF-31 + VF-2 F-14D Tomcats that I built (released in a previous WingMaster issue).
Originally I am very much a US NAVY modelling fan and I build up an experience on US NAVY models. It turn out that the HAF Ghost scheme (F-4Es and F-16) seem to weather very muck like the US NAVY TPS (LoViz) scheme.
For the HAF Phantom I started with the camo colours with some interpretation as I use Gunze acrylic paints - sometimes Tamiya - and some camo colours are not available in their range :
Camo painting
Icarus decals claim FS 35237, 36307 et 36251 for camo colours plus FS36320 for nose cone.
· FS35237 : available in the Gunze range (H337). I lightened a bit with some drops of H307 (FS36320) for the main camo. I darkened on a few spots using Tamiya XF-18 (medium blue)
· FS36251 : not available but reasonnably close to cockpit grey FS36231 (H317) - added some drops of white to lighten a bit
· FS36307 : not available but I used light gull grey FS36440 (H325) which looked OK in 1/72nd scale due to scale effect. It might need a drop of a darker grey in bigger scales like FS36231 - H317. Also, my weathering used a very light spraying of a back wash mist, and played it role in darkening and merging camo colours..
· FS36320 : I actually used FS36375 (H308) due to scale effect.
This description for main base colours. These colours were altered in spots with drops of blue, white or grey
Weathering technique
There is no pre-shading whatsoever and all weathering is achieved after the original camo scheme is plainly applied (weathering over camo).
Technique follows a few simple principles. Origin is one of my friend, and master modeller, once telling me : to paint a kit just figure out what happened in real life..
Weathering is a result of an effect of time, paint touch ups, but also mechanic shoes strains, liquid spillage ... it doesn''t build in one day ... and that is how I tried to do my kit weathering..
After I painted the plain camo scheme I started to work on panels, altering basic colours either darkening or lightening them with approaching colours. (exemple adding FS 36320 in FS35237 or WW2 Intermediate blue in FS3537). Panels are painted, starting to give model a patchwork effect.
Then I work on touch ups along panel lines. Airbrush tuned to paint thin lines I paint along panel lines again using approachnig but different greys (generally lighter greys)..
If possible all above is done in several days .. purposedly.
As in real life. You don''t paint the same way on different days. Your hand will be steady one day, not so much another day, your airbrush lines will be slightly thinner or thicker another day, you won''t use the same exact colour etc... Doing all the job on a given day will tend to give your model an even finish with symetrical effects .. and that is not what you want weathering your model. Let your weathering build slowly...
I then process decaling, sometimes blending some decals with a very thinned spray of main camo paint.
Panel lines are then enhanced with very thinned sepia, black or dark grey oil based paint as my base camo is Gunze aqueous paint. This means I can wipe out excess paint from my panel lines with no risk for my main paint as thinners are not compatible..
I now have a decalled, panel lined, touched up Phantom but the strains of mechanics are still lacking.
A lot of people walk on aircraft (pilots, mechanics), soles generally are dark, they use oil and generally all this leave some black strains and soot on the aircraft.
I use very thinned black paint in my airbrush : I would call this mix coloured thinner more than thinned paint. Airbrush is set to minimum width spray (1 to 1.5 mm ie 0.1 or 0.15 in - as narrow as I can).
I then spray all areas of they aircraft that mechanics or pilots tread : upper air intakes, main fuselage, upper wings (avoid spoilers, flaps and slats), centre parts of stabilators. Also areas under cockpit around hand grips or footsteps.. Spray print is so thinned that you have to remain on an area to see the dark colour build.
Then I touch up again with small light grey dots over the dark stain effect...
The idea is mechanics came, walked on an area, strained but later touched up again (clean, dirty, clean layers pile up - I believe that is how it goes.. )
All is then sprayed with a very thin uneven layer of matt varnish.
Hope it might help some of you.
Merci ΰ vous tous!!! Thanks to you all !!
Eric B.
