Photo Realism: Hellcat Part 7

I know I’m not exactly providing a step-by-step guide here, and I feel bad about that. But we’re a little beyond that now, so let’s move on. Here’s the state of play. We have a model of a U.S. Navy fighter plane of the last world war in 1/72 scale. I painted the underside with five coats Tamiya White Gloss Acrylic, which is the only way I know to get a good white finish with a brush.

I had to let it cure for about a day, then gave everything a coat of clear flat (Tamiya Clear Flat mixed with Future/Pledge/Klear). This gave me the ability to do touch-ups and stippling using flat paint, otherwise the gloss finish would fubar the paint. Having flattened the white paint, I painted over it using the flat MM Acryl with only minor fubar, and was able to repair the fubar.

The stippling turned out fairly well, but I did some experimenting and can see that only a particularly funky sort of brush lends itself to this kind of use. I almost hate to say it, but if you can get one of the new Humbrol brushes (made from geniune cow hair, I think) you’ll find this type of brush works best for stippling. Right now, I’m thinking of getting a few more cow-hair Humbrol brushes if I can find them.

Still a little touching up to do, I think, but so far so good. The dark blue, which is very dark, IS NOT DARK ENOUGH. However, I’m not going to sweat it. It’s close enough for a plastic model.

2 Replies to “Photo Realism: Hellcat Part 7”

  1. I am assuming you clean up the demarcation lines between top/bottom with your smaller brushes after you have finished the main coat? Is that how you get around masking? Because masking with acrylics and brushing usually means a ‘ridge’. I am attempting your methods on a Mustang I have been currently building just behind your current build, and so far, so good.

    1. I’m pretty good at drawing lines with brushes, but if I do need to “clean up” something I’ll use a smaller brush, yes. You are correct on the “ridge” problem. That’s why I don’t mask. This model of a Hellcat represents the main act in the center ring. It’s a high-wire without a net. Painting this scheme with a brush is just about the most difficult thing I can think of doing. If this comes out good I’ll be a bit surprised. Luck is required.

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