The Weathering Aircraft 14.pdf

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As I considered this issue dedicated to night aviation, it was impossible for me not to think about the number of nights that modelers dedicate to our hobby. Basically, those hours at the end of the day are our “happy hour”. The working day is over, the youngest are in bed, the rest of the family is watching TV... and the boss is at home without a mobile phone in hand. Come on, when the city (or town) sleeps is when the modeler takes out his treasures and lights up the night, either in his own workshop, at the living room table, and for some the kitchen doubles as the modelling desk. The solitude of the night is our friend.

Chief Editor Javier López de Anca Original idea and Art director Mig Jiménez Editorial Management Carlos Cuesta Editorial Coordination Iñaki Cantalapiedra Cover Antonio Alonso Layout Jorge Porto Article Assistant Iain Hamilton Akatsiya Photographer José Irún Special thanks Elizabeth Wiese Styling Assistant Mila Gómez Akatsiya Bárbara A. Collaborators Alex Hernandez Marcelo Durán Matt_McDougall Ralph Riese Fernando del Pino Ricardo “Chicho” Abad Aurelio Gimeno Translation Marta Ramírez Gómez

The Weathering Aircraft by AMMO of Mig Jiménez www.theweatheringaircraft.com [email protected] [email protected] Quarterly Magazine

DL NA 251-2016 ISSN 2445-1185 September 2019

And that led me to think of Game of Thrones and the Night Guard. A series whose final episode was viewed by as many people as inhabit all of Holland. What if in the end we are like them, even though we don’t all wear black? If we compare ourselves with fans of major sports like football or basketball, many of us are not. Until we get a decent team, we have to manage with the tools and products that fall into our hands. Although we may meanwhile look with envy at “valyrio” steel airbrushes. Many people don’t understand our hobby, but we fight to the death to defend it. Come on, I already see us with a Lord Commander at the front defending the Wall…or in our case, the plastic. As such, we need to have our own oath. The evening modeler’s oath (with GRR Martin’s permission). The night is coming. Now my guard begins. It won’t end until the day when I finally manage to finish this model. I won’t buy another one, I won’t start another one, I won’t think of another one. I won’t get medals; I won’t get glory. I am the modeler of darkness. I am the watchman of the plastic. I am the putty that covers the seam. The paint that cloaks the plastic. The solvent that awakens the dead. The modeler of the kingdoms of men. I surrender my time and my sight to modelling... of countless nights past, during this very night, and all nights soon to arrive.

By Javier López de Anca

INDEX

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Foto: Allen Vallejo

The Second World War was the breeding ground for the development of innovative designs and strategic weapons. The conflict was also an incubator for night fighters, although the concept was already considered during the Great War, it was during the early 1940’s that engineers began to design specific versions for use in hunting missions and night bombing. Although Great Britain and Germany showed the greatest interest, other countries joined the chase with their own night aircraft. At first the fundamental difference between standard and night versions of aircraft was

basically to paint them in dark colours, particularly black. As time passed, specific elements and systems were added to meet the needs of night warfare such as radar systems and unique bomb sighting equipment. The advances in aviation technology during the Cold War would not only affect this type of aircraft, but also witnessed the design of new aircraft with unique capabilities such as helicopters. These innovative additions to the arsenals of the world’s superpowers were not only capable of carrying out attack missions, but could also insert

Foto: Allen Vallejo

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infantry units behind enemy lines and perform medical evacuation and resupply missions. Such was the success rate of night flights that specially designed aircraft began to emerge, the F-117 Night Hawk is perhaps the best known thanks to extensive television coverage of the First Gulf War in 1991. This design is characterized by the unique ability to perform the same missions, with the same precision, both during the day and under cover of the night.

Foto: Allen Vallejo

How do we translate these concepts into the world of modelling? Logically, the part that most interests us is painting since the outward appearance is the biggest difference between night fighters and standard designs. To convey this, we have to be aware that it is essential to know how to work with black so that it is not flat while also recreating the same accurate effects applied to all aircraft. The first rule regarding this colour is to avoid pure black as a base colour. You must always begin with ranges of greys and learn to handle the techniques of shading. It is also important to explore the idea that you can use colours such as blue, red, or orange to increase the chromatic richness of a colour as complicated as black. On the other hand, special attention must be paid to the specific modifications these airframes feature which are not always well represented in models. For example, it was common in the Second World War to cover leaks that were typically ignored in order to prevent the glossy reflection they produced from being seen from the ground or from other aircraft, revealing the position of the plane. Another example is found on modern airplanes, which often feature external target acquisition systems capable of detecting targets in the dark. It’s time to light up the night and your imagination with this gorgeous range of camouflaged birds, it’s time to hit the bench with your favourite aircraft in this ambitious and highly rewarding range of night camouflage finishes.

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AH-6J L I T TLE BIRD

The MH-6 Little Bird is a single-engine helicopter used by the United States Army. Based on the McDonnell Douglas MD369 (Hughes), the MH-6 Little Bird, and its attack version AH-6J, was originally designed as an escort helicopter. Since the early 1980s, however, it has been used almost exclusively by Special Forces, both for extraction and incursion missions and to provide air support to ground units. The AH-6Js were best known from Operation Gothic Serpent in Mogadishu, playing a secondary role in both the book and the ilm Black Hawk Down. The AH-6J artillery provided cover ire to the Rangers and Delta Force resisting in defensive positions around the site of the Super 61 incident, under constant ire from warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid’s militia. Much of these operations took place overnight. One of the “Little Birds” on station was chosen for this article.

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Alex Hernández

Kitty Hawk 1/35

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1

The interior of this small helicopter is also nocturnal by design, so it will be painted completely black. I attempted to differentiate the interior colour by applying metallic pigments on the metal edges of the seats, cargo supports, ammunition boxes, and fuel cells.

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After protecting the interior and inishing the assembly of the fuselage, a thin layer of primer was applied with a mixture of One Shot Black (A.MIG-2023) and Grey (A.MIG-2024) to create a dark base without using absolute black.

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With a very diluted mixture of yellow and ochre tones, a basic mottling effect was applied to all surfaces to provide a foundation of background contrast for the following layers of colour.

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In order to achieve the distinctive tone of these aircraft a mixture of NATO Black (XF-69), Olive Drab (JGSDF) (XF-74) and Rubber Black (XF-85) was mixed. The aim was to create a dark grey-green tone to be applied in several thin coats.

With a very diluted light grey tone the inish was enhanced with the effect of highlighted panels. It is possible that in the next steps the contrast will need to be reinforced and emphasized.

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6

With the same base colour diluted by approximately 90%, a ilter was applied with the airbrush over all surfaces, insisting more on the lower areas to unify the colour while leaving the upper surfaces with a higher level of contrast.

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To protect the work and prepare the surface for the decals, I used Aqua Gloss (A.MIG-8212). Once dry, the decals were applied and the surfaces sealed once again.

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To achieve a subtle textural discolouration which provides a more pronounced effect of use and realism, a mixture of acrylic colours (grey, green, brown) was mixed and applied with a sponge previously discharged on absorbent paper to gently dot several areas of the fuselage.

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To start unifying shades, a brown ilter was applied with Brown for Dark Green (A.MIG 1506).

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Always avoid looding the surface, simply wet it with the ilter and a thick No. 3 or 4 brush.

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After a few minutes the solvent will evaporate and you will see some surfaces appear heavily discoloured. Having varnished in gloss you can solve it without problem by gently rubbing the surface with a dry and clean brush.

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Here you can see the result after the ilter was applied. Here you begin to see how the surface is taking shape and the layers with various contrasts can be seen at irst glance.

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A new and very thin layer of Aqua Gloss varnish was applied to protect and seal the effects. With this application, I was able to continue with other effects and avoid losing the progress by using thinner for the following steps.

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To work the effects of the accumulation of dust and sand in the lower areas of the fuselage, Buff (XF-57) was used very diluted and applied with an airbrush.

This was followed by a mixture of PLW Orange Brown (A.MIG-1616) and Light Grey (A.MIG-1600).

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16

17/18

A few minutes later the product has slightly dried and the excess removed with the help of a makeup applicator, leaving only the effect inside the rivets.

For the rivet detail on the upper surfaces, only PLW Light Grey was used. was used. The process used for the previous step was again used, only the colour was altered for a different appearance.

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Although this nocturnal scheme is based on a black base colour, you can clearly see how a wide variety of realistic contrasts has been created.

Looking at reference photos, you will recognise various effects from oil and luids accumulated on speciic panels and details. To reproduce these effects realistically, use a brush to apply a 90% diluted mixture of brown and black around these areas using very low pressure.

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This effect was emphasized on the seams surrounding the engine covers and select rows of rivets that are also affected by oil accumulations.

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For the inal steps it was necessary to irst seal all previous work with Matt Lucky Varnish (A.MIG-2051). You can use thin layers if your subject requires that you leave some areas a little more satin in order to play with the effect of areas more battered and worn than others by the deterioration of their inish.

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On the lower surfaces, several dots of the Oilbrusher colour Ochre (A.MIG-3515) were applied and blended with Enamel Odourless Thinner (A.MIG-2019). This step added nuance to the earthy tones of accumulated dust, sand, as well as mechanical luids.

With a mixture of Fresh Engine Oil (A.MIG-1408) and Dark Brown Wash for Green Vehicles (A.MIG-1005), the subtle effect of the build-up of mechanical luidson engine access doors, fuel tank caps, and select panels was applied.

I also took this opportunity to apply Fresh Engine Oil on select rivet lines near the engine area.

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In this photograph you can see the effect produced by these products when applied onto such a dark colour, and characteristic of most night camoulaged aircraft.

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With Gun Metal pigment (A.MIG-3009) and a cotton swab, the edges of the skids and crew access areas were rubbed to show subtle cumulative wear authentically exposing the metal below.

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The last step was to simulate more recent sand and dust accumulations. For this affect, a mixture of Airfield Dust (A.MIG-3011) and North Africa Dust (A.MIG-3003) pigments were used.

As references indicate, you should focus the effect within the lower zones and remove the excess by using vertical brush movements which add authenticity by mimicking the long term effects of the rotor wash’s down draft on abrasion and discolouring environmental and mechanical factors.

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Grumman

F6F

t a c l l e H

Grumman was already working on this new ighter before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour. However, a fortuitous event led to changes in the original design: U.S. troops discovered an almost intact Mitsubishi Zero on Akutan Island. It was necessary to improve the capabilities of the then called XF6F-1 if they wanted to take control of the Paciic skies. From the time they entered service in 1943, the new Hellcats would be present in virtually every encounter with Japanese aviation, including famous battles such as The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot. Some squadrons were equipped with radar to be more eficient in night operations and in the defence of aircraft carriers, a then unusual feature for a single-engine carrier-based ighter.

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Ralph Riese

Eduard 1/48

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1

2

Once again, riveting will be very useful when representing various effects on the fuselage, especially with this night camoulage in a single colour.

Before I started painting, I preferred to inish the engine and paint the front of the fairing, which in this case is yellow.

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For priming I decided to use the following mixture of three parts Flat White (XF-2), two parts RLM Grey (XF-22) and four parts Buff (XF-57).

With many North American ighters, it was common to see the colour of the primer revealed by wear on the front of the fuselage and the wing root. To recreate this effect, I painted the lines of rivets and panels in these areas with Yellow Green Matt (XF-4).

5

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Due to the large size of the stars, it is best to paint them with a white colour stained with light grey. I took advantage of this colour to apply discolouration to random areas that will provide the inal chromatic variety when airbrushing the blue.

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the wing root with the Work continued by painting of a very dark grey tone of anti-slip surface, for which I used Rubber Black ( XF-85 ). paint with a hard bristle Before it dries, I slightly lifted the er. brush to reveal the colour of the prim

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The kit decals were used as a guide to make the masks. I have to insist on the need to use them due to their enormous size. For nocturnal schemes it is especially important that they are well integrated with the surrounding surface inishes.

To continue adding variety to the panels, I worked some of them with light blue using two parts Flat White XF-2 and onepart Light Blue XF-23 and Medium Blue (XF-18).

11

The base colour for the camoulage is a mixture of one-part Flat White (XF-2), four parts Flat Blue (XF-8) and six parts Sea Blue (XF17). The colour was thinned so that thin layers could be applied to build up the colour without eliminating the previous work.

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12

Just because it is a night plane being painted, doesn’t mean that a wide variety of nuance can’t be applied. If necessary, you can always make adjustments and retouch with any of the colours used previously.

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Be sure to remember the areas where the primer colour has been applied. For this we can always refer to the photographs taken during the process.

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Then carefully remove the masks and repair any damage.

Before the paint dries completely, I rubbed a hard bristle brush over the panel lines and rivets. This step is possible thanks to the crisp detail created with the riveting machine.

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In addition to the brush, a ine sandpaper (Micromesh 8000) can also be used to lift the last layer of blue.

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When painting this type of subject, you must keep in mind that this plane, besides being a night ighter, was also serving on board an aircraft carrier. The unique wear typical of Naval aircraft was applied with Oilbrusher colours using different shades of blue such as Medium Blue (A.MIG-3527), Sky Blue (A.MIG-3528) and Raptor Shuttle Turquoise (A.MIG-3533). Once applied on the surface, the tones were blended with Enamel Odourless Thinner (A.MIG-2019).

As you can see, the wear and chipping has to be in accordance with the scale. If you go too far or to large, the work will not be realistic.

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The problem with night schemes is that we always have to work on very dark colours, so you will ind Oilbrusher Black (A.MIG-3500) and Starship Filth (A.MIG-3513) to be very useful for creating areas of maximum shade or dirt.

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The above tones will also serve to imitate traces of oil or hydraulic luids spewed from the engine. Dark colours have an advantage: they are easy to see and correct when errors occur.

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In these photographs you can appreciate the areas worked with the Oilbrusher tones.

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Undoubtedly one of the most complicated steps when working with night schemes is to paint the exhausts because on examples like this Hellcat, very light tones must be used to create contrast. The process began by drawing the stain with three parts of Flat White (XF-2) and one part of Deck Tan (XF-55) using the airbrush.

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On top of the above, I begin to make some vertical strokes with the following mixture: two parts of Sky Grey (XF-19) and three parts of Royal Light Grey (XF-80).

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I also prepared another mix of equal parts NATO Brown (XF-68) and NATO Black (XF-69) to mark and deine the edge of the stain.

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You must not forget to do the same for the exhaust pipes located at the bottom of the cowling.

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I accentuated the areas of maximum shade, such as individual panel lines with various mixtures of dark brown, black, and khaki acrylic paints.

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Using the same mixtures listed above, I applied small splashes to the exhaust stain. It is advisable to carry out some tests before committing to the model to achieve the desired effect.

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With the dark mixture of Tamiya that I used for the exhaust staining, I also shaded the moving parts. Since this is a night camoulage and I was working with very diluted paint, I traced over the line several times until the necessary intensity was applied.

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In this picture you can see the result of the work on the engine exhaust.

The next step was to protect all processes and progress made with gloss varnish.

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With the assistance of decal solutions, the remaining markings and stencils were placed. Be careful when applying markings onto a very dark surface as the transparent outline can easily be seen.

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With PLW Dark Sea Blue (A.MIG-1603), I worked on all the lines below the white stars.

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With this nocturnal scheme you are able to appreciate the contrast of the dark blue with the stars and the stencils in white. It is absolutely critical for them to be perfectly integrated and blended into the overall inish.

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You can see that the exhausts are still in process and are not inished. With a mixture of Oilbrusher Dust (A.MIG-3516) and Black (A.MIG-3500), I re-frame the panel lines and rivets to further accentuate the dirt that accumulates in and around them.

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The colours were left to dry for a few minutes and then blended instead of removing them. In this way I add dirt and lightly shade the grey colour, which was previously too light.

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(A.MIG-1617). For the rest of the fuselage I used PLW Blue Black that it covers so ntly consta ct It is important to shake the produ evenly. mixing the above Diversity can be achieved when panelling by a little Oilbrusher products with each other or even by adding Raptor Shuttle Turquoise (A.MIG 3533). (A.MIG-1609) for I then randomly added PLW Storm Grey Liner Brush 3.0 etic Synth greater contrast. I recommend the it carries more s, bristle long its (A.MIG-8590) because, thanks to r precision. greate with faster product and will enable you to work

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The overall inish was achieved with highly diluted matte varnish applied in extremely thin layers.

Do not overlook or forget some effects that occur on all aircraft including nocturnal versions such as dust, especially accumulated in the wing joint and wing root. I used Oilbrusher Dust, and blended it dry with using a lat brush for a highly realistic and in scale dirt effect.

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AVRO

LANCASTER

B.1 The Avro Lancaster, which was undoubtedly the best bomber lown by the R.A.F. during World War II, carried the decisive weight of the night bombing offensive against Germany. Such was the quality of the basic variant, that only a small number of specialized versions were built. The distinguished 4 engine heavy bomber entered active service in 1942, and along with the Handley Page Halifax, would be one of the main heavy bombers of the RAF, the Royal Canadian Air Force, and several squadrons from other European and Commonwealth countries that served with the Bomber Command. The Lanc, as she was affectionately known, dropped more than 600,000 tons of bombs in 156,000 raids over enemy territory. The excellent model produced by Airix is as of today, the best small-scale option to make an accurate depiction of this wonderful aircraft. The kit is highly detailed, both inside and out, it can easily be made out of a box and its quality would still be very high. I have decided to add some additional detailing by adding some Eduard photo-etch and panelling and riveting the whole aircraft. Of course, all aviation lovers of the Second World War should have their favourite version of this iconic model aircraft in their showcases.

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Fernando del Pino

AirFix 1/72

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1

The base of the upper camoulage was applied using the Dark Earth (H72) colour from Hobby Color. A couple of thin layers were applied by airbrush.

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I continue to create more variation to the base colour, in this case using Dark Earth (MRP-108) which is slightly darker than the previous tone.

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The next step was to apply highlights using a mixture of the base colour with a little white, then picking out panels without any established pattern.

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With the base colour darkened by adding a couple of drops of black, some riveting lines were randomly shaded. This creates areas of shadow while leaving other areas lighter creating realistic and attractive contrast.

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In the photo you can see the result of the work with the irst colour.

The camoulage was applied by hand beginning with the Dark Green colour (MRP-110). The air pressure was lowered and the airbrush brought quite close to the surface in order to make the edge as hard as possible.

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With the reference Dark Green (H73) from Hobby Color, I accented random points. Then I darkened the panel lines and some riveting with this same colour darkened with a few drops of black.

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Little by little you can see how the camoulage is taking shape and nuances within the pattern so far.

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11

The next step is very important because in order to create the night camoulage, a large amount of surface area must be painted black. To do this, I used a low-adhesiveness Tesa masking tape to delineate the lower surfaces.

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It may be surprising that I began by working with Neutral Grey (H53) for an area that will appear black, but in the following steps you’ll see the outstanding results.

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The panel lines were shaded by creating a grid which also adds contrasts. Don’t rush this step, just paint little by little until you get to the desired effect. You can always make corrections if the effect is too heavy.

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Following the steps described for top camoulage, I used various shades of grey and black to obtain highlights and shadows. You must avoid the temptation to paint this area with pure black. The subsequent steps used to add wear will also create even more chromatic variety.

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The contrast can be pushed even further by using very diluted white applied at very low pressure to lighten some areas. If necessary, individual panels or entire areas can be corrected and adjusted with black ilters.

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As can be seen in the photo, the combination of previously applied effects reproduces the appearance of worn paint in a random way. In a later step, the engine nacelles and surrounding areas will also be weathered to accentuate the overall appearance.

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Once the airbrush phase was completed, the model was sealed with Alclad’s Aquagloss, leaving the surface ready for the following steps.

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For an aircraft camoulaged for the night it is even more important to integrate the decals to avoid possible silvering. For the best results, use Decal Set (A.MIG-2029) to ix the markings and Decal Fix (A.MIG-2030) to adapt them to the raised and recessed surface features for an excellent result.

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To protect the decals and integrate them with the rest of the plane’s inish, simply reapply a new coat of gloss varnish.

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When the model has few panel lines, it is usually enough to apply the PLW to deine them. In this case, the wash Neutral Brown (A.MIG-1614) was deposited onto the whole surface instead of individual panel seems to avoid a long process.

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In this image you can see that after about 5 minutes, the surface has become matt. This is the right time to remove the product, although you can wait as long as 30 minutes.

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Removing it is very easy, just rub it with a tissue or a makeup removing towelette that does not release lint. Repeat the process until the colour of the camoulage is no longer stained but the panel lines remain darkened.

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With the process completed, I moved on to the lower surfaces using PLW Stone Grey for Black (A.MIG-1615), also included in the Early RAF Fighters and Bombers set (A.MIG-7416). Now this surface has really come to life!

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The night planes had special exhaust pipes to hide their brightness from being highly visible in the dark. The perfect shade to paint our Lancaster’s was Jet Exhaust Burnt Iron (A.MIG-0187), which mimics the patina of metal exposed to high temperatures.

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In period reference photos you can see how these airplanes were usually ilthy with oil and dirt stains. The irst step to represent this effect accurately was to moisten the area with White Spirit.

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A comfortable and easy to use product is the Oilbrusher. Before the thinner dries, simply deposit some small drops on the surface and let them diffuse. The irst shade used was Dark Brown (A.MIG-3512).

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With a brush slightly dampened in thinner, the product was blended while “directing” it towards the desired areas. This process can be repeated with different shades of ochre or brown.

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Occasionally you will ind yourself with a night camoulaged aircraft whose interiors stand out over the dark colours. In this case it is especially important to make a conscious effort to integrate them. The enamel effect Engine Grime (A.MIG-1407) was used for the inside surfaces of the control surfaces and gear bays.

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Weathering continued with a chipping effect applied to most surfaces. For this I used the silver-coloured watercolour pencil from Prismacolor. For the best possible result the surface should be matt so it is necessary to varnish beforehand.

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I emphasised and focused on the surfaces subject to increased wear such as removable panels and surfaces traversed by crews and maintenance personnel.

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For piston-powered aircraft, exhaust staining is a critical detail. This effect was particularly heavy and noticeable on the Lancaster. The process began by applying Tire Black (H77) very diluted and at very low pressure, extending the stain little by little and accentuating it in select places.

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The previously applied dark area was illed with grey tones, lightening the exhaust stain from the inside out.

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As mentioned before, the engine nacelles must also be weathered accurately to match the inish. In this area burnt metal and colourful patinas occurred from exposure to intense heat. Both brown and light grey pigments were applied with a brush on the matt surface to replicate the effect.

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References commonly reveal oil and luid leaking from these engines. With the help of a ine brush, ine deposits of Engine Grime (A.MIG-1407) and Fuel Stains (A.MIG-1409) were drawn. This effect should typically be glossy so that they contrast with the matt surface of the aircraft and accurately depict the wet appearance of the mechanical luids.

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A characteristic of night bombers is the abundant presence of antennas. At this scale this detail had to be scratch built using ine needles and stretched plastic.

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F-4D

m o t n a II h P

The earliest laser-guided bombing missions, carried out during the Vietnam War, were rather slapdash affairs. Before laser designators were miniaturized enough to be carried by strike aircraft, targets were marked by a specially-outitted C-130 and F-4Ds vectored in to act as delivery trucks for their GBU-10 Paveway Is. These early smart bombing missions marked the beginning of an era, and the end of another - the black-bottomed Night Owls were among the last to sport camoulage speciically

intended

for

nighttime

operations.

Matt McDougall

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Zoukei Mura 1/48

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1

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Layers of Mr Paint MRP-101 SEA Dark Green (FS 34079) and Mr Hobby H310 SEA Tan (FS 30219) were sprayed and then chipped back with small amounts of water and a ratty old brush.

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Another area that’s tough to access later is the internal framing for the auxiliary air doors. References showed these as red, but also frequently chipped back to a greenish primer shade.

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After laying down some interior green, I used some tight black foam to sponge some red onto the aux air door frames.

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Where possible, I like to get tricky painting situations out of the way early. For example, the characteristic chipping on the F-4’s intakes. These were primed in Mr Surfacer 1500 black, then given a metallic layer and a coat of decanted hairspray.

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To replicate the heat shielding around the F-4’s exhaust and stabilizers, I used a variety of Kcolors metallics. I love not only the look of these, but also their durability to masking with the addition of a light coat of Kcolors X100 gloss.

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The underside started with black primer - a combination of Gunze Mr Surfacer 1500 and Badger Stynylrez.

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The F-4Ds involved in the early laser bombardment missions were fairly new, so the later heavy fading wasn’t quite appropriate. Still, I wanted to introduce a lot of subtle tonal variation. After mapping out the camo patterns, I came in with a variety of greens and browns to break things up.

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For the characteristic radome wear, I striped MRP-20 AMT-12 Dark Gray and MRP-79 NATO Brown across the top, moving the airbrush horizontally in quick motions.

MRP Sand Gray and Chocolate were added to the mix to increase contrast of the radome wear.

10

Getting an interesting black surface isn’t the easiest task in the world. I approached it with several “not quite” blacks - particularly MRP’s Night Camolage Black and NATO Black. On top of this, I followed with a blend coat of 50/50 MRP Black and Night Camo Black.

11

Once the camo was in place, I went back to do some leading edge chipping on the wings. I applied silver, hairspray, and a coat black. Black avoids the contrast battle of covering up the silver, while still chipping easily. With a ratty old brush and a small amount of water, I chipped away the leading edges of the slats.

12

After chipping, a perusal of references revealed that I’d gone too far, so I used some masking luid applied with a sponged to cover the silver and make the effect more restrained.

THE WEATHERING AIRCRAFT / NIGHT COLORS / 39

Once the decals were in place, I broke out the AMMO Panel Line Washes and went to town. The various wash shades help keep the effect subtle.

14

Removing the excess panel line wash is as easy as swiping them with a square of paper towel.

15

To add some more visual interest to the heat shielding, I lightly sprayed the panels with MRP Steel and Exhaust Soot in short, up-and-down passes.

16

Oil work on the aircraft itself began with some grimy areas due to foot trafic, luids and so on, such as on top of the intakes. Again, Oilbrushers were applied and worked in with a variety of brushes. A stippling method works great here for putting the oils into a nice, grungy pattern.

17

After, I moved on to the pylons. Photos show that while the underside of these F-4s was black, the pylons were often left in camoulage gray. These were enhanced with some PLW Medium Gray (A.MIG-1601), along with the missiles.

18

On the underside, Starship Filth (A.MIG-3513) brought some grime to the gear bays.

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13

19

21

19

Further work with oils was done around various wing panel lines that often show signs of luid staining and seepage.

20

Once the darker, more precisely placed oils had a while to set up, I moved on to the lighter shades in a dot ilter approach.

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The lighter oils were spread out for more diffusion, then slowly blended in. As the lighter tones were blended in, darker tones were added to balance them out. Working in layers like this - dark, light, dark creates a greater sense of depth to the weathering.

23

Hydraulic leaks along the control surfaces were done using an Aqualon Wisp brush, swiped from front to back.

24

After the oil work, everything was sealed up with a combination of Kcolors XW10 Military Matt and XW1 Ultra Matt.

THE WEATHERING AIRCRAFT / NIGHT COLORS / 41

ARMAMENT 25-26

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Thanks to one low-res reference photo, I had an excuse to load up the Phantom with four GBU-10 Paveway Is, in this case from Eduard’s Brassin line. After priming them with Modo MK-12, I gave them a rough basecoat of MRP138 Olive Drab.

To add some harder-edged nastiness to the bombs, I sponged them with Dark Tracks (A.MIG-0035) and Chipping (A.MIG-0044).

Additional tones were added to the GBU-10s with MRP-251 PC-8 and MRP-299 Dark Dull Green.

29

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The GBUs were inished off with two different MRP Olive Drabs and MRP-212 Sand Gray

30

30-31-32-33

31

To add even more visual distinction between the different bomb bodies, I used a whole slew of AMMO Oilbrushers to deposit small amounts of color. These were then worked in with a variety of brushes and some tight black packing foam.

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44 / THE WEATHERING AIRCRAFT / NIGHT COLORS

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Gotham City has become a dark and dangerous place, full of criminals and thugs like the Joker. Faced with this threat, the Dark Knight, Batman, has an arsenal of “toys” used to face his enemies. “Where does he get those wonderful toys?!” Among the most impressive is the Batwing. This is the irst time I’ve made a model from the world of comics, as the theme that generally calls me is military aviation. But in this case iction became the inspiration and director of the work and spark of inspiration. The main challenge was to give life and expression to a black lying vehicle, and at the same time give it a worn and weathered appearance without losing its distinct darkness. In retrospect, this was a highly valuable learning experience and more importantly it was a blast to paint! Comics and iction invite and enable certain freedoms and licenses to deine the look of the model. The main premise was that the ship would be presented in a fully operational state and in light, showing signs of considerable use wear behind it, before falling mortally wounded by the accurate shot from the Joker’s revolver which tips the Batwing in Tim Burton’s iconic ilm (1989).

46 / THE WEATHERING AIRCRAFT / NIGHT COLORS

Marcelo Durán

AMT 1/25

THE WEATHERING AIRCRAFT / NIGHT COLORS / 47

1

3

The wings and fuselage it left visible gaps, repairs were made with putty and the surface sanded to leave it smooth. On this occasion, I chose to work with two primers: irst the One Shot Primer Grey (A.MIG-2024) and then Black Primer (A.MIG-2005).

2

After polishing the surface with ine grit sand paper, a uniform layer of Satin Black (A.MIG-0032) primer was applied. Thanks to the primers, a perfectly smooth surface was obtained.

4

The next colour applied was a mixture of 85% Dark Gray AMT-12 (A.MIG-0235) + 15% Dark Grey Blue (A.MIG-0229). It was applied in a selective way on some panels, particularly on the leading edges. This application method accurately depicts different materials and their exposure to friction and weather.

The base colour was applied using greys over the black primers, translucent layers were achieved by adding a few drops of Transparator (A.MIG-2016) to all the paints. The irst will be the lightest tone of Medium Gunship Gray (A.MIG-0204) used for modulation.

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5

6

The last shade applied was the darkest of all: RLM-66 Schwartzgrau (A.MIG-0218). Once inished, the entire model was sealed with a layer of Future.

Once the previous steps have dried completely, the decals were applied and a new coat of varnish applied and allowed to dry to prepare the surface ready for weathering. This step is important because it reduces decal silvering while blending them into the surface, as well as facilitating the application of washes.

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7

The wear and tear on night aircraft is just as important as any other and you must trust your skills when working on a dark colour. The irst step will be to imitate the chips starting with Satin Black applied with a small piece of sponge.

8

The process continued with the Schwartzgrau RLM-66, which was applied to the areas where the Bat would walk to access the cockpit and to the panels containing the weaponry.

9

The colour of select panels was altered using different products. Lightly diluted Starship Wash (A.MIG-1009) with Odourless Enamel Thinner (A.MIG-2019) was used as a ilter to cover some panels using a lat brush.

35

9

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10 11 10

Another of the products used were the Oilbrusher range of colours which are very convenient and easy to use. A good example of a versatile colour is Starship Bay Sludge (A.MIG-3532), which can be deposited directly with it’s own self contained brush.

11

After allowing the Oilbrusher colour to dry for a few minutes, it was blurred with dry brush using longitudinal strokes followed by circular movements.

12

At this point the surface colours need to be enriched, accentuating the impression that these are metal panels. For this task the colour Oilbrusher Raptor Shuttle Turquoise (A.MIG-3533) was used.

13

As with the previous tone, this step was allowed to dry slightly before blending and diffusing with a brush. and spread with a brush to create an interesting blue patina.

12 13

14

The next step was to simulate the dirt which has accumulated on the lower part of the ship, partly due to use and the humidity of the bat cave where Batman keeps his toys. For this task Starship Streaking (A.MIG-1209) was chosen.

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15 16

17 18

19 20 15

This effect was focused on the lower surfaces with a focus on the details, seems, corners, nooks and crannies.

16

This time the brush was dampened in Odourless Enamel Thinner (A.MIG-2019) to concentrate the largest accumulations in the zones where the dirt would tend to gather.

17

Next the panel lines were emphasised with Dark Wash (A.MIG-1008) which was ideal for the dark inish. Instead of removing the excess, it was simply blurred with a clean brush.

18

Work continued with the wing panel lines using PLW Orange Brown (A.MIG-1616). This shade brings another new complimentary colour variation to the night wing.

19

At this stage the details were painted by hand using a ine tipped brush and acrylics from AMMO by MIG Jiménez.

20

The chipping and wear were left for the end so as not to eliminate or obscure them when manipulating the model. A watercolor pencil was used to correct them because it is very easy to exaggerate the effect when painting in silver on such a dark surface.

21

To protect the completed work and create the correct inal inish, a thin layer of Matt Lucky Varnish (A.MIG-2051) was airbrushed in place.

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Messerschmitt Me-410

Ricardo “Chicho” Abad

Revell 1/48

Although the night ighters were already introduced during the Great War, it would be in World War II in which they experienced a leap forward in development due to the bombing tactics used in Europe. Thus, both sides were soon aware of the need for aircraft specially designed for this type of mission featuring not only adequate camoulage, but also radar and other advances that made it dificult to detect. This was the case of the Me 410 Hornisse (German for hornet), one of the iercest opponents the RAF had to face. Just when Great Britain had become accustomed to quiet nights and thought that the worst of the war was deinitely moving to the continent, the Luftwaffe surprised RAF with this versatile multi-role heavy ighter or light bomber. It was in the skies over England that the Me 410 night ighters would be premiered, on the night of July 13 to 14, 1943 the unit V./KG 2 carried out a bombing mission, losing one of its aircraft when it was knocked down by a De Havilland Mosquito of the No. 85 Squadron.

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4

1

The irst thing that must be done is to prime with the magniicent One Shot Grey (A.MIG-2024), which has the ideal properties to cover small defects.

2

The irst colour of the night camoulage to be applied was RLM 75 Grauviolet (A.MIG-0254). It is essential that all colours are always applied in thin layers for the best result.

3

Add a few drops of White (A.MIG-0050) to the previous colour and illuminate the centre of select individual panels.

With masking tape and patience, the camoulage pattern in RLM 75 was masked off before applying the second colour RLM 74 Graugrün (A.MIG-0253), which was airbrush in thin layers to build up the colour. Thin layers not only create a better inish but also help avoid steps at the edge of masking.

5

54 / THE WEATHERING AIRCRAFT / NIGHT COLORS

Again, the colour was lightened by adding white to the second tone to highlight the center of select panels.

6

The masking was carefully removed and corrections made if necessary.

7

8

9

10

Following the previous steps, the base colour for the undercarriage was applied with Black (A.MIG-0046) which was again lightened by adding Light Brown Gray (A.MIG-0120). This tone was also used to draw the exhaust staining aft of the muflers, a highly visible effect on nocturnal airplanes.

Work continued using this same colour highly diluted, ine strokes of staining were applied by moving across the surface in the direction of the air low to add realistic discolouration to the black surface.

In this nocturnal scheme for the Me 410 the soft and subtle mottling on the vertical stabilizer was applied in black, care was taken as this surface appearance was characteristic of this aircraft. Once dry all surfaces were then protected with gloss varnish in preparation for decals.

THE WEATHERING AIRCRAFT / NIGHT COLORS / 55

11

To place the decals, the surface was irst moistened with Decal Set (A.MIG-2029). It is important to apply small quantities and exclusively to the location where the decal will be placed.

12

Secondly, Decal Fix (A.MIG-2030) was applied which will make the decal conform and settle into the surface. This product works by softening the decal, and is moderately aggressive. It is important to apply it only on the decal, trying not to wet the surrounding paint.

13

Let the decal dry for a few hours before proceeding to use a make-up removing pad dampened with water to clean any product that may remain on the decal.

14

For night schemes, you must make sure that the markings are well integrated into the inish and do not shine. Using a scriber, the rivets were reinforced so that the panelling washes will settle into the panels below the markings.

15

The versatility of Oilbrushers allow them to be used for panelling by diluting them with Enamel Odourless Thinner (A.MIG-2019). For the lower surfaces, Buff (A.MIG-3517) was used for contrast.

16

Let the thinner dry until it evaporates completely then remove the excess with a clean brush. If necessary, you can use more Thinner to remove more colour.

17

Here you can see the result after the irst treatment with Oilbrushers.

18

In order to simulate traces of dirt and give the black colour a variety of tones, the surface was irst moistened with thinner. It is best to work on one section at a time.

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19

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20

hers were used. Small amounts For the next step, the Streaking Brus IG-1258) were deposited on the of the colour Streaking Dust (A.M self-contained and brush. leading edge of the wing using the

23

24

extended and blended following With a lat brush, the product was the direction of the air low.

21

22

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24

technique was used but with For the upper surfaces a different r Dark Brown (A.MIG-3512) was the same products. The Oilbrushe sponge. applied all across the wing using a with a make-up removing disc Once dry, the surface was cleaned Using this method, it is easy to slightly dampened with thinner. create subtle panelling. trailing edge of the wing with The same effect was applied to the , Olive Green (A.MIG-3505) and the Oilbrushers: White (A.MIG-3501) Medium Grey (A.MIG-3509).

25

making passes with the lat brush The three tones were blended by in the direction of the air low humid with thinner, again moving over the wing.

25

When working on such a dark camoulage, it is necessary to exaggerate the fuel stains using two products: Engine Grime (A.MIG-1407) and Ochre (A.MIG-3515), which were drag back using a lat brush.

26

The matte inish on this aircraft is very important. This was accurately achieved by applying thin layers of Matt Lucky Varnish (A.MIG-2051).

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3ROLNDUSRY /#.A/#

58 / THE WEATHERING AIRCRAFT / NIGHT COLORS

Originally a 1928 biplane designed for training, used for agriculture, and briefly as an ambulance and observation platform, this outdated design was responsible for keeping the Germans on their toes between June 12, 1942 and the end of the war. The incredible history does not end there, this aircraft flew with the 588th Night Bombing Regiment (in 1943 renamed the 46th “Taman” Regiment) which was composed entirely of women. Created by the famous Marina Raskova and led by Major Yevdokía Bershánskaya, they recruited a hundred volunteers between the ages of 17 and 22 and trained them in just six months. Each aircrew consisted of two women, flew more than 24,000 sorties and unloaded some 3,000 tons of bombs, mostly during night operations. The tactic was used to harass troop positions and airfields where the Germans rested, and consisted of nightly bombardments from the Po-2 and her crew. The peculiar noise of their engine made earned them the nicknamed “Nähmaschine” (sewing machines) and typically when approaching the target, the pilot would leave the engine at idle to avoid detection until the releasing the load of bombs. The Germans compared it to the sound of a flying broom and nicknamed them “Nachthexen” (the witches of the night). As far as their colours are concerned, we have to point out that unlike other air forces, Russian planes did not have a specific night camouflage and the aircraft remained in the colours typically used for bombers. In the case of the Po-2, it was the characteristics of the aircraft that really protected it on heroine night missions. This model is a tribute to those brave women.

Aurelio Gimeno

ICM 1/48

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1

2 1

The camouflage worn by this Po-2 is the norm for bombers, with no variation despite its night-time operation. All the colours used are provided in the set VVS Russian WWII Late Colours (A.MIG-7224).

2

Painting began with the lower surfaces using Russian Blue AMT-7 (A.MIG-0251).

3

The upper surfaces began with the lightest colour: Gray Brown AMT-1 (A.MIG-0252).

3

5 4

The Bright Green AMT-4 (A.MIG-0080) and the Dark Grey AMT-12 (A.MIG-235) camouflage were applied freehand using the airbrush.

5 6

To highlight the panels of each colour, the ribs were masked with 0.75 mm strips.

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7

A subtly darker shade of each of the colours was airbrushed onto the panels.

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The next step was to reinforce the contrast on the control surfaces by airbrushing the upper sides with black and the lower ones with dark grey.

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The model was then sealed with Gloss varnish using Aqua Gloss (ALC-600) to prepare the surface for the decals.

11

Considering this was an aircraft flying into combat in darkness, it features quite striking markings, which were placed very carefully after cutting away the clear edges as close as possible to avoid silvering.

12

With Khaki Brown (A.MIG-0088) and Old Wood (A.MIG-0036) the cabin access reinforcements which consisted of thin wooden slats were given a slightly worn appearance using a mini sponge with the majority of the colour previously unloaded on cardboard.

11

12

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13

The lower surfaces were treated with cold tones of Oilbrusher. First small quantities of white, blue, grey, and black were deposited.

14

With Enamel Odourless Thinner (A.MIG-2018) all the colours were blended using the specific brush Saw brush (A.MIG-8585) with movements in the direction of the air flow.

15

The effect was further softened with a dry flat brush.

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16/17

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13

The same process was used on the upper surfaces while switching to a range of warm colours.

The colour PLW Deep Brown (A.MIG-1618) was applied to the panel lines that separate the control surfaces to create a greater sensation of depth.

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19

20

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For the same feature on the lower areas a colder and darker shade Blue Dirt (A.MIG-1619) was used.

For the fuselage a different range of products was used because the decals are very large and need to be integrated into the finish for a painted on appearance. In this case both Dark Streaking Grime (A.MIG-1206) and Streaking Grime (A.MIG-1203) worked perfectly. Accurate imitation of dirt was created using the colour PLW Deep Brown (A.MIG-1618).

22

Little by little the rest of details such as the engine and the propeller were addressed by using the same products used on the fuselage to age them.

23

Like most night planes the fuselage finish is completely matt, so I airbrush a layer of Matt Lucky Varnish (A.MIG-2051), while the engine and machine gun were sealed with a mixture of gloss and matte.

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24

The glass windscreen at the front of the cabin must be glued before placing the upper wing.

25

The effects of sprayed and leaked engine fluids was accurately depicted using PLW Blue Black (A.MIG-1617). For the tail area PLW Green Brown (A.MIG-1612) was used which perfectly imitates the remains of grass and soil raised by the skid when dragged against the ground.

26

The rigging for the wings was made with Rigging Fine 0.03mm (A.MIG-8018).

27

The upper wing supports are fragile but easy to place. First, they were glued to the upper wing and then adjusted to meet the fuselage. With PLW Deep Brown (A.MIG-1618) any trace of adhesive was easily hidden.

28

In order to keep every aspect true, Vertigo’s jig was used to work on the wiring, bracing, and squaring the upper wing.

29

For the wiring running from the fuselage side to the tail structure, it is best to use Rigging Fine 0.02mm (A.MIG-8017) for the horizontal control surfaces and Rigging Fine 0.03mm (A.MIG-8018) for the rudder.

24

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27 26

28

64 / THE WEATHERING AIRCRAFT / NIGHT COLORS

29

,17+(1(;7,668( By Javier López de Anca

GREASE & DIRTY Have you ever taken a long look at the engine of your car? Have you noticed the floor of the bus or train you take every day to go to work? What about the seats? They don’t look like they just left the factory do they? Instead they are stained, discoloured by traces of dirt, and bleeding grease... Well, the same thing happens to almost every type of aircraft. Don’t let your hand tremble with the thought of adding these highly realistic effects, even though you’ve been working on your current project for more than a month to make it perfect. The use of all machinery leads to wear and tear and in our next issue of The Weathering Magazine, some of the worlds finest modelers will teach you how to work with grease and dirt in a realistic way with quick and easy steps that are easy to follow. Finally your opportunity to learn from the pros has arrived, soon you will be able to avoid chaotic and messy effects resembling the remains of a barbecue or a clean and unnaturally sterile and immaculate appearance to your in service aircraft.

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1

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