The next step in the process was to try to simulate paint chippings, which I did on the light grey finish only.
Unfortunately I still feel that I have a lot to learn with this technique and I am not happy with the finished effect. When I look at how they do it in Tamiya Model Magazine International I think I need to use an even smaller brush than I did. Modelling is a continuous learning process and this is something I need to do a lot better with.
Anyway it stands as I it did as a part of the learning curve and I moved on to adding some rust effects. I am a lot happier with this and decided, based on the scale, to use a dry brush technique. It is very difficult to decide just how much to do with rusting, particularly with U-Boats, which seem to range from freshly painted to absolute wrecks in my photo archives. I went for something that I hope is somewhere in the middle and I hope it doesn’t look too much.
Anyway after the paint chipping was done and the rust added it was time to coat the entire hull and tower with a matt clear topcoat. I used a large spray tin on a waterproof Acrylic matt varnish and put three coats on. Taking care to get the varnish into all the recesses where the wash was residing.
The next couple of pictures show the hull at this stage before moving on to adding the remaining detail to the tower. |