Aircraft camo painting

[Awins]

When airbrushing camo onto an aircraft, most WW2 have a lighter underside and a darker two tone upper surface.
Which is it best to apply first the upper or the underside ?

Cheers Alan

 

[stona]

For me, underside every time. It's much easier to cover a light colour with darker than vice-versa. The underside is usually easier to mask, which is an added bonus!
Cheers
Steve

 

[PaulTRose]

yep, always start with lightest shade and go darker

 

[dave]

As above, always the underside first,

 

[Alan 45]

Yeah underside first

 

[BarryW]

Agreed, that is how I have always worked as do I believe most of us.

But some work it the other way. There is a YouTube video of someone working dark to light on a IL2 build using MRP paint. He was freehand spraying and explained that any overspray of light on the dark would be less visible and there are no coverage problems with modern paint. Personally I am not convinced it works with all colours but not having tried it I cannot say for sure.

 

[stona]

He was freehand spraying and explained that any overspray of light on the dark would be less visible and there are no coverage problems with modern paint.

I spray the demarcation between top and bottom colours freehand when applicable and would say that overspray (not in the sense of the merging of the upper and lower camouflage) would be undesirable, whichever was round it might be.
I don't think the type of paint has anything to do with it.
Cheers
Steve