Various Help Needed for relatively new modeller

[RkitectHD]

Hello everybody this is my first post, and boy im starting off with what may be newbie questions but any help that can be given to me would be greatly appreciated! I hope I am posting this in the correct section of the forums.

So here goes:

I have purchased a Tamiya 1/48 Hawker Hurricane mk.1 Plastic Model.

Unfortunately I do not have an airbrush so I am going to have to handbrush the entire model, I was planning on using a spraycan grey primer on the entire model prior to painting. When it comes to painting I am going to use Humbrol enamel paints, here comes my first question - Will I need to thin the paints at all to avoid brushstrokes as much as possible? and are there any good ways to handbrush the camo to avoid harsh lines where the two camo colours meet?

After painting camo etc I was planning on using the Humbrol Glosscote on the model, letting that set and then applying the decals with Microscale Model Sol and then setting with Microscale Model Set, I was then planning on using a wash for shadows and panel lines etc and then a very light amount of drybrushing on raised areas and possibly slight pencil weathering.

When satisfied I was then going to finish the entire model with Humbrol Mattcote.

It all sounds very good in my head but the reality is I may have issues with solvents in the varnishes etc reacting to the enamel and other products used.

So my overall question is would this plan of attack work and have I got the order of the applications correct? I have seen so many techniques with pros and cons to each and what started off as a "simple" model build has turned into a full operation with military precision.

Thanks for any help or replies that I get.

 

[Ian M]

Hi and welcome. First question; Whats your name, or can we just call you HD?

Any way, the order you have suggested is quite fine apart from one thing. Its the Decal solutions, you have gotten them the wrong way around, Apply them with the Micro set, the if you feel it needs sucking down more to get into the panel detail, then give it some micro sol.

I can't see any issue with the paints and varnishes as they are all Humbrol, so they should work together. Word of warning on the Humbrol Matt varnish. Shake the life out of it then still it and then shake it some more. If its not mixed 200% it will end up as a very good gloss coat!!!

Humbrol enamel paints brush on very well, but you will get a better result by thinning them and giving two coats. Leave for a couple of days between coats!

One last thing. pencil weathering: don't forget that lots of the Hurricane was fabric covered...

Ian M

 

[mossiepilot]

Hi and welcome to the forum RkitectHD.

Sounds like you've got a good plan going mate. I've been back modelling for only a year and I'm learning all the time. Best I can suggest is to try, if it doesn't work, try again. Perfection generally doesn't come first time, and for the likes of me not at all. Do your best, have fun and enjoy yourself.

Tony.

 

[RkitectHD]

In my rush I forgot to mention my name, I am Nick however Rkitect or HD or newbie is fine

I did realise after making the thread I got the decal solutions the wrong way round, thanks for clarifying that for me. I guess i wont touch the hurricane with a pencil (rookie mistake).

As for thinning the enamel paints, to what ratio would be suitable for large areas like the fuselage and wings? 50/50 for paint to thinner, would you recommend glossing/matting everything? like the cockpit details aswell or would the topcoat of mattcote only be necessary on the larger areas?

Thanks for everything so far

 

[stona]

Welcome aboard!

Brush painting enamels is a lot easier than brush painting acrylics so you are definitely off to a flier. It's difficult to give exact advice as the paints vary quite a bit. Some will need thinning to brush paint smoothly. White Spirit is cheap,available and works fine with Humbrol enamels.

On a British produced aeroplane like the Hurricane the camouflage demarcations were regulated and at 1/48 will be hard edges. There is growing evidence that most British aircraft were masked with mats cut to the relevant size and then sprayed. Any kind of overspray or roughness in the finish has aerodynamic consequences and was not acceptable. There were inspectors in all the factories to make sure that the rules were followed.

I don't use those Humbrol products but with the exception of the decal solutions which Tony has pointed out your plan of attack seems absolutely fine.

Be careful with the weathering,it's easy to overdo

Don't worry about asking questions,someone will always try and help you out.

Cheers

Steve

 

[RkitectHD]

I will definitely need all the help that I can get, the fact that I am just getting into modelling has made it all very expensive just to get started with this one seeing as I want to do it properly I can justify it as an investment to get all the tools needed to begin my modelling "career". Fortunately I did purchase the Humbrol enamel thinner anyway so I can easily get started with that.

I suppose another question is in order, is it necessary to prime the model? I have seen lots of people talking about priming a model with grey primer which makes enamel sit better on the surface, if that is that case would I need to prime the entire thing including the smallest parts (apart from the canopy of course)? If so then it would be easier for me to do so whilst all the parts are still attached to the sprue.

Thats pleasing to know that the camo had hard edges, makes my life a lot easier not have to trying and blend the edges with a soft look. Im a long way off from weathering at this point (fortunately) but I will surely be back to ask more questions about that.

I might make a photo log of my progress so that I can hopefully get some advice along the way.

Thanks again

 

[Ian M]

A photo log would be a great idea as you will get all the help you need as you need it.

Re primer; Some people prime on the sprue, some do it in the sub-assemblies. Some don't prime!

Like wise there are those that wash the kit before building and again before painting and again some that don't.

Its a personal thing, or a mood thing. Some times I wash the kit sometimes I don't, but I always prime.

Welcome to the wonderful world of plastic modelling! ( I might of added that its a flat spin from here, or the learning curve is steep, but I don't want to put you off :laughing: )

Ian M

 

[RkitectHD]

Thanks for giving me that added motivation lol. Well I am fairly set on the idea of priming because I have seen a lot of positives about doing so. I suppose if I photo log then I need to do so in a different thread so I will start that up when I get a chance.

Well I guess all I can say for the time being is wish me luck

 

[Ian M]

Good luck!

Just start a new thread in the aircraft section in Under Construction and all will be fine. I for one will be watching.

Ian M

 

[stona]

I always prime. I use Halfords Plastic Primer,it works a treat.

As Ian says,not everyone does but it does give the paint something to hang on to. What have you got to lose?

Steve

 

[phalinmegob]

if you have a wilkinsons near you they do a good grey primer,dont bother with the white though, and its quite cheap

 

[RkitectHD]

I am so glad that you said that stona because I am off to get some halfords plastic primer tomorrow

 

[RkitectHD]

Ok I have another question which is probably as obvious as it looks. I have been looking at the colours and on the engine exhausts the colour is referred like this:

XF-56 : 5

+XF-7 :1

Is that implying that I mix a 5:1 Ratio of the 2 colours or maybe paint it with XF-56 and then add detail with XF-7, I feel like it looks like I need to mix them.

That would be 5 parts Metallic grey to 1 part flat red.

 

[yak face]

Thats exactly it nick, it should give a rusty colour , cheers tony

 

[stona]

Someone should do a thread on aircraft exhausts!

Have a look at as many photos as you can online. You'll notice that one thing that Merlin exhausts are not is a rust colour. They were made of an alloy whose name evades me at the moment,and are generally a metallic colour with very subtle heat,exhaust and weathering effects.

Luftwaffe exhausts were treated with a product not unlike the "blacking" applied to stoves in the old days. Of course this deteriorated over time but they started out black.

Cheers

Steve

 

[RkitectHD]

Thanks for the reference photos, that was a great help.

 

[RkitectHD]

ahh ok I really do apologise now, im asking to many questions but I want to get this right!

Lets keep it simple and sweet, after washing the sprue and allowing to dry when do I prime?

Can i just prime the entire sprue prior to painting the small cockpit details or do I only prime the plane itself when put together and the cockpit masked?

 

[stona]

ahh ok I really do apologise now, im asking to many questions

No need....not possible

I can only tell you what I do.

I don't prime most parts on the sprue for two reasons. First the sprue attachment point will nearly always need cleaning up and sanding which will remove the primer. Secondly glueing paint covered plastic parts together doesn't work very well,at the very least you will have to scrape the paint off the areas to be glued.

I try to build a sub assembly (like a cockpit tub) as much as I can before priming it and then painting and picking out the detail. Every model is different,have a good read through the instructions and try to work out how far you can go before painting an assembly. There will always be the odd bit you miss and have to do seperately

Eventually I will mask off wheel wells,clear parts etc and prime the entire model before painting the camo. I attach the "dangly bits" like wheels,antennae,pitot tubes,mass balances etc at the end.

Others will have variations on the theme,there really isn't a right and wrong way of doing it. There are a few build threads by different members which will give you an idea of how they do it.

Cheers

Steve

 

[m1ks]

Don't ever apologise for asking questions, no such thing as a stupid question, if it's not asked you may never learn the answer,

(for example and completely aside from the subject I learned the proper meaning of the phrase 'STAT' in harassed medical drama's yesterday)

You certainly have a cracking plan laid out, Humbrol enamels brush paint excellently, and yes, thin them, this helps the paint flow better, make sure you stir and shake all of them well, especially the matte varnish, make sure you have decent ventilation, the enamels are smelly, (i love them though), I'd recommend some latex or nitrile gloves purely because any on your fingers is a bugger to shift, so they're not essential but handy.

As Steve, (Stona) says, Halford plastic primer=spot on, one tin will last an age, take care to mist it on in light coats, very easy to flood a small plastic model, i'd recommend you wash the model with washing up liquid and warm water, rinse and let dry, (makes sure all release agents are removed and helps paint stick better), assemble the fuselage, wings, etc, (mask the cockpit, damp kitchen roll is perfect for cockpits and wheel wells) and prime that as one piece, the fiddly bits, prime on the sprue.

Practise your brush painting on some scrap plastic, (milk containers are good for this), decant some paint into a tray / clean pie case etc, add a few drops of thinner and stir with a cocktail stick, try a swipe with a brush, you're aiming for a consistency that allows YOU to load the brush and transfer with a clean stroke to the plastic, not so thin it runs and not so thick it drags and tears the paint, this is why theres no magic ratio, (you'll find also that some humbrol enamels are thicker in the pot than others), practise is the key here and when you're happy, attack the model.

Do not expect the first coat to cover the base completely, don't worry if it looks patchy, this is where most new people mess up by trying to put on too much in the first pass of the brush. 2 or 3 thin coats will give a much better finish, humbrol has long drying and curing times so allow at least 24 hours before decalling and varnish and 12 between coats of the same paint, cover the model while drying to prevent dust settling into your fresh paint too.

Hope thats not all too much to take in.

Starting up is pricey but the paints last an age, your brushes, forever if looked after and it gets cheaper the further you go with mainly models and the odd paint or accessory needing bought.

Take pics, post them here, ask any question you need and ENJOY it

 

[RkitectHD]

Well that was a lot to take in but all extremely helpful, thankyou for all the help that everyone has given me. I know it wont be perfect but I wont know unless I just go for it, I need to pop out tomorrow to pick up the primer and then we are full steam ahead. I guess I will see all of you post priming