Portray an RC Warbird, Half 4
6 min read
On this ultimate installment, Lane Crabtree creates his CARF Fashions P-51’s Hurry House Honey nostril artwork, invasion stripes, and engine exhaust stains. In earlier articles, he began by documenting how he primed and painted the silver and olive drab, masked the cover and created the celebs and bars, after which he utilized the squadron markings and the checkerboard sample.
For the Hurry House Honey script “nostril artwork” (left facet solely), Callie supplied a much-needed two-stage paint masks. This is likely one of the invaluable issues paint masks can do for you – artist work. I couldn’t do that in 100 years by hand. Right here’s the way it works. The primary paint masks is laid out on the nostril with cautious positioning. After sealing the perimeters and masking off round it as required, paint the bottom coat of yellow. As soon as the yellow is dry (bear in mind to attend a LONG TIME) add the second paint masks that covers up many of the yellow after which hit it with the intense purple. This gives you a shadow impact round all of the letters. It’s essential to use a really mild combination of dish washing cleaning soap sprayed beneath the second masks to slip them round a bit until you get them the place you need them. Once more, let that dry totally earlier than portray. Take away all of the masks and you might be accomplished. And use rattle can paint for this as latex simply gained’t work as properly for worry of peeling off when eradicating the masks.
Earlier than I completed the checkerboards, ready for the yellow to dry, I added the HHH script. Now, I simply found I’ve no in-process photographs of this! See textual content for directions.
One of many final issues to do on the fuselage is so as to add the tail numbers. Callie supplied paint masks for these additionally. Simply bear in mind to alternate paint colours. On HHH, I found on the rudder the 413 on the correct facet and 586 on the left facet have been black paint, relatively than OD Shade 41.
That is the place we’re up to now. Not completely mentioned is that I used Matte Polycrylic Water Primarily based Clear coat over all the fuselage. This protects the paint and offers an total even sheen to the paint job. That is an non-compulsory step – exterior latex home paint by itself has been proven to be very efficient on fuel powered RC planes of all types. Swimsuit your self on this matter.
What now we have left to do are the wing halves. All of the processes are the identical as we’ve seen so let’s stroll via the components with out all the person steps.
Wing has been primed on each side, backside painted silver, prime painted OD shade 41, and the invasion stripes utilized. Nothing actually totally different than the fuselage. Simply you should definitely test that your stripes are parallel to the wing root. Then after the white has been accomplished, lay the black stripes out parallel to all the structure. I appear to recall all of the stripes have been 4 inches extensive, instances 5, equals 20 inches. This agrees with the total scale structure very intently.
High of wing is OD Shade 41 and the white wing flash is added. The white flash meets the inboard white invasion stripe on the underside wing main and trailing edges. One other word, I left all of the management surfaces on the wing and fuselage whereas portray. I didn’t see the necessity to take away them for portray. I used to be capable of lengthen the flaps as proven above to get paint the place it was wanted with out elimination.
Once more, let’s reduce to the chase and see the ultimate throwdown – Stars and Bars. One factor I found AFTER portray is that the top-side STAR is meant to be break up dead-center on the small fairing in entrance of the aileron. Ooops! Simply an inch or so too far inboard. Backside of wing is OK.
No warbird is full with out victory markings! Callie supplied these as properly. I despatched her an E-Mail suggesting that the spacing could possibly be tightened up each horizontally and vertically. Aside from that, labored out very properly. Additionally word, the small nomenclatures are proven right here – dry rub-ons. They want clear-coating after utility or they’ll flake off.
Yet another paint masks from Callie is the air consumption display It is a one-step masks I painted black. I used this as a result of I didn’t open the precise holes within the fuselage. I wanted them closed to power cooling air previous the engine cooling fins.
These screws forward of the display received painted later with silver. The truth is, I painted a slew of screws in a number of colours to make use of for extras in case I lose a couple of alongside the way in which.
One of many HARDEST components of this paint job to get appropriate have been the exhaust stains from the mighty Rolls Royce V-12! I’ll present a few early makes an attempt earlier than displaying the ultimate model. That is one space that Cassie doesn’t provide masks for. You’ll need to be an artist for just a little bit. However, my recommendation right here is to seal the fuselage paint beforehand with Polycrylic after which use acrylic paints from Pastime Foyer or another craft retailer for the exhaust stains. Buy some black, white, bone white, yellow ochre, burnt umber, and so on, that you will want to combine the colours with. By sealing the fuselage with Polycrylic first, in the event you mess up, the acrylics may be cleaned with a moist washcloth, and you may have one other go. After 5 tries, I received it proper on the sixth! Whew. The toughest half on the stains is utilizing restraint and GOING LIGHTLY. You possibly can have a look at any warbird and see that they’re virtually clear. It’s the pure tendency (for a non-artist) to make them darkish and heavy. Appears to be like kinda cool, however extra like a cartoon than real-world. You possibly can see a few of my makes an attempt under. I’ve to present many because of the fellows at Radio Management Scale Builder website online for his or her feedback on getting the stains appropriate. They have been variety, however relentless until I received them appropriate! haha. As soon as the exhaust stains have been passable, I clear coated them to seal the water colours.
Assortment of acrylic paints out of your native craft retailer are nice for portray exhaust stains and pilot figures. Purchase a colour wheel to assist in mixing your individual colours.
I felt a warbird wants some exhaust stains so I laid some tape all the way down to get the move appropriate. I didn’t depart the tape for portray, however traced some mild pencil strains to go by.
One of many first makes an attempt. I prefer it. However very cartoonish. Too heavy. Stream line could be very near appropriate, nevertheless. Additionally word the exhaust stubs. The primary one is simply rusty wanting, however the subsequent 5 get that whitish gray lead coating.
Slightly higher effort, however nonetheless too heavy. Not clear in any respect. I like this one too; RCSB guys … not a lot. Ha.
Lastly received it proper! It’s important to be very mild with the airbrush to do it accurately. It’s straightforward to get carried away. The ultimate exhaust stain model used two colours, a lightweight charcoal-black after which a lightweight greyish colour. It’s important to “waft” the paint on. After all, these water-colors (acrylic paints) don’t come ready-mixed within the lights and darks you see right here, it’s a must to combine them up your self. It’s not that tough to do. Experiment on a cardboard field earlier than truly portray them, not solely to test the colours, however to set your airbrush move price and air stress.
Reverse facet. Fairly near the left facet, however barely totally different as the actual deal can be.
That’s a quick run-thru of the paint course of for Hurry House Honey. Many extra hours may be spent weathering and detailing a warbird like this one. However to make use of a quote attributed to Dave Platt, “You by no means actually end a scale plane, you simply give up engaged on it.” Like most initiatives, glad this one is behind me however wanting ahead to the subsequent one!
TEXT AND PHOTOS BY LANE CRABTREE
