Painting

Throughout aviation history, many aircraft have been built and operated in an unpainted natural metal finish. During the Second World War, when large amounts of combat aircraft were produced manufacturers started to complete aircraft in natural...

Weathering your ship's decking will provide spectacular results to the overall appearance of the model, especially if it features inscribed planking detail. The weathering process can be broken down into five steps:1. Apply a thin dark...

The toothpaste technique is very similar to the hairspray chipping technique and achieves roughly the same effects.The principle is to apply a basecoat that will eventually be seen through the finished topcoat to replicate damage or wear. The...

Creating rust streaks on well-used wagons and scrapped vehicles is a great way to add realism to your model railway layout, but how is it done?Creating rust streaks is no different than many other aspects of modelling in the respect that you...

Track painters (produced by Woodland Scenics) are pen-like tools for applying various paint effects to the rails and sleepers of model railway tracks.Not only do track painters look like a pen, but they also work like one too, making them more...

Before painting a model it is useful to give the parts a clean using mild detergent. One of the main advantages to this is that inevitably the component parts have been handled prior to painting and as such the modeller will have left a residue of...

Satin and semi-gloss paints are similar but subtly different products. As a general rule of thumb Satin is less shiny than semi-gloss as it is generally mixed with a lower content of gloss formula than semi-gloss. As a result, semi-gloss will...

Dazzle Camouflage patterns were first introduced during the First World war in order to protect warships and merchant vessels from attack by U-Boats. Initially, ships had been painted various shades of grey to camouflage them against the sea but...

Tamiya X-19 Smoke is part of the Tamiya range of acrylic paints. As such it can be brush painted or can be airbrushed onto a wide variety of surfaces such as wood, styrofoam, resin and model plastics such as styrene. Smoke is intended to mimic...

The term 'Pin Wash' is a shortening of pinpoint wash. Pin washes are generally applied to very specific parts of a model to enhance individual surface details such as recessed panel lines, access plates or hatches and doorways. In this regard, it...

A wide selection of hobby paint ranges can be used very effectively on metal figures.Both enamel and acrylic paints are effective on metal figures, as are paints with a specific metallic finish. When painting metal figures it is good practice to...

Once the cockpit sub-assembly has been completed and painted there are a number of techniques that can be made to weather it, allowing it to come to life. If the instrument panel is dominated by analogue switches and dials it will lend itself very...