This is
yet, another Me-262 from the Trimaster molds. I bought and built six of
these wonderful kits for the price of $15 each. So, pay attention to Ebay
bargains.
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Although an
out of the box topic, you need to invest a lot of extra work in the kit to
achieve a decent resemblance to the original aircraft. Me-262 V056 was used for
radar installation aerodynamic trials. It is perhaps, the most photographed 262
in the Luftwaffe service including color photographs. As such, it is not too
difficult to trace down the exact paint scheme. And, the V056 was painted with
the traditional RLM 74 and 75 over 76 in contrast to what model makers indicate
in their instructions.
I chose
this example to demonstrate another painting technique that I practiced for
years. I call the technique, "Micro Pre-Shading." It is a step beyond
the conventional pre-shading technique where dark paint is applied crudely
along panel lines and is highlighted from below final paint layers.
In this method, which is
appropriate to mimic a light weathering condition, I remove
excess paint (usually oil paint that is easily removed with a tissue) to leave
the exact signature of recessed panel lines and rivets. Then, I paint with the
appropriate color scheme albeit using a highly diluted paint. In such a way, I
can manipulate the degree of transparency and highlight or hide the existing dark
lines of panel lines. If I want to show heavy weathering, I can paint the lines
with dark colors after the camouflage scheme has been applied. The nice thing
with this technique is that it allows you to take advantage of the usually light
gray plastic parts, like was the real primer hue of many aircraft types and let
it blend with the actual paint scheme. Naturally, light colored schemes will
show better results. In the end, you can always hide the base and revert to post
shading if the result is not satisfying.
Rafi
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