Better pictures

I'm getting (slightly) better at taking pictures of my models. Bear in mind, when reading the following, I'm an absolute photography noob. Feel free to weigh in (semi-)expert opinions :-).
I use a simple compact camera, but have been playing around with the following parameters:

• No more handheld photos. I bought a cheap tripod (€4.50), about 15cm high.
• Remove all artificial light sources. They gave me unrealistic shadows anyway. I shot the pictures below on the floor of the spare bedroom, on a big white sheet of wallpaper. The only light source was indirect sunlight, the lights were turned off.
• Play around with camera settings on manual. Mine has an M-mode ("manual"), allowing to control diaphragm (lens opening) and shutter speed (i.e. exposure time = time the lens is open).
• put diaphragm as high as it goes, so you have focus in the front AND in the back (and not just on one point of the model), or at least as much as you're camera will allow (mine goes from 5.4 to 8.0, not a wide range)
• increase exposure time as high as needed, until the picture is clear enough. Normally this will be around 1/30 or 1/80 or much lower (the higher the fraction number, the lower the exposure time) for well-lit scenes. I set it to 1/1, i.e. 1 second. This is where the tripod is an absolute must-have.

Dullcoat

Because someone (correctly) remarked my Puma was too shiny, I wanted to add another layer of clear. Alclad's matte clear kote changed nothing to the appearance, but Vallejo matt varnish did a better job. I thinned it 50%, but next time I'm going to thin even more, because there's still a kind of milky sheen about this coat of varnish.

The second photo best shows off the result. The body has been coated with matt varnish, the turret has not, just to see the difference.

Short notice : matt clear

After some remarks about the Puma being too shiny, I bought Alclad II matt clear, a slightly duller version of the semi-matt (or semi-gloss, depending how you prefer to call it).

This matt coat seems to have had no influence, it's still too shiny.
Not sure if a matt coat on top of a semi-gloss one is supposed to work, if the matt coat is too thin or if there's some other underlying issue. Maybe I'll buy the Alclad flat, which should be the least shiny of all.

Puma finished

The Puma is now finished, and unlike the Abrams (which still needs weathering) I truely consider it finished.
Even though the weathering isn't very heavy (no pigments, no battle damage) the "dirty look" looks very nice.

(Edit: It's a little too shiny, as multiple people have remarked, so I'll buy some matte varnish and add a layer. While we're at it, why don't we try some pigments too.)

Price : € 10
Number of parts : about 130
Time spent : 12 hours
Project completion time : 6 months

Paint : (Vallejo, unless otherwise noted)

• Grey primer
• Dark yellow
• Tank green
• Tank brown
• White (interior)
• Gunmetal grey (machine gun barrel)
• Matt black (tires, driver seats, steering wheels, ...)
• (LifeColor) Wood (shovels, axe, gunner seats, ...)
• (LifeColor) Rust (exhaust)

Other :

• Alclad II Semi-matt clear
• Micro Sol and Set (for decals)
• Tamiya panel line accent color (dark brown)
• AK Interactive Dark mud wash

Watch all related posts

Dirtying things up

After an earlier not-so-successful attempt to make the Abrams look sandy/dirty, I hesitantly starting applying a "Dark mud" wash (from AK Interactive) to the Puma's wheels.

Not entirely satisfied, I thinned it 50/50 with White spirit and tried again on a few side panels. The effect was really to my liking, so I coated the entire model with it. The wheels have received 3 coats in the meantime and I dare say it all looks really good. It's no longer a factory-fresh Puma.

Almost done

The Puma is almost finished. I've added a first clear coat (Alclad semi-matt) and let that dry for 24 hours. It's not sticky to the immediate touch, but if you hold it in your hand for longer than a few seconds, it does stick a little. If you press hard for a while, it will leave fingerprints, as I've noticed on the submarine.

I'm yet to find out how long it takes to fully cure.

The decals are in place now (there were only 9). I've treated them with Micro Set, just to be sure they cling to the surface perfectly. When dry, I'll add a second clear coat to seal them in.

Now that painting is done, I've removed the latex protection I put around the wheel discs and started installing the wheels. The wheels are held in place by a small cap and (are supposed to) freely rotate.

(I predict none of the wheels will rotate in the end, but I'm trying anyway.)

I painted the gear on the side of the tank (shovel, axe, wire clippers) with wood and natural steel colours. On future models, I'll probably leave off the tiny bits, paint them separately and only install them in the finishing phase. This way, for instance, the jerrycans will not be camouflaged, but I don't think it's pretty realistic to expect this anyway. I don't expect, in the field, those jerrycans were always in the same place, or on the same vehicle, for that matter.

Second camo colour

The second (and last) camouflage colour has been added. I'm happy with the result, although I know it could be better. I also (think I) know HOW to do it better.

What I did :

1. Paint the base colour
2. Mask everything that should not be green
3. Paint green
4. Remove masks
5. Mask everything that should not be brown
6. Paint brown
7. Remove masks

Step 5 was the difficult part, because I had to mask nicely around the edges of the green areas. As you can see from the bottom picture, this was not very succesful, although the result is still looking good. I will touch up with a brush, if I can do it without it being too noticeable.

What I think I should have done :

1. Paint the base colour
2. Mask everything that is to remain in the base colour
3. Paint brown
4. Leave the mask in place
5. Put additional masks where the colour is to remain brown
6. Paint green
7. Remove all masks

This way, there will be no space between the green and brown lines, as is now the case. You won't have to wait long to see this newfound knowledge in action, because I intend to apply this "technique" to the M60, which is probably the next model I'll (try to) finish.

Ready for the next colour

Painted chocolate brown

The result

First camo colour complete

I carefully laid out a camouflage-pattern on the Puma using Silly putty. It's a tedious job, but since free-hand airbrushing is out of the question with my current airbrush, this is the only option. 

I've already used play-doh and modelling clay for masking, but silly putty is simply the best substance. It sticks in place very well, doesn't dry or shrink and is very easily removed without damaging the model or lifting the paint.

Ready for painting.

Painted in Panzer green 

Carefully lifting the silly putty

Looking good so far.

The result is what I'd hoped for. On to the next batch of putty, because we need a second camouflage color : chocolate brown.

First round of camouflage

The first camouflage colour ("Tank green") is applied to the Puma's turret and I removed the putty soon after.

If you look close, you can see the edges where the paint pulled up against the putty. Even though I was careful with applying the green paint, the consistency wasn't perfect and it went on too wet. I'll try gathering some tips to prevent this on the next IPMS meeting.

Overall, the result looks fine, even if it will require some clean-up work.

I removed the protective cover from the body, only to find the paint peeled off with it. The paint seems to stick harder to itself than to the model. Maybe the model wasn't sufficiently clean, or I should just be more careful. Won't happen again!

Preparing the Puma for camo

I've given up on free-hand camouflage, at least with my current airbrush.

• Without any masking, free-hand brushing just gives too much overspray. 
• Masking like I did with the Jaguar gives very hard edges, which is not the effect I wanted. 
• Spraying through a small rectangular mask, that I hold a few millimeters from the surface of the model, gave me the desired "soft" edge, but I can only do straight lines with it.

Conclusion:

• Free-hand camouflage? Buy a better airbrush.
• For now : use the same technique as on the Jaguar and stop trying for soft-edge camouflage.

I'll start small, only with the turret, and spray very carefully, because the biggest problem on the Jaguar was that the paint was too thick.

Airbrush practice

I found some time AND motivation to get back behind the hobby-desk, even if it was just for an hour.

• I finished the base coat for the Abrams and it's wheels. (I'll post pictures when its dry.) I still need to do the backside of the wheels, but the outside needs to dry first. Even though the paintflow was irregular - and I still don't know why - I am managing with it. The airbrush seemed in an agreeable mood today.
• I put a second silver coat on the Enterprise's display base, so I can move on to masking for the next color. I'm tempted to start basecoating the Enterprise, but my workbench can only hold so many works in progress. It's time to finish something.
• I tested free-hand lines on a piece of paper, because I want the Puma to have soft-edged camouflage stripes. (Masking would give harsh edges).
  For the camo to work free-hand, I need the paint-consistency to be perfect, the air pressure on minimum and my hand steady the entire time. If the airbrush sputters only once, it's ruined and I have to start over.
  I can manage lines as small as 2-3 mm, but not smaller and the overspray is about twice as wide, but looks acceptable. One of the next sessions should be dedicated to this and I'll start with the underside, in case it doesn't go well.
• Another attempt to put gloss clear on the submarine. Tested pure or slightly thinned, the liquid does not atomise well and sprays droplets rather than particles. I thinned it 200% just for the hell of it and it sprayd rather okay(-isch). Then I knocked over the bottle with the thinned clear and took that as a sign to stop for the day. When finished, it'll have taken 5 or more sessions, but I WILL finish the clearcoat, so I can move on the decals. (Since ALL models need a clearcoat in the end, this is kinda a major skill to get the hang of)

I've been in contact with 2 supply companies for Revell about the needle not sitting flush inside the nozzle, but both times the answer was "Send it in and we'll look at it." Even though I don't use it that often, I'm not yet willing to be without it for several months. I also don't want to spend too much money on repairs that turn out unnecessary because I only THINK it might be damaged.

I guess it's back to the same questions : Is it too cheap to perform well? Is it my luck to have a crooked version? Do I go for a - more expensive - Badger (or Harder and Steenbeck or whatever) or is it just me?
Only time will tell ...

Painting through a template - part 2

Painted the wheels for the M60 and the Puma through the circle templates I cut last week.

The green paint has nice coverage, the yellow one a little less. I guess this must be related to the pigments. The darker they are, the faster they provide total coverage. I sprayed all wheels with 2 layers now. Once dry, I'll evaluate if more is needed.

Masking the last piece

The last piece of the Puma that has yet to receive paint, is the turret.

The inside is white and some of the interior parts have already been painted, so they need to be protected.
I rolled up a piece of paper and carefully taped it to the ring that will connect the turret to the upper hull. It also gives me something to hold on to, while airbrushing.

Painting through a template

I painted the wheels for the Puma and the M60 with black primer. To paint the actual wheels, without having to redo the tires afterwards, you can paint these through a paper template.

Various kinds of stencils can be bought, but a circle template is easy enough to make.
Today, I just did the measuring, drawing and cutting (and re-drawing and re-cutting). The actual painting will be for tomorrow.

If I find myself short on time tomorrow, I wish you all the best for 2013. Unless you are following the Mayan calendar, in which case you already celebrated the beginning of the 14th baktun on december 21st.

It's not super-accurate, but just try to measure how big the circle  needs to be.
(I'll admit not knowing the English name for this tool)

Draw a circle on a sturdy piece of paper, like an index card.

Cut with a sharp hobbyknife.

The circle templates for the Puma and the M60.

If at first you don't succeed ...

I had to force myself behind my desk today, because I was dreading to use the airbrush again.
I spent about 2 hours and it was a mixed success. A lot of dry-tip, but I'm getting the hang of cleaning it regularly now. I no longer disassemble the nozzle and nozzle cap for cleaning, just the needle cap. (Unless the entire thing is clogged, but that didn't happen today)

I still had a lot of priming to do, so I continued that. I'm starting to suspect that part of the problems I'm having are because of the primer. Because of its "priming" qualities, maybe the paint is heavier or something. The Revell airbrush does have a very small nozzle, so these 2 factors combined might cause half the problem. Or maybe I'm just looking for reasons to cover up my lack of skill.

I'm now spraying the primer straight from the bottle but at the highest pressure.

Anyway, the Enterprises display stand is primed in black with a beautiful layer of paint, without any splotches this time. The Puma is fully primed in lightgrey and so are the M60's remaining parts.

Display stand for the Enterprise-C.

The Puma, fully primed in lightgrey.

The M60's turret and commander's cupola.
A second pass will be needed to do the barrels and
minor touch-ups on the bottom of the grenade launchers.

Completely forgot to paint the drive sprockets.
I'm keeping these separate, to be assembled when installing the tracks.

Masking, any way you can

Masking can be done with masking tape, liquid mask, paper, stencils, or anything you happen to have lying around and you find handy to use. As long as it does the job of preventing paint to come in certain spots, you're doing it right.

A plastic bag is actually a lot easier to handle than a sheet of paper.

Making sure the plastic won't stretch or tear around the diving planes.

The Puma's interior is protected by a paper disc, secured in place with latex.