Ad: This forum contains affiliate links to products on Amazon and eBay. More information in Terms and rules
turbo
Staff Sergeant
Cool!
T Bolt
Colonel
- Thread starter
- #324
Ok, since the idea from the beginning was to have the hangar lighted I had to find a way to hide the LED wires as they leave the overhead conduit and travel down to a hole to be drilled in the base. I ended up using the leftover rectangular ABS tubing that I used in the overhead conduit and once I determined where it would meet the base I outlined it in pencil. After cutting away the paper hangar floor inside the rectangular outline, I drilled a series of holes through the base (see below) and ultimately used an X-Acto H0869 Adjustable Jeweler's Saw to roughly flesh out the hole.
After final cleanup with Emory boards and files I was left with a nice clean "slot"...
...but now I had to take the wires from below the base and get them to exit at the rear of base. Enter my trusty Sears Craftsman router, ta da! As you can see it took me two tries, but I got it done. (I must remember next time to hold down the router guide on BOTH ends!)
So this is what I end up with (see below), which I think will work good enough and being in the forward corner it will be virtually invisible to the casual observer.
Next up: The final painting of the base, or how do I correct my correction.
Below you can see the result of trying to lighten my original attempt at concrete, and then realising I used the wrong color to do that, switching completely over to a more grayish tone overall while at the same time trying to re-add the dark lowlights at the seams, light grey highlights in the center of the each panel and finally a gloss coat of Future applied with a sponge brush. Oh, and I forgot to mention that I tried my hand at a dark wash at the seam with paint (It didn't feather into the surrounding paint! What did I do wrong???) and dark chalk pastels (even worse!) What a cock - up I made of it, for various reasons, and now I am essentially back at square one.
I hope the issue with the washes not working is because I didn't actually get a gloss surface using Future. Perhaps because it's applied to paper? So I purchase some more Vallejo Air paints and perhaps most importantly...Vallejo Air Gloss Varnish. Once more into the breech! Please provide any pointers on this was issue I'm having.
After final cleanup with Emory boards and files I was left with a nice clean "slot"...
...but now I had to take the wires from below the base and get them to exit at the rear of base. Enter my trusty Sears Craftsman router, ta da! As you can see it took me two tries, but I got it done. (I must remember next time to hold down the router guide on BOTH ends!)
So this is what I end up with (see below), which I think will work good enough and being in the forward corner it will be virtually invisible to the casual observer.
Next up: The final painting of the base, or how do I correct my correction.
Below you can see the result of trying to lighten my original attempt at concrete, and then realising I used the wrong color to do that, switching completely over to a more grayish tone overall while at the same time trying to re-add the dark lowlights at the seams, light grey highlights in the center of the each panel and finally a gloss coat of Future applied with a sponge brush. Oh, and I forgot to mention that I tried my hand at a dark wash at the seam with paint (It didn't feather into the surrounding paint! What did I do wrong???) and dark chalk pastels (even worse!) What a cock - up I made of it, for various reasons, and now I am essentially back at square one.
I hope the issue with the washes not working is because I didn't actually get a gloss surface using Future. Perhaps because it's applied to paper? So I purchase some more Vallejo Air paints and perhaps most importantly...Vallejo Air Gloss Varnish. Once more into the breech! Please provide any pointers on this was issue I'm having.
To be honest I don't grasp the issue. The surface looks quite nice and being ready for applying of the final concrete colour. However if you want to make these panel lines black I would follow the way for the pre-shading. You know.. painted panel lines with a black colour either using a brush or an airbrush. Then applying of the transparent ( thinned ) main colour overall.
parsifal
Colonel
I don't see the problem either jim. Do you have an example of how you want the finish to look?
Maybe this might help
SMARTT's Concrete - Make your Model Concrete Structure Look Right - a Tutorial
or this at least for the painting techniques.....you would need to mess around with shading to make it suit your project
concrete look in scale models - Bing video
Maybe this might help
SMARTT's Concrete - Make your Model Concrete Structure Look Right - a Tutorial
or this at least for the painting techniques.....you would need to mess around with shading to make it suit your project
concrete look in scale models - Bing video
Last edited:
Airframes
Benevolens Magister
Good work on the lighting conduit Jim.
The 'concrete' looks good enough to me, especially the area at the bottom of the picture, which I presume is 'outside'.
Bear in mind that it will look totally different once inside the hangar, under the shade of the roof and walls, and will look darker too.
If I was doing it, I'd leave it as it is, as far as colour and shade go, but soften the darker 'shadowed' areas of each slab, and then give the entire surface a very light, misted 'blow over' with a lighter shade, using a light grey with a touch of 'sandy light brown'.
Do this by using the airbrush at a distance - probably around 12 inches - and not aimed directly at the surface. Move the brush constantly and fairly quickly over the entire surface, to create a mist which will settle onto the 'concrete'.
Let it dry (should only take a minute or two), and then view the result as if it was inside the hangar, by making a 'tent' of paper or card over the top - or use the hangar structure itself if possible.
What might look very light 'in the open' will look very different in the shade.
All the above is if you require a 'concrete' finish, but remember that most hangar floors are painted, particularly these days, normally with an oil-resistant paint which is most commonly a light grey or off-white colour - the light grey being more suitable in model form, as it will look more realistic.
If you decide to have a 'painted' floor, then leave the 'outside' areas as it is, and just give an overall, even coat of the light grey to the hangar floor.
The pic below shows an example of the type of floor finish typical of virtually every hangar I've ever been in, with the odd exception, certainly in the UK and Europe, anyway.
The 'concrete' looks good enough to me, especially the area at the bottom of the picture, which I presume is 'outside'.
Bear in mind that it will look totally different once inside the hangar, under the shade of the roof and walls, and will look darker too.
If I was doing it, I'd leave it as it is, as far as colour and shade go, but soften the darker 'shadowed' areas of each slab, and then give the entire surface a very light, misted 'blow over' with a lighter shade, using a light grey with a touch of 'sandy light brown'.
Do this by using the airbrush at a distance - probably around 12 inches - and not aimed directly at the surface. Move the brush constantly and fairly quickly over the entire surface, to create a mist which will settle onto the 'concrete'.
Let it dry (should only take a minute or two), and then view the result as if it was inside the hangar, by making a 'tent' of paper or card over the top - or use the hangar structure itself if possible.
What might look very light 'in the open' will look very different in the shade.
All the above is if you require a 'concrete' finish, but remember that most hangar floors are painted, particularly these days, normally with an oil-resistant paint which is most commonly a light grey or off-white colour - the light grey being more suitable in model form, as it will look more realistic.
If you decide to have a 'painted' floor, then leave the 'outside' areas as it is, and just give an overall, even coat of the light grey to the hangar floor.
The pic below shows an example of the type of floor finish typical of virtually every hangar I've ever been in, with the odd exception, certainly in the UK and Europe, anyway.
fubar57
General
Agree with the others. Besides, it'll be covered in pigeon poop....there will be pigeon poop, right?
Robert Porter
Senior Master Sergeant
I think it looks fine, especially once installed as it were. Great work on the wiring!
Good work so far!
vikingBerserker
Lieutenant General
That's a lot of nice detail my friend!
SANCER
Senior Master Sergeant
I´m agree with all, bien hecho amigo Jim 
Saludos.
Saludos.
Crimea_River
Marshal
Good work Jim. The concrete certainly doesn't look like a "cock-up" to me.
All looks good from down under too...
- Thread starter
- #336
OK, I finally fixed the self-inflicted damage:
Above: Still visable, but a neat fix none the less.
Above: Another neat fix, but slightly more visable.
Above two pictures: Had to re-superglue the painted brass channel to the top of the hangar opening. Looks great from the outside, not so much from the inside, but it won't be seen so...
Next up is repainting the base. It seems like there was some confusion as to what I want to achieve. (And believe me I do like the encouragement and praise, even when I feel it's not warrented.) I would like then inside of the hangar to look like the picture Terry posted, but I would like to make the apron out front look like a lighter version of the original concrete color that I had initially painted the base. I hope to get that done within the week and then I have to revisit this "washing" technique. I just did not get it the first go around. I'm sure you guys will be there to point me in the right direction. Thanks.
Above: Still visable, but a neat fix none the less.
Above: Another neat fix, but slightly more visable.
Above two pictures: Had to re-superglue the painted brass channel to the top of the hangar opening. Looks great from the outside, not so much from the inside, but it won't be seen so...
Next up is repainting the base. It seems like there was some confusion as to what I want to achieve. (And believe me I do like the encouragement and praise, even when I feel it's not warrented.) I would like then inside of the hangar to look like the picture Terry posted, but I would like to make the apron out front look like a lighter version of the original concrete color that I had initially painted the base. I hope to get that done within the week and then I have to revisit this "washing" technique. I just did not get it the first go around. I'm sure you guys will be there to point me in the right direction. Thanks.
fubar57
General
Looking good, Jim
Nicely done so far!
