silver ?

[ellis995]

Hi all

What colour silver would i use for the colour of a say a mustang P51, P47 thunder bolt or as a undercoat to do a bit of aging ( forgot what it's called )

 

[rochie]

Keith i used humbrol number 56 mettalic aluminium on my P-47

 

[ellis995]

thanks Karl

I have silver and a couple of other paints that have silver in

 

[Maglar]

Its called chipping mate. Any form of silver should work, no one is going to call you out on the wrong "shade". You are the artist with the stringers between your fingers, always remember this. On my B17 I chose straight chrome, now the only time it was truly chrome like mine was 60 years later when it was professionally restored, but I like the look of it.

 

[ellis995]

Thanks Maglar

for putting me right on the chipping. and also for the colour silver.

 

[stona]

If you want a good metallic finish you might want to try one or more of the Alclad range. I've just used it on the underside and leading edges of HV*Z(bar),Lanowski's P-47 M. Good stuff but has to be airbrushed.It is laquer based but is not as tricky as some would have you believe. Anything apart from the highly polished aluminium and (I think) chrome go on over a primer just like any other paint.
For chipping someone has already mentioned Humbrol 56. I would say don't use anything too "bright",like the Humbrol silver( 11 IIRC.)
Cheers
Steve

 

[trackend]

Is it possible to apply guilding foil to get a burnished alloy finish guys. sorry for buting in ellis995

 

[ellis995]

thanks Steve

and no bother trackend

 

[Sweb]

It's different for each aircraft type. There were different alloys in different areas to serve different purposes. In the case of the natural aluminum P-51 the upper wing surfaces (less flaps ailerons) were primed and painted silver at the factory leaving the feathers brighter in contrast. Where panels were adjacent to high temps such as under cowl flaps and exhaust pipes it might not have been aluminum at all but rather stainless steel like monel. High stress areas like the empennage and wing-to-fuselage fairing might be a stronger alloy. You are better served by doing a bit of research to get the materials used and where. Then it's a simpler matter matching up correct colors.

 

[Airframes]

Joe's got it Keith. The main thing to do is look at pics of the actual aircraft, to see where the various different panels show different tonal 'shades'. As you are using a paint brush, I'd suggest you have a look at the bare metal guide I posted in this section a while ago. It offers some suggestions on how to achieve a realistic 'bare metal' finish without an airbrush, although it works just as well with an airbrush.
Remember, when it comes to paint chipping and wear, it was rare for the actual bare metal to show, although not uncommon. Normally, the only time this would look bright, was due to battle damage, when the paint and primer was knocked off, and the metal torn, by bullet, shell, ot flak damage etc. Most 'wear' marks, caused by icing, weather, feet on the wing roots, screwdrivers around fateners, was more of a dull greyish silver. The easiest way to do this is to mix matt white , in varying amounts, with Humbrol No11 Silver, to give varying effects. This colour is also the best basis for the start of a bare metal finish, as it won't show the 'flecks' of metallic particles as much.

 

[Sweb]

One technique you might experiment with is the use of graphite, aka pencil lead, where it can be used to darken certain areas. I have an (over-done) example of that on an RF-84F in the Completed Kits. It was painted overall aluminum and then "sectioned" using a number 2 pencil with a blending stump artists use. The flat aluminum paint gives a very good surface to render this technique on. You can either shade directly onto the model with the pencil or sand the pencil lead into a graphite powder, apply it to the blending stump and then work it onto the model. It can also be erased as needed. Once finished a fixative spray will seal it similar to sealing metalizers. If you go see the Thunderflash the weathering of the black anti-glare paint was done with a light gray colored pencil and blending stump.

 

[Airframes]

Ah! I wondered how you'd done that Joe! Great suggestion. Keith, the 'blending stump Joe has mentioned, is included with the patels set I bought recently. The shop I got them from for £3 has sold out, but I noticed them in 'Partners', the stationery store that's recently changed it's name, which I can't remember! If you've got one local, the set there is £3.99, has 12 pastel blocks, a pencil, eraser, sharpener, and the blending stump, plus a small sketch pad, all in a zipped case. The rest will come in useful when you eventually move on to using pastels for weathering, exhaust stains etc.

 

[ellis995]

Thanks Sweb and Terry

The more info i get the better model builder i will become, for future modelsto be built.

 

[A4K]

Humbrol 191 is a beautiful colour for the silver of undercarriage leg oleos.

 

[ellis995]

Thanks Evan

I think i will start buying humbrol paints as that's what people keep mentioning

 

[A4K]

In my opinion they used to be the best - I say 'used to be' as apparently the quality isn't the same since the range has become available again (new manufacturer). I'm still using my old ones, so I don't know about the new ones yet.

 

[Airframes]

You're right Evan. Humbrol, as was, used to be the World leader, with a fantastic, and extremely good quality, range of paints. Their 'Authentic Colour' range was the first of such 'authentic' camouflage colours, and very good indeed. However, since the demise of Humbrol as a company, and the loss of the derelict factory to fire, vandals and the elements, the current owners, Hornby, are obviously using a different source of manufacture. Quite honestly, the paints are nowhere near as good as they were, and must be an entirely different formulation. They not only look different and smell different, but the colours are different too, and the quality, both in coverage and drying, and also in lifespan, are poor to cr*p, compared to how they were. The paints still work, but they often need a lot of patience. Mainly, they are either too thick or too thin, and 'go off' very quickly in the tin, once opened.
I still have some Humbrol paints from over 20 years ago which are still usable, whereas some bought four weeks ago are already going off!
I wrote to Hornby a few months ago, not complaining as such, just bringing to their attention the problems, and quality issues. To date, I have not had a reply!
As I prefer enamels to acrylics, I continue to use Humbrol, as they are the most prevalent, and more conveniently available, and I concede that, with patience and use, they might still do the job. But, there is a definite, noticeable difference in quality and consistancy of product. The silver I mentioned, No11, is now nowhere near the original shade as produced by the 'real' Humbrol factory, and although it gives (to an extent) satisfactory results for some shade requirements, it is no longer possible to obtain a 'true', smooth, even, silver appearance, rather more a 'silverfox' car-body type of silver. I strongly suspect the current range is produced in the same factory as the paints bearing the Revell lable, as the similarities are marked, and this is not to say that Revell paints are no good - but Humbrol were always better.
Unfortunately, until I can obtain a good substitute locally, I'll have to continue to use this ersatz Humbrol!