1/350 Aircraft - windscreens

Gear Head 6

Testors grimmy black, actually very dark gray green, is perfect for windows on small scale vehicles even if the windows are only engraved.  It's also good for molded in vents in just about any scale.

 

The grimey blacks I am familiar with are flats, so you would need to glosscoat the windows after painting, to simulate the highlights and reflections from the glass/plexiglas.

Hi;

   What I usually do is paint the window areas with a high Gloss metallic sky blue . It's my own mix made with Model-Master Light Blue ( Russian Aircraft Bottom Blue works great ) . Four drops . Testors Chrome Silver , Two drops . These drops are about the size of very small peas . One whole bottle of testors Model-Master Boyd's Gloss clear , Mix well and then have a ball . T.B.

Testors grimmy black, actually very dark gray green, is perfect for windows on small scale vehicles even if the windows are only engraved.  It's also good for molded in vents in just about any scale.

Because the interior of vehicles are in shade, a gloss black is common for painting small scale windows.

A gentleman I know used armor building techniques with this ship. He masked off the windows of the Humvees and other little vehicles in this kit, sprayed the desert camo, painted details, and then removed the masks prior to sealing with a flat clear coat. He cut arcs from Tamiya masking tape with a template he'd drawn up and placed them on the windshield in the arc that would be cleared by the wipers. He hit it with Testors Dullcoat shot at low pressure from his airbrush and just lightly frosted the area. When the masks came off, it was a pretty convincing effect. Just enough there to look like dust - tough to pull off at such a small scale!

If it's a 1/700 or 1/350 aircraft or vehicale, molded in clear plastic you could paint the non window areas the nterior color and over paint it with the exterior color or camo pattern.   If it is molded in solid colored plastic the best you could do, if it's a subject with tinted clear areas, is paint it a metalic color and over coat it clear blue, black or whatever.  You have to be good with a fine point brush.

Depending on the era, you can do them in camo, desert sand or some kind of OD.

Thanks for all the suggestions.  I believe I will take the time and just mask the windows.  Now one more question - the vehicles that came with this kit were molded in grey plastic so can anyone suggest a color that I can use to paint the glass for these.  The only color I can think of is white but I think that would be too bright.  The vehicles are humvees and some supply trucks.

Once again - thanks for all suggestions and advice.

At a recent show (HIDS) I saw a great 1:350 WW2 Japanese carrier with the greenhouses of the planes covered with simulated canvas.  Looked great, no need to worry about masking.

I believe that it all boils down to a matter of preference. Some mask the windows and leave them clear, others take the time to paint them to match photos (gold tinted canopies for fighters or green overhead windows on helos, etc.), while others still simply paint over things to hide the fact that there are no interiors on these tiny aircraft. Odds are good that you already have a mental picture of what you want things to look at the end of your build or at least an opinion on how it should look. Go with your gut instinct.