Where to find airplane pictures for reference?

Teenage Modeler

Member since
January 2021
From: Somewhere near Chicago

Where to find airplane pictures for reference?

Posted by Teenage Modeler on Friday, February 5, 2021 11:28 PM

Well, here is the deal. When my dad saw me watch someone weather a KI-84 Hayate with oil and enamel paints, he said to me "That looks so dirty. Airplanes should look clean, not dirty." So, I tried to argue that actual planes of WW2 had weathering on them. I tried looking for old photos, but it was not enough to show that the plane has been weathered.

So, where do I find reference photos for my airplane scale models? I say this for reference, and also to prove my dad wrong.

Made you Look

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keavdog

Member since
April 2003
From: USA

Posted by keavdog on Friday, February 5, 2021 11:38 PM

Google is your friend - there's so many pics out there. And quite frankly, there's enough to prove a point for any opinion....lol

Thanks,

John

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goldhammer

Member since
August 2014
From: Willamette Valley, Oregon

Posted by goldhammer on Friday, February 5, 2021 11:48 PM

Search ki84... Wiki has a color pic of a pair at a post-war Korean base that show alot of paint peeling and some dirt, but no date, so the dirt is probably just settling on them.

Late war Japanese paint work doesn't seem to hold up as well as early war. Lot of it can be attributed to material shortages, and rush to get planes to the front.

Lot of pics if USN planes with heavy fading, etc, due to the environment.

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wpwar11

Member since
January 2020
From: Maryland

Posted by wpwar11 on Saturday, February 6, 2021 5:42 AM

You 1 dad 0

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Don Stauffer

Member since
November 2009
From: Twin Cities of Minnesota

Posted by Don Stauffer on Saturday, February 6, 2021 9:12 AM

Use the images option with Google. It is in the upper right corner of the google home page. Invoke images option before entering search terms.

Don Stauffer in Minnesota

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Eaglecash867

Member since
April 2020

Posted by Eaglecash867 on Saturday, February 6, 2021 9:24 AM

Searching images on Bing is another good way to go. Google no longer allows easy viewing of full-sized versions of photos, but Bing still does. The two of them don't have the same coverage though. Using one might yield more results on one thing, while using the other will yield more results on something else.

"You can have my illegal fireworks when you pry them from my cold, dead fingers...which are...over there somewhere."

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TheDemiGod

Member since
December 2020

Posted by TheDemiGod on Saturday, February 6, 2021 11:35 AM

Google or Bing...

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Cdn Colin

Member since
January 2012
From: Barrie, Ontario

Posted by Cdn Colin on Sunday, February 7, 2021 10:58 AM

Timeframe and location matter.

I read in an autobiography (I can't remember if it was Chuck Yeager or Robin Olds) that they would polish their P-51's to improve air flow and therefor range and speed. If you read about conditions endured by the Cactus Air Force at Guadalcanal, it's a differnet story.

I build 1/48 scale WW2 fighters.

Have fun.

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modelcrazy

Member since
July 2014

Posted by modelcrazy on Sunday, February 7, 2021 11:52 AM

The late war Japanese aircraft would loose a lot of paint in the slipstream due to the lack of primer and poor quality paint on most manufacturers as well as Nakajima. The Japanese did keep their planes as clean as any other belligerent but they didn't look like it.

I agree with the Bing images. That's what I use.

Steve

Building a kit from your stash is like cutting a head off a Hydra, two more take it's place.

http://www.spamodeler.com/forum/

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gregbale

Member since
March 2003
From: Towson MD

Posted by gregbale on Sunday, February 7, 2021 12:11 PM

modelcrazy
The Japanese did keep their planes as clean as any other belligerent but they didn't look like it.

Steve makes a good point.

It's useful to remember that, as creatures of the air, clean lines on an aircraft equate to speed...a particularly important virtue in warplanes. All combat aircaft are generally kept clean...i.e., no dirt or muck on the surfaces...but fading and weathering are a different matter entirely.

Greg

George Lewis:

"Every time you correct me on my grammar I love you a little fewer."