Props and wheels

Tim, the farthest I have been to is the prop, so I can't answer the other ??'s But Mask off where you will put the yellow!! Yellow is one of the hardest colors to paint....the coverage is horrible, especially over a flat black finish!!!! So try to paint the yellow first, and then mask, and paint the black. Also, I've painted white primer before I painted yellow. It works all right, but it still takes a couple swipes before the yellow covers decently. For the tires, I have heard of people using a drafting circle tool...So I went out and bought one, but have yet to try it!! Good Luck!!

Kik36 is correct on the yellow - do it first. To aid in coverage use a gray primer first. For wheels if I am not using a manufacture mask like Black Magic then I will shoot the tire color, let it dry for 24 hours then overlay some masking tape and burnish it around the center marking with a toothpick then cut the center out with a fresh razore knife. For your wash a combination of burnt sienna and a little black should work well. Try coating the landing gear with Future first then apply an acrylic sludge wash (see "The Basics of Weathering" on my site) and then gently wipe off the gear leg with a slightly damp paper towel after the wash dries. This will not only give you good depth but will keep the highest points cleanest improving the effect.

With props, I usually give them a light grey primer first, paint the yellow a bit further than you need to along the blade, then mask the yellow to where you want it and paint something dark (gunship grey or intermediate blue) on the blades and then hit them with a few washes or dry brushings of black, leaving the leading edge of the blade in the grey for something of a worn look.

As for the wheels, take a strip of masking tape, larger than the diameter of the wheel hub and lay it over the wheel. once its tacked down good, take your #11 blade and gently cut the tape, using the underlying wheel rim as your knife guide, until you've cut all around. Now you have a mask for the center of the wheel while you're painting the tire and a mask for the tire while you're working on the wheel itself. Whichever part of the mask you aren't using can be stuck to a piece of foil wrapping or wax paper to keep it sticky.

I have used the drafting circle and it woks great as long as the tire is not wider than the rim. Good point on the prop. I am working on the Tamiya 1:48 F4U-1D and the Wildcat for the Marine build. Also the Trump P-40. These are my first kits after a 5 year break.

Tim Landers

I spray the entire prop white, as a primer, then spray it yellow. When cured, I mask the tips and spray it black. White is the ideal under-coat any time your'e spraying yellow or red. If you try to paint yellow over black, mask it and prime it white first, but you will get more paint build up that way. For the wheel wash, I use Burnt Umber, which is about the same as the Burnt Sienna + Black. I do tires the old fashioned way, just brush paint em.

I am no expert on this, and I don't know if I should even be giving any advice on painting anything because I'm a real novice... but... To do my tires I start with a black Sharpy and color the tires black, then because the dried marker isn't really flat black at all.( Really glossy and has a bluish hue) I then take Testors rubber and dry brush very aggresively until the shinyness is gone... for some reason this gives the appearance of weathered rubber. (I think at least) Anyway, I hope that this hint may help someone out there.

Testor's has a rubber color??? Is it in the little jars Adam???

I have never seen Testors "rubber" paint but I have a bottle of Aero Masters Warbird Colors in Tire Black, #9010. I cannot remember where I got it but it is great stuff. I have had for a very long time and it is still good! I have been nursing it because it won't last much longer.

Ed

Thanks for all the tips! For the tires, I ended up spraying the rims first (aluminum), then after searching around the house for something round and the same diameter as the rim, the answer was a Bic pen!!! simply took off the end cap and placed it over the rim and a quick shot from the airbrush (flat black) and it was done!

Tim Landers