Right paint for Natural Metal Finish on Fabric Planes

If you're preferring the use of Vallejo paints, then perhaps a 1:1 mix of silver and white will do the trick. I've used it before and it looks about right to the eyes.

-Mike B

I use Testors Aluminum paint.  They offer two varieties, a flat aluminum, and a just plain aluminum, which is a gloss.  You want the gloss version, not the flat.  Generally, military aircraft did not have many coats, so it is really almost an eggshell or semi-gloss, but gloss works okay- just try not to gloss clearcoat those areas.

Some private aircraft owners really pour on the coats, and the results can be pretty glossy, but that was not common on military birds.

Hi, the paint on fabric just had alluminium powder or paste mixed into clear dope and was spraid on to be a UV barrier.

Although it has metal in the paint, it does not look like metal atall, infact normal Humbrol 11 silver is as close as you are going to ge to the look of silver dope.

Here is a Pitts S2b bottom wing I sprayed with alluminium dope. You can see it has a semi matt sheen to it, when weathered it just becomes a little more  dull.