wing walks

Uh, might be!

I've used sandpaper for wingwalks before, with the paper backing sanded down so the whole thing is wafer-thin (what does "wafer-thin" mean, anyway?). I use the finest grit I have, matter of fact, this is as close to a polishing paper as you can get without it actually being a polishing grit. (sorry, the actual grit count escapes me at the moment)

After gluing it on, I spray a bit of flat over it and give it my weathering "treatment".

If the stuff you're talking about is the same stuff that I'm thinking of (non-skid material used on boats and skateboards), then I'd say that it would look way outta wack. But that's just the opinion of a wack!

Fade to Black...

For 1/48 scale the thickness of flat black paint is probably scale in appearance. I would think that glueing something as thick as sandpaper or anything else for that matter would appear to thick on the model.
Dave

Dave is correct. Paint is your best bet. Remember, unless the wing walk is newly painted, it will be worn from walking. It would be hard to see the texture. At least thats the case with the aircraft that I work on.

Darren

Oh don't get me wrong, this I know. I just like to experiment, and I do prefer paint for this purpose. I was trying to suggest an alternative to an actual piece of non-skid material 'cuz it sounded like this fella wanted to try different things as well.

I built a P-40C with sandpaper wingwalks and it looks rather cool. If you like, check it out on my humble website on the Snaphsots page:

www.spasticforplastic.1hwy.com

I apologize in advance for all the pop-ups!

Fade to Black...

There are a couple of companies that make "blackboard" paint in various colors too. You paint it on a surface and it leaves a finish like a real blackboard... that might be worth a try as well.

hmmm...

What about just painting masking tape??

I used some red painted masking tape as the tape they used to tape over gun ports on my Tamiya Beaufighter. I took the small squares and poked a small hole through them to simulate the guns having been fired. It looks and works great imho.

I have also used masking tape to mimic the inflatable leading edge wing and elevator ice breakers (for lack of their real name) on a B-17 of mine before. It gave it a feel of rubber somewhat as well as the textured look.

That's somehing that had crossed my mind but I never tried it. If you can secure the stuff without the worry of it lifting over time then it would be cool to try, though I think the texture may be a bit much. Even in braille scale! LOL

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Yup....I didn't just rely on the tape's backing for stickiness-- I dabbed a small bit of glue on it and it is down pretty tight now....and as far as texture goes-- there are even different qualities of tape I have noticed....some are a bit much as you say. I just use the dollar stuff that is too cheap for using as masking tape ;)

LOL Good Man! Glue solves all problems! (And sometimes creates many more! )

Yeah, we've had a few different textures of tape... OH! Now I know which one you're talking about. The really light-colored stuff that you can almost see through? Yeah, that would be good. (HEY! I was a poet and wasn't aware of the fact)

Just ignore my ramblings!

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You don't need to worry about that Blackwolfscd. We egnore most of what you say anyhow. LOL

I have a suspicion it's just you Berny. But that's okay, I have the voices in my head to keep me company. Unfortunately I can't ignore them.

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Be careful with the masking tape, theres nothing permanent about it. I've never seen a brand of masking tape yet where the adhesive didn't dry out and let go of the surface it was on, even with paint over top of it.

Personally, I use clear decal film and mask and spray walkway shapes as I need them.

I've also seen, on occaision, walkways that only had their outer perimeters marked out in opaque paint and the interior of them was a rough clear coat that you could see the underlying paint pattern through.

Its easy to overdo the texture of walkways on models. subtlety and discression are certainly called for when trying to mimic such feature.

QUOTE: Originally posted by upnorth Be careful with the masking tape, theres nothing permanent about it. I've never seen a brand of masking tape yet where the adhesive didn't dry out and let go of the surface it was on, even with paint over top of it.

Hence our little discussion about supplementary adhesives! LOL

And yeah, subtlety is the name of the game in most cases, and it applies to all aspects of modeling. Alotta people just overdo things. But that leads to another point; everyone builds for different reasons and everyone has their own idea of what looks "good" or "correct", whether those ideas be original, borrowed or stolen.

That's why I build mostly SOB these days. (with a few essential and "standard" additions to each project) I realized that I was simply building for judges at contests. No more. I build to satisfy myself. And, admittedly, I still have a more critical eye than most, but at least I build based on MY critical eye and not those of a judging team. This sounds like it should be in another thread! LOL

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Yep, if you're not building for yourself first, you're building for the wrong reasons.

I've always had problems with some judges. It's their openion against mine. The problem is they think they are always correct and never wrong. At one contest there was a Navy Capt as one of the judges. I had a KA-6D entered that looked like it was ready for the bone yard. The Capt was argueing with the other judges over the paint job. They thought I had used conpletely messed it up.

Later when I was talking with him he told me that anyone that judges model shows should spend time being around the actual subject prior to becoming a judge. The problem is most are not model builders or know anything about the subjects. Maybe at some of the larger shows the judges are actually model builders and not city or political figures.

Hey Berny13
I also have to agree w/ you on the judge thing. Some should stay away from the judging area and I mean like home(not being mean or anything)
There was three judges in my section which one ran the show. You would think that the other two had voices but I guess not.
I built a 1/72 Martlet Mk III in overall Azure blue. This particular a/c was w/ a Royal Navy fighter unit in the Western Desert during early 43. Anywho this guy said(out loud to where people could hear) "there was no such aircraft painted like that". (After that comment, he pushed my a/c to the side and moved on)Well if he did some research he would find this a/c in a lot of books. It goes to show how some people speak before they think. Remember that Steve??
I still enter but I build for myself and my self only. As a extra kick, I bring back up just in case I meet a "all knowing" judge.
I judge a lot myself and if I'm not sure of something I ask or I find ref's of that subject. In all I take it that the builder knows what he is building and has done his research. Flaps up, Mike

How did you all go from wing walks to judges? Talk about going off on a tangent, at least no one here is bitter...just kidding.

Darren

wow...maybe i am in the wrong place. You guys are really pros, and i never plan to enter anything...like one said...i build for myself, and the enjoyment seeing what i have done...good or bad. When you get to be my age, you savor every minute !

Hey Husker,

Aw, don't think of us as professionals. Professionals run the world and look where we are!

It's good that you build for self satisfaction. Most of us do too, it's just that alot of us have different definitions of self satisfaction. Keep going the way you are and keep building!

And one last word about judges, then I'll digress! I think that the prime qualification for being a judge is to simply build and to build fairly well. That's all. ie; I'm in agreement with ya'll! LOL

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Butz,

Yeah, I do remember that one. He knows his stuff, but he can be an arrogant SOB sometimes.

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Hey all
Sorry to get off track. NEVER be afraid to enter a show because that is one way you can learn about modeling.
MOST IMPORTANTLY...build for yourself and nobody else. You have to be happy in what you build...!!!!!!
Flaps up Mike