Weathering.

I concur on most accounts. Weathering can get over done, though some WWII aircraft from the Pacific Theater were naturally sun faded to the extremes. On the other side of the coin, if you've ever worked on an F-4 Phantom, lot's of weathering may be required. If it doesn't leak, something's wrong!

I agree with Dai. I worked around aircraft quite a bit in the Navy, and an aircraft would never be allowed to show silvered edges or large dirt marks anywhere on it, except possibly the exhaust nozzles and in the cockpit. Even the hydraulic leaks were periodically wiped down. Keep in mind, these are modern aircraft. As for a WWII fighter, painting and detailing were something they probably didn't have alot of time for, so a few dings and chips in the paint were invariably going to surface. Not for long, though, as exposed metal will rust faster than an old Ford F-150 in Guam.

I agree with Dai. Don't they deploy ground crews to maintain the aircraft nowadays? However, I suppose alot of the WW2 birds were pretty grungy. Especially in the European theater where they were either in the air or sitting in some dirty field in England subjected to the elements. You would think their main concern would be keeping em fliying and patching up bullet holes. B-17s were notoriously filthy.[:0][:0] Don't forget the Japanese planes. Most of the photos I've seen showed mostly the primer and the "remnants" of whats left of the green paint.

I guess weathering depends on what look your going for and it does look cool if done right

Joe

I like doing my models to look like they just came off the assembly line (partly because I don't have an airbrush yet) but even when I do get it, I don't think I'll try to do as much weathering as I can

I think we have people like Verlinden to thank for that... It's a trend that started in the early '80s, and his books and mags were full of models that really looked nice but had little to do with the real world... They still do.

For me... weathering is just eye candy. Its not if its real looking or not, although weathering does help... I think it just adds to a well built model. Like a frame on a canvas painting.

I would say that it's a matter of personal preference. A weathered armor piece, sitting in a diorama, always looks good (don't imagine the crew would have time for exterior maintenance in the midst of battle) Whereas aircraft returning after a flight would be taken care of by the ground crew. Don't think they would let too much build-up take place.

M1abramsRules has the same thought as me..... I like to depict armor as if they were just delivered to the troops. Some mud and dirt on the bottom but, nothing too extreme. My aircraft just receive a wash and hardly any weathering.

I would, however, really like to dirty one up, try some direct shell hit, on an armor piece and add to a diorama (as if the vehicle was lost in the fighting) It's just a matter of convincing myself to actually go that extra step. Nervous I guess.....

Thanks for your comments Gents. As for aircraft in WW2 Europe (RAF) my fathers photos show well kept aircraft with just a few dings on the leading edges of the airscrews. He flew in Battles, Wellingtons, Lancasters and Mossies most of wich did not have metal leading edges to wings, tailplanes or fins. Flak or o other bullet holes were patched with red doped fabric until a major overhaul. Flying Boats did in fact get rather grotty but regularly passed through Pembroke
DocK to be refurbished. TTFN

Hello Dai,

I was an active member on a Mirage squadron in South Africa. Our Mirages where in immaculate condition except for a few scrapes here and there around the canopy area where you climbed into the aircraft, also on the cockpit floors where your boots would scuff the paint work. The only weathering our later paint schemes got was a little sun. The harsh SA climates would course the 3 grays of the low viz paint scheme to fade into each other over time. Around the conection points on the fuselage for our boarding ladders also got scraped, but not very badly. After each sorti we had a little hydraulic leaking from the Flaps and slats on the wings, but these where cleaned off between flights by the ground crew.

As for WW II aircraft, I would imagine the aircraft that belonged to the losing sides would have received the most weathering as the pressure was on them to be flying as much as possible against the enormouse pressure the Allies kept up around the clock. I would immagine that not a lot of time was spent on maintaining them other than to keep them flying and to patch up battle damage.

I have one question for those who don't weather their model a/c.
--What colour do you paint your exhaust stacks?--
I have worked around real a/c enough to know that no matter how much we tried to keep her pristine, she did get weathered (oil, exhaust stains, paint chips, tyres turning grey, etc).
A museum a/c is a different story. I prefer to model reality, and believe me, a/c in a combat area don't get the TLC that a warbird does today.
On the other hand, I have seen some very over weathered model a/c too. One chap did a Spitfire up and weathered it much like an armoured vehicle. Be careful to know when to stop. I suggest refering to photos or even to an actual warbird at an airshow. Just ask the ground crew about the oil and exhaust stains, they'll be glad to tell you all about it.
Cheers