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Painting Spirals?

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  • Member since
    November 2005
Painting Spirals?
Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, January 17, 2006 2:10 AM
Hello;
 I know this should probably be posted in "Painting", but seeing how this is the Sci-Fi forum, many of you may have done this already.
 I am building an AMT/ERTL Pro-shop X-Wing fighter, and was wondering about painting the spirals on the blasters. I have painted the colour that I want the spiral to be, and will mask it, then paint the top colour. My question is... What is the easiest way to get even spacing between the spirals? (I'm still kind of new to modeling).  I did a search, and only found a reference to spirals on an aircraft nose spinner.
Thanks for your time


  • Member since
    November 2004
  • From: Fukuoka Japan / Brisbane AUS.
Posted by Chris_in_Japan on Tuesday, January 17, 2006 3:12 AM
Hi.. Dont worry about being new.. Everyone is still learning!.. Great thing about this hobby!..

Try finding some sign writers tape that is a few mm thick.. I would just try winding it down the blaster by eye.. Once it it looks even enough, then it will be..

I think too many people spend waaaay too much time worrying about stuff that people wont even notice.. If it looks good to the eye, then it is fine...

I have never had anyone come to me and say "You know what, it has been troubling me all day.. But, I think that your paint may be off by about 1 mm?"  

So just do what is comfortable, and dont rush!..

Chris

On the bench:

                          1/48 RAAF 3 Sqn F/A-18B

                          1/150 /1/160 N Scale Japanese Rail diorama.

  • Member since
    May 2004
  • From: Oregon
Posted by maxx1969 on Tuesday, January 17, 2006 3:34 AM
Chris is right on about using the tape. Or you can cut two strips of masking tape the same width, spiral them down the gun side by side and then remove one of them, you'll have a uniform spiral mask ready for painting.





~Matt T Meyer
  • Member since
    November 2004
  • From: Salisbury Massachucetts USA
Posted by PanzerWulff on Tuesday, January 17, 2006 3:38 AM
Hmmmm i always thought the markings were rings instead of spirals like kill rings on german tanks now ya got me curious time to pull out the DVD's
ACE??? you were NEVER an ace AN ace HOLE maybe! (Lister to Rimmer on BBC's RED DWARF) Chris"Hey GRAVITY still works"Gray
  • Member since
    May 2004
  • From: Oregon
Posted by maxx1969 on Tuesday, January 17, 2006 6:09 AM
 PanzerWulff wrote:
Hmmmm i always thought the markings were rings instead of spirals like kill rings on german tanks now ya got me curious time to pull out the DVD's


Found this X-Wing pic that shows the spirals up close.








~Matt T Meyer
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, January 17, 2006 8:33 AM
Thanks for the advice.
The picture maxx1969 posted shows the spirals going all the way along the entire lenght of the barrel, but he others I've seen show it going down halfway. I like it half way, so I think I'll try that.
As I've been researching this I've seen a lot of variants. I can always use the excuse that the barrles had to be changed after crashing into the swamp on Daggobah!
  I've been really enjoying this kit because it has been going together well, and all the mistakes I've made will be chalked up to "Battle damage". (plastic cement got under my thumb as I was holding 2 parts together and left a finger print etched into the wing. I filed it down, but left it rough. Instant battle damage, lol).
If you're interested, I'll show you what I've done on the cockpit so far. I wanted to put more hoses and wires around the pilot, but it would have interfered with the opening of the canopy. Pics are a little small, but I didn't know what size to make them.
Cockpit top
Cockpit front

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