Newbie question: scale paintjob...

I didn't think I was stealing anything!

Honest.

I have a pearlescent white paint already. It is transparent so any underlying hull color should show through.

I guess I will paint the island black and drybrush it iwith a lighter scale shade of blue/gray.

Or...

I could paint it blu/gray and give it a black wash.
Then give it a drybrushing of an even lighter blue/gray. That might add more depth.

-Leelan

What I would do...is paint the model silver first, then give it a thinned coat of clear blue...that should give you the pearlescent look that you're trying to achieve.

Your other option is to use automotive (Testors Boyd Colors) pearl paints. That would work probably better then the method I mentioned above.

Jeff

Here is the factory edition:
http://www.hlj.com/product/wavtl-02



I will try to add a bit of a pearlescent sheen to the main hull color to match the movie.

-Leelan

Prof. Tilley is correct...although scale effect has been a common catch phrase for the last decade, it is entirely dependent on all sorts of variables, lighting, distance, weather conditions, etc.

As a result, your perception of 'scale effect' will probably be entirely different than mine. If your model is dark, like an overall navy blue or black, then lightening the color a touch won't hurt. In fact, with some drybrushing to accenuate corners, it will probably look just fine.

What color is your model that you're building?

Jeff

Anybody who says there's a universal rule for "muting" colors, and thereby enhancing the "scale effect," is fibbing. There just is no such rule.

A good way to start experimenting, though, would be (generally speaking) to add some medium grey to the base color and see what happens. (Exception: never add anything containing black to a yellow base - unless your objective is a nauseus shade of green.) Do a test run on an old kit or a piece of scrap; let the paint dry and see how you like it. Don't feel obligated to limit yourself to grey. A "black" hull, for instance, can profit from the addition of a tiny bit of blue.

The one near-universal rule I'd suggest is: if the observer is conscious of the "scale effect," it's probably overdone. The target should be subtlety.

This sort of thing is fascinating; it can push model building into another realm. Good luck.