cockpit painting

I airbrush everything I can, which sometimes requires painting before some assemblies can be put together.  Then it is on to hand paintinf much of everything else.  But I have found a neat trick that allows you to bring out a lot of detail on small nobs and raised features if you don't (like me because I use pretty much nothing but Tamiya paints which don't drybrush well) want to drybrush.  I have commendeered my mothers collection of PrismaColor colored pencils.  Just be forewarned that once you pencil in something it CAN and WILL rub off if you touch it enough.  So if it is a spot you may come in contact with a lot lay down a sealing clear coat over it.  But for a cockpit you should not need to do that.  Another trick I have used but requires more post clean up, is one I learned form Chukw here, and that is he drybrushed parts using Windsor and Newton artist oils.  I have a decent collection of them because they are super handy for armor weathering, but if you just build aircraft you may not want to bother getting them just for this.

Brian

I find a toothpick dipped in whatever paint is useful for colouring switches, dials and similar detail, just dip it in enough that is is wet (no big drips hanging of & touch it onto the detail needing painted. 

Thanks for all the tips, I will be sure to try them.

Cole

Milairjunkie

I find a toothpick dipped in whatever paint is useful for colouring switches, dials and similar detail, just dip it in enough that is is wet (no big drips hanging of & touch it onto the detail needing painted. 

I second this. I use a toothpick for the small details also.  To get the proper amount of paint on it, I shake the bottle (with the cap on :-)  ), then put the cap down on the benchtop and dip the toothpick in the bottle cap.  The cap usually retains just the right depth of paint.  Every couple of minutes it is necessary to put the cap back on and reshake the bottle.

Just don't give the rings around the gauges a white or chrome bezel...that's not what they look like! It is a gloss on flat finish like you see here:

Even on this airspeed indicator the white zones are on the inside of the gauge not the ring around it. In scale these would be a hairline in width, not like you see on some models.

I once had a discussion with a modeler who criticized a manufacturer about a kit not being "accurate" in shape and panel line detail. Yet when you look into his pits they did't look anything like an accurate cockpit either. The conversation ended abruptly.

Even in the days of old, like this panel of a Ford Flivver, it doesn't have any glaring white or silver rings around the instrument. It does have a NMF dash panel and the gauges themselves are showing some wear and tear. But it clearly illustrates the flat/gloss.

For my panels I use a flat dash and a gloss for the gauge faces. You can easily do this by applying Future to the faces once the panel has been painted and decaled.

I say skip the toothpick and spend a few bucks at a decent art supply store.  Look for 20/0 fine point brush and 10/0 shader brush.  You can use the fine point for adding specific colors to very fine details and the shader for very localized dry-brushing.  I don't know if I could even consider painting a cockpit without those 2 brushes.

-Fred

Gigatron

I say skip the toothpick and spend a few bucks at a decent art supply store.  Look for 20/0 fine point brush and 10/0 shader brush.  You can use the fine point for adding specific colors to very fine details and the shader for very localized dry-brushing.  I don't know if I could even consider painting a cockpit without those 2 brushes.

-Fred

 

I have both a 20/0 and a 10/0.  I still use the toothbrush for things like switch handles and very small knobs.  The thing is, even a very fine brush can still hold a lot of paint, and if the paint wets the surface it can flow out in a dot bigger than tip of brush.  Not only is the toothpick tip a small diameter, but the toothpick does not wick up very much paint.  The limited amount of paint means that even when the paint wets the surface there is not enough paint on the tip to flow out into a larger dot.

Don Stauffer

Gigatron:

I say skip the toothpick and spend a few bucks at a decent art supply store.  Look for 20/0 fine point brush and 10/0 shader brush.  You can use the fine point for adding specific colors to very fine details and the shader for very localized dry-brushing.  I don't know if I could even consider painting a cockpit without those 2 brushes.

-Fred

 

 

I have both a 20/0 and a 10/0.  I still use the toothbrush for things like switch handles and very small knobs.  The thing is, even a very fine brush can still hold a lot of paint, and if the paint wets the surface it can flow out in a dot bigger than tip of brush.  Not only is the toothpick tip a small diameter, but the toothpick does not wick up very much paint.  The limited amount of paint means that even when the paint wets the surface there is not enough paint on the tip to flow out into a larger dot.

 

And I've had the opposite problem LOL.  I can't get a toothpick to transfer the right amount of paint (eithr way too much or way too litle), nor be accurate enough.

With the brush, I shake the paint with the lid on so I build up a bit of paint on the lid.  Then, I drag and roll the tip through the paint.  This loads the tip, but still keeps it at a point.  Then I drag and roll the tip over the lip of the jar to remove the excess.  Never had an issue with the brush unloading all at once.

I gues the only actual solution is try both and see what works best for you

-Fred