How to get that sun faded paint look?

That's the trick, lighter color. It's best to start with darker than usual color along the seam lines, and then spray lighter color in the center of each panel. Use the normal dilution of the paint. The trick is a good control of the airbrush and setting it to fine point (don't open the needle too much, then you can get really close to the model without streaks). If you dilute the paint more than necessary, you run into problems with streaks and/or pain being extremely shiny. Hope that helps you, have a nice day

Pawel

Eric,

It would have been a good question for you to ask at the club meeting last night. Sorry you weren't there.

If you're doing a OD or Olive Green, then you can lighten those colors with either a little yellow or white, even a combo of both. I like to start with a base of a NMF then apply the paint on as thinly as possible. I did both the olive green as well as the markings using this B-25. The metal skin is starting to show through the paint.

This aircraft incorporates many components of other one of a kind B-25s. It is owned by a private firm which does specialized work for the gov't. It was a rescue/pathfinder aircraft which is undergoing restoration.

The other method is to again apply the paint as I described above followed by a light scuffing with a polishing stick to ease the paint into a more transparent state.

Pawel and Gerald,

Thank you both for the great tips!  Pawel, is that the same technique people use to fade their national insignias as well?  I've always been pretty good at finishing my planes and adding weathering but I've never been able to get the decals to look as weathered as the rest of the plane (or at least never to my own satisfaction).

Gerald, I only wish I could have attended the meeting.  Darn it!  It's been one of "those weeks".  When it rains it pours.

• Last Thursday:  Failed valve in a vein in my left ankle
• Last Friday:  Took wife's Traverse in for some in-warrantee work
• Sunday:  Rattling sound in my wife's SUV came back.
• Monday:  The "check engine" light came on on my car's dashbaord
• Tuesday:  A cap popped off one of my molars.  Had to see the dentist after work to glue it back on
• Today:  Brought my wife's SUV back into the dealership
• Tomorrow:  Taking my car into the dealership.

Sometimes you just have to laugh, right?

Gerald, thank you so much for including the pics.  Pictures are always helpful to me since I'm always more of a visual person.  I get to not only read the process but I get to see the results, too.  Both planes look great!  I once took some polishing cloths to an F4U-1D Corsair because the paint was extremely pebbly after I airbrushed it.  As I polished the pebbly finish, I think it was nothing more than plain dumb luck that the polishing resulted in not only a smooth and more realistic finish, but it really gave it that faded and worn look.  It was something I never planned on but it just happened.  I did the same thing to a P-40 and I won a "Best Finish" award because of it.  Now....if I were to TRY to replicate that again, I'll bet that I couldn't.

Best wishes to all!

Eric

Eric, one technique you can try with decals is to add a touch of the appropriate dulling color to a clear coat applied over the decal. I've also found that pigments are useful in this regard, applied over a flat coat, which catches them on the surface. Then seal with a clear.

Yeah, the trick is to get the decals on early. While you have to be careful not to mask over decals, you can put them on after the shading and a protective gloss coat. Then one more transparent coat and you can proceed with washes and drybrushing and it all fades and blends the decals in. Hope it helps, have a nice day

Pawel

While I usually use the lightened color (white added to the color I am whitening) I have occasionally just sprayed a very light, mist coat of flat white.  The airbrush must be adjusted to a minimal spray (or use a DA brush) and the overcoat sprayed from a bit greater distance than usual. It is a lot trickier to do than just using the lightened base paint, but can make for a nice shading on the weathering- max on top, decreasing as you come around to sides.  This represents chalking by UV rays from sun.

So basically what you're asking about is pre and post-shading? Those would be the techniques of having a lighter coat applied in the center of panels. Just lighten your base coat, as explained above, and gently lighten the center sections of any large panels, or flat areas.

As for fading, you can use even lighter dust coats, in which case the paint is very, very thin, and applied from much further on the model.

Eric...I recently did a Rufe and wanted a well weathered look....I used a base coat and then a final color and "rubbed" off areas where natural wear would occur, take a look at the War in the Pacific GB....I have more pics there....I think it worked well and was pretty easy to do....I describe it in detail there...heres an preview

Good luck

Carlos