painting realistic exhaust stacks for rc P-51 airplane

If they are brass why not have them plated, then subject them to some heat to discolor the plating.

or

http://hawkeyes-squawkbox.com/2009/10/31/replicating-heat-stressed-metal/

A couple of very interesting ideas. I haven't done the plating yet and then heating it, but that is a possibility. Very nice job on the engine section of the F-100. Very realistic!

davegee

I don't think the stacks on the real planes were chrome plated.  I'd recommend priming with a flat medium gray primer, then dry brushing with steel color, then another drybrushing with brown.

I recently finished a 1/4 scale P-51 former rc plane that will now hang in a local museum. The exhaust stacks were resin casts, and then I first primed them, sanded them slightly, and applied a base coat of steel color. Atter that, I started airbrushing highlights using exhaust and burned metal paints. To add more accents, I added washes of tannish-brown acrylic paints by brush, and rubbed on chalk that had colors of rust and tan-brown, to simulate exhaust buildups and discoloration of the exhaust stacks themselves.  I don't know of a way to post pics of results, but if anyone knows if and how we can do this, I'll add a few pics of what I ended up with. 

davegee