Thanks folks. Mike, I have plenty more pictures.....get ready. I'm back with installment number 2 regarding cockpit painting and weathering. I left off with brush painting the various boxes and such. Actually, once upon a time, I used to tediously tape off each box individually with strips of Tamiya tape and spray them. Then one day I decided to try brushpainting them (out of pure lazyness) and low and behold, I really couldn't tell the difference. Lets dive back in....
Once I have all boxes and such handpainted to my general liking, its time to drybrush to bring out the details. I use Floquil Bright Silver, but any silver enamel will do. I don't know why, but enamels dry brush better. Perhaps it has something to do with being oil based. I use a flat stubby brush for this. I generally don't get too carried away with this, just enough to make the details pop out a bit. On a sidenote, I also like to paint a box or other such detail on the sidewalls something colorful, to draw the eye in. It may not be "correct" but it does the trick. Here you will see I painted a cylinder light blue. Correct?........no...but who cares. I once painted an O2 tank in a Spit blue for the same reason (and caught s@#t about it.........lol).
After drybrushing, I take a tooth pick and start "picking" (pun intended) out buttons and knobs. With me, these can also be done in any color. The most common colors I use are red and yellow, but I have been experimenting with blue lately too. Some switches I leave silver. Here the radio deck gets the treatment.
Photo etch has been added where appropriate. On this one I used the seatbelts and instrument panels. I did detail the turret with belts too. I just don't think the AM Dauntless needs more than this. The cockpit is truly a masterpiece OOB. Here I think I'm done, and should be ready for the next step in weathering.
Its now time to prepare the surface(s) for the wash. I use Testor's Gloss coat thinned with lacquer thinner as a barrier. As you can see I keep my lacquer thinner in a pump bottle. It dispenses just what you need and is highly recommended. I've been doing this for years (note the condition of the bottle..LOL).
I spray the gloss on everything until shiny. It might take a few coats.
Here we are all shiny. You can start washing after about an hour. This stuff dries fast. I forgot Future a long time ago.
Now for my favorite part.....the wash. It just makes the whole thing come alive. Here's my "go to" wash for just about everything. The guy at my LHS told me to give it a try and I haven't looked back. It's water based and easy to work with. I like to mix the brown and black with varying degrees of intensities. Just dip a brush and slop it on, its that easy.
Here we are all washed up. I let it "settle" for a half hour or so (I suppose you can do it the next day or longer if you want)...
Its now time to start removing the excess wash. I take bowl of water and a paint brush and get to work "washing it"....literally. The wash will re-liquify with the wet brush and it will slowly deteriorate and leave it in the crevices and such. I periodically dry the brush off on a paper towel which helps it absorb more.
Eventually it will look like this, which is where I generally stop. It shows some of the drybrushing and still highlights all of the nice detail, such as the grooved gunner's floor and the wear from the pilot's feet on the floor. This looks sufficient to my eye.
Next we are going to flat coat it. I use Testor's Flat coat thinned with a few squirts of lacquer thinner. This is still the best flat coat on the planet and I've never had the need to use anything else.
Here's how it looks when done. I prefer an ever so slight sheen...like velvet.
The final part is optional. Sometimes I do it, sometimes I don't........depends on the cockpit. It works best on lighter colored cockpits. It involves an "airbrush" postshade which adds just a touch more dimension The key is to dial down the pressure and get in close. I use diluted XF-69 NATO Black mixed with XF-64 Red Brown and hit the crevices. I also streak it downward a smidge. (Note: I keep this mixture pre-mixed in a glass bottle so I always have it on hand.)
Well thats it. We are done. Here's the finished cockpit.
I started assembling some of it. Is it me, or are the Eduard belts a tad overscale. Maybe in the Dauntless these were huge. Here's where I left off.
Well, thats how I do my cockpits. The materials I use are fast drying and I can usually get a single engine fighter cockpit done in a few hours. I hope some of you try some of these techniques. Questions and comments are always welcome...
Joe