First shot at mottling..how did I do?

That looks pretty good to me.  The last mottling I did, I used a sponge makeup applicator.  I don't think I'd change what you've done.

Looks good to me as well. :)

Looks great!  I tend to mottle with thinner paint than I'd use for the base coat.  I usually use 75% thinner to 25% paint.  I slowly apply in thin coats building up the color.  Seems to works better for me than applying a single thick mottled application. Your off to a great start!

Looks great to me Dwayne! I haven't had the guts to try it with my airbrush yet. Maybe one of these days.

Jim  

Your mottling looks absolutely fine to me especially for you first attempt.  Much better than my first attempt that's for sure.

Toshi

Pretty not badespecially for a first go. As otehr have said, best to thin the paint down more than normal.

Thanks for all the replies.  I almost talked myself out of trying this, but then decided that I won't learn if I don't try new techniques.

Thinning the paint more is the key, as pointed out in a few of the comments above.  I used Vallejo model air straight out of the bottle, and tried using a retardant to cut down on tip dry.  This didn't work out as well as I hoped.  Vallejo flow improver is definitely in my next hobby order. 

Thanks again for the comments and support.  If I didn't belong to this forum, I would not have had the courage to even try this.

Well D, it looks pretty good to me too. Remember that the mottling done by the German boys is kind of like an over spray and may or may not be dark in places so it's up to the reference pictures you are using.

I personally do not use acrylics specially for mottling. I use enamels and thin the paint at least 50/50, then dial down the PSI to 8 or so and shoot thru an extra fine tip. Some mottling can be quite simple and others are more complex. 

I know some guys have excellent results using acrylics so it's just a matter of taste.

Looking good!

Looks good-a tip I picked up here  on the forum is to mix your base coat with thinner-very thin-and spray over the mottled area-tones it down a little

I'll be brutally honest with you MCF, everyone has said it looks good, and I agree with them! 

Not bad at all for a first go. Mottling is challenging, no?

I might like to mention that IMO you used what may be the most difficult paint to mottle with. Mottling works well with a light touch on the trigger, and Vallejo hates that (recipe for dry tipwith Vallejo, as you said).

It can be done, though. The flow improver will help you a lot. Also, when mottling you can always go back and forth between the base and mottle color til you get what you want.

for taking the plunge, period, let alone doing a respectable job.

Oh yes, as Greg said, you can go back over with the base color. You mist it over the mottled area to fade it back out a bit.

Also I was thinking earlier ; are you mixing your Vallejo paints outside of the AB, or mixing in the paint cup?

I've found that Vallejo works best I you mix it to your preferred consistency outside of the AB first. For some reason is just flows better if you mix it and then add it to the paint cup. Less spatters, better consistency, and less dry tip issues.

I hope that will help you.  :)

Thanks again to all who replied and all the kind words.  After all the positive responses from forum members I respect highly, I guess I will have to accept that this was a good job.    

I don't know if this happens to you, but when I first finished, I thought it looked great.  Then some time passed, and I thought, maybe not so great. So the feedback has been very helpful.

I did mean to respond to each reply, so I hope you don't feel I am being rude for thanking you as a group.  It's hard to find anyone with any interest in my kit building, so I am very thankful for this forum. 

Happy building!

Dwayne

No problem, Dwayne.

I had the same issue with my Me109-G10, where i first liked it and then not so much lol.

I turned this:

Into this:

Which then ended up as such:

So you don't have to be happy with it if you don't really want to be lol. You can always change it lol.

M. Brindos

Oh yes, as Greg said, you can go back over with the base color. You mist it over the mottled area to fade it back out a bit.

Also I was thinking earlier ; are you mixing your Vallejo paints outside of the AB, or mixing in the paint cup?

I've found that Vallejo works best I you mix it to your preferred consistency outside of the AB first. For some reason is just flows better if you mix it and then add it to the paint cup. Less spatters, better consistency, and less dry tip issues.

I hope that will help you.  :)

 

Thanks Mike and Greg,

I will try misting on the base color to tone it down.  I mixed in the cup, which is not my usual procedure.  Greg, you are spot on with the Vallejo.  It did NOT like a light touch from the airbrush, and the dry tip was much more noticeable than with general coverage. 

Hoping to get some more bench time this week so I can get this kit done soon.  Then I can weather up my PZKW II, and start a new project (or more likely 2).

Thanks again all,

Dwayne

Well Mike it looks like a very good example of the late war 109 G and K schemes. I like the spots on the rudder. I have a couple of G-10's and K-4's that will look awesome in the late war paint.

Thanks PJ. I did all of that with the hairy sticks, too. Remember that? Lol! My AB was on the fritz and I couldn't get anything but spattering out of it. I was still a newb with the AB lol!

Edit: um, admittedly I am still a newb with the AB. There are still some things I can not do.

ManCityFan

I don't know if this happens to you, but when I first finished, I thought it looked great.  Then some time passed, and I thought, maybe not so great. So the feedback has been very helpful.

Ihave often "second guessed" myself and tryed again... only to discover it was better the first time.

Your first time is awsome!  Dont overthink it ... let the "force" flow.

Tim has point there. It does already look good.  :)

Up to you, mate. Do you want to try a new idea that may or may not work? Or leave it as it is?

We all face these decisions. Boldy go forth, or play it safe? Red pill, Blue pill and all that junk lol.

I cant wait to see what you do.  :) have fun lol!!

I think it's pretty good. I had a tough time with mottling at first, then grew to love it.

For me, I mottle with a 0.2mm nozzle airbrush at 10-15 psi with Tamiya paint thinned to a 3:1 ratio. Basically just thick enough so it doesn't spiderweb.

The good thing is, when I mess up (not if, always when), it's easy to go back and use the lighter color to take away some of the darker and blend it a bit more.

I think yours is looking good, and it really is something you get happier with over time.

-BD-

So here is the mottling...final answer.

I toned down the mottle color with the base color, and re-did a patch in the lower photo 2 "patches" in front of the yellow band.  That one was bothering me.  So I guess I took the red pill Mike.  I am overall pretty pleased with the result.  Now on to decals, finishing details, and weathering.

Thanks again to all who commented, and thanks for looking.

Dwayne

Well I think that looks better.  :)

The rabbit hole isn't so bad, is it? Lol!

M. Brindos

Well I think that looks better.  :)

The rabbit hole isn't so bad, is it? Lol!

 

I agree, it does look better, and I am not having the "maybe not so good" feeling anymore.  That one patch looked like I spilled paint on the model, and really was bothering me.  Thanks for all the advice and the gentle push.  Only took an hour to make the improvement, and was time well spent.  Nearing the finish line. 

Glad to hear that you feel better about it, Dwayne. That's what matters because it's your model. You're the one that gets to look at it every day and say "I built that". :)

I'm looking forward to your next pictures! :D

Big improvement, IMO. You get a gold star for giving a re-spray a go. I had a heck of a time convincing myself to do so on my second mottling attempt, and I too was happy in the end.

A couple more comments....

Re Brandon's suggestion and details on mottling with Tamiya, the only reason I've never tried it is I never had the right Tamiya colors, otherwise, I'd say if you want to mottle with acrylics, Tamiya would probably be easier to work evewith than Vallejo (remember, I'm a Vallejo fan and it's my primary acrylic despite it's quirky behaviour sometimes).

And also, I'll bet you'll be surprised once you decal and weather. At this point, the mottle is all you see, at the end when it all comes together, even a crappy mottling job (which yours most certainly is NOT!) can look acceptable. (Have proven that myself, thank you very much )

Good job.

Greg

Big improvement, IMO. You get a gold star for giving a re-spray a go. I had a heck of a time convincing myself to do so on my second mottling attempt, and I too was happy in the end.

A couple more comments....

Re Brandon's suggestion and details on mottling with Tamiya, the only reason I've never tried it is I never had the right Tamiya colors, otherwise, I'd say if you want to mottle with acrylics, Tamiya would probably be easier to work with than Vallejo (remember, I'm a Vallejo fan and it's my primary acrylic despite everything.

And also, I'll bet you'll be surprised once you decal and weather. At this point, the mottle is all you see, at the end when it all comes together, even a crappy mottling job (which yours most certainly is NOT!) can look acceptable. (Have proven that myself, thank you very much )

Good job.

 

Hey Greg.  Tamiya would have been my first choice.  I have never had an issue with their acrylic that wasn't my own fault.  The limitation on colors is frustrating.  If they had a full line, I would not use anything else.  That being said, I am trying multiple paints to see how they work, and was pretty pleased with the overall coat of the Vallejo, and the mottling worked out.  Their line of colors is impressive.  On this plane so far, I have used Tamiya (yellow and black), Italeri (Grauviolet), Model Master (Lichtblau and interior grey) and Vallejo (Graugrun).  Tamiya will always be my first choice, but I think I have a handle on MM. 

Thanks for the look!

D

M. Brindos

Glad to hear that you feel better about it, Dwayne. That's what matters because it's your model. You're the one that gets to look at it every day and say "I built that". :)

I'm looking forward to your next pictures! :D

 

Your post is timely.  After I finished painting last night, I thought to myself "I did that".  Not an easy feeling to put into words, but it is a very good one! 

I have been wanting to build quality models for years, but didn't really believe I would be able to.  Despite the errors I have made on this build, it is better than I thought I was capable of.  And....I can only get better as I keep at it.  I really can't express how helpful this forum has been in helping me achieve this wonderful feeling.

Thanks again.  You guys are the best,

D