USS Constitution by RadMan – Revell – 1:96 – PLASTIC

[popeye the sailor]

I don't take for geanted the availability of paints here in the states......craft stores are quite plentiful......hobby stores are a second....not so many today,  at there were when I was younger.   I got spoiled with an airbrush...paint stroke say a lot about technique.   I'll look forward in seeing your progress.   one of these days,  I can get on with the United States.  nice to know that there are a few builds here that I can cop an idea on........I have on yours already! 

[RadMan]

UPDATE ON THE WHITE STRIPE:

 

UPDATE:  I have found some Tamiya TS-26 Pure White spray paint...at great expense at Amazon.uk.  Whew!!  I think I'll buy two since shipping costs are three times the cost of the paint.

 

UPDATE 2:  They won't ship it too me over the pond because it's flammable... had to settle for Humbrol white acrylic paint.  I have only used enamels in my build.  Hope it works.

 

Here is the pic of the terrible "gray" (Pearl white) stripe.  Notice that you can still see the pink in the frog tape.  Also, for contrast, I put a dab of white matt paint under one cannon window, that is what color the stripe should be.  Also, compare the stripe to the hull....it looks like CRAP!   I will use the acrylic paint and hopefully it will be white, and without too thick a layer.

 

Edited April 17, 2013 by RadMan

[popeye the sailor]

you know.......it's funny.   On my United States build,  they say to paint that a yellowish color.   I'm not sure if I should do it,  but I will pose the question on the thread when I get to that point.   personally,  I kind of like the idea......I have the perfect color for it too.......if I do it.

 

paint looks good........never used an acrylic before,  although,  a lot of other folks here have and they like it.

[ScottRC]

Lookiong good on the paint job!  I use acrylics extensively.  Mostly cfat paints because that are easliy available.  they do require primer to be applied first over the plastic. 

[RadMan]

Thank you all.  I appreciate your kind comments, but my point was that while the paint job may be nice, I am very disappointed in the color.   It's the grey (pearl white) that is the culprit.  I should get the bright white acrylic paint tomorrow and will re-paint the stripe.   I want it WHITE!   Popeye, maybe it will look good yellow, don't know.. I am just on a mission now to get the stripe nice and white!

 

ScottRC, I used Tamiya fine grey primer over everything before I started, then used mostly TS-14 black (this is laquer) for the black.  It was my intention to do the same for the white.  I was extremely happy with the Tamiya lacquers, but the TS-45 pearl white lacquer I used just is not the right color.  

 

Now have no choice but to put white acrylic over the lacquer primer and the existing fat layer of pearl white lacquer paint... hope it works.

Edited April 17, 2013 by RadMan

[lambsbk]

It's looking good Radman.

How do you back up an entire log build? I saw you mentioned it to Andymech.

[RadMan]

Well the only way I know how to make a backup is to print the entire blog as a pdf, page-by-page.

Edited April 19, 2013 by RadMan

[popeye the sailor]

sorry if I raised an eye brow  good sir........that's what the United states instructions say to do.  I did white for the Connie....and I did white for the first time I built the U.S.  white is the word! 

[PiperMat]

First of all: nice job on the build! It's not easy brush painting enamels and it looks great! Personaly, I prefer acrilycs.

 

Maybe you should consider ordering from a German modeling shop instead of Amazon. It might be cheaper and you will be able to get the cans if shipped over land... I did a quick google and this one ships to Bulgaria and has an English translation on their website: http://shop.lindinger.at/

 

I'm from Belgium myself. There is a big store near where I live. They also have an English section on their website: http://www.domino.be

[RadMan]

Thanks PiperMat!!  I will definitely take a look at those modeling shops.  I could use a reliable source with decent inventory.  I am almost down to crushing bugs and berries to make colored paints here in Bulgaria! LOL

 

Popeye - no eyebrows raised here.     I was just frustrated with the pearl white color... now I am frustrated with the acrylic white! LOL.  Photos coming soon.

Edited April 19, 2013 by RadMan

[RadMan]

The white stripe is done... or mostly.  I think it looks much better than the pearl white (see photo of pearl white above).  I was worried about the thickness as I had a coat of primer, many coats of pearl white, followed by many coats of Acrylic white.  It was my first time using acrylic paint and I would say I prefer the laquer spray.  My paint had a bit of a "powder-coat" affect probably because I was spraying too far from the ship.

 

In any case, here is the result:

 

You can see from the photo below that there is some slag from buildup on the tape I had behind the windows.  I will need to cut this or sand it or something. Advice?

 

Another view:

 

Edited April 20, 2013 by RadMan

[popeye the sailor]

that looks really good RadMan.........now THAT is white!

[lambsbk]

I trimmed the slag with a no. 11 knife and then lightly touched up the exposed black plastic. The windows are very tight but also not seen so much. The eye tends to draw to the gold trim, for whatever it's worth.

[RadMan]

INSANITY... THE INSANITY OF IT....

 

Well, I decided early on that I was not going to just spray paint the copper hull.  For one, I couldn't get any copper enamel spray here in Bulgaria and didn't want to mix acrylics with my enamels.... hence, I decided early on to hand paint the copper plates.  After some thought, my idea was to add some slight variation to the color of the plates.  I didn't just want homogeneously painted copper.  So, I have experimented with adding some black, white, green, and metallic steel to the copper.  In my opinion, the green worked best, and it added a slight shade to what aged copper might really look like.

 

So, I have been taping off portions of the hull and I am trying my best to randomly discolor some of the plates.  I have no idea yet if this is going to work or not.  But I can tell you that I have already finished off half a roll of Tamiya 6mm, and have hardly finished anything.  Lots and lots of taping.  I want really clean lines between my plates and I am not skilled enough to do it by hand.  The primary reason being I can use a nicer more even brush stroke if the plate is taped off.  

 

In any case, here is my progress to date, more updates soon:

 

 

lots to do.. this is only the first of many tapings.  Ahhh, the agony of it... just kidding

 

Edited May 7, 2013 by RadMan

[lambsbk]

It is a cool idea Radman. I can't wait to see how it turns out. The added detail I think will emphasize the plates nicely.

 

I have the same trouble with the brush and straight lines. When you do the decks try this: I had a piece of finished wood (about an inch thick) and put a small bit of felt over it. This allowed my hand to slide down the wood. I just lined up the wood to the deck planking, dipped the brush in paint, and drew a line by sliding along the wood. Crude but effective.

 

Dave

Edited May 7, 2013 by lambsbk

[RadMan]

Thanks for the tip Dave (lambsbk).  I will definitely use it.  It is a simple and elegant idea for my shaky hand.

Edited May 7, 2013 by RadMan

[AndyMech]

I, too, can't wait to see what it looks like.  Looking forward to seeing the results.

 

Andy.

[RadMan]

A DILEMMA

 

I have been attempting a copper-shaded-patch-work of the hull.  I noticed while taping that I could not really see what I had shaded and what I did not.  I also was spending a lot of time doing this.  Today, I decided to free-hand a coat of paint on the opposite side of the hull.  Since I am normally putting on 2-3 coats to fully cover, any mistakes are easily eliminated.

 

Now, the question...and I would appreciate some candid opinions.  What is your opinion of the effect so far?   Quite frankly I am 80% of the opinion to scrap the shading and just paint the hull pristine copper.   Would this effect look strange next to the pristine black and white paint above the waterline?

 

[popeye the sailor]

I guess it depends what your going for.   basically,  weather is the gradual blending of two or more colors,  while retaining the original color.   this is done by blending in and highlighting certain aspects....edges,  corners...ect.   you might have done well to do this on a test piece,  to see how it will look.  doing it that way may have it taking on a  patchwork-ish look.   if it does......you can always thin down some copper paint and give it a coat,  as a wash.   it will uniform the color,  and still allow the hues to show through.   just a thought 

[RadMan]

Thanks Popeye!  I wasn't really going for a weathered effect because it is beyond my skill level at the moment.  I was trying to create some variation in color of the plates (something that might appear as normal variation in color of the real copper) in order to emphasize them.  I just didn't want a homogeneous look.  However, its becoming a real PIA and I am leaning towards abandoning this effort.

[popeye the sailor]

I know what you mean.........my weathering kinda stinks as well.   it either comes out as a blotchy mess,  or like I didn't touch anything up.   I do it one day........get up the next morning......and fix it because I don't like it.   there are some really good tutorials out there.

[patrickmil]

Hey Radman. I've been looking in on your log and have silently been following along. Your question has prompted me to speak up though. I like the hand-painted look more. If you are going without any weathering and putting copper on then I think you have nailed it with the hand-painting. I would think that at the time when copper bottoms were popular you would have a variation in the tones of the copper due to the grain of one copper plate not being perfectly parallel with the grain of another copper plate. I would also think that not all of the copper would be of the perfect same quality from one copper plate to the next. That's my two cents for 'ya.

[lambsbk]

Rick: I think the variation is really cool. What you could do to speed up the process (and to keep the 'smooth line' metal look) is tape off an entire line of the copper hull and then all you have to worry about is the vertical lines to keep straight on the plate painting. It will be a little easier. That will cut down on some of the taping. Good luck.

 

Dave

Edited May 14, 2013 by lambsbk

[RadMan]

Patrick, that is exactly how I envisioned it!!  That the variation in color could be due to the manufacturing process back then or grain, how the plates were stored, etc.  

 

Dave, thanks for the advice.  I have been doing that a bit on the other half of the hull, but then tried vertical taping as well.  But you are right, the little bit of vertical taping adds a lot more time.  An additional problem is that I must double or triple coat everything to get good coverage.  So vertical taping is OUT.

 

 

Thank you all for your support!!  I am feeling more motivated to keep going. 

Edited May 14, 2013 by RadMan

[Sailcat]

RadMan - I had a situation with my build where the copper was already painted by the previous builder and had been somewhat 'beaten up' by time and being wrecked.  What I chose to do was to 'selectively weather' the copper plates by going in with washes, first wide and then after the detail 'plate by plate' wash to create the effect of different alloys and also the look of 'repairs' done over time.

 

If you still choose to go for the 'plate by plate' weather effect I recommend this method as being less 'involved' than trying to create the effect right off the bat.  What this would entail is doing the whole of the copper first and then adding the details after.  This might seem like a lot more work But ...

 

By working on the 'complete' coppering you get a view as it goes of the weathering itself, giving you the control to adjust and modify the look as you go along the hull.  Also, the taping of individual plates might not seem as unified as the distinct tones and shades would be a bit too contrasty.  

 

The wash I used was a simple mix of matte black enamel or very dark matte grey diluted with thinner.  I mixed up batches of it at a time and then gave the whole a thin wash to cut down the shininess of the copper paint.  Then I went in with a small brush and started 'shading' plates here and there.  Part of the process was to let the wash 'bleed' along the edges of the copper to add the 'depth contrast' effect.  Then I repeated the procedure on a spot by spot basis, trying to imagine a history behind the weathering ('this section was re-coppered recently, it won't be as dark ... this part is old and is darker ... the 'water darkening' extends here ...').  I also 'wiped down' the odd place here and there with a thinner-dampened cloth.

 

Here's some links to my build log.  This one shows the coppered hull before weathering - http://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/272-cutty-sark-by-sailcat-revell-plastic-196-rescue-kit-bash-morphed-to-dame-tisane/?p=9023

 

This post has images of the weathering in process - http://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/272-cutty-sark-by-sailcat-revell-plastic-196-rescue-kit-bash-morphed-to-dame-tisane/?p=13571

 

This post has some close-ups of the coppering detail - http://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/272-cutty-sark-by-sailcat-revell-plastic-196-rescue-kit-bash-morphed-to-dame-tisane/?p=13578

 

I hope that some of this is of some use to you

[lambsbk]

Rick: I will post a pic of the copper wash effect I used on the spare hull so you can compare. Like Sailcat I tried a couple of washes (black and copper rust patina) before going with the 'new' copper look. I was not as happy with the 'new' look but my wife really did not like the patina. Since I am going to display this build in the living room where she is going to see it as much as I am her vote definitely counted.

[lambsbk]

Ok Rick: these are the "Hull Experiments." I hope they help.

 

Flat black and terpentine wash next to copper only.

 

Flat blue and Flat Green with terpentine wash

 

Looking lengthwise down the hull gives a better sense of the variability in the rust pattern. These are next to unwashed copper.

Edited May 15, 2013 by lambsbk

[Sailcat]

A thought that occurred to me after I posted was that you should also determine how your copper was weathered in terms of 'dry' or 'wet.'

 

If it weathered in water then it will be black or dark grey.  If it weathered in air (like in dry dock) then you will get the green patina look.

 

Copper does not 'go green' in water.

 

Best of luck with this and remember that 'the good stuff' takes longer but is ultimately worth it

[lambsbk]

Sailcat, I did not know there was a difference. I think some of the artists that painted the Connie did not know this either since her copper is sometimes painted green. I had not thought about it but copper pipe I believe bears you out on this: darker inside, green rust outside. Thanks.

[RadMan]

THE ASSISTANT:

 

I have a new assitant to help me with the model.  Although his painting skills are on par with mine, he really isn't getting any work done, and in fact, takes a lot of my free time.      Although after a two month hiatus, things are getting back into a routine and I have some time to work on my build again.

 

 

Lambsbk, Popeye, Sailcat, Patrickmil and others:

 

I appreciate all of your advice and am trying to follow it as much as possible.  I am still working on the copper hull plates.  I continue to tape, paint three coats, untape, and then start all over again on the next row of plates.  I wonder if this will take forever.  

 

Sailcat/Lambsbk, your skills at applying the various washes are impressive, but I am really nervous about doing anything like that.  I can imagine in one 30 minute "wash" session I could screw everything up and have to start painting from scratch.  I just can't take the chance.....yet.

 

My plan in to continue the hand painting and shading of the copper plates.  I have mixed one batch of off-copper and use that as the main off-color coat.  I also mix some on the fly to add different hues.  If after all this, it looks like crap, I will either just paint everything clean copper, or take the plunge with a wash. 

 

Edited July 22, 2013 by RadMan