More Painting
I chose to finish the model in a mixture of Xtracrylix and Tamiya paints as listed below:
- Main body – Xtracrylix XA001017 – Barley Grey (RAF) & Tamiya X-2 – White (60/40% mix)
- Nose cone & leading edges– Xtracrylix XA001133 – Neutral Grey & Tamiya X-2 – White (60/40% mix)
- Burner cans – Alclad 2 Aluminium, Pale Burnt Metal, Jet Exhaust & Magnesium
- Undercoat for Alclad – Tamiya X1 – Gloss Black
- Undercoat for airframe – Tamiya XF-19 – Sky Grey
- Pre-shade colour – Tamiya XF –1 – Matt Black
- Ancillary Items – Revell airbrush & compressor, Tamiya 10mm & 40mm Tape, Standard Masking Tape (3M) & Alclad Finishing Cloths (3000 – 12000 Grade)
The model was prepared for spraying (a quick rub down with the Alclad cloths (Micromesh – see Techniques Bank) and the canopy was masked off with various thicknesses of Tamiya tape, cut with a sharp scalpel blade. The main body was undercoated in Tamiya XF-19 Sky Grey to pick out any filler or sink marks from the construction stage. It also acts as a great neutral base coat to add to any model. The recessed panel lines were picked out with the airbrush and Tamiya XF-1 Matt Black.
Next stage is to mix the main body colour for the airframe. I opted for a lighter Barley Grey colour thinned down with Tamiya X-2 (White) and Xtracrylix Thinner and sprayed onto the airframe in light thin coats.
In order to give the model more depth I have opted to apply a worn look through weathering. I have studied my own photos taken from Coningsby but these did not give a good plan view of the airframe, however, I am fortunate to have a good friend of mine that goes to Wales and photographs aircraft in LFA 7 – Over the years he has done this, he has been more fortunate than me and managed to get a few Typhoons (I have not managed that yet!) which is great reference material. His website is http://www.flickr.com/photos/batesy617/; he has some cracking low-fly shots including the two below:
As you can see from these shots, the finish of the real planes are not uniform in colour, I therefore decided to add various shades of the same Barley Grey by adding a few drops of Black to the original mix of Barley Grey and picking out panels, or areas of the plane and spraying these in the darker colour. I then over-sprayed these with a lighter Barley Grey, by adding more white to the mix. It is important at this stage not to go too over the top with the amount of extra light or darker colour added. You are only trying to get a subtle difference between the shades, not add a totally different colour! You can see the finish to the aircraft below:
The weapon pylons were also painted in the same color as the airframe with the darker shade of grey added to the leading edges as per the instructions. The nose cone was also painted in this shade along with the leading edges of the wings and tail fin.
Once this is all finished, the model can be gently rubbed down with various grades of Alclad cloth to generate a nice smooth finish.
Next up… the burner cans and metallic rear section of the plane. If you have not come across Alclad2 paints before, I can assure you they are fantastic! Primed in Tamiya X-1, the Alclad2 is airbrushed on after this has dried and gives the most amazing finish as I hope you can see above.
We are nearing the point where the decals can be applied to the main section, read this next section now…
James
References:
http://typhoon.starstreak.net/Eurofighter/cockpit.html
http://www.raf.mod.uk/equipment/typhooneurofighter.cfm
http://www.flickr.com/photos/batesy617/