Warbird Information Exchange

Cripes,

I don't know if the "tips first" method makes for a better final product, but I find it a little easier to shoot the yellow over flat white rather than having to cover the black blade paint later. Painting early USN props with the multi-color tips is definitely easier by doing the tips first. Honestly, it's just builder preference, I used to paint the tips last and just found I got a better result doing them first. Masking the tips is very easy and quick, especially helpful when you build as many B-17s, '24s, and '29s as I have. Heck, I used to dip the tips in yellow paint and carefully wicked the excess off, and that worked pretty good! I think you'll like tips-first if you try it.

Oh, on the subject of weathering with salt--that seems to be a great method, though I haven't ever tried it. The results look pretty convincing, especially in 1/48th scale and larger. I've done chipped panels by using dried-out Metalizer and the drybrush method with good results.

Scott

The painting the yellow first strikes me as one of those "eureka!" moments. Wish I had thought of that back in my model building prime!

Yeah, I used to get so frustrated painting yellow Winston Cup and Busch cars until I figured out that method. Yellow is a %#@ to get good coverage with, but after throwing on a dusting of flat white and wet sanding it things went great. It works nicely with Dayglo paint as well, though you can get away with using light grey primer with the Dayglo stuff in many cases.

Here's the car DE won the Rebel 400 with in '82 as an example:


Scott

Interesting picture ... hope you don't mind me pointing this out but in the upper left you have an example of the "common" B-24 cowling and engine, but also a cowling that looks to be of the early B-24/PBY-type currently used on a flying Liberator of some repute. It even seems to be painted the "right" color ...

Building a B-24A by any chance?

Good eye, Garth. Here is the rest of the bench and explanation.

The standard cowl will eventually go on the airplane on top of that pile and will depict "Harper's Ferry" of the 449th Bombardment Group. I was indeed working on a B-24A conversion about six years ago that would have been the airplane lost during the Pearl Harbor attack. I dug it back out over a year ago and scrounged the PBY for cowlings, etc. that I was going to cast in resin. Then we were temporarily involved with the 1/1 scale Ol'927 project for a little while and I had decided to do the A in the original night bombardment scheme as AM927 was when new. I seem to have lost interest in finishing it. Now it will be going back into the assorted boxes for another six years or until ebay gets it.

This post has nothing in particular to do with the original subject of the thread, but I was so proud to have "cleaned off" my workbench that I had to share a photo. The B-24, P-47s (except the one behind the TV), and P-38 are back in storage 'till who knows when.