DSRV Mystic Update - RC version and Static version update

[fx models]

Perhaps picking out a couple

Perhaps picking out a couple of subjects, i.e. WWII sub, modern nuke (a British boat would be good, but then I'm biased) and maybe something esoteric, like the Disney Nautilus.

HI Andy,

>I'm sure I'm not alone in this.

You are right. I have other emails asking for me to do the same thing. I will see how my time goes. I think I can do a nice step by step approach to weathering. Talk about layering etc...

The Disney Nautilus painting was another one I had forgotten about. Yes we did do a Nautilus that was fairly detailed and weathered as well. Then we did do a Balao for the Naval War College that was 5 feet long and it was weathered as well... Hmm you got me thinking. Let me continue thinking...

Talk to you later!

Marc

[jutland67]

Marc..I agree with Andy..an article

Marc..I agree with Andy..an article on various methods of weathering and painting would be great..and i agree with him about the subject matter...a British Boat..(I'm building a Swiftsure class from OTW's Trafalgar kit).I am modelling HMS Spartan as she was at the time of the Falklands war in 1982..and I am pretty sure that she did not have anechoic tiles at that time.

[fx models]

Marc..I agree with Andy..an article

Marc..I agree with Andy..an article on various methods of weathering and painting would be great..and i agree with him about the subject matter...a British Boat..(I'm building a Swiftsure class from OTW's Trafalgar kit).I am modelling HMS Spartan as she was at the time of the Falklands war in 1982..and I am pretty sure that she did not have anechoic tiles at that time.

Well then perhaps I could try to take the time to put together an article or two then. I am sure others have great ideas too.

I wanted to follow up on your question though about creating a metal look with a more substantial example though.

First I wanted to say something quick about specularity. Specularity or specular reflection is essentially the characteristics of the reflected light from an object. Glass has a high specularity and a sharp focused pinpoint reflection. So for glass, a specular 'curve' would be a tall [high reflection], somewhat pointed topped curve [sharp pinpoint reflection]. For metal, the specular curve is broader, and more like a low hill. Depending on the finish on the metal though that can change. The hill can be taller but in general it is broader and wider. What that means is the reflection and the texture of the reflection [how grainy or smooth the reflection is] can vary greatly depending on the nature of the metal look you are trying to achieve. Look at this image that follows]http://fxmodels.com/DSRVMystic/WebSize/MetalStrapping-1.jpg[/img]

This image shows how selective rubbing out of a paint finish can enhance the finished look of a model. In this case, Mystic has metal structural members that look like strapping although they penetrate a bit deeper and are integral to the structure of the external frame of panels. To simulate the strapping's dinged up metal look, I rubbed out the finish gently with a terrycloth rag until I achieved an acceptable level of specularity for the metal look.

Here is another example]http://fxmodels.com/DSRVMystic/WebSize/MetalStrapping-2.jpg[/img]

This image shows another rubbed out area. You can clearly see the difference in the specular reflection.

The key point here is that this points out how very convincing effects can be created by manipulating the FINISH of the model. I did not need to use a gloss coat to create shiny metal. I could have but guess what? I would then be at the mercy of the factory gloss of the paint. Using the rub-out technique, I can set the level to whatever is needed and more importantly, to ANY subtlety as necessary.

Note] can produce different results, equally cool but you need to be careful not to rub too forcefully as the friction of the rubbing will cause a change in the paint texture and in worst cases, start sloughing off the now putty-like paint you just created.

Further, using a soft cotton cloth with fine fibers will produce a different result than using a terrycloth washcloth for instance. Experiment to see the differences. My personal preference is to rub out the paint soon after application. So I take risks but they are calculated risks. I have indeed screwed up big time but only because I was over zealous. Its hard not to be with these topics though!

Hope that clears up the metalizing rub-out process we use.

Marc

[jutland67]

Once again,thanks very much for

[color=#000000]Once again,thanks very much for your advice. That explanation really made it clear.Great stuff!!.One final question if I may ]

[adriaticsea]

Hi Marc,

thanks for the infos

Hi Marc,

thanks for the infos on how the RC Mystic DSRV will be brought to life in the water...I'm sure Merriman's work on the thrusters will be top notch, as always!
Regarding the paint job techniques...I'm building 1/96 ThorDesign Uss Permit, and I'd like to do a decent job once finished with the RC part (still a long way to go...but I have plenty of patience!!)
Unfortunately I don't own an airbrush...do you have any tips to get a good paint job with spray cans? I can use automotive ones, but I don't know the best way to use them!
BEST REGARDS MAURO

[novagator]

Thanks Marc for the great

Thanks Marc for the great info, I will put it to great use!

Now about the waterline, how do you do that?

[fx models]

what sort of undercoat should

what sort of undercoat should I use on a black steel hull ?

Hi...

I am glad the explanation is pretty clear. Thanks. For undercoats on a plain steel hull, you can do a couple of things. On American boats, the undercoating is a mixture of red-brown primer and some black undercoats. If a steel hull boat was similarly undercoated, then you probably want to use the similar color undercoat. Why? Because when, not if, it gets scraped then you will have the proper undercoat showing back through... I am a stickler I know. But in the model world you look at how real things are painted and you try to emulate it so that if you are called on to make realistic detail and wear, you can use your own previous paint job to help you. We routinely scrape a top layer of paint to expose a bottom layer when we wish to show an area being 'worked on' for example. YOu can do it too. Just practice a bit. Then rub out the finish on your boat gently at first, until you get a broad based specular response and it will look beautiiful.

If you dont care about ever showing the undercoat for wear or weathering reasons, then use a nice black primer. It is too bad that BLACK is the only paint option in general when you go to a hardware store. I would rather see some of the very dark grey colors for more realistic model appearance. Althought the real boats are black, the model should actually be a lighter shade to look more realistic. There is no such thing as BLACK in the paint world for us. It is all shades of grey! For a more realistic grey, look into the dark grey Zynolite paint. That color is perfect for a good model color.

I am going ot respond to Mauro now so read that one too because I have something to say about using rattle cans for painting.

Thanks!

Marc

[fx models]

I don't own an airbrush...do

I don't own an airbrush...do you have any tips to get a good paint job with spray cans? I can use automotive ones, but I don't know the best way to use them!

[color=#000000]HI Mauro,

I have achieved VERY nice finishes using spray cans [rattle cans]. The only ways I know to get great finishes are the following]

[fx models]

Thanks Marc for the great

Thanks Marc for the great info, I will put it to great use!

Now about the waterline, how do you do that?

Hi John...

The waterline can be a nemesis or your best friend. Two things to understand though and you will already be ahead of the game] and just dab small amounts along the length of each side, letting it fade in an out and not being perfect. The line should be fairly straight on the TOP edge so your boat looks right when it is in 'port'. Let the paint fade off below the waterline to the different bottom color already in place. Then repeat this with the different colors. Consult real imagery where possible so you can see where the waterline details are more elaborate.. Oh and DONT forget to put the seagull poop coming down the sides of the rudder in the back... That is an important often overlooked fact of life! On one of our Seawolf models I put the bite marks in the rudder light from the Polar Bear... kidding kidding...

Let me know how it turns out!

Marc

[novagator]

Thanks Marc!

Thanks Marc!

[georget]

Hello Marc, wow great insight

Hello Marc, wow great insight into painting. I do have a question though. I am building the OTW Vangaurd and was wondering how I should go about replicating the tile effect with paint.

[fx models]

HI George,

The tile question solution

[color=#000000]HI George,

The tile question solution is one that will test the patience and stick-to-it attitude of the most hard core modeler! Creating the tile pattern using paint takes all of 10-13 minutes. BUT, the preparation for the 10 minutes of painting can take several days!

Paint is probably the best way to represent the tile pattern. Here is a good but time consuming and precise way of dealing with the tile patterns. Using a low tack masking tape or a blue masking tape you may find at Home Depot, set out out lots of tape lines. Now take the time to carefully cut horizontal lines into the tape such that the lines are to represent the spacing between tiles so be accurate and make the lines thin. Then cut a number of actual tiles at the right scale size. Since the tiles are a raised anechoic, you are going to apply paint where the tile would be and let the lines in between delineate the low spot in between tiles. The next thing you have to do is place the LINES you cut onto the hull of the submarine. Use the ACTUAL tiles you also cut as spacer tiles, laying down a few here and there to get the lines right in horizontal and vertical directions. Once the lines are allllll down and there will be a lot of them, then remove the spacer tiles. You only need spacers for one complete row horizontally and vertically probably. But as the hull tapers and the pattern is altered you may have to cut specially shaped tiles for the extremes.

Now that you have done this, you are ready to see it all come together. Realistically you could have the entire tile pattern on the sub in one 8-hour day if you chose to apply yourself. Now warm your paint which should be a primer to match the paint in type on the hull. [ie laquer or enamel etc]. Spray the hull in even coats being careful not to fill any top deck detail. If you choose to mask off the top deck details you will find that you will have an edge no matter how slight that will have to be sanded off so forego the masks of the detail if you can and just be more precise. Paint looks like its going on thicker because it is full of solvents. Once the paint dries though and the solvent evaporates the layers will shrink and you will have applied a lot less than you think. You may want to test on a small piece of plastic so you can get a feel for how much paint you are putting on. Let the coats dry a bit in between so that you dont put too much solvent onto the hull and more importantly onto the tape that is being used as a mask. A light mist coat initially will definitely help seal the tape to the hull so that you can lay on heavier coats later.

After a few coats of the paint, try peeling off a far underside edge and seeing the difference in height of paint and hull. If its what you want then wait until the paint is fully dry and then start taking off the masks. Regardless of how much care you put in, you WILL still have cleanup. Its the nature of the beast. Usually some paint will flake off of the tape mask and remain adhered to the edge of the tape line so you will need to just rub down the hull with a very light duty scotch-brite pad to remove those bits. Follow the horizontal and vertical lines alternately on the hull. DONT rub too hard of course... But you knew that.

You are nearly done. The edges of the tiles will be sharp. You want them soft. The scotch-brite will soften them a bit but the next step takes care of it entirely... Spray the entire hull again with paint, and you will find that a pretty heavy coat will fill in the sharp edges and soften them to the more realistic low profile you would come to expect of the tiles. They should almost be invisible and appear pretty much only in the direct light of a reflection or bright sun.

Once everything is dry and you paint the boat with your final color, also spray a clear sealer [flat] over the bottom and the tile pattern to keep it preserved. Nothing can preserve it like not putting it in water though so expect accidents.

Hey here is an idea]

[fx models]

I had a thought that

I had a thought that might help to those who consider that submarines also usually have a non-skid deck that has a pretty specific pattern. All of the models we make have non-skid decks shown. Using the topic of the moment, Mystic, I wanted to pass on a tip or two to help you get that non-skid 'texture' without actually having to make a textured surface. Mystic has a number of non-skid areas that we reproduced and they look quite real. Here is how we did it and how you can too]http://fxmodels.com/DSRVMystic/WebSize/ShroudWithPhotoRef.jpg[/img]
Difficult to see but the non-skid on the shroud and aft deck on top appears textured.

I figured that this would go hand in hand with the tile discussion from previously... Hope it is of assistance. Try it! You'll like it.

Marc