bluvasa

Look for "Bill Horan's Military Modelling Masterclass" from Windsor and Greene Publishing. It is by far the best figure painting guide I know of. The focus is on historical miniatures, but the techniques can be applied to any modeling area. He uses enamel paints almost exclusively, and the same techniques can be applied to acrylics as well. I like this book better than Shep Paine's who's focus is mainly on painting with oils. Both Bill and Shep's books contain good info on scratchbuilding and conversions.

I would call it a type of iridescence, a color shift depending on the viewing angle. I have used interference, or chameleon, paint in the past with some success. It doesn't work well on clear surfaces though. The color shift is best seen when applied over a dark under coat. The brand I use is from Createx and it comes in multiple colors. I plan on using the violet-gold color on my Su-37's engine exhausts. I also have colors that will work well on IR lenses and huds.

It would also help to paint the inside of the fuselage gloss black. This would stop any excess light from coming though the plastic. The aluminum foil should stop most of it, but a few shots from the airbrush couldn't hurt.

Hey MikeV, are those quick-change adapters on your airbrushes? If so, where did you get them, I have never seen ones that small. Those would be perfect for me, I had to replace the valve on my Badger 150 due to stripping the screw where the hose connects. A quick change device would keep that from happening again. edit: Looked around and found them at bearair.com; Createx makes some called quick connects. Looks like I have one more thing on the things-to-buy-list. Answered my own question, but thanks for the idea.

If you have a set of micro drill bits, you could drill a series of tiny holes at the shoulder and finish the cut with a sharp blade. I have used this technique many times to make precise cuts in tight spaces.

Nice job! Before I got back into aircraft, I spent a lot of time on 1/35 figures. I like using Humbrol enamels because of their dead flat finish. Your "ultrathin" technique sound a lot like the way I paint. I have tried using acrylics, but they tend to dry too fast for me. With the enamels I use, I can apply very thin layers of paint and feather the edges for seamless transitions. If anyone wants to learn more about painting figures in enamels, I would suggest Bill Horan's Military Modeling Masterclass . This book is absolutely awesome. :lol:

I am using a variety of copper wire and fine solder. Radioshack, or some other equivalent electronics store, has a good selection of both of these. I also have scavenged some ultra thin wire from old vcrs and computers. For long straight sections of tubing, I have used thin styrene rod with good results. To make bends with styrene, you can soften the rod up with regular model glue and manipulate it with a fine set of tweezers. Hope this helps

I plan on using a mix of metalizers and a little chameleon blue paint. The chameleon is acrylic irradescent paint used by airbrush artists. I have yet to use it on a model, but I have used it on other projects and I think it would simulate the heat affected zones rather well. The type I use is from Createx and I ordered it from an airbrush specialty shop.

Looks like I joined ARC at just the right time! You guys can count me in with my SOL Su-37. I'm adding extra details from Cutting Edge and a few surprises from Black Box