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G'day again lads,

I was going through some of the gallery shots and was looking at this very detailed cockpit of a Ju-88C-6 by Bill Lachance. I am wondering, how does one get such dramatic results in cockpit detailing (particularly the dials, levers and seatbelts). I know I may be asking a very stupid question, and skill is obviously a big factor..but are there any tips please!!!

Cheers :)

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I seem to say this with every Tool-N-Tip reply I give, and I hate to sound like a broken record, but one of the keys is patience. Don't try to do things quickly. The cockpit is one of the most time-consuming parts of any model build, for me at least. Don't try to rush through it. Second, most cockpits in kits aren't all that cramped. Notice I said "in kits." The trick is to get almost all of the painting done before you glue everything together. Then, assemble the painted parts, and put the entire, painted cockpit into the model.

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Two thoughts:

1) Aftrmarket. Resin and PE have opened up doors to those who don't want to scratcbuild. I find Eduards color-etched PE instrunment panels to be amazing.

2) Techniques: Dry brushing, washes, colored pencils and such. Makes detail pop out in good photos.

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It's amazing what washes and a little drybrushing will do. There's a lot of molded detail on even most stock kits parts that won't show until a washed/drybrushed. Washes and drybrushing also break up the monotone nature of the paint job. Very important for dark interiors like black or RLM 66.

For intrument dials, I paint them gloss black, drybrush a bit of white to make the dials show, then apply a drop of gloss coat (or Future) to the dial to give the impression of glass.

Also, find a few color pictures of the real cockpit...you'll notice red, yellow, etc. buttons, switches, etc. that you can paint. That little bit of color here and there really adds a lot.

Harnesses on seats add a lot too. If you don't want to go the PE route, you can make them out of masking tape.

Finally, aftermarket seats and entire cockpits are available. They're often expensive, but generally offer much more detail.

:)

Mike

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Wash, drybrush, details, dirt.

First I spray the basic colour (Interior Green, RLM66 - I usually build WWII stuff), then I give it a "wash" that actually consists of Future mixed with India Ink. After that is dry I shoot it with clear flat (Polly Scale) and then drybrush a lighter shade of the base colour mixed from artists' oils.

Then I start in on the details, painting them using Citadel acrylics and a fine brush. The key here is flow control; thin enough to flow off the brush where you touch it, but thick enough to provide good coverage and not run everywhere. I keep the brush moist with Tamiya acrylic thinner to do this.

When you're looking at your references, pay close attention to the things that add visual clutter to the cockpit; fasteners, lines & cables, stencils, colour variations, gloss vs flat, wear & tear, etc. It's these things that make a cockpit look "busy".

Weathering is usually paint chips/wear and dirt. For paint chipping I whittle a sharp point on a Prismacolor silver coloured pencil and use it add scratches, chips and scuffing. I tap the pencil on the surface and gradually build up the chips, as opposed to drawing or scribbling.

Dirt is by way of MiG Pigments. I mix the MiGs with some water, brush it into the nooks & crannies and remove the excess with a dry Q-tip (cotton bud) after the pigments are dry.

IMG_0051.jpg

IMG_0062.jpg

Cheers,

Tony

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Hi All, whats the use of colored pencil ?

Regards

JJ

Basically the same as paint, you can sometimes get more fine control with a sharp pencil tip, and it won't run like paint. You can use it to paint or draw things like the white for instrument dial faces, or red and green area around an instrument dial for safe/danger areas. Also the silver colored pencil can be used for paint chipping as described above. The downside is that the coverage isn't always as good as paint and it may take a couple of passes to build the color.

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