Perforated Steel Plates base painting

[lavony]

Hello 

I'm planning to put my P-38 on a PSP base,  but can't find painting instructions for the base. 

Would appreciate any help 

Thanks

Yossi

[pigsty]

I've not dealt with PSP myself but it can't be very different from other steel material laid on the ground.  One essential thing to remember is that it wasn't ever in use for very long, so it wouldn't go all orange and rusty.  Instead, its finish was more like drain covers and such that you might see on the road.  When I paint something like that, I start with deep grey; then a heavy dry-brush with dark brown, possibly in two shades; then for the metallic sheen you have a choice.  One way is to dry-brush again, more lightly, with gunmetal or dark iron.  Another is to use 3B or darker pencil.  You can apply that directly - a carpenter's pencil is easier, as it's all lead and no wood.  Or you can file the lead onto paper and apply the dust with a soft brush.  You can add a little bit of extra brightness along the tracks where wheels pass over, by dry-brushing with a lighter metallic shade - but don't use silver, it's much too bright.

 

If your PSP is mounted on a bit of ground, that will need painting separately.  It's hard to give detailed advice because so much depends on exactly where in the world you want to represent.  That will determine the soil colour and type, and they vary a lot.  But basic principles are much the same: wet ground is shiny (obvious) but also darker than dry ground.  Really dry ground may have cracks in it, especially if it's clay.  Stones on the ground can be almost any grey or brown colour, and won't necessarily be related to the soil colour.  Any grass on the base will usually be green, but there are lots of suitable shades, and at some times of the year it won't be very green.  In winter most types of grass, if left long, are a dull buff colour.  In a dry summer it may go brown.  Grass that's kept short is more likely to stay green, but even that will brown in a drought.

[lavony]

Thanks a lot