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Tips on Painting a Black Aircraft


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I'm going to be tackling a He 111 with white wash top and black underside and was wondering which direction I should go on shading or even color selection.  I've never painted a black aircraft modern or old other than a F-82 and F-5 but they just looks toyish with straight gloss black and a wash.

Edited by Spectre711
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1 hour ago, Spectre711 said:

I'm going to be tackling a He 111 with a black underside and was wondering which direction I should go on shading or even color selection.  I've never painted a black aircraft modern or old other than a F-82 and it just looks toyish with straight black and a wash.

 

Well, I have very limited experience (i.e., one airplane) that is black.  It's a Bf109 G-6/AS, which has an all-black paint scheme.  I plan on posting photos of that airplane, once I take some quality images, but if you send me your e-mail address, I'll send you a few snapshots of my plane which might give you a tiny idea of what I think constitutes variations in black.  My e-mail is cabasner@earthink.net.

 

I would recommend watching some of Doog's Models videos, which cover black basing, and this specific one is about 'Not Quite Blacks'.  In my opinion, outside of current gloss black planes, for which you might be able to get away with a simple gloss black, 'black' airplanes need to be painted 'off-black'.  By this, I would suggest, Tamiya Rubber Black (XF-85), as one example.  As Matt at Doog's points out, take a look at pictures of F-117s, X-15s, SR-71s, as examples of aircraft that are 'all black', but really aren't.  There is a lot of variation in 'black', and none of these planes actually show a solid, unvarying 'black-black'.  I think real life black is more like variations of very, very dark grays.  Especially if you're considering dirt or dust on top of a black finish.  There is no doubt that black airplanes or even parts of planes that are painted black, are difficult to address, but the challenge can be very rewarding.  You can search for other videos on painting black models.   There is also the The Weathering Aircraft magazine, the 'Night Colors' issue, which might be helpful.  

 

Edited by Curt B
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Nice video, I think the marbling might be the way to go for me.  I have some NATO black but need to try a new line of paint since the MM is getting much harder to find in certain colors.  Was thinking of trying Mission Models.  You can email pictures to scode68 at Gmail dot com if you cant PM them.

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3 hours ago, Spectre711 said:

Nice video, I think the marbling might be the way to go for me.  I have some NATO black but need to try a new line of paint since the MM is getting much harder to find in certain colors.  Was thinking of trying Mission Models.  You can email pictures to scode68 at Gmail dot com if you cant PM them.

 

I have Mission Models paints, among many others.  I think they are fine, as far as paints with minimal odor, though I find you can't dilute them (i.e. make then as thin as most desirable for the airbrush) as other paint brands.  My favorite low odor paint is the Gunze Mr. Hobby Aqueous line, though getting all the available colors has been a challenge.  If you are willing to consider lacquer paints and their concomitant odor, the two lines I like best are the Gunze Mr. Color and MRP lines.  MRP, in particular, is spectacular in terms of pigment density and is almost like water, and so are airbrush ready right out of the bottle.  I'll be sending you some photos to your your gmail address right away.

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5 minutes ago, Spectre711 said:

Oder isn't an issue since I like enamels and lacquers, plus my paint booth vents outside.

 

Understood.  I just sent you an e-mail with photos and some additional details about how I did what I did with my black airplane, and I told you a bit more about my opinion on paints.

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