afterburner Posted August 6, 2021 Share Posted August 6, 2021 I bought them last week with the intention of using it on my Tamiya F-14. I am thinking of black basing the whole fuselage and then shooting light gray paint through the stencils to create that base layer of blotchy color. Over that I will alternate the grays, some layers thinner than others and maybe some very light post shading of browns around areas that are typically pretty stained, and a final blend coat. I think I saw a builder on YouTube use the stencils thought I can't remember the user and the Model Geeks podcast mentioned black basing, though it's probably best suited to dirty aircraft. It'll be a new experiment for me as I typically pre-shade with a little post shading. A little nervous but also pretty excited to try this kind of technique. Just wanted to know if any other fellow ARC'er has tried the stencils. Thanks all- any feedback is very welcome. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stu_fishing Posted August 7, 2021 Share Posted August 7, 2021 For me they work like a charm for TPS. Blackbasing, then base colours blotches with the stencils then highly thinned base colours. I also used them for variations in shine with different varnishes on other AC. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ChernayaAkula Posted August 17, 2021 Share Posted August 17, 2021 I've used the Artool TextureFX stencils on some 1/72 MiGs, but with a slight twist. I used the stencils to apply the white "marbling" part of blackbasing, then laid down thinned grey over that. The photos make it look a bit more subtle than it actually is. I figured I'd be too impatient to marble it all by hand, so sped up the process by using the stencils. One thing I like is that by varying the stencil's height above the model's surface you can get anything from quite sharp to very soft demarcations. You can see around the engine area and the anti-glare panel on the nose just how easily you can control the opacity of the grey paint from very translucent to almost fully opaque, leaving more or less of the marble coat visible. I suppose using the stencils on the grey parts of a Tomcats TPS scheme should yield nice results as well. You could probably cut the grey paint with various tones to get subtly different hues and slightly different splotches thanks to the stencils. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Collin Posted August 19, 2021 Share Posted August 19, 2021 They work great for rapid black basing. Just keep it random. Cheers Collin Quote Link to post Share on other sites
crackerjazz Posted August 19, 2021 Share Posted August 19, 2021 (edited) Very nice ChernayaAkula! I'm in the process of trying this out, too, Afterburner. I was using the Artool on these F-14 parts but had some issues with the stencil openings clogging up with paint. I'd dip a rag in thinner and clean the paint off but the branches would break, the stencil being made of cardboard. I picked up some brass Uschi Trinity Splatter stencils after reading Drew T's F-16 thread and it looks like they'll stand up better to cleaning with a rag or toothbrush. I haven't used them yet but I'm excited. I used to do the marbling using Abteilung oil paints but the process takes longer and the drying times take forever. I even had an area on a previous model where the oil layer and decals peeled off with the masking tape, even with a layer of Future on them, so hopefully this method of weathering will take care of that issue -- it's faster to do than oil weathering and the paint layers are more solid. I might still try some oil weathering, but only after the decals and final coat have been applied. The ones below were weathered using Abteilung oils. I like certain effects that can be achieved with it, but I'm hoping these can be done using splatter stencils as well. Edited August 19, 2021 by crackerjazz Quote Link to post Share on other sites
afterburner Posted August 19, 2021 Author Share Posted August 19, 2021 7 hours ago, crackerjazz said: Very nice ChernayaAkula! I'm in the process of trying this out, too, Afterburner. I was using the Artool on these F-14 parts but had some issues with the stencil openings clogging up with paint. I'd dip a rag in thinner and clean the paint off but the branches would break, the stencil being made of cardboard. I picked up some brass Uschi Trinity Splatter stencils after reading Drew T's F-16 thread and it looks like they'll stand up better to cleaning with a rag or toothbrush. I haven't used them yet but I'm excited. I used to do the marbling using Abteilung oil paints but the process takes longer and the drying times take forever. I even had an area on a previous model where the oil layer and decals peeled off with the masking tape, even with a layer of Future on them, so hopefully this method of weathering will take care of that issue -- it's faster to do than oil weathering and the paint layers are more solid. I might still try some oil weathering, but only after the decals and final coat have been applied. The ones below were weathered using Abteilung oils. I like certain effects that can be achieved with it, but I'm hoping these can be done using splatter stencils as well. That marbling looks pretty amazing on its own but I agree with the one hassle- the dry time. I thought about getting some kind of electric dryer- maybe even a hairdryer and doing it that way but once I saw the stencils I kind of just gravitated there thinking about ease of use. I picked up an Academy 72nd F-4 and I think I'll let that be my test bed. It'll likely be a light effort since from what I have in images, the F-4's just didn't get quite as blotchy as a really dirty F-14. I could be wrong in saying that! Anyways, your efforts look amazing and thanks for sharing! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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