Here is the model pylons as supplied by BVM. The aluminium parts are glued in at an angle to replicate the sway plates. The BVM F/G pylons have a lot of surface detail moulded in.
Next I painted the pylons with primer, then the “off white” base paint which is the SEA Cameo used on all under surfaces, supplied by Taylor made.. I then added a few rivets/fasteners using the old brass tube/soldering iron method. In hind sight I might do the rivets under the base coat next time.. They also seem to be a bit too large.
The next step is to add the water slide decals. This is quite easy to apply, especially if you stick to the instructions !!. I cut out and added each one individually as this makes the job neater, and the decals sit nicely on the raised moulded surfaces. The little vents are a nice touch.
Now to make it look used…. The first task is to damage and fade all these the beautiful new decals and signs that I just applied.. I started to do this with 600 grit paper directly on the decal.. This was only partially successfully, some of the decals tore, and some lifted off completely. (Not a complete disaster, as these were also decals/stickers on the full size, and suffered the same fate though normal wear and tear.)
I switched to using a cloth with a dab of paint thinners to fade the red signs, and gently rubbing the decal gave a nice faded/worn result. The red decal on the right has been weathered/faded, the left one is still new..
I now need to apply the grime and dirt that accumulates on these parts.. . To simulate this I obtained some dry paint pigment in black and white, ( a trick I learned form RCU Member Kirk Sonn), and mixed up some grey pigment. This creates a grey powder that is brushed on dry and rubbed in to the paint surface using paper towels, always moving in the direction of airflow. This gives a slightly oxidised affect. I found that adding a bit of moisture made the result better, and pushed the pigment to the front of panel lines and moulded hatches and rivets.
I used some normal lead pencil to draw inside and highlight the moulded panel lines, as these obviously get dirty. And then I actually sanded through the base paint in a few places to replicate where an emblem or marking had been removed, on the full size.
The last bit of weathering was to add some grease and grime marks with my air brush. Some black base paint was loaded into it and gently misted on to the high maintenance areas of the pylons. (Where the armourers would have worked with greasy dirty hands. The men who worked tirelessly to keep these planes in the air.)
Finally a clear coat (Flat of course) was applied to seal everything in.
