bokuda

My Feedback: (7)

What do you WW1 builders think about weathering?

A few years ago I built a BUSA Nieuport 11 and weathered it. Some people thought it was really cool, and others mostly paid no attention, instead admiring the bright, shiny, clean, "right off the assembly line" planes that are so prevalent. I wanted mine to look like it just returned from one of many consecutive missions. I cannot recall ever seeing a weathered WW1 plane (other than mine) at a Dawn Patrol meet, scale contest or at Rhinebeck, to which I make the trek annually.

Yes, I know we should build to suit our tastes, but let's face it, we want others to appreciate our work too. From that standpoint, does it make sense to take the time to weather a WW1 airplane?

Currently, I'm working on a 1/3 scale Nieuport 11 and trying to decide if I want to weather it or not. I've about 90% decided to do so since it seems to be somewhat unique.

foodstick

No weathering makes warbirds of all makes look like toys to me... The character is in that unshaved dirt oil and water splashed finish

abufletcher

Not much "weathering" on WWI aircraft, but a LOT of grit and grease and grime.

biam

Yes on the weathering. One of my other past times is building model cars, they always get weathered, its just the right thing to do! So many more details can be added!

TFF

WW1 RC planes will naturally weather if they are flown and survive. The real ones did not last a long time so except for exhaust goo and bullet hole patches not much there. Shinny, even if the real one was, always gives an off impression. Knocking down the shine is always good. WW1 planes rarely look like 50 mission WW2 planes unless they were crashed in a field and left. Us glow guys use scale oil, so the streaks are scale by default. The opposite can happen if you care about contest planes. The US contest judges like weathering; international FAI judging discourages it.

Nieuport nut

My Feedback: (10)

I think these models should be weathered. It needs to be subtle but adds a degree of realism that "factory fresh" doesn't have - at least for me.

I had good luck with a simple brown latex wash on my Aviatik. You can see it here: post #159 http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/rc-s...i-build-7.html

Martin

bokuda

My Feedback: (7)

I did the same thing with my Nieuport and it worked very well and, as you said, it's very easy. My DR1 is naturally weathered, so like TFF said, weathering will happen anyway if the plane survives long enough!

Tmoth4

My Feedback: (1)

Yes! Weather it!

I did weathering on my Siemens-Schuckert and I think it adds a lot to the realism. I did very little on the fuselage and flying surfaces but concentrated on the cowl area and access panels. I tried to keep it subtle, especially since it was on white where if you overdo it, it could look gross.

Jim

BobH

My Feedback: (2)

Unless a plane either, WWI or WWII ,is right from the factory it will be weathered. How much depends on a lot of factors.
I've seen weathering from subtle to something that's "war weary'". Personally I like weathering that shows the use of the plane but not one that shows abuse of the plane. Just my preference.

Mein Duff

I love planes that are weathered but not overdone ( subjective of course)...From a pure scale judging standpoint it is almost required for the craftsmanship scoring
" IF THE ORIGINAL HAD SOME WEATHERING " Otherwise, if you are replicating a museum rebuild which in most cases are spiffy clean....you woudl do it clean ...then you are almost forced to fly a Tonka Toy look alike.
I can feel the emotional attachment the pilot has to his plane by attention to details like weathering...also flying a plane without a decent pilot should not be allowed.
So weather it up my friend and impress the hell out of us !!!
Eric

Nieuport nut

My Feedback: (10)

I've loved going to Rhinebeck since 1975 and believe me, planes that are used ever day look a little worn and weathered.

Martin

vogel605

In my opinion you really need to add weathering.

Eindecker_pilot

I'll 2nd that. I don't like my WWI airplanes to be clean; I like them dirtied up like they've been out in the field for a while. Looking at a lot of the old WWI photos, that's the way they appear to have been in reality. I think the combination of fabric covering and flying from grass & muddy surfaces really got them dirty pretty quick. I've got two models that are covered in antique solartex that are more than 10 years old and never cleaned, they have developed a very nice patina on them & look really good. My 1/3 scale Pup, after it was finished looked way too new sitting next to them so I actively weathered & dirtied it up. One of the things I did was rub certain areas of the fuselage with used exhaust oil. This ended up looking very good (just the right texture & color to get the effect I was after). Micromark sells a lot of coloring sticks & washes to get a soiled / weathered effect and I'm going to try those on my next project.

-Greg

foodstick

I weathered up my lozenged D7. I keep the wings in protective bags, the fuse hangs in the garage.. Everytime I put it together the dirty fuse looks so much nicer than the cleaner wings :P hahahahah

valleyk

I usually keep my opinions to myself when it comes to how one should present a ww1 plane. But I have been around rhinebeck aerodrome for many a years and they all look slightly glossy to me freshly painted and doped. Even the Castrol oil is clear and does not dirty the airframe.

Lucky Dog

My Feedback: (1)

I agree that weathering makes the airplane. I imaging the ac at Rhienbeck are better maintained than they actually were in WW1. In many original photos, WW1 aircraft right off the factory floor look "shiny" from the doped finish. They would have weathered and dulled quickly unless hangared I would guess.

Here's a good example of weathering on a expertly maintained aircraft, the original 1911 Bleriot at Old Warden in the UK in 2007. I don't know how long the fabric had been on at this time ( 10-15 years perhaps?), but even as seldom as it's flown, note the fuselage especially. Covered in castor oil. They have since recovered it btw.

Lucky Dog

My Feedback: (1)

When I built my Fokker EIV (kitbashed fron a BUSA EIIII kit), I'd found a picture and an artist rendering of a heavily weathered EIV. It was a lot of fun, and I've appreciated the compliments, especially when it was "new" and people would ask me how many years it had been flying.







Granted, it's easy to over do it. A rule of thumb I advise is stop when you think you're about 2/3 of the way there, then step back and look at it for while.

Dave Johnson (who is quite the accomplished WW1 scale modeler and competitor) told me one day that "You should never clean a WW1 airplane", I rarely do more than wipe some of the excess fuel residue after flying now.

Then you get lucky. It was wet and mudddy at our club field one day, and as a result I had the best mud splashes on the sides of the fuse and the elevator. As soon as I got home I clear-coated that mud right on there for good. The darker streak are the real mud.

Mein Duff

Now clear coating mud takes real dedication !!!!!!!!!!!!!
You are a testament to your breed my man !

Thanks for sharing...good stuff !