DocRob

Congrats Gaz, under the matte coat, everything clicked together, you built a beauty. Isn't it fully rewarding to have a build with so many obstacles ready to display. Like Kai said, I like the chosen plane with its unique scheme. Cheers Rob

Great fix with the canopy. and a nice journey to follow your build, but as an 'Alter Preuße', I will be in the front row of your next build. With brass and rigging involved, which only raises even more interest. Cheers Rob

Looking comfortingly good Phil. You are my current dummy, like we say in surfing , if the air is clear with your build, my cowardly me is starting mine. Progress is looking fine and what is to resist, with the powerful lines of a Mustang. Looking at yours, I may change my plan for building it as a British Mustang IV with camo to a NMF one. Cheers Rob

With most kits, I apply the base colours on a coat of primer and then add the effects like rust and others onto it. The only exception in my builds is the use of the hairspray method, which I really like for heavy weathering exactly for the fact, that it is right, building up the layers like on real subjects and erase layer(s) above. With the Ammoknight, I try something different. I build the layers of paint and rust up from the lowest layer, being primer, corrosion being the second layer and the base colour being the upmost. It's an experiment and the powersuit with it's organic shape and the 1/20 scale seems to be the perfect canvas. The difficulty I see for the next step of painting is, that there is no room for mistakes, because it's essentiell, that the colouration must be coherent on the hole body and there is no taking back. I'm not sure, if I can master that, but will try. Meanwhile, there are some pictures of my stomp footed friend, who looks, like he had a great time somewhere in a lake . Cheers Rob

Thank you Kai and Kev, this is a pure fun project for me and I like to be able to go a little over board, because the used techniques will help in other cases, used a little more restrained. Cheers Rob

Let's see, how fast this thing corrodes. First of all, I used an AK rust colour set, which generally was up to the job with the exception of the two darkest shades, which literally hardened in separated components and were beyond stirring up. I've never encountered something like this, with the other four colours being completely usable. First layer of rust dabbed on with the darkest shade, using a stiff old brush. The legs already received their second coat, a tad lighter. This base coat was a bit more liquid, to cover larger areas of the suit. As ugly as it is, I used the second colour, with slightly less area to randomly cover. I turned the brush permanently between my fingers, for hindering repeating patterns. With the third and fourth shade, always using a lighter colour, I covered even less area and used it more dryly, while dabbing on. I also emphasized the contours of the powersuit a little, unnecessary but fun. Cheers Rob

Please WIP this strange looking flying thingy. It looks like it has been part in the notorious films of the Sharknado series . Cheers Rob

Nice work on the engine, hatches and wheel wells. This will be a stunner. You have to love these Brassin engines. I have one for my FW as well, but still think of a second one, for display purpose. Cheers Rob

Nice haul Bill, The Hansa Brandenburg is a beauty and great to build, the Pfalz, I missed to buy and this is one of two or three WNW kits, I'd still like to add to my stash. Well the Pup, never had real feelings for her, but you will make her a masterpiece. Cheers Rob

Thanks Kai, flying is no option here, the power suit has no jets, so stumbling would be a possibility . The welding lady will be shown later, while painting her. Always good, to have some late attraction, when interest lowers . Cheers Rob

I prepared all the parts for receiving the base layer of randomly stippled rust, before the second colour layer will be added. This is the completed front side interior with visor (for now, I may add some loose wires and debris later) With the posable arms and legs, you can go for a bowling dio, or even break dance Cheers Rob

The tubing is looking great Kai and thanks for the info bit about the flow directions. Cheers Rob

Separate the men from the boys . Like W. C. Fields said: "Always carry a flagon of whiskey in case of snakebite and furthermore always carry a small snake." Cheers Rob

If you may allow, Folkwulfe, I want to place an OT comment here, because the subject was stressed in this thread by our moderators. We have a Non-LSM-place for WIP's and finished models, so why make exceptions. I never found myself humiliated by placing my small scale builds there. The new path lacks definition also. Up to wich size a non LSM-kit is Non-LSM or is a very small LS-kit like a Kettenkrad possibly Non-LSM. I don't want to provoke a LS argument here, but I can't see the point of the change of view. Anyway, I'm looking forward to see the U boat getting a great overhaul, wherever it is placed here. Cheers Rob

Thanks Gentlemen and I appreciate your interest into this build, which is a bit off the trotten path. This is what makes LSM the place to be, open minded, friendly and competent amigos all over the world . When I received the AK weathering pencils last year, I was first very dissapointed with them, while using them dry. They are to waxy, to get a good highlighting job out of them. Soon, I dicovered, where they really shine. It's when you apply some irregular dots of one or (better) different matching colours to the kits surfaces on appropriate places and blend them with a brush or cotton swab. You can steer the effect this way and its perfect for highlighting risen details with organic contours. The way to work with them, is similar to oil colours. Put some on and then reduce by using different grades of dampness on the colour. When you dab the wetted brush onto the penciled surface, you get irregular partly translucent residues of the pencil's colour on to flat areas, which is great for breaking the monotony. They are also very usefull for replicating liquid spills. I did that on the tubes leading down from the blue tank in the cockpit. I applied the wetted pencil dots around the joint and used a damp brush to pull the colour down, like poured liquid or condensation residues, which accumulated over time. The wetted brush allows you to pull the pencil colour, wherever you want it. This way, you can use it as a wash and for highlighting (with different colours of course) in one go. Is you don't like the effect, you can remove the pencil colour, with a brush or swab. Another benefit of the method is, that you can work with these pencils on matte surfaces. As there is no gloss coat necessary, you reduce the amount of layers and you work direct onto the colour, which to my eye gives a more consistent result, without the risk of damaging lower layers with aggressive weathering substances. Cheers Rob

Today, I weathered the interior further, using different AK weathering pencils. I dabbed the tip into water and then applied it heavily, using light green, petrol and light blue. With a wetted brush, I spread the pencil dots and removed them partly. This way, it's pretty easy to control the effect. The main idea was to get a bit more greenish and of course used appearance to the interior, to make it fit better to the planned green outside. When everything is completely dried, I will evaluate, if I go a little further or better a step back, which is possible with these pencels. On the pictures the effect of the green appears stronger, than under daylight. Cheers Rob

Impressive work, all around. I love the detailing, where the PE is looking like the real deal. Cheers Rob

Yeah, would be interesting. I'm a little bit jealous, I have to admit. Most of you guys seem to have unlimited access to even the rarest spirits. On my tiny island it's hard to get even a single malt or main brand Bourbon. There is no Whisk(e)y tradition here. Luckily, it's a little bit better with Brandy, Rum and foremost Gin. Cheers (and I mean it) Rob

Convincing painting, decaling and weathering work as ever Mike. You make the plain painted surfaces pop during your processes. The soldered skid struts look the part. I never realized, what a laborious construction this is. Cheers Rob

Thanks for the clarification Hubert and it's not only the skin, I'm concerned about, when using these erasers. These fibers are very light and as you can see them circulating in the air, I do not like to imagine, what damage they will do inside the lungs. I wear a mask, when I use them for more than one or two strokes. Cheers Rob

Be my guest Kai , the seat is really looking comfy for it's purpose. Many tank crew members would have been jealous, seeing this seat. Oils to my eye are perfect to replicate wood and leather, as you can be very subtle blending the colours 'wet in wet'. You can even create a little type of texture, due to the paste like consistence. Cheers Rob

A stunning display, of what is possible with these erasers Kai, it looks fabulous.

This is a fiber eraser. It's like a pen with an insert of glass? fibers with a diameter of ca. 5 mm. It is very handy to remove paint on later to glue joints like spars in tight fit WNW interiors. or, like here for weathering purposes. These pens are really abrasive, but I don't like the fine fiber residues in the air, when working with them. It's better to wear a mask and gloves, because the fibers stuck into the fingers like very fine cactus stings. Cheers Rob

It's time for superficial destruction, great. Loaded with a bunch of tools, like tweezers fiber eraser, stiff brush and toothpicks, I scratched the formerly hairspray based parts, to show some wear. This is only the first step of weathering, the next will include some work with dampened weathering pencils. This will reduce some of the heavy chips and will give depth and tonal balance, paired with some enhanced colour richness. The complete inside of the power suit, with added detail painting and first step of mechanical chipping I like, how the seat turned out, painted with oils. This view will only be partly visible, with the half opened power suit, that's why I didn't add detail, like wires, etc. This is the inside of the visor part with some more detail painting to add. Cheers Rob

I like your approach Gaz, you base your painting and weathering on your research of the real thing. Often modelers tend to follow trotten pathes, which equally often are not to back up through research. Making it look real, is quite different from making it look good. Without judging, I have to say, I sometimes envy you a little for being so thorough. My personal way, is completely different. I use reference to start my imagination and follow this way through a build to weathering with a personal biased view, not an objective one. This forum gains a lot from these different approaches and it's always interesting, to catch up with your builds. Cheers Rob