SPA Modeler

Joe, that is double, extra spiffy!

Loving that Fiat. Can't wait to see the decals & weathering, that'll blend those colours nicely.

That camo looks pretty good, glad the liquid mask worked for you. I have never had any luck with that stuff except when bordered with tape.

So, I've decided, after much review, (which generally means my wife's opinion), to try and smooth the tan markings. I not only asked her as an unbiased eye, but also shot a few PMs to some of the guys on STORMO!, which is a pretty neat forum 90% geared to the Regia Aeronautica. This is one of those rare reference sites that fills a much needed niche. I would highly recommend going there if you're considering anything flown by the Italian Air Force, or Italian aircraft flown by the Luftwaffe. The folks there know their stuff!

As par for the course, I digress. While floating around Stormo, I found some more photos of similar camo schemes. Apparently, the lines were a bit softer than I had originally thought. So a lot of poster putty and painters tape later......



Here it is ready to paint, which I did this morning before work. hopefully, the paint will be cured by tomorrow and I can handle it enough to post the end results.

The concept here was to soften the tan edges. Although it does give a nice "Naval/beach 3D camo" effect.....

For the record, it took me almost 4 days to tape it off for a 2 minute paint session......why do we do such crazy things??????

As always, thanks for looking!

And thanks for all the kind words and constructive criticism.

What a masking job...

Dude, you found the old "hippie dippie weatherman's" airplane. Whoaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, Where is by Grateful Dead shirt...

Seriously, my eye almost fell out...the good one.

Here she is after masking has been removed. I like the softer lines here better. What I may try next time, is outlining my patter with putty, then using the masking in place of all that tape!



Next comes the detail work and installation of the seat, IP, gun sight, engine, cowl, guns, landing gear and decals.

Then comes my favorite part, getting it dirty!!!!

Thanks for looking.

A clear coat, a nice wash for the panel lines; this will look stunning!

Thomas_M wrote:A clear coat, a nice wash for the panel lines; this will look stunning!

Thanks Thomas! Truth be told, applying a wash and weathering are my favorite part of the build!

Applied the "white" this morning, so one step closer to decals....



For those who may have been skeptical about my use of Model master FS36622 Camouflage Gray as a substitute for white, here's the end result in sunlight. The gray is actually light enough to give a dirty flat white appearance, which is a great help. The effect is not only of being dirty, but sun-faded as well, which is exactly right. Especially for an aircraft stationed in Libya!