Scale aviation modeller international

model using an airbrush (I usually

rattle can this bit) and just took my

time around the edges, armed with

a couple of inch-square pieces of

thin card, hand-masking as I went

along, and this seemed to work

fine. I think it saved me ages of

time applying masking using tape,

and probably breaking off some of

the smaller parts along the way.

I thought I’d have a go at a new

technique to me for the overall

finish – marbling. It’s probably

not so appropriate for painted

canvas, but I thought I could always

cover it over if it didn’t work out. It

basically involves a black primer

base (or ideally a very dark version

of the main colour), followed by

a light colour or white mottling,

before applying a light overspray

of the final colour to provide a

distressed finish. The thickness

of the final coat determines the

translucency of the finished effect.

The first step is to paint the

model in something not dissimilar

to a Luftwaffe night scheme – lots

of pale squiggles – before painting

over in the base colour (MRP

Bleached Linen, thinned with Mr.

Paint Levelling Thinners for the

undersides), until it just shows.

The top and bottom wing ribs

were masked after a light base

coat (MRP PC10) and a slightly

darker shade misted on for

highlights. The underside edges

were now masked off with tape

to give the PC10 border (a not

inconsiderable amount of masking).

I was fairly pleased with the

marbling effect so far, although

I was concerned that it might

disappear once filters, gloss,

and satin coats were applied. I

kept the struts placed in their

sockets to prevent any paint

buildup, as I wanted to have a

good, tight fit there: a lesson

learnt from previous builds!

So now that the main painting

had been completed, I moved

on to the finishing touches. The

instructions showed the cowling

as gloss-painted PC10, or the

standard battleship grey. In the

end I hedged my bets and went

for a dark grey shade for the

cowling; call it artistic licence.

I presume the reference photo of

the aircraft WNW used suggested

a dark-painted PC10, but it could

easily have been a dark grey (as

opposed to the standard mid-grey,

which appears very light from

period photos). It looked OK, to me

anyway, and as WW1 colours are

fairly subjective, I was happy.

I now added a little chipping

and wear around the edges with

a fine brush, then added all the

detail paint before glossing with

Alclad Aqua Gloss (airbrushed)

for the upcoming decals.

Standing back and taking an

overview at this point, I thought

the mottling looked generally

good, although it appeared to

look different depending on

the light source; you can hardly

see it in some lights but then in

others, it looks a bit overdone.

The decals went on very nicely,

as they usually do with Wingnut’s,

gently rubbed on and then using

a gentle blast with the hairdryer

to nestle them down. I did not use

any decal solutions on this model,

and in fact Wingnut state that

solutions aren’t necessary. The

wing tapes got a light sanding, just

enough to take off the top layer of

paint to create some highlights.

I used some artist’s oils for

weathering, using a dark brown

shade, dabbed on and feathered

in with a soft brush. The beauty of

this method is that the oils are very

workable after application, and if

they don’t look right, they are easily

removed with a tissue or cotton

bud dampened with white spirits.

Once I was happy, the finish was

sealed in with Alclad Flat varnish.

I usually use their Soft Sheen,

which gives, as the name suggests,

a light sheen, but I thought I’d try

the matt. I must admit I quite liked

it and It seemed more in-scale

somehow. I now set the model aside

for a while to make sure it was

fully dried before handling again.

FINISHING OFF

I could now start the fun part of

adding a few of the additional

parts like the undercarriage, front

cowl, exhausts, and tail. I had

been really poor in the planning

of the rigging (I was putting it off

until the end). Not that rigging

is bad, in fact it can be quite

therapeutic, but nonetheless, it is

still a task that requires a degree

of patience and time (though I

am generally glad to finish).

I at least felt that I was on the

home straight now. The rigging

can be half -done prior to the

top wings being attached. This

actually makes the job a lot easier

and less fiddly than trying to do

it with the wings in place. The

outer wings on the Dolphin are

70 • OCTOBER 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL

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