Wingnut Wings 1/32 Albatros D.Va - COMPLETED!

[petrov27]

That is really looking great - the wood effect is spot on. Are you masking each panel before you apply the oil? Are you using some sort of dryer or additive to get them to dry quicker?

Great choice of scheme as well - that is gonna look fantastic when complete - lots of color to go with the natural wood fuselage

[eclarson]

That is really looking great - the wood effect is spot on. Are you masking each panel before you apply the oil? Are you using some sort of dryer or additive to get them to dry quicker?

Great choice of scheme as well - that is gonna look fantastic when complete - lots of color to go with the natural wood fuselage

Thank you!  I'm not masking the panels.  I use a fine cut down brush to initially apply the oil paint mix being careful to stay within the molded panel lines.  Then a small block of sponge foam is used to wipe off the excess followed by other brushes to form the grain patterns.   While working,  I occasionally dip the brushes in odorless mineral spirits, wiping excess off on a paper coffee filter, and this helps the paint stay workable and speeds up the drying. 

Every time I do wood grain effects I learn something new and refine my techniques a little further.  It's very easy to do but takes practice to master.  One important thing I've learned is not to leave a heavy layer of oil paint.  That's a mistake I've sometime seen on other people's work.  Not only does it take longer to dry, it can also leave an undesirable texture.

Eric

[eclarson]

I finished the fuselage wood this afternoon.  Now I'll let it dry for a few days before giving it a coat of straight Tamiya Clear Gloss for protection followed by a light coat of thin Tamiya Clear Yellow/Orange mix to give it that varnished look.








One thing about doing wood effect with oil paints, it does get messy!  Here's the aftermath of this afternoon's session.  And yes, I use all those brushes during the process.

[RAGIII]

excellent results. I love the wood grain!
RAGIII

[gedmundson]

Excellent work Eric. Your wood grain looks just right. I think oil paints are definitely the way to go for that.
Cheers,
Gary

[Alexis]

I really like it Eric , the effect isn't over done at all . You have just the right amount of balance . Going to look super when clear coated 


Terri

[Ian from Doncaster]

The tonal variation does come through, whether that is down to varying the oils or your base coats is another thing - but that doesn’t matter, the end result looks like the natural variations you get from using the same batch of ply.!

[eclarson]

Major fuselage painting and wood work on the Albatros is done including the tinted varnish clear coat.  Masking over the wood grain to paint the black was scary! 





Eric

[smperry]

Beautiful work Eric.
sp

[FAf]

Gorgeous looking colours!
/Fredrik

[kensar]

Looks like you've 'pulled it off'.   

[gbrivio]

Beautiful work on interiors and woodgrain fuselage. Very well done.
Ciao
Giuseppe

[fredjocko]

Very nice wood grain!! I'll have to try thinning the oil paint more if it helps speed up the drying.

[RAGIII]

Superb results on the graining and other painting! I Love your Method and even though it is close to how I do things, I admire the results!
RAGIII

[eclarson]

Thank you all for those very kind words.  While waiting for the fuselage's clear coats to fully cure before applying the HGW nail-head decals, I started work on the Daimler-Mercedes D.IIIa engine.

It's received the Taurus full meal deal - timing gear & valve springs, spark plugs, and priming cups - which I just finished installing tonight. The valve handles for the priming cups will be added after painting to prevent breakage. The white blob is my custom installation tool for the priming cups - poster putty. Trying to hold them with tweezers is impossible due to their shape. Attempting to do so with the first one resulted in it pinging off into oblivion. Good thing Taurus included a spare. Each cup unit was slightly embedded in the narrow end of the putty blob which held it just enough to allow it to be placed in the hole drilled in the cylinder casing.





Cheers,
Eric