Matt/Satin/Gloss???

[Vitor Costa]

Hello friends

Being a newbie in the WWI subject i have searched for many references to learn about the subject. Not always the pictures showing the "real thing" are good enough to see the finish look of the aircrafts. The kits, well i see lots of different approaches, so, the question: Matt/Satin/Gloss? a mix of it?

Thank you in advance.

cheers

Vitor Costa

[Squiffy]

I would say not to use gloss at all on small scale models (that includes 1/32 scale) because shine doesn't scale. By that I mean if you take, for example, a die cast model car out of the box it looks like a toy because it's shiny. It may be no shinier than the real car but it just looks wrong on a small model. The same idea applies to aircraft.

[Des]

I finish my models with a 50/50 mix of gloss and matt, this gives a really nice satin finish, I use Humbrol clear cotes.

Des

[stefanbuss]

"My mix" depends on the parts i want to cover - metal parts (cowlings) I normally do shinier then fabric covered elements.

S.

[Ernie]

"My mix" depends on the parts i want to cover - metal parts (cowlings) I normally do shinier then fabric covered elements.

S.

Same here.

Cheers,
Ernie

[lcarroll]

"My mix" depends on the parts i want to cover - metal parts (cowlings) I normally do shinier then fabric covered elements.

S.

    I too like the "mixed" approach, Vitor, with fabric on the duller end of the spectrum and metal at the glossier end. I've become a great fan of the relatively new Vallejo Polyurethane Varnishes, they come in gloss, satin, and matt and I tend to mix them as required to get a little contrast in finish. I also avoid a "full gloss" finish.
Cheers,
Lance

[Vitor Costa]

Hello friends.

Thank you for your help. Since this aircrafts used so many different materials and finishing (painted areas/wood/fabric/metal) i was expecting to find a characteristic finish for each one. Varnished wood... gloss? Satin? Painted areas? Matt? Gloss? Fabric? matt? Painted Fabric, satin? There is any "rule" for each kind of material?

Sorry so many questions but i want to make it right since the beginning.

Thank you all once more.

Kind regards

Vitor Costa

[ALBATROS1234]

I finish all of my world war 1 aircraft models in matte .mainly because this is my personal preference.coming from the factory they would look more like semi gloss but in the field the UV would take the shine off a tad plus I like to weather my aircraft which means it could be a light film of dust contributing to the overall finish.to me an overall matte coat ties it all together blending in the decals xcetera

[tcraftpilot]

I would suggest looking at the aircraft produced by TVAL, Fred Murrin, and several others who are using original construction methods.  They often have a semi gloss to a matt look and they are maintained to a high degree, and kept out of the sun. So I would say a more matt look for aircraft in service.  I will defer to those more knowledgeable for WW1 era aircraft, but I do know that doped finishes on fabric areas for 30s and 40s era light aircraft such as Piper Cubs, Taylorcrafts, Aeroncas etc...were matt in appearance and did not match the glossy finishes on the metal parts such as cowlings and struts.