You know, guys are always asking me how I do various techniques, from washes to detailing...weathering to spraying. So, in this section I want to try and explain some of the approaches I take that work for me. You know, there really is no right way, just different methods and techniques. Some work better for me than others and that's all this section of the site is about - how GC does it! Hope you find it helpful. If you've got any ideas or requests based on any of the projects you've seen me tackle over the years, then just e-mail me at geoff.coughlin@btinternet.com I'll do my best to include it here.

You'll find below tips and reference photos for:
- Using a hand-held pin vice drill
- Creating glass faces to instrument dials / panels
- Polishing canopies
- Getting rid of join lines
- Applying decals
- Undercarriage legs - detailing / painting
- Weathering bombs
- Weathering prop blades
- Realistic aerial wires
- Rescribing panel lines
- Enhancing rivet detail
- Removing the mould seam from canopies
- Weathering jets with pastels
- Making jet aircraft mirrors
- Filling hairline joins and gaps
- Adding grey touch-up paint to US Navy jet aircraft
- Using Micromesh to polish the paint finish

More to follow...

Using a hand-held pin vice drill


You can get these small hand-help pin vice drills from most decent model suppliers like Shesto. They usually come in varying sizes and usually take separate drill bits from 0.3mm up to about 6mm and larger. Clearly the small bits, especially the 0.3mm ones are extremely delicate. TIP: make sure when inserting the very small bits that they go well down into the chuck, leaving only about 1.5mm-2mm protruding. They will last you a lot longer this way and shouldn't keep breaking as often!

Uses for these drills is vast, but I mainly use them for:
- accentuating moulded rivets on 1:32 and 1:48 scale aircraft (especially F-4s)!
- opening up holes for stores pylons, usually indicated in the instructions
- making locating holes for thin fuse wire when added to undercarriage legs to represent brake and hydraulic lines


This is a great set of drill bits I picked up at the IPMS Nationals - Scale Modelworld, Telford last year.

Creating glass faces to instrument dials on panels
This is one of the most straightforward techniques you can use to improve the appearance of your instrument panels. Although I have only used it on aircraft projects, it must be good for you auto modellers too?

What we are trying to achieve here is an instrument dial face that looks like glass.



If you have applied decals to the panel over the raised detail this is ideal and Tamiya often supply decals for this purpose. The trick is to use plenty of Micro Set and Sol decal softening solutions to get the decal to completely conform to the raised surface - and let it dry thoroughly.

Even if you have used etched parts the technique is the same...
Then using a very fine brush add a tiny amount of gloss varnish, neat to each dial face. Sometimes I find it easier to use a cocktail stick, with the very tip cut off. This gives you much more control when adding the varnish.

You can see me using Humbrol Clear Cote here. I find that this gloss varnish is a little thicker than most and therefore ideal for the task! Note too that the instrument panel has been completely finished apart from this process for the dials - all the painting and dry-brushing is complete. You don't want anything to affect your finish on the dials. TIP: make sure you mask off the cockpit opening if later applying a flat or satin varnish to the main airframe, it's all too easy to get some overspray in the recess and mess upyour dials!

Polishing canopies
I know that many of you reading this like to dip your clear parts in Johnson's Klear - Future clear floor polish. The technique I want to sho you here is simple, fast and pretty fail-safe - famous last words! No really, it is very easy but makes a world of difference to the finished parts.

Here I have used MER car polish. I get it from Halfords car and bicycle shop in the UK. It comes in a blue plastic bottle and contains enough that will last forever - literally. This polish is excellent and gets rid of clouded clear parts and brings them up crystal clear.



I use a good quality furniture duster. Add a small amount of MER and gently, I mean gently work it into the clear canopy (my Hobby Boss A-10 here). Just a couple of minutes and let it dry for about 2 minutes. Then take a clean corner of the duster and gently buff up the canopy. Done! It's as simple as that. Remember to wash the part in clean cool water and dry with a cotton towel. This will make sure that the surface is clean to take paint.




Getting rid of join lines
Isn't that just so annoying. You add the liquid weld / poly, tape the fuselage up and, hey presto, when all's dry there's an annoying join line that you just can't sand away?

Here's how to get rid of it:

Firstly, prevention is better than cure. Make sure when you are holding the parts to be jolined together, you allow about 0.5mm gap so the liquid weld flows into the join, not just along it on theoutside. Then when you tape the parts together to dry, you should see a slight bead appear along the join - good. This can be sanded off when all is dry (at least 24 hours)and hopefully you won't have the join seam to get rid of?!

When (sorry, if) this doesn't always work...

1. You need to dig out the affected area. I use a drawing pin and run it all along the affected area. You have to make the gap bigger so that it can be filled properly - just like in big-boys decorating in the house. those hairline cracks in the ceiling will just keep coming back


2. Run some thick superglue gel into the gap I use a cocktail stick to apply the cyano so that it doesn't go everywhere.



3. The cyano is set instantly using a cyano activator or accelerator



4. Finally the fully dry area can be sanded smooth with a nail polisher or sanding stick. Rough side first, then the white medium grain and finally polished using the grey smooth side - done!



Any 'lost' rivet detail can be restorred using the same pin or each drilled out using a 0.3mm bit in a hand help pin vice drill.



Applying decals

I've tried to describe what I do here, but other guys have their views...this is just my approach and I've found the techniques work well for me, so here goes...

First off are the Micro Set and Sol decal wetting solutions. They are good for really helping your decals draw down over any raised or engraved detail, and when dry and varnished over create that sprayed-on look. As ever, you need to apply your decals to a really glossy surface, so either gloss paint or a gloss varnish over your flat surface is essential. you don't want to trap any air, however slight under the decal and get that horrible 'silvering' effect.

I use a very small brush to add a little Micro Set to the area where the decal is going to go. Slide your decal on after it has floated on a little water - it should come off the decal sheet easily after a minute or so. Never immerse the whole decal in the water, otherwise the glue will be lost and it won't stick to your model!

When the decal is in place, I gentle press down on it with some fine cloth or clean tissue. after about 10 minutes, it is ready for a little Micro Sol. This is stronger than the Set, so go easy, but by applying a small drop over the decal and spreading it over the surface, the decal will soften considerably and go down over even quite heavy raised detail. Just apply more Sol - 3-4 times allowing a couple of minutes between each application - then LEAVE IT ALONE! The decal may appear to wrinkle, but this is normal and it will straighten out and draw down beautifully overnight.



I think Micro Set and Sol work best on: Superscale, Microscale, Xtradecals and Aeromaster decals - they are thinner than some and need an appropriate wetting solution.

BUT WAIT!!!! What about the thicker decals like: Hasegawa, Tamiya and Daco for example? For these there is no substitute like the newer setting solutions from Mr Mark: Mr Mark Setter and Softer


These are used in much the same way as the Set and Sol described above. The Mr Mark softer is used as Micro Sol (above). You do need to go easy as these solutions appear to be much stronger than their Micro equivalents. The decals need to be accurately placed in their position and try not to move them once plced on the Mr Mark Setter.

They seem to work extremely well on the thicker decals and really draw down superbly.

So, in summary, for me it's just using the right tool for the right job, or should I say, the right solution for the right type of decal.
Good luck!


Undercarriage legs - Detailing and painting


Here you can see the nose gear unit for the Academy F/A-18 Hornet in 1:32nd scale. I used at least two different sized fine fuse wire (like the wire often used to wrap around half-decent bottles of Spanish wine!). Using different sized wire helps to create an authentic representation of the real thing - rather than the first wire that comes to hand? It can be much easier if you drill small locating holes for at least one end of the wire,and then bend it into shape. The new hydraulic line is held secure with small strips of lead foil - also taken from the tops of some old wine bottles (the wine definitely helps - but forget this type of detail work if you exceed 2 glasses!!!). Cyano hold it all in place.


In this image of the main gear units for the Hornet, the additional work is paying off - especially when you see the difference all your hard work makes when they are painted, weathered and finished.


I really like this image because it shows lots of things...The base white colour is Tamiya flat White, but it's gone on over their gloss Black. The result should be a very nice satin-like finish. Whatever happens though, you can always spray satin varnish over the top. Note too the different coloured brake and hydraulic lines and I still have some old MV lenses (sadly no longer available - you used to be able to get them from ED Models - again, now also sadly long gone). The stencils are decals from the kit sheet - all very thoughtful from Academy as they enhance the finished undercarriage units no end. Eduard also do a stunning pre-painted stencil sheet for the F/A-18 that's a must!


Here you can see a rear view of the F-16's main gear unit (from my Israeli F-16C Barak conversion from the Tamiya kit, using Isracast parts). The Tamiya kit is excellent, but it's almost impossible to mould - tool for this level of detail and that's where the spares box comes in. I have a mini-spares box with loads of tiny off-cuts of fuse wire, plasticard, etched brass and all manner of other tiny bits and pieces. several have been added here. The main additions though, are fine fuse wire rolled between two steel rules to get it perfectly straight and cut to length having been measured with a pair of pointers.


Front view of the same gear unit this time. Note the use of small strips of lead foil for the retaining straps around the legs for securing the brake and hydraulic lines.

Here are a few reference photographs of the undercarriage units of a real Hornet





Some more painting tips...
When painting the actual hydraulic / brake lines I tend to use enamel paint, quite well thinned, rather than acrylic. The enamel stays in liquid form for much longer allowing you to get into the small areas before drying. Acrylics tend to dry very quickly and gunge-up and need frequent cleaning...life's too short!

I always use a fine pointed brush for this detail paintng, helps accuracy. Any areas where you've gone onto the main leg can be re-touched in with the base colour on the leg.


Weathering bombs


Here I have begun weathering some German WWII bombs for a 1:32nd scale Fw190F-8. The base colour is Chromate Yellow (Tamiya flat). This gives a nice flat base onto which the various stages of weathering are added. Bbefore adding very subtle paint chipping as you can see here with a pointed graphite pencil (H or HB is good) lightly dry brush with Humbrol 56 silver or Citadel Colour - Bolt Gun Metal (very good). Subtlety is the name of the game here - just taking time and adding little by little until you suddenly see the finish you're after


Weathering prop blades


The weathering technique that you can see here is very similar to that shown above for ordnance. The pointed tip is good for the small scratches and chips, but these are very subtle. In addition, try running the side of the graphite around the edge. This has the effect of building up a nice metallic edge to the prop blade, without being too stark. Looking at Luftwaffe prop blades in wartime images they didn't seem to chip all that much - more a general weathering and lightening of the paint/lacquer applied to them. There are always exceptions, but in the main, pretty subtle really. The flash has caught the graphite markings in this image and they look a lot brighter than when viewed in natural daylight, but it at least shows the kind of weathering you can add.


Realistic aerial wires


Creating realistic aerial wires is something that I struggled with for a long time until someone introduced me to really fine fishing line. You can see that I'm using some made by Mitchell, 'Pro'. I drill a small hole in the top of the fin leading edge (using a 0.3mm pin vice drill) if that's where one end locates. Then adding a tiny bit of cyano glue one end is attached / pushed into the hole and a tiny anount of accelerator applied to set it firmly. Here though, I needed to attach the rear of the line to the top of the tiny aerial pylon on top of the fin of this Fw190A-5. Add a tiny amount of cyano to the tip of the pole and secure in the same way.

The other end is pulled across to the top of the canopy and attached to the location point - all in the same manner as above. The icing on the cake in terms of realism though, is to run some Citadel Colour Chainmail paint along the wire with the side of a paintbrush. Keep the paint to a minimum and lightly build up the metallic effect - just a few passes is normally sufficient and it only takes a minute - literally!. The end result is usually pretty pleasing and finishes off your model very nicely. The wire can just be seen in this image.

Rescribing panel lines


My favourite scribing tool in the Olfa P-Cutter. It's available from Hannants and other outlets. Gentle even pressure is the name of the game here - keeping the point of the blade at rightangles to the surface. To guide the blade on straight flat areas like wing surfaces I use a flexible steel rule, with some thin flat pieces of BluTac on the back to avoid teh rule slipping. The problem is the curved fuselage areas and the best way I've found to tackle this is to cut quite thin strips of Dymo tape (you know, the plastic tape that goes into those embossing punch machines that make business labels? Staples sell it in the UK). The thinner the strip, the more pronounced the curve that can be scribed and because it is self-adhesive it won't move - ideal for the scribing process.

In this image I'm rescribing the engine intakes for the big Academy F/A-18C Hornet


Enhancing rivet detail


On larger projects like the F/A-18C Hornet the canopy is usually covered in rows of rivets along the frame. They look even better when the model is painted up, weathered and finished if you drill the rivets out slightly. I use a 0.3mm bit in a pin vice drill. Here, I am drilling out the front windscreen frame. Go easy though, because although you get a small recess that's really useful to guide the point of the bit, it's easy to get carried away and go right through and you want to avoid this.


Removing the mould seam from canopies


I use nail buffers and the excellent sanders from Mastercasters. The nail buffers can be purchased from just about any supermarket's nail-care section and they cost about £2.00 each. (Mastercasters have their own website - you can get the link from www.britmodeller.com). Don't confuse these buffers with emery boards and the rough sanders - their use will be terminal! - Cutting too deeply. Using the coarsest side first (that's actually quite smooth to the touch), the raised seam line can be very gently sanded away. The key here is to be really gentle in your sanding - across the join rather than a circular motion helps keep the friction exactly where you want it - on the raised mould seam.


Then it's just a case of using the remaining two grades on the buffer, the polishing sticks from Mastercasters and finally polishing (again very gently) with MER car polish.


MER car polish comes in blue plastic bottles in the UK. I bought the smallest bottle available (from Halfords, the bicycle and car accessories retail outlet), which is still quite big, and decant small amounts into an old paint bottle. This stuff lasts forever - literally, if you keep it airtight in the containers. We bought a bottle at our model club many years ago and people chipped in a few pence to get a bottle full - that way we all saved!


The finished canopy...crystal clear and no seam - great! Be sure to give it a gentle wash with a little hand-wash and water. Dry with a very clean cotton cloth, like a soft towel. Again, you need to be careful here, I cracked a canopy some time ago, they're much more brittle that we may think.

Weathering grey jets with pastels
This technique is designed to enhance panel lines in a restrained way and add general weathering to the aircraft. I bought a great box of 12 grey (and 12 'browny') pastel chalks from an art shop. I use this as the basis for much of my weathering on fast jets - well, grey ones that is...I have two short stubby paint brushes with only a couple of mm of bristle. They can be wiped across a slightly darker grey pastel stick than the base colour on the aircraft. The idea here is to be pretty subtle, adding more when necessary to get the effect you are after. Remember, you can add but cannot take away with this method, but I think that's all part of the skill we're trying to develop with this approach. It is much easier than it may seem, and because the colour you're ading isn't far off the base colour, minor mistakes can be readily corrected by adding lighter pastel over any error.




Here I'm working on my RAF Eurofighter Typhoon F2 - centreline tank. Note the pastel goes onto the final flat finish because they don't work at all well on a gloss finish. The effect is also dramatically changed if you spray over the pastels, agai, not recommended. The pastels set pretty fast and secure once applied, just avoid getting your model wet!


Academy F/A-18A Hornet this time (converted using excellent Cutting Edge set). I also have a pastel box containing lots of various colours.


You can see the small stubby brush I use for this task. It enables me to apply the pastel chalk exactly where it's needed. I use about 4 different sized brushes for adding pastels. Some are very thin and fine and all are kept solely for this purpose because the brush needs to be absolutely dry - you can't afford to get any moisture on the pastel sticks.


Making jet aircraft mirrors
I came across some chrome-looking snowflake Christmas decorations and the mind got to work....as it does... and I thought that if you trim them up, then you could get several mirrors from one tiny snowflake! And so that's what I did here for the three mirrors needed on my 1: 48 Revell Eurofighter Typhoon F2 canopy.


On each twig you can see the outline of the mirror shape. Using a sharp scalpel, I just cut around the 'mirror' and attached it with cyano...job done! The forward facing side is painted the inside canopy frame colour )Revell matt No.9 dark grey here) and the highly mirrored face points to the rear.


You can just see the mirrors and also the fuse wire grab-handles on the inside edge of the raised canopy?

Filling hairline joins and gaps
What I used to find really frustrating was how to fill those really fine joins and gaps that were too small to use filler and too wide to join with liquid poly. To be honest I owe Ted Taylor on this one...Many years ago we were chatting at the Model Engineer Exhibition at Alexandra Palace in London. He gave me the tip to use PVA glue or Micro Kristel Klear (from Microscale who do the decal setting solutions). Using a cocktail stick I apply the PVA along the join. If you can get your little finger sufficiently into the join, I lightly moisten it and wipe it right down the join and hey presto! The gap is filled and all that engraved detail is intack. The latter would certainly have been damaged if I had tried to sand in this area and very difficult to reinstate!

Some of the PVA may get into the fine recessed detail and if it does just use a pin or compass point to gently remove it.


You can see me applying the Kristal Klear to the fin root of a Hasegawa F/A-18D Hornet.


Adding grey touch-up paint to US Navy jet aircraft

Look at almost any image of 'modern' US Navy jet aircraft and you'll see that the maintenance personnel regularly touch-up the paintwork. This is especially evident along many of the panel lines that might get chipped and worn during the harsh operating conditions from US carriers. The technique is to use either a lighter or darker shade of the main camouflage colour (depending on the reference photos / aircraft you're looking at). I spray the paint freehand from my airbrush but it's not as tricky as it may at first seem. The paint is thinned slightly more than usual - to almost a 50-50 mix. The pressure is turned down on the compressor to about 8-10 psi and the paint nozzle almost closed, so that just the faintest amount of paint is coming out.

To be honest, I use enamles mostly and find them much better for this type of work as acrylics seem to keep drying and clogging the nozzle, and that's hugely frustrating!.


As you can see here, the nozzle is brought in very close to the kit surface and that way you get a nice thin pencil line and fine feathered edge. I've moved the airbrush slightly to one side so you can see the effect here. When I'm actually spraying the paint, the nozzle is more vertical - directly over the area to cover.




Note also the application of scuff marks created by the ground / deck crews clambering over the airframe. Here they've been added using a sharp ordinary graphite pencil (HB or B). For the eagle-eyed amongst you...you will have noticed that the tiny rivets have been drilled out using a hand-held 0.3mm pin vice drill ! A bit time consuming but I think it really helps create the realistic overall finish I'm after.

Using Micromesh to polish the paint finish
This material is quite superb...you can get it from Hannants (amongst others) and what you get is a set that includes:
- a firm sponge/ rubbery sanding block
- several grades of micromesh - an ultra smooth surface backed onto fabric that comes in several outrageously useful grades like: 3600, 4000, 6000, etc up to around 12000 You can imagine the super smooth polished finishes that are possible.

What's more...the material can be washed and reused several time...and it doesn't distress the paintwork too much at all.

I find it especially useful for getting rid of the hairline raised demarcation line between masked painted areas. You can see me sanding the join on the top of the wing between the grey and camo colours. This means that if you have to lay a decal or decals across the demarcation line, you don't get that annoying 'fictitious' raised line that so ofen can be seen when the decals dry and have settled down over the surface detail...A tip is to regularly wipe the mesh while sanding to remove any excess build up of dust.



Another great use is for polishing canopies, especially after you have gently sanded away the mould seam that you get on rounded jet canopies like the F/A-18 Hornet and F-16 Fighting Falcon. The technique of removing the mould seam is shown above.