Eduard A6M3 Hamp , 1/48th Scale

 

So here we are done. After the initial mottling I sat back and looked at the model, and whilst I really liked the mottled effect, I had to admit that it wasn't actually accurate. These aircraft weren't so much mottled as badly sprayed over their upper surfaces - the idea was to paint them dark green on top, not mottle the amber-grey. So I had to revisit it.

So the PS771 airbrush was loaded up with more Mr Color C124 green, and I carefully went over the model to deepen the mottle.

In the end I went back four or five times over the space of a day or so. It can become to formulaic and regular if you attempt this sort of thing in one sitting, so doing one pass and walking away for an hour before going back pays dividends in both keeping it random and allowing you closely monitor how heavily the overpainting is getting. 

Ultimately I was extremely happy with the result. I managed to incorporate the initial mottling into the overspray to achieve a highly variegated finish which matched what I was visualising very nicely. It's irregular and blotchy but heavy enough to look like a badly sprayed aircraft, not a heavy mottle.

I added a  wash to the model using payne's grey and raw umber oil paints mixed with odourless thinner. There's so much surface detail and riveting to highlight that a pin wash is not going to capture it well, so it was more a sludge wash totally covering the model with a wide Filbert brush, allowed to dry for an hour or so and then polished with lots of kitchen towel. 

The chipping was done with Ammo Of Mig 0194 flat aluminium applied with a fine brush, again building it up very gently over multiple sessions to try and achieve something I was happy with - heavy on the wing roots and around removable panels and fasteners elsewhere. Pretty happy with it although it could be refined more - something to work on! With the chipping done the model received two liberal coats of Mr Color GX114 super smooth flat coat with some GX112 mixed in to add a slight sheen. 

When the varnish was dry some areas of chipping and other wear had some Ammo oilbrusher earth dotted around and worked with a slightly moist brush to dull the shine down and make it look slightly more lived in!  Final weathering was drybrushed oils of various colours including my very favourite Starship filth, with some black and other browns for other stains and streaks. The pitot was made from Albion Alloys telescoping tube and painted before supergluing in place, and with the masking removed there was my Hamp. 

There's not enough good things you can say about Eduard toolings these days - they are an enthusiasts' dream. Superbly detailed inside and out, comprehensively researched and tooled as near perfectly as it's possible to be. At around £30 for this model in the UK, superb value for money as well! The decals are still a sticking point, they're getting better but I still think they are by far the worst aspect of modern Eduard kits. 

Hugely recommended, and an interesting addition to the Zero family, I can't wait for the Rufe!