Hello!

Welcome to the next instalment of my on-going 1/48 Hobbyboss F4U-1 Corsair build. We left this build after the painting and decal process’s were completed so now I move to the next stage of finishing the weathering process.

To bring out all the engraved details on the airframe I am using my favourite range of enamel washes from AK Interactive:

AK INTERACTIVE

For this build I will be using AK’s Blue/Gray camo Panel Liner, Kerosene wash, Engine oil wash, Landing Gear wash and Wheel dust washes. I have been using these products for the last six months now and I highly recommend them! Less mess, less fuss and superb results!

If you haven’t tried these washes before, you will be delighted when you do!

Here the model has been treated with the Blue/Grey camo wash. This has been applied over a gloss coat which allows the enamel wash to flow freely into all the engraved details. This particular mix is wonderfully subtle and will show up under the final matt finish at the end of the finishing process.

My next step was to add the “Dot Filter.” This is yet another process that allows the modeller to enhance, lighten or even darken the paint finish and add a further layer of weathering.

This process is easy once you know how. Take some artist oil colours for your choice and with a small brush add little dots of colour to the panel you wish to fade. In this case as I am painting onto a blue surface I have chosen White, Yellow and Green oils as my dot filter.

I have added the filter all over the blue areas of the airframe and I have blended them in with a cotton swab dipped in enamel thinners. The trick here is not to get too much thinner on the swab. You want to work the colours into the paint- Not remove them all together. Remember my number one rule of weathering: Less is More!

Here is the finished process after panel washes and dot filtering:

I still need to tone those stars and bars down a little, I will handle that by spraying a very fine grey/blue mist over them. This should blend them in before the matt coat goes down.

In the meantime, I have to assemble and paint the landing gear and find some new wheels. The wheels from this kit are not exactly the best I’ve seen. If you look at photo’s of the real aircraft you will notice that the main gear had one wheel with a diamond thread tyre and the other was smooth. Not something I have seen on a fighter before!

You can see the two different tyres here:

That’s all for now, hope you have enjoyed this update. Don’t forget to follow this site to stay up to date with all the builds, news and reviews. I’m off for a little rest now!

Until next time, take care and Happy Modelling!

Darren.