Sigh. I did get a little painting done in the last week plus. I masked off the gluing surfaces and hit the under coat with a light layer of matte sealer so the masking tape wouldn't remove paint when it came off. After that, I masked all of the areas I planned to use for trim colors.
With the masks in place, I took the opportunity to practice my (sorely lacking) air brush skills. I broke out my bottle of Vallejo Game Color "Scurf Green" and mixed it with some water and flow improver to get a nice thin paint. I was able to get a pretty even coat with the air brush, but I still had to go back and touch it up with more green paint. The subtle pre-shading I had applied did provide some panel detail on the model, but not enough to satisfy me.
I decided to apply a medium black wash to the model to accomplish three things:
1. To improve the panel shading over the pre-shade / air brush combo.
2. To darken the overall look of the model
3. To dull the already low saturation color to almost a grey-green, or possibly a black-green.
I usually avoid black washes under almost all circumstances, but, in this case, I was pleased with the results.
My next move was to remove some of the masks and apply the red trim. Unlike the green, I really wanted a strong red color to highlight certain areas of the model, especially the gun batteries running along the ship's spine. With the green base color complete, I laid down another layer of matte sealer and reversed the masks so the trim areas were exposed, and the green was protected.
Since my red paint is pretty clear, I decided to enhance the pre-shade by going over the raised areas with a light grey, almost white paint before applying the red. I then applied a layer of Citadel Crimson Gore (Actually, a very, very old Nitro Color equivalent) to the trim areas. I put down two layers to get complete coverage.
The last detail I was able to attend before the holiday rush claimed me was to apply a mix of Reaper Master Series Blackened Steel and Shadowed Steel to the guns as a base coat. I will highlight them with a lighter metallic later.
Note that the engine pods still aren't glued into place. I want to finish the engine details before I attach them permanently. The fit is tight enough that they will stay in place without glue, as long as you don't touch anything.
I won't have any time to paint over the New Year's weekend, but I will, hopefully, finish up early in 2012 and post a final installment for this project.
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