Benjo

Actually, I think the canopy is the most realistic looking part of that last pic. It's the rest of the valk that's not shiny enough to match it.

The trick is, real aircraft, when they're fresh from the factory, truly are as dull as a fresh Yamato.. but they don't stay that way. Wear and tear on the planes, and touch-ups in the paint over time actually turn the dull paint shiny, and you get uneven levels of gloss all over the aircraft.

Normally, weathering techniques are used to add dirt and stuff, but rarely do I see people weather models purely in the specular range, which is where a lot of it happens.

If I learned one thing from my time making mods for games, it's that there are multiple levels to what makes an aircraft model look real. Game models today use multiple texture maps to make things more and more realistic. You've got your base texture level, which is your traditional styled "picture of what the plane looks like." Then, you add your bump or normal maps for details that are too impractical to build into the model.

On top of those, you've got your specular and reflectivity maps. Reflectivity is just how much of a reflection you can see, usually just a grayscale image that indicates levels between completely dull and a mirror finish.

Specularity is basically your map of "What does the light reflecting off this surface look like." You know how some metals will look one color, but when the light hits them at a certain angle, they show up a different color? That's what causes this. I think games mostly only support grayscale specular maps, but high quality rendering software will let you have objects reflect colors that are very different than what they normally apear.

Best example I know of is to go take a look at any ship in Star Trek past TOS. It's what made the Enterprise refit in TMP so impressive in that long cinematic intro. The individual panels are really not very different in color at all. But view them in different angles of light, and the panels jump out at you.

If you really want to try something fun, try painting an aircraft in a standard dullcoat, and then add your usual light weathering to it. Then, to seal it, apply varying levels of gloss clearcoat to the plane. Start with flat, then start mixing some gloss in for the parts you want to look worn. Make the leading edges, access points, etc, shinier than the rest of the plane. Places where friction in flight would wear the paint shiny. Even completely dull aircraft very rarely have a dull nosecone, because it's constantly being polished by contact with the air.

I haven't tried that myself yet, but I really want to someday, because I think it would look amazing.

1/48 or bigger for me, I love my eyes too much :-) cant build without em! Plus, this is just my opinion but especially with model jets, you just can see the proportions and awesome beastiness of an awesome jet unless its large scale. Imagine having a 1/32 VF-25 parked on the shelf in your living room it would just be beast. Ahhh I can only dream

Spray another layer of clear matt coating might bring it up there..

Anyone can spray a Jet completely flat but I love the challenge of replicating that textured finish thats not just different color but different kinds of sheen just like how they really look... Painting jets totally flat just looks 2D and I just dont get it.

More pics of the purple cat soon guys, thanks for the wrap!!!!

Not finished but almost. The closer I think I am to being finished the more defects and touch ups I find. Eh... It adds to the weathering.

EDIT:

Ahh, this was supposed to go in the whats on the workbench thred. Mind blank. Sorry

Y dont they just make it in 1/48 scale who builds 1/72 these days except for old people.

The F-14 that shin flies always looks blue to me.

I have a ban dai super messiah alto custom the parts slip on and off and interchange, you can make standard VF-25 from the kit. Im sticking to a pose and gluing everything on for good tho, not into moving parts on models much.. They can be removed easily. Do it a few times you might mark your paint a bit, but i think its designed very well so that you can change your mind, the super parts dont seem to rub the top and bottom surfaces of the wings, when ive had them on and off during building. dont really know how. Gotta hand it to those ban dai dudes they know how to design a model! aircraft kit companiys need to take some lessons from them.

WHoa whoa whoa!

AWWWWWWWWWWWWWW nice!

Come on guys! its hasegawa! They'll re-release the same 1/48 kit for the next 50 years only with different decal options. For some reason they never make new things.... Imagine a 1/48 VF-25?? we will just keep on dreaming

On my workbench tonight...

The spotters prize goes to VF-19! Good spotting there Its a Fw-190A..something

Thanks guys!

I have to say its really hard to paint one of these eh its a challenge and I should have invested in a masking tape company. Its mentally draining!

Yep, awesome galactica there!

Dark grey armor parts in splinter camo. just because I have to have a personal touch to everything and always persuing the need to drive myself mental.

Its part of the decal sheet!

We will see how my sanity fares upon the painting. I am looking at this thing and thinking, where the hell do i start painting. its got me stuffed. But i have painted the basecoat dark gray and will go from there with the other colors and weathering. Cant wait to complete it.

More of the 'background flanker'

Hello everyone. Im Ben and this is my first post on here I would like to show you my still unfinished and unpainted VF-25F, it's my first ban dai kit, and my first variable fighter. Ill see how I go with this one. Its very far removed from what I usually make!