SUBSIM Radio Room Forums - View Single Post - 1/350th scale Hobby Boss 688 model (US readers)

ET2SN · 08-24-18, 01:32 PM

Well, at 600 views you get an extra post.

The first thing to realize about painting the screw of any modern sub is that their Navies don't like to advertise them. In other words, what looks right to you is usually valid. If the ship is dry docked, the screw is usually covered with a large tarp for reasons of security and to also avoid damage in a (relatively) hostile shipyard environment. If the boat's tied to the pier, you won't really see it, anyway.

Without getting into too much detail, its usually best to assume that the screw is cast out of some form of bronze or bronze mixed with another "silver-type" of metal. You could also opt for a "stainless steel" effect if you want to try something different but in most cases its best to lean towards a bronze-silver color. Understand that real screws don't see much maintenance, so its best if you go into a project keeping in mind how "worn" you want the finished kit to look, including the screw. If you're going for a "new construction" look go shiny, if you're building an older veteran of the pier go for a more "gungy" looking screw.

In the past, I've used an unconventional way to apply Testor's Metallizer to get a neat effect. I would start with Metallizer non-buffing Brass and apply it over the bare gray plastic with a brush in heavy coats. Lots of heavy coats, something like 12-16 to get it looking right then finish with a light coat of Metallizer sealer. To me, this gives a good approximation of a screw that's been in the ocean for several years. The downside is that even though Metallizer tends to "flash" and dry quickly, you're looking at a fairly lengthy (and smelly) process.

Lately, I've been using Tamiya Titanium Gold (X-31) as a base and mixing it with shades of silver , brown, and gray to get some neat effects. Once the paint is mixed, one coat works great and its done.

Again, unless you wore the uniform its very rare to see a screw in a picture so get creative. If it looks right to you, that's what really matters.

Also be aware that no two screws will look alike outside of New Construction. Sea conditions and general use will effect their color.

Whatever color you end up using, try not to go crazy with a "weathering" top coat. At most, try using a very thin and light flat white or light gray dry brushing effect.

While I'm on the subject of metallic paints, don't forget your MBT vents. Some (most) kits will mold the upper hull with the vents capped. The caps are usually painted steel with a rubber underliner that are bolted to the hull to prevent damage to the actual vents when the boat will be tied to the pier for a while. With vent caps, either paint them black or go crazy and paint them white or even red. It really depends on the crew and some vent caps could look very creative. For a hull with no vent caps, use a dark-ish version of steel on the actual vent and a small area surrounding it. Keep in mind this paint will contrast to the "jet black" of the hull so its better, usually, to shade the metallic color a little darker than you might think.

Weathering the hull and "sea growth". I'm not a big fan of painting "moss" on the hull. It looks dark green if the boat's in the water but quickly changes to a dirty white once its exposed to the air. "Moss" also needs a fair amount of sunlight to grow, so it tends to stay within a couple of feet of the waterline.
If you ask around, any of us who spent time as a "non-qual" also spent some time shaving the hull while we were in Deck Div.

Its a nasty job that no one appreciates unless they are the CO, XO, or the COB (and someone else is doing it). Cleaning hull growth off the bow is even worse, along with being as nasty as cleaning it off the hull you also get the chance to get really wet when you slip and go in the drink.

So, I'm sure my exposure to that crap has colored how I build my models. Hull growth is also one of those areas where you're adding a dynamic effect to a static model. It won't look the same in the winter as it does in the summer, it won't look the same if you've been under way for a while, etc. etc.
The only time I'd consider trying it was if I was building a diorama of a boat in a dry dock or if I needed to rescue a screwed up paint job.

So, what else can get weathered on the hull? Aside from the India Ink trick I mentioned in the last post, the main visible wear areas are the non-skid walkway on the deck and some basic chipping on the cleats and the forward edge of the stern planes. BTW, don't be shy with non-skid. I'll use an old gummy bottle of enamel flat black and mix in some baking soda to give it some "teeth" before I roll it onto the hull using a Q-Tip (mask off the rest of the hull first to get a clean line). The non-skid is the main walking area (in reality, its the only walking area topside) so try lightly dry brushing some tones of dark to light gray to simulate wear and crud. Keep in mind which hatch is the normal access to the ship and where the brow would be placed and build up that area a little more than rest. Non-skid gets nastier when each new layer is applied (imagine it being painted on with an old mop and you get the idea). One last thing, make sure you don't paint non-skid over the hatch covers or their combings. These areas aren't non-skid or rubber tiled and should be painted in semi-gloss jet black that has a little more shine than the hull.

On the lower hull, pay attention to where the hull would rub against the camels while tied up in port. Severe wear can be normal in these areas and I've seen pictures where it almost looks like there's a pinkish or white primer under the red hull paint (or, it might just have been an effect of the wear). Speaking of primer (if you're doing a diorama of a boat under maintenance), the upper hull (at least back in my day) panels would be primed with a zinc chromate epoxy. Testor's aircraft enamel zinc chromate is about as close as this color gets, maybe add a few drops of white to give it a more milky shade. Its also a close match to the proper color of the upper radio antennas (instead of adding a touch of white, add a touch of darker green).

One last thing about decals.

Kits of US subs love to include those DSRV targets that get applied over the hatches. In reality, they are rarely used (new construction sea trials and post overhaul trials) and get painted over quickly. The targets can be thought of as "neat" in a "Welcome back to the waterfront" kind of way but can quickly turn into "Geez, those guys must get rescued a LOT" if left alone for too long.

08-24-18, 01:32 PM	#6
ET2SN ET2/SS Join Date: Oct 2017 Posts: 2,517 Downloads: 58 Uploads: 0	Screws and general weathering. (modern boats) Well, at 600 views you get an extra post. The first thing to realize about painting the screw of any modern sub is that their Navies don't like to advertise them. In other words, what looks right to you is usually valid. If the ship is dry docked, the screw is usually covered with a large tarp for reasons of security and to also avoid damage in a (relatively) hostile shipyard environment. If the boat's tied to the pier, you won't really see it, anyway. Without getting into too much detail, its usually best to assume that the screw is cast out of some form of bronze or bronze mixed with another "silver-type" of metal. You could also opt for a "stainless steel" effect if you want to try something different but in most cases its best to lean towards a bronze-silver color. Understand that real screws don't see much maintenance, so its best if you go into a project keeping in mind how "worn" you want the finished kit to look, including the screw. If you're going for a "new construction" look go shiny, if you're building an older veteran of the pier go for a more "gungy" looking screw. In the past, I've used an unconventional way to apply Testor's Metallizer to get a neat effect. I would start with Metallizer non-buffing Brass and apply it over the bare gray plastic with a brush in heavy coats. Lots of heavy coats, something like 12-16 to get it looking right then finish with a light coat of Metallizer sealer. To me, this gives a good approximation of a screw that's been in the ocean for several years. The downside is that even though Metallizer tends to "flash" and dry quickly, you're looking at a fairly lengthy (and smelly) process. Lately, I've been using Tamiya Titanium Gold (X-31) as a base and mixing it with shades of silver , brown, and gray to get some neat effects. Once the paint is mixed, one coat works great and its done. Again, unless you wore the uniform its very rare to see a screw in a picture so get creative. If it looks right to you, that's what really matters. Also be aware that no two screws will look alike outside of New Construction. Sea conditions and general use will effect their color. Whatever color you end up using, try not to go crazy with a "weathering" top coat. At most, try using a very thin and light flat white or light gray dry brushing effect. While I'm on the subject of metallic paints, don't forget your MBT vents. Some (most) kits will mold the upper hull with the vents capped. The caps are usually painted steel with a rubber underliner that are bolted to the hull to prevent damage to the actual vents when the boat will be tied to the pier for a while. With vent caps, either paint them black or go crazy and paint them white or even red. It really depends on the crew and some vent caps could look very creative. For a hull with no vent caps, use a dark-ish version of steel on the actual vent and a small area surrounding it. Keep in mind this paint will contrast to the "jet black" of the hull so its better, usually, to shade the metallic color a little darker than you might think. Weathering the hull and "sea growth". I'm not a big fan of painting "moss" on the hull. It looks dark green if the boat's in the water but quickly changes to a dirty white once its exposed to the air. "Moss" also needs a fair amount of sunlight to grow, so it tends to stay within a couple of feet of the waterline. If you ask around, any of us who spent time as a "non-qual" also spent some time shaving the hull while we were in Deck Div. Its a nasty job that no one appreciates unless they are the CO, XO, or the COB (and someone else is doing it). Cleaning hull growth off the bow is even worse, along with being as nasty as cleaning it off the hull you also get the chance to get really wet when you slip and go in the drink. So, I'm sure my exposure to that crap has colored how I build my models. Hull growth is also one of those areas where you're adding a dynamic effect to a static model. It won't look the same in the winter as it does in the summer, it won't look the same if you've been under way for a while, etc. etc. The only time I'd consider trying it was if I was building a diorama of a boat in a dry dock or if I needed to rescue a screwed up paint job. So, what else can get weathered on the hull? Aside from the India Ink trick I mentioned in the last post, the main visible wear areas are the non-skid walkway on the deck and some basic chipping on the cleats and the forward edge of the stern planes. BTW, don't be shy with non-skid. I'll use an old gummy bottle of enamel flat black and mix in some baking soda to give it some "teeth" before I roll it onto the hull using a Q-Tip (mask off the rest of the hull first to get a clean line). The non-skid is the main walking area (in reality, its the only walking area topside) so try lightly dry brushing some tones of dark to light gray to simulate wear and crud. Keep in mind which hatch is the normal access to the ship and where the brow would be placed and build up that area a little more than rest. Non-skid gets nastier when each new layer is applied (imagine it being painted on with an old mop and you get the idea). One last thing, make sure you don't paint non-skid over the hatch covers or their combings. These areas aren't non-skid or rubber tiled and should be painted in semi-gloss jet black that has a little more shine than the hull. On the lower hull, pay attention to where the hull would rub against the camels while tied up in port. Severe wear can be normal in these areas and I've seen pictures where it almost looks like there's a pinkish or white primer under the red hull paint (or, it might just have been an effect of the wear). Speaking of primer (if you're doing a diorama of a boat under maintenance), the upper hull (at least back in my day) panels would be primed with a zinc chromate epoxy. Testor's aircraft enamel zinc chromate is about as close as this color gets, maybe add a few drops of white to give it a more milky shade. Its also a close match to the proper color of the upper radio antennas (instead of adding a touch of white, add a touch of darker green). One last thing about decals. Kits of US subs love to include those DSRV targets that get applied over the hatches. In reality, they are rarely used (new construction sea trials and post overhaul trials) and get painted over quickly. The targets can be thought of as "neat" in a "Welcome back to the waterfront" kind of way but can quickly turn into "Geez, those guys must get rescued a LOT" if left alone for too long.