Kotare 1/32 Bf-109K-4: Time for Paint! Applying the Foundational Weathering Layer

Good Day Geeks!!

Thanks for continuing to follow me through the Kotare 1/32 109K-4 Test Shot build. Such an awesome kit! Anyhoo, let’s sling some paint!

What you’ll see in this installment is the “Foundational Weathering Layer” as I call it. I hate to call it pre-shade (even though that’s what it is…) because pre-shade has such a bad connotation to it. It’s really just the initial paint phase that provides a nice solid layer of wear, grime, stains, etc.. It’s such a fun part of modeling because there is so much room for error and you really can’t go wrong. If you don’t like it, no worries. Just go over it again with the base color, or add a few more colors. It allows you to play with the finish and get comfortable with the airbrush, without serious risk or totally screwing up the finish.

I started with a dark grey (RLM 66) to shade a few panel lines and wear areas around the engine and underneath. Then I sprayed the entire model in select areas with Gunze Mr. Surfacer 1000 Mahogany thinned with MLT at about 80% Thinner, 20% Paint. Once the Mahogany color was on, I used a dark black/brown mix (same ratio) to darken areas that would have received more wear; the underside the engine area, nose area around the exhausts, and behind the landing gear wells. Finally, I sprayed Gunze Aqueous Flat White on several panels and access hatches. It’s such a fun process and it looks cool when you’re done.

I know lots of people say to me “why on earth do you take so much time painting something that you’re just going to cover up??!!” Well, that’s easy to answer. I’m not covering it up, I’m almost covering it up! That’s the key; don’t cover it all up. You want the foundational layer to show through just ever so slightly. If it’s covered up, then yeah, I suppose you could say that you’re wasting your time. Just give it a try and you’ll be amazed at how cool your finishes will look.

Ok, enough of me rambling, enjoy the pics and thanks again for following the build!

-Nemo