jRatz: Sci-Fi "Submersible" aka Fish

[JohnRatzenberger]

To show I'm not slacking ....



The cockpit interior is about done; needs another pass with the white to be sure of coverage over the slopped paint. The mechanism under neath is done. Also shown is the seat, the knobs in red (next coat will be darker) and some pieces of the drive mechanism. In the upper right corner is an experiment -- rather than copper fins with brass mountings, I decided to go for a more metallic black and lightly sprayed the photo-etch sheet with Tamiya rattle can Mettalic Black. It doesn't show well here, but in person, the matallic black is just a bit "brassy" and I think it will work well.

Tomorrow, I do white touch-ups, finish the knobs & wheels, etc. I have got to seriously think about what and how I am to pain the head & body ... spray or hand and just what color copper for a base. I am running out of time to be real fancy here. I probably made my life harder by diving into the interior rather than getting the exterior painted ....

Plan 'Z' has failed, so we're just executing ....

[JohnRatzenberger]

Ta-Da !!! A "copperfish" ....




For this GB, this is probably all that will happen on the exterior finish. I ned to play with oil paints to make shades of copper and green crud to provide some wear and weathering to the exterior, but I'm afraid it'll be a stumbling block as I'm not very artistic or creative, etc ....

So I'll focus on getting it done "factory fresh" and deal with that later. Some touch-ups to do, some detailing on the exterior, mostly brass paint, and add the rest of the details (knobs, levers, gauges, etc) to the cockpit. I need to get the glass eyes polished smooth (not a skill I have confidence in) and clear and I can pretty well call the head done. Then it's on to the drive mechanism and fins.

It'll be tight ....

[PaulBradley]

Lovely!

[MerlinJones]

That is looking nice, John.
Is that a 'buffable' paint? I was thinking how careful you'll still have to be, to avoid getting the finish altered by fingers!

Regards,
Bruce

[JamesPerrin]

That a very nice finish, is that straight over the white under coat? Also, which paints are you using?

[JohnRatzenberger]

Thanks, guys.

I used Tamiya XF-6 Copper, thinned 1:1 with Tamiya Thinner, and sprayed (misted) directly over the white primer which was Tamiya Fine (White) Primer from the rattlecan. As to "buffable", I don't know, but since I intend to "weather" it, I assume I can hide any issues .... or attach a some barnacles or a remora or two ....

Right now, I'm agonizing over the colors for the hatch ... got to be something other than copper and brass ...

[JohnRatzenberger]

Moving along, there's more going on than you can see ....



I built a temporary stand; it'll be ready for use tomorrow -- I need it so I can add the drive mech and fins. I've been building fins -- half done, but I've chipped some of the paint on the fins. The gauges are in the cockpit, as well as knobs & levers; got two controls I need to put in yet.

To tone down the brass on the exterior, I brushed with Tamiya Smoke.

Speaking of which, I should talk about colors.

Think copper pipe, brass fittings, and some cast iron pipe.
For bright & shiny interior copper I used Tamiya XF-6 Copper, on the weathered exterior Tamiya XF-28 Dark Copper.
Brass is Model Master 1782; as noted earlier I brushed on Tamiya X-19 Smoke on exterior brass.
The "black" is Polly Scale Tarnished Black.
While most pipes are copper/brass, I made some of the larger diameter ones cast iron -- a little variation.

The wood boards are "medium wood", my own mix of MM 1735, 1701. To that I make grain(ish) effect with Tamiya X-26 Clear Orange and Vallejo 828 Wood Grain.

Other colors as needed. How I'll do the weathering of the copper plate is another issue entirely.

[MerlinJones]

How I'll do the weathering of the copper plate is another issue entirely.

A green wash?

Regards,
Bruce

[jssel]

Pastel chaulks possibly, but they may have a hard time biting on the smooth metallic finish.

[JohnRatzenberger]

How I'll do the weathering of the copper plate is another issue entirely.

A green wash?

Regards,
Bruce

Yeah, but with a bit of crud in it to make it rough, like barnacles or something.

"do" is more a technique question, as in "how do I do it" without screwing the whole thing up ... refer to numerous porevious comments bemoaning lack of creativity, artistry, etc ...

[JohnRatzenberger]

Pastel chaulks possibly, but they may have a hard time biting on the smooth metallic finish.

Not sure I could achieve the right look with pastels; I'm OK using them for things dusty, but this ought to be watery. Hmmm, maybe chalky and wet so I get the oxidized, scaly effect ...

[MerlinJones]

Once finished, Step 1 would be to apply a protective clear coat. This should allow recovery from forthcoming errors!
I'd then imagine Step 2 to be an upward brushstroke, loaded with and acrylic turquoise, probaly followed by a downward stroke with a cloth.
The green should then have accumulated just below each and every rivet. That may be enough for you.

Regards,
Bruce

[philp]

John,
Here is what I found with a quick Google search:
http://cs.finescale.com/FSMCS/themes/fs ... tID=648157;
http://www.kitforums.com/viewtopic.php? ... 0&start=20;

And this chart shows how copper weathers when on buildings, etc. Not exactly the same with ships but gives some interesting color ideas.

[jssel]

Thanks for that Philip. Saved the links.

[JohnRatzenberger]

Thanks, Phil, good info there.

Here we are today. The fish is on it's work stand. The drive mech, rudder-fin, and dorsal/ventral fins on ...



Tomorrow I get on the other two sets of fins, they will be more tricky to mount.

I have a problem -- the eyes. I tried polishing out the glass today, in one eye only, and it came out terrible, almost foggy. I think I'll use that one and carefully scribe the glass out and replace it with clear plastic. If that works, I'll do the other one.

I also haven't started on the "gasket" seal behind the head, other than that, it's on short final (except the weathering). Oh, yes, still agonizing on the upper hatch colors.

1159pm Sunday, my time, right ?