08/10/2026
A little technique tip on a Monday...
I noticed that the Tamiya 1/72 F-14D comes with Decals to represent the scoring on the wings from the swing mechanism...and Honestly I thought i could do a little better....So i went ahead and replicated the effect using oils...and I think it came out way better!
What will you need?
1) Artists white spirit (this is very mild and wont attack paints like MRP).
2) Some oil paint of your choice (I picked a grimy looking graphite color)..I put it on some cardboard to absorb the oil out of the paint.
3) 3 brushes....1 sharp point one to make the oil dots, 1 flatter clean one to blend...and a larger flatter one to pull the streaks.
And now the steps to achieve the blend
1) You can opt to use a clear coat...but because I use MRP, I find no need for a clear coat, so this is right on the paint. If you use Acrylic I would protect it first.
2) Take the middle flat brush and slightly dampen the whole area with the white spirit...this is important because if you leave it dry, the streaks wont pull to the edge of the wing. Don't have it to wet either because the streak will just blend into a mottle mess. Just dip the brush in the spirit and dab it on paper towel once...that seems to take enough of the liquid off.
3) Now use the round small brush and dot on the paint along the edge, on the edge that you want to pull from.
4) Once that is done, take your large brush, dip it in some white spirit and then blot most of it off on a paper towel....proceed to gently pull the dots back to the edge of the wing with a sweeping motion so it mimics the way it would be pulled when the wing swings.
5) Once that is done, remove the Masking tape...you notice it has left a hard edge...if you like that, then keep it as is.....for me it seems a bit artificial so i went onto the next step.
6) Take the middle flat brush, again dip in white spirit, blot off most of it, then work the oil into a random pattern on that hard edge....it takes very little working to just break the line. Stop when you are happy.
7) enjoy your handywork :)
The color will lighten as it dried...so if its too dark, then mix in some white as you want to....Also if you mess up...just flood the area with white spirit and wipe it off gently with a paper towel and try again....you have at least a few hours to decide if you like it before it becomes hard to remove.
