PAINTING INSTRUCTIONS
General guide, some parts may not apply to your model.
1. Before painting the hull, wash in warm water and a strong detergent to remove any grease from handling the mouldings, some hulls may have a trace of wax left on from the moulding process. This will be removed with washing.
2 A VERY light wipe over with fine wet and dry whilst washing will improve the key of the paint. Take care that any plastic detail is not softened or removed.
3 IMPORTANT, all plastic cast parts must be washed with warm detergent water before painting. This will remove any residue release agent, if left on , this will cause "cessing", shown by the primer forming small circles on the surface.
4. All glassfibre mouldings and cast plastic items will benefit from a light spray of cellulose or acrylic primer, or an etching primer.
5. Cast metal fittings can be sprayed with a primer, or use a matt white paint to give a smooth finish. Remove any flash with a knife edge and clean with wet and dry paper. The base colour of the primer on the fittings should be different to that of the superstructure to give a slightly different shade to the details. This is important on fittings such as doors, lockers, etc.
6 For gun barrels and any bare metal parts, the metal may be rubbed over with a soft lead pencil and the buffed up with a soft cloth. For plastic fittings, paint with matt black, allow to dry HARD, buff with pencil lead, and then buff as per metal.
7. For all superstructure parts assembled from plastic sheet, we recommend that these be washed with warm soapy water, allow to dry, do not rub with a cloth as this will promote a build up of static which can make the paint run.
8. For fast construction and finishing, all metal and cast plastic parts can be sprayed with acrylic paints (car touch up paints) this will give a fast drying, semi gloss finish.
9. Sheet plastic parts should not be covered with a cellulose paint this is not flexible. The paint will not adhere well to the plastic.
10. To simulate wood planking on plastic, paint with a light cream paint, allow to dry score the planks into the surface with a knife point. Wash over with a red/brown mix of paint thinned to coloured thinners, brush along the run of the planks, allow to dry. Darken the wash with dark brown, dry brush sections of planking.
11. Variations of colour washes over the deck, blending into areas will improve the effect. Allow to dry cover with a thin coat of matt or silk finish varnish.
12. To highlight detail on doors, lockers etc, mix thinners and grey paint on a flat scrap plastic, lightly wipe brush over, wipe over fitting to bring detail out. Take care to brush carefully as there is very little needed to bring the effect out
