Realistic Aircraft Exhaust Painting 

Beautiful Work 👍

Loved this segment. Took the brain bashing of what steps to take out. Im usi g the method on a1/48 B 17.

That's a real nice technique. I really like the silver base coat and building it up. It definitely brings that supercharger/exhaust assembly to life.

G'day MAM, Thank you for that video. I've not modelled a P-38 yet, nor have I seen one up close. However, over the years in the air force and later I've had countless opportunities to see old aircraft up close, hands on, which has been invaluable. This has led me to believe that a large proportion of aircraft modellers go overboard or are inaccurate in two major areas. One, rivets; rivets are not a huge eyecatcher on around 90 percent of WW2 and post-war propellor driven aircraft. The aerodynamic advantages of having low-profile rivets were proven by people like Howard Hughes, many years before WW2. Yet, partly due to the fault of model kit makers, rivets can go through periods where each one looks and feels like tiny Mt Everests or are barely visible. Two, exhaust painting; this too is a much-missed mark when it comes to accuracy. I would reckon that approximately 70 percent of real exhaust pipes have a 'ringed, layered' look as different parts of the metal regularly heat up to different temperatures. (You can sometimes see this on the exhaust pipes of new or near new semi-trailer prime movers.) Old British and European aircraft that are exposed to lots of rain and fly through rain often are somewhat more the traditional 'rusty' look. This would also be true of aircraft that have operated in the tropics or elsewhere in humid and/or moist climates. Many modellers just 'rust' up all their exhaust assemblies in an even coat. For those not as fortunate as I was, there is a great importance in looking at as much colour 'walkaround' film as possible. Sadly, many walkarounds are not filmed in ultra-close up surface shots that would really help modellers with their levels of accuracy. With your P-38, I'm guessing that the turbochargers would be a more even colour while the exhaust pipes themselves would have that 'grading' of different coloured weathering, which is really more gained from usage rather than climate. You're on the right track. Just thought this might be helpful to modellers who have not been up close and personal with the aircraft they are modelling, of which there are many. Cheers, BH

Great video and a really great technique. The exhausts turned out really well.

Очень реалистично.

I am always looking for different and better ways to do rust, and I like this approach with the airbrushing. You know how you use cotton swabs to add the pigments in small areas? If you use hobby microbrushes too, you can add pigments in extremely confined areas.

Another excellent tutorial! The Tamiya weathering master sets are very good. I do also use rust pigments (MIG, Vallejo, etc.), where more rust is needed because pigments give an even stronger 3D look. Have you also tried the AK interactive weathering pencils? They are also a very good alternative to the weathering master. I did weather entire gunpla with them but have not tried them on scale models yet. I’ve a channel where you can see the gunpla, if you are interested.

Specifically w/r to P-38 turbo exhausts, aren't they mostly stainless steel, and therefore the finish is not a matter of rust, but exhaust soot & stain?

Great technique...what do you use for your aluminum base coat and your flat coat?

Now how do you glue the piece onto the model without marring it?