FIddler WIP Part 2

So I am back with part 2 of this wip.  I have gotten quite a bit done since the last post, but I failed to document it, because it was basic paint and weathering stuff that I have covered before, or will be covering in future posts on other projects.  With this project I would like to focus on using oils to weather and enhance the surface of the model, I will be demonstrating 3 specific uses, how to use oils to discolor a surface, how to use oils to create panel variation and how to use oils to create weathered effects.  That will all come in my part 3 of my WIP, but for now I just wanted to show some pics of where the project is currently at.

 I have always been a fan of the Naval Aviators known as the "Jolly Rogers", perhaps one day I will pick up a F-14 or F-18 and paint it up in those colors.
For now though I felt like using that scheme to influence how this mech is going to look.  I sourced some skull and cross bones decals and busted out my paints, airbrush and masking tape and went to work.

Here is the result so far.  A quick rundown of the colors used for the base coat was a 50/50 mix of VMC Neutral Grey and VMC Off White.  I also through in a drop or two of VMC Blue Grey, and VMC Flat Earth.  The end result is a color that is a little more blue than I would have liked, but I like the final result so far.  When I bust out my oil paints I can modulate the color a bit then. 

Anyway my custom color was applied over a dark grey automotive "etching" primer.  I find this product is great for use with resin and it creates a really nice, durable surface that paint will adhere to easily.

The grey color was applied via airbrush over the primer is a random pattern, basically I airbrush a lot of squiggles over and over an area and slowly build the color up.  This results in a finish that has varied amounts of the dark grey primer showing underneath.  I will be doing a tutorial of this on future projects to better describe the process.  In this picture that I posted I have a 1/35 scale figure I have been working on to provide a sense of scale.

After I got my base layer painted I went in and started to add in my paint chipping, and some alternate colors.  The yellow areas were masked off then taped and the white areas were hand painted.  I really wanted this model to heavy a heavy used "urban" look.  When I go in with my oils I will not be doing a lot of rust, probably just more grime and what not.

After the paint of course came the decals. Here is a close up of some "fiberglass" decal that I added on the front nose area.  I think it kind of gives the model a ED-209 look.  I am kinda of thinking this is more or less some kind of optic or sensor array that allows the pilot to obtain a virtual image of the world outside the cockpit.  You can also see the Jolly Roger I added as well as some decals along the left side of the image that actually have a pilot name there.






Finally here are a few images of some of the weaponry. The rounds on the belt feed are not completed yet, as are some of the other details as well.  This is because of the weathering I will be doing, some details will need to be cleaned up after the fact anyways. Next post will be the oils and the process that is involved in using those!!