Knocking back the silver…
I knew I would have to tackle this, to address the factory fresh stainless steel finish of my Rapido RDC. A wash had transformed the underframe realism but the bodywork remained, gleaming, beautiful… These machines spent their lives working hard - and I’m not able to rely upon memories and feelings to inform the models finish. Instead falling back on photographs and a sense of their character gleamed from captions and short stories. A wash felt too heavy, up top; as if it would accentuate the corrugated bodywork and reduce rather than increase a feel of realism. Airbrushing though can be a dangerous game - it is easy to go too far and difficult to dial back. I wanted to preserve much of the finish but add the subtle grime on the pilots and exhaust and radiator hump on the roof… I selected my usual Humbrol shades of 133, 245 and 27004, adding a touch more 133 than usual because in photos I detected an almost burnt shade to the dirt or discolouration of the roof pod. Incredibly gent...
