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 gently…