I'm getting "exhausted" with this build
Continuing with the A-1H. One thing that is notable about most pictures of Skyraiders is the heavy exhaust staining and general grime on the aircraft. I did mine using a combination of pastels and airbrush. Footprints and stains on the wing are pastels. Also notice the slight orange staining coming from the wing fold area. That is not depicting rust, but rather the grease used which turned orange after exposure to the sun. You sometimes see this effect overdone on Naval Aviation models. I spent many hours greasing the wing fold locks and other areas of E-2Cs and then later wiping it off of where the wind and exhaust from other aircraft blew it. The stuff stained the paint, and my Chief always knew if we had skipped greasing, because he could see the orange grease in the wing butt! Anyway, coming down the home stretch!
2 additional images. Click to enlarge.
John Healy said on December 4, 2020
It’s going to be a real winner when it’s done, Rob. Hang in there.
Spiros Pendedekas said on December 4, 2020
Looks fantastic, Rob!
Eagerly waiting for your progress!
Greg Kittinger said on December 4, 2020
Looking great - and thanks for the info regarding "grease." Now I know more than I did yesterday!
Andrew H said on December 4, 2020
This thing is coming alive Rob. Stick with it!
Rob Anderson said on December 4, 2020
Thanks guys!
Stellan Schroeder Englund said on December 4, 2020
Didn´t know about the orange grease stains, thanks a lot for that piece of information. Having spent quite some time looking at photos of Skyraider exhaust patterns I claim to see a wide variety of hues ranging from brown, beige, grey and black (partly depending on the background colour). You may want to add a bit of browns to the stains to give a bit of visual interest. If you may, you can add a few vertical strokes with your airbrush to mimic the pattern one often sees coming from the uneven stressed skin surface. With that said, love seeing a big scale Skyraider coming along nicely. Looking forward to its completion.
Rob Anderson said on December 4, 2020
Yes you are probably right that I could add some other hues. Pastels make it pretty easy.
Tom Cleaver said on December 4, 2020
Also use some Tamiya "smoke" applied with a brush at the end and allowed to "drip" and "run" with the model sitting on its gear. That exhaust was pretty oily, and you can see plenty of pix of the oil thrown out that was still oozing down the sides. As a couple Skyraider drivers told me, "If it isn't dirtier than a pig, there's something wrong."
Paul Wilsford said on December 4, 2020
Looks great. I know about that grease stuff. We used Mil 81322 on the gun mounts and if you didn't wipe it real good you got pink in the haze gray. I likw the way you have rendered this plane I think it is a real fine job.
Tom Cleaver said on December 4, 2020
Great work continues.
Robert Royes said on December 6, 2020
Looking great,spot on with the grease, the chief always finds out. Besides the gp grease there was that black stuff 'moly D' ,molybdenum disulfide, which was a bear to get off your hands.@robertandy
Rob Anderson said on December 6, 2020
Yeah I remember that stuff, we used it on tie down points, tar like!
Bill Ritzmann said on January 18, 2022
I looks like you had a great start - hope you made it!
(I run a search on my Dad's name every once in a while - my sister's got a nice snap of the thing on a runway)