Painting metals and the engine bells

The main engine bells of the Eagle Transporter are shiny chrome. For the official MPC kit, a real aluminium metal kit of engine parts was available as an extra. I was hoping to get one before prices went ballistic (was 49 UKP, now 100 to 200+).

Alclad (left), Gloss Black surface (right)

We can do something pretty good, the prints for the engine bells turned out pretty good, and while I could spend more time sanding them smooth I thought a little surface texture would look ok for these  parts. I've seen engineering drawings of Saturn V F1 engines and they increase the surface area this way to provide cooling.

The plan was to start with the usual bodywork primer I'd used on the Eagle landing pods, then a fine grey surface primer. A Black Gloss to build up a good surface shine onto which we airbrush the metal finish, which will be Alclad II Chrome lacquer.

Small thruster with Hycote Filler Primer

Then a fine Tamiya matt grey primer, this dries super fast. Perfect for detailed models.

After Tamiya Gray Primer

For painting metal parts we added to our stock of paints:

• Vallejo Natural Steel
• Vallejo Bright Bronze (for burnishing effects)
• Vallejo Violet (to layer with the above)
• Rub'n Buff Silver Leaf
•  Alclad II Chrome

I'm almost too excited

Alclad should be used in the airbrush neat, no thinning. It dries into a nice shiny surface and a fast dry time too. But the surface is everything. If you've done any 3D modelling work, imagine this as specular layer.

Engine bell with Gloss Black finish ready for airbrushing Alclad

Experimental: Control Piece - No gloss surface, Natural Steel

Glass surface, Alcad finish

We got a good result we can improve for future builds by spending a little more time on surface finish, sanding. I'm not using a terribly expensive airbrush, some ABEST clone set to 1.5 bar pressure (about 21 PSI).

I almost forgot the engine diffusers, these fit inside the engine bells and I want to add a burned, carbonised finish to these, and add some burnishing effects to the bells. Which I'll cover later.

Engine diffusers getting glossed over

2001 - A Space Odyssey - 50th Anniversary

While I'm in the process of painting and finishing, I've got the next classic ship build on the printer, which is certainly the biggest, at an expected 115 cm in length.

Here's a photo of some of the recent parts being test fitted.

Printed slooowly at 0.05mm layer height (ultra resolution)

My God, it's full of space

Keep modelling, it's not the future.