Small Scale Military Headquarters

Has anyone done any weathering on their Avenger model? I am looking for some pictures of the real Atlantic Avengers to see how they would weather. Any tips? Thanks.......Paul

I thought 21c already did some of the weathering

Would carrier based planes be cleaner then land based? Not much dirt to blow onto the planes. Plus lots of idle sailors to keep them clean.

Corrosion was/is a big problem on carrier based aircraft, salt water/air tends have that effect. Naval type ac always look "worn" for this very reason, and if necessary, you can shade (airbrush/drybrush/or other) the panel lines, add rivet detail. Also, there are several companies who sell photoetched parts for similar aircraft, so essentially, where theres a will, theres a way.

Sorry, but 21C made the Atlantic Avenger look new...fresh from the factory. When considering weathering, remember that those huge radial engines have a nasty tendency to leak, puke, spew, and drool oil like crazy. After a few flight hours, even a factory fresh paint scheme was stained and dirty from oil and engine exhausts. Paint faded fast in the salty air and dull paint faded even faster because there was no sealing layer on the paint to protect it. Ground crews were servicing several aircraft all the time and what got on their hands...got on the planes too. Areas around the most serviced parts became dirty and stained too. Paint chipping happened where ever the crew walked, stuck a foot, and along all leading edges. This was countered by plane captains spot painting over bare metal surfaces, so you had newer paint spotty on alot of these areas. Then there's battle damage repairs....whole 'nother ballgame.

Another thing to remember with carrier based aircraft is that landing on a cv deck is very hard on equipment, so almost every source of liquid leaks some. If it ain't leaking it must be empty.

A couple of weeks ago, a C-47 landed here on its way to the D day museum in New Orleans. It was on display for a day and I went to see it. They had buckets under each engine to catch the leaking oil. They even had paper towels jammed into one cowling to try and stop all the oil. I had never seen so many buckets under one old airplane. Those old radials do like to leak oil.