After assembling and painting the Zündapp motorcycle I decided to take a few closeups just to share with a friend. When I viewed the pictures on the computer I noticed several ugly spots which I didn't see at all when working on it. I don't know if it was the flash, magnification or just the break I took but now I now where the bike needs touch-up.

See for yourself. The odd blue color is the rather unorthodox primer I used.

Here's the right side, many blue spots visible.

This picture of the left side clearly shows that I forgot to paint the belts and buckles in the saddlebag. And I really didn't see that the blue was so prominent in the wheels.

A slightly different angle of the right side again. The bike looked pretty good in nature but here I saw a few more imperfections again.

At some parts I kinda like the undershining blue because it gives the bike a somewhat beaten look. I still have the weathering to do though. So in conclusion I recommend taking in-progress closeups...or using a microscope. That Zündapp is about the size of a matchbox (1/35 scale) so maybe it isn't such a wonder that I missed a lot of paint flaws.

P.S. That green color was supposed to be Tamiya's Field Grey. Did the jar get a wrong label or is it supposed to look like that? It's not as green in the jar but still has a strong muddy green tone rather than grey.

Hi Druid,

Photographing to review one's work is an excellent technique. When I shot my AFVs a month ago, I noted serveral boo-boos that I fixed, prior to displaying. Then others noted a few things I'd missed I now intend to shoot my work at various stages before pressing on.

As for the blue, just say you are inspired by Tamiya box art! Remember, green is blue and yellow, so green is shaded via blue... I always liked the riot of hues that the Tamiya artists meld for their lights and darks. And if I recall, Shep Paine's color wheel for figure painting shows to shade with blue.

For vehicles, the darker and glossier the finish, the more sky will reflect on a clear day, giving a distinct blue hue to about any color. Some model railroaders give their steam locomotives--almost universally black--a light translucent shot of blue on the upper surfaces for this reason.

At shows, I've noted Dunkelgrau vehicles tend to have a bluish sheen to them.

Enough of my blathering!

A nice coincidende is that I just ordered his How To Build Dioramas. I love that book!




This is an interesting piece of information which I will store for now but experiment with later on. Cheers.

But should the Field Grey really be green-ish? I suppose so then (with that primer anyway). At least it turned out to be an "army green" instead of grass...

Yes. german field grey does have a distinct green hue to it.
As for using pictures as a tool to inspect your work .... its almost perfect. I use this all the time in progress and before finishing. Spot something everytime that I didnt see in reality. The magnification is a big help, plus you´ve looked at it so many times while working on it, glaringly obvious mistakes/misses become invisible. Black is a much better colour to prime for this reason as it adds shading also. If the blue showingthrough was black or grey or etc, it could be left as is, and weathering would have blended it into the final effect.
Could I also suggest you add some cables from the handle bars for clutch and brakes. Easy addition to make to the bike, but a very effective addition. A good source for thin cables is some old computer cables, like from a mouse!

I wish I could have used black but there are several reasons to why I didn't, none of them worth listing. I'll be sure to use a more traditional primer the next time.




That's a brilliant idea! I know I didn't save that scrap wire in my toolbox for nothing! Too bad I lost the PE clutch on the other side. I migth try scratching it from wire though. Thanks for the answers and suggestions.

More pictures: the Zündapp is now practically finished, only lacking the dust which I'll put on when I've decided its final location.

In this update I've managed to get pics of the gun base and cradle as well.

Here's the bike again, I can't see any blue anymore. Can you?




My improvised brake and clutch cables can be seen here.


Here's just an overall shot of what I have so far. The red stuff is Testors filler putty.


Detail closeup. The area behind the chain looks pretty beaten. Hopefully some paint will help hide it (it isn't that rough really).

The one main thing about a photo is you will see what others will see. I take photos of the in progress work on a project for just this reason. Even then I miss something and the good members here will point these out to me. The corrections on the painting of the motor cycle is very good. The engine is well worn looking and I like the progress you are making. Keep us informed on your progress.