Once you develop a technique that works you tend to stick to it and adapt it to meet other tasks. My little Accurate Miniatures RQ-1 Predator UAV had previously been painted with a different scheme, that while fun and useful at developing another technique just didn’t fit in my plans for it.
Using torn strips of paper towel, some micro sized clothes pins and four different colors of Tamiya acrylic paint (actually five as I didn’t change the color of the underside which was already painted a light gray) I set out to give it a new camo scheme. I started with a base of RLM Grey. Once that was applied I quickly cleaned my airbrush, then started applying the masking. Using the torn strips of paper towel I fastened them in place with micro clothes pins which I sourced from my local craft store. This Predator is 1:72 so you can see how small those pins are!
When I tear the paper towel into strips I don’t necessarily follow a line, in fact a little variety in width as you go gives you a better masking pattern. Once I had all of the strips applied I applied the second color.
As with the base color, once the NATO Green was applied I cleaned my airbrush and removed the masks, only to relocated them into new positions in preparation of receiving the third color, Dark Grey.
Now it was time to inspect what I had, which was a nice three color scheme that was realistic and plausible. But it needed something more to accent it as well as give a little disruption to the pattern. Add in the fourth color to the scheme…Flat Black.
Again I masked using the strips of paper towel, just few of them and kept the openings between them close, almost undetectable. I wanted a thin pattern of black. I also took a wedge of paper towel scrap and picked a pattern into the middle of it with my tweezers. This is visible in the last image below. I used this as a masking which I applied over and over again reaching the areas where using strips wasn’t practical. That is to say I couldn’t get them to contour and lay down enough to be suitable for this application.
After the black disruptive pattern was completed I felt that I had done exactly what I had set out to do. I now have a unique four color camouflage pattern suitable for jungle or areas with dense vegetation. I could do a similar pattern using tans and light earth tones for a desert scheme.
She’s now ready for a clear coat, decals, some subtle weathering then onto the model table at the next event.
I think that given where the Predator operates that camo on the upper surfaces is not needed. They operate from secure rear areas and are almost always in a hanger or other building when not in use. I would think that the under surfaces are the area that need to be camoed, so that people looking up can’t locate it.
This is true today. We have the advantage on the battlefield but that might not always be the case. The ability to conceal ones assets is critical to keeping the enemy from gaining accurate counts. Even during WWII while separated from the combat zones, coastal facility were camouflage to conceal them. Aircraft even bombers were camouflaged even though they operated from rear areas. The purpose of the camouflage is to protect the assets in several phases of the mission.
Should our enemy have airborne assets as well, the camouflage protects aircraft from spotting them from above whether in flight or on the ground. A fleeting few seconds of concealment can make the entire difference in survivability. The Predator and other UAVs do operate at medium to high altitudes…but that altitude is determined by the weapons they carry. If the weapon has its greatest effect operating at medium to low altitudes, the deployment vehicle will have to operate in that zone as well.
Besides, it looks even more bad ass when its painted this way ;o) Instill fear in your enemy it can be the most effective weapon.
Gerald,
Really enjoy the “How-To” articles — the content & photography are excellent. A suggestion: would it be possible to place an index in each of your categories – particularly the “How-To” section?
Dave
I working on creating a comprehensive list of titles and descriptions for each article which will be broke down into categories. There is a categories box on the right side of the page to make locating articles somewhat easier. The search feature does help locate topics quicker, but as you suggest something better must happen soon. We’re up to 262 articles and growing so finding them needs to be easier. I’m working on it! Thanks!