Secondly, I had to work out a way of switching my linear brain off, so that all weathering was applied in haphazard, random and non-symmetrical way.
29th May 2025
Today was a planned break away from my commission build to work a little more on my Airfix Jaguar. Having already painted the little fella, I was keen to begin weathering the airframe and seeing if I could as hoped, replicate the distinctive look of those aggressive big cats, in miniature.
Though I’d rather stylised the finish, I hoped that the subsequent weathering would tie everything together and create a more realistic look. Washes, I figured, would break the surface up, defining all of those lovely panel lines and then once in place, I could start to stain the surface of the model to imitate the grubby look of the real machines.
First things first: references. I have plenty of books of Desert Storm and Op Granby, with dozens of images of the aircraft that took part. One thing I noticed as I flicked through the pages of the various books on my shelves was that the Jaguars were nowhere near as filthy as the Buccaneers and Tornados, which, by the end of operations in the Gulf, were absolutely hanging! Instead, they seemed to be rather ‘cleaner’ with less staining, touch-ups and chipping. If the model was to reflect reality, that would have to be recreated in miniature.
Secondly, I had to work out a way of switching my linear brain off, so that all weathering was applied in haphazard, random and non-symmetrical way. It’s very easy to apply layers of paint and then simply mirror effects over the surface of a model. I had to resist that urge completely today, keeping my hand moving and not lingering too long over any one spot. If the paintwork – completed using oils – wasn’t how I wanted it to be, I removed it with makeup sponges and thinners. I then stepped back, looked at it once again and if it was okay, moved on. Rinse and repeat!
Finally, I had to ensure the effects though visible, were still subtle. I wanted to capture the look of the originals, so tried to keep the washes, especially within the panel lines, in-keeping with the rest of the colour scheme. As tempting as it was to accentuate the lines and create something akin to my recently-finished A-4M Skyhawk, that would have looked out of place. Instead, I lightened the tone of the washes just a little so that they would still be visible, but not overly so.
As it stands, one half of the model is done, the other half will be attended to in the morning. I doubt I’ll get it all done in one go, feeling that it ight be prudent to work on the model and then set it aside for a while to allow my mind to see it in a more objective light. Staring at anything for too long can completely blow you objectivity, as has been the case over the last few days with the commission that I’m attempting to finish…
See you tomorrow.
SPENCER POLLARD'S KIT BOX 
Those upper wings look even ‘wronger’ without the sidewinders attached .At least as kids, I think many of us probably felt that stores belonged UNDER the wing ! I definitely looked at fuel tanks over Lightning wings and even missiles below cockpits with a jaundiced eye – talk about spoiling clean lines !
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