A MODELMAKER’S LIFE: MY ONGOING BATTLE WITH MOTTLED CAMOUFLAGE…

3rd December 2025

This will have to be a very quick update this afternoon as I’ve just finished work and I need to leave in less than an hour for a meal date with my brother and sister in law!

Today’s been all about getting the fuselage of the ‘109 finished up ready for decals. That being so, I’ve painted it in its mottled scheme, which apart from being a necessary evil, has given me the chance to further test the SMS paints and my new Mobius airbrush. In both cases I’m happy to reveal that they worked as I hoped they would, the combination of the thin paint and the still surprising quality of Gaahleri’s airbrush, creating a pleasing finish – at least, in the end!

I have a real love/hate relationship with mottling. Sometimes it runs on rails and I’m perfectly happy with it; other times it is an absolute pain in the neck, the patterns, size of the mottles and general feel, being anything but satisfactory. Today was one of those times.

After repeated oversprays I have something approaching okay, but it’s not perfect. Hopefully, the decals will drag it all together, because I won’t have any weathering to help do that! I think they will, the rest of the model also helping draw my attention away from only the fuselage sides on onto more interesting surfaces. fingers crossed, eh?

See you tomorrow.