Airfix Martin B-57B Canberra 1:48

Wheel hubs – just before painting!

I’ll be getting to the main camo painting in just a mo but before that it will save a bit of time later if I paint the wheel hubs. The wheels fit together very well and having been left to dry overnight they are sanded along the seam to get rid of any excess. They are moulded with flats so this is also good as it means they are more realistic having a slight bulge too. The hubs are a metallic colour and one that works really well is Iron, a shade from the Metal Colour range (available from MDC in the UK. This paint is stunning, mainly because you can hand paint it and it goes on really smoothly and when dry (I always leave it a few hours to be sure) can be buffed using an old tooth brush or paint brush. An even shinier surface is achieved if you buff the surface with a soft duster. You can see here that I’ve applied the paint and the buffing is yet to do but you’ll see what I mean later.

Masking the undersides…

The camo pattern dictates that there is a gentle wavy demarcation line between upper and lower surfaces and Tamiya tape is perfect for the job. I cut thin (quite long) strips to mask out the edge then fill in the larger areas with scraps and sections of a cheaper brand.

Upper camo pattern…

The colours…