1:350 HMS Hood: Part 8 - Painting the Hull

[@glenflanderka6504]

Appreciate the calm patient approach. Making steady progress and it’s looking great. Thanks again for sharing.

[@ChrisK-LTC]

You should look into using Mr. Surfacer to primer your hulls, it is very good at helping hide small imperfections. Mr. Surfacer 500 can be used with a brush and will act ass a micro filler on seams.

[@DavidsShips]

Thanks for the suggestion! It sounds like something I need. I will give it a go.

[@Pennant51]

I agree! It’s excellent (especially when combined with Mr Levelling Thinner)!

[@ferguskenny4578]

I saw a tip before, that I've used and is really good. Place a pencil on a small block of wooden, to the heights of the boot line. Then lightly move the ship around on a flat surface, while marking a pencil line for the boot. Then it's easier to mask as you have perfectly straight lines all around the ship, especially the stern.

[@DavidsShips]

I have tried that before, it is not as easy as it sounds. I find that if there is a line on the hull that can be followed it is best to use it.

[@makumjeff2257]

Avoid masking ‘bleed’ by putting a light spray of ‘clear’ over masked edges.

[@DavidsShips]

I can see how that could work. Thanks!

[@level98bearhuntingarmor]

Never knew the black waterline was called a the boottop

[@Pennant51]

That’s what the black stripe was called in Hood’s docking reports. They describe it as glossy black in colour (though at this scale it wouldn’t be very shiny). We measured it at 8ft in height. It was still visible on the wrecked stern when last visited.

[@owenauer3406]

Would it not be easier to first spray the hull black where the boot stripe goes, then if, lets say the bootstripe is 5mm, then mask it with 5mm tape? Then it would be masked off and finished and it would be easier to paint the red bottom and grey upper hull.

[@DavidsShips]

You need to take into consideration the shape of the hull. Where the boot topping is on a very curved section of the hull the with will be greater than 5mm. Where the hull is vertical it will be exactly 5mm.
The shape of HMS Hood's hull at the boot topping is mostly vertical so you could probably get away with your method. I prefer to line it up so that the line looks straight and the same width when viewed from the side no matter the shape of the hull.

[@michaelmrvosh]

What size airbrush needle do you use to paint the hull? Could it be a 0.3 mm or 0.5 mm?

[@DavidsShips]

I use a 0.3mm to paint everything.

[@BrianSmith-dm4lf]

Learning lots from your videos and your explanations are brilliant. I am getting very close to painting my POW model hull and my question is do you prime the surfaces of the hull before tapeing and if so what primer do you use? Also, with the photoetch does it have to be primed ? thanks B

[@DavidsShips]

I don't find priming to be all that important. I use Mr. Surfacer to help cover micro-scratches and to get a even finish, but I don't think it makes much of a difference, if any.
For larger PE parts I will use metal primer, but on smaller components I don't bother. I think that varnish is more important than primer when it comes to making sure the paint stays attached.

[@BrianSmith-dm4lf]

@@DavidsShips Thanks very much David for your response and I certainly agree with your point of view. With your help on my specific questions and watching the videos, I have plenty of confidence to tackle my POW. Your Hood build is very informative and quite entertaining and once it is completed I can’t wait to see what your ship will be! Brian

[@CrisstheNightbringer]

Maybe I missed it, but any reason you went with gray antifouling instead of red? I didn't see any mention of it on the hood website.

[@DavidsShips]

This is the painting guide that I am following: www.hmshood.org.uk/hoodtoday/models/tips/hoodpaint.htm#AsSunk
There is a lot of uncertainty around the precise colour that was used but it seems almost certain that it was not red.

[@glenchapman3899]

@@DavidsShips And it has been building to a wider discussion of just how many British capital ships at the time did have red anti fouling paint at that stage of the war. Teaches us to never assume anything lol

[@CrisstheNightbringer]

@@DavidsShips Ah thanks. I'm a few weeks behind on my own version. Keep up the good work!

[@mikedwn]

You decided to stay with red even though she was more than likely grey going by records?

[@CrisstheNightbringer]

If you're talking to me, I haven't even painted my model yet.@@mikedwn