Hi guys,
I am building and painting a 1/700 Japanese Russo-Japanese war Pre-dreadnaught ship "The Mikasa" for my buddy. As this is the first Warship I have ever built or painted I have a few questions and hope someone can help me with them. Firstly when and how do you paint the deck? There are way to many small areas that arent the wood deck .Do you Paint it by brush?, I cant seeing a airbrush working. Secondly what is the right color to use for the deck wood. In the pics of have seen it looks like a really light color not sure what though.
That is it for now

Thanks
Shawn Luchak

I am by no meANS an expert but I think I can help.
First off have you built it yet if not then good.
Build the lower hull first set aside.
Build the super structure and set aside.
Then Prime all of your parts with automotive primer or another primer of a sort.
Starting with the hull use model master wood to paint using your airbrish. To do this get out that roll of masking tape and tape everything but the would deck taping and cutting away with an exacto knife until just the wood is availible. Then simply spray he wood different shades of the color all around it ie darken it of liitten it.
Next step sub asemblies on the deck after letting the deck dry mask off the wood and paint the other details what ever colror the model calls for
Then paint the super structure speratly
Attach and glue the superstructure and fill any seams on your ship with putty.
Mask off thee ship upper assemblies for just the side hull should be showing
and paint the cammo sceam or color on if it is cammo cut the tape in the pattern the cammo is in. If not a full hull jst paint the hull.
If you know how to drybrush do this by using gradually ligher shades of your base color. Differnt colors reguire that you drybrush each.
Then finally put pastels on it to simulate rust and black soot from the smoke stacks

Hope this will Help
Branden