Ahoy mates!
As I work my 1/35 scale LCC, I'm getting to the point where it's time to weather the model. Now, here's my delima. Do I weather it as I percive the boat would be, rusty, scaped up and battle torn. Or, knowing that the landing craft were basically overhauled after the operation was over, keep it clean and ship shape?

My question to you is how to you build? How you think it should look or how it would actually look based on the time depicted?

Great question Kenny as far as i am concerned, i paint the plastic stuff according to the diorama I am building around.
Therefore as it has to make a whole, the amount of weathering will depend on the final effect I want. My next diorama depicts a boat more or less trapped in ice -it will be not much weathered because i do want the whole to display some flat colours with noyt so much contrasts (white for the snow, black for the sea and black for the boat as well) a battle torned boat would have ripped apart the global feeling I want to show with this diorama.
A few years ago , i did a diorama located in Egypt, then i had some old 70's books from my youth with some faded colours showing some purples and a very special brand of yellow/sand colour -I painted my diorama according to those colours, not to some National Geographic like truth.
I must say I put the final artistic effect way above any idea of historic truth
errr, of course i would recommend you do the same, paint the boat as you SEE it.

Personally, Ken, I usually will use reference shots from the time frame/period I'm working with, and go from there. . .if it's an old or obscure piece, I will build it as I usually find in the reference shot, and that is normally from a museum photo. . .in general though I tend to weather light with all subjects, except for battle torn dio's, then it's time for lots of damage!
~Gunny

Now I plan on doing some weathering, but I intend to keep her ship shape, only weathering what would be repaired or touched up after an operation.

So, sound off mates. Captains and crew were proud of their ships. Do you break out the chippers and scrapers or have her seasoned by a month in combat? And fading the doesn't count. I'm talkin' rust and diry decks! Lack of maintenance by the deck group!

Gator

Ahoy Kenny,

To answer your question.....I must ask....is the craft going to be set in a operational
period or post op?

If it is going to be set in a operational period, some scuffing and damage
along with some rust and dirt, will create some ambiance.

If it is a post operational you are looking to model, then keep it with a more
cleaned up look.

Whichever look you opt for.....keep it subtle. No craft is ever spic and span
especially in the field so weathering always adds drama but if overdone it
tends to be hard on the eyes.

I guess as the others have also said, photos of the actual craft in a particular
setting will also help determine in which way you will finally finish the model.

Cheers,
Joe

Interesting question and as I thought about it, I realize that I have two different philosophies based on whether I'm doing a ship or armor. Generally speaking, when I'm doing armor, I want to make it look mostly the way it looks in the field, so I'll do some weathering. I supposed it's because I spent 30 years in the Army, that's how I "remember" things.

But when I do a ship model, I envision it more as a show item to represent the ship in somewhat of a presentation fashion, rather than a working item, so I don't do any weathering.

Tom

Another factor to consider - are you going to show this in a contest. If you are then paint it as it 'should' be. If the craft would have been cleaned and preped before the mission. Then have it ship shape.
If you are not going to show it then you can be more artistic and paint what you 'like' or what you want to portray and offer as a visual image to people. That may be a 'hard life' image of a rusty LCC with stains etc. It may be a 'sailor life' and be clean ready.


Personally, if you don't show it I would stain it and rust it a bit, more visual interest.

All my builds of ships are full hull and will be displayed on blocks as they would be resting on as in a drydock.They are brush painted which does not give a seamless finish like a top class unweathered airbrush job, but a finish like they have been refitted and repainted and are about to be recommissioned and put back to sea..

This is my point, kinda. What happens when ships are judged by a group of builders that don't build ships. I find I run in to the exact opposite down here. Me personally, I build it the way references say too. I enter contest to support the various clubs. I find it hard to place with a historically accurate model.

Gator