Having added some details, I have jumped on the painting phase right away.

First step, preshade with Nato Black, as always.

For the base coat I was looking for the “right” shade of Israeli grey. I felt that mix Medium grey / Buff (2:1 ratio) looked good, but when I tried to airbrush it, it felt way too light and way too buff, I was looking for something more grey. After some experimentation I have ended up with following mix: Tamiya Dark Sea Grey XF-54 (3 parts) + Buff XF-57 (1 part) + Khaki XF-49 (1.5 parts). I was not perfectly happy, but then, I did not want to make the same mistake I have done so many times – having the base coat too dark… The rest of the darkening will be done with filters.

After the base coat, I have added little bit of modulation just by adding some White XF-2 to the mix and using a masking tape, highlighted some on side of some of the edges and some raised parts (wiring protecting covers, fuel tank caps, crew hatches). It adds a lot of visual effect and while it looks strange at this moment due to high contrast, it will eventually be toned down.

See previous part / See next part