1949 Mercury Station Wagon

[espo]

20 hours ago, bh1701 said:

Thanks, David

There is an engine in this model. I usually don't include photos of the engine, since I usually just use whatever is in the kit and do not add any wiring or hoses like some of the forums members do. But, here are some photos of it. This doesn't look like the stock 1949 engine. I think I heard that it may be a Cadillac engine. I think the kit was once done as a Surf Woody which would explain the different engine, and the Hawaii and California license plate decals that were included.

Thanks,

Bart

Ya, the kits engine represents an early Cadillac engine. Your paint detailing of the engine in this build looks well done and there is nothing saying you have to go to great lengths adding wiring and hoses. Just build it to your tastes.  

[papajohn97]

Very nice job on this Merc woodie. Did you do the wood grain by brushing oil paint over acrylic tan? I learned to do it using a technique posted on a WWI airplane kit website (here). Airbrushing  thinned Tamiya transparent yellow (X-24) or transparent orange (X-26) acrylic over the wood grained area really makes it pop.

My only complaint with this Revell kit is the absence of the stock flathead V-8 which is a mystery to me because the rest of the kit is pretty much stock.

[bh1701]

5 hours ago, David G. said:

That's a great looking build Bart! Your work on the woodgrain looks terrific.

If you're interested I started a community thread earlier this year dedicated to the '49 Mercury. There are many cool examples of this iconic car shared there by other members. I would be honored if you wanted to share some photos of your fabulous example there.

Thanks,

David G. 

David,

I would be happy to post some photos to the community thread. Do you have a link for it?

Bart

[David G.]

1 hour ago, bh1701 said:

David,

I would be happy to post some photos to the community thread. Do you have a link for it?

Bart

 

Oops! I meant to put the link in and got distracted.  ? Sorry about that!

Here it is.

 

And thank you Bart for sharing your Merc there. There are also a lot of other cool builds to look at too.

David G.

[XYHARRY]

Really nice wagon there Bart, I hope to get one of these kits one day. Really well done. 

Cheers, 

David. ??

[bh1701]

On 11/4/2024 at 10:02 AM, papajohn97 said:

Very nice job on this Merc woodie. Did you do the wood grain by brushing oil paint over acrylic tan? I learned to do it using a technique posted on a WWI airplane kit website (here). Airbrushing  thinned Tamiya transparent yellow (X-24) or transparent orange (X-26) acrylic over the wood grained area really makes it pop.

John, and others, had asked about my technique for the woodgrain on this kit.

This shows the technique I used.

I did LOTS of experiments on a scrap piece of plastic using many different shades of tan/beige (Craft paints, Tamiya colors, and Testors) to see what they looked like when the clear orange was applied over them. The photo below is only a small sample of the many colors I tested.

 

My final choice for paints were Testor's Gloss Wood , Tamiya Clear Orange, and DecoArt Dark Chocolate craft paint. (NOTE: As I thought about this, I think I actually used the Flat Tan as shown in the above photo for the base color! The important thing is to experiment with lots of different base colors until you get the woodgrain color you are looking for!)

 

I painted the exterior trim with the Gloss Wood paint  and then brushed clear orange over it once it was dry. While you want to have good coverage for both paints,  some visible brush strokes will enhance the woodgrain effect. Be sure to always brush in the direction you want the wood grain to go in.

The outer wood trim just used the Gloss Wood and Clear Orange paints. For the interior panels, I used the Dark Chocolate to create a darker woodgrain effect. I dry brushed the Dark Brown paint using a flat, somewhat stiffer, brush. I applied the paint in this strokes using the outer edge of the brush (as opposed to the whole surface of the brush). This gave me finer lines and allowed me better control of the effect. If you really don't like how it's going, you can always remove the craft paint with a wet tissue while it is still wet so you can try again. You can also use a brush lightly moistened with water to thin down any of the Craft paint if it looks too heavy in any areas.

 

Thanks,

Bart

 

Edited November 7, 2024 by bh1701
Removed photo

[papajohn97]

Thank you Bart for the detailed description of your wood painting technique. I was surprised to read that you use acrylic dark brown paint for brush streaking the wood grain. For me the use of dark brown (burnt umber) oil paint thinned with mineral spirits and using a coarse brush works really nicely when applied over the tan acrylic base. The thinned oil paint is very forgiving and has the advantage over acrylic paint in that you can keep repeating the brush streaking until you’re happy with the appearance (it takes 1-2 days to dry). Once the oil paint streak coat is dry, I then airbrush a thinned down application of the transparent acrylic orange or yellow. Here’s a pic of a WWI aircraft prop I did using this oil paint wood grain technique:

On your next wood paint project, you might want to try this thinned dark brown oil paint technique and compare it to the results you get with the dark brown acrylic streaking.

[bh1701]

4 minutes ago, papajohn97 said:

Thank you Bart for the detailed description of your wood painting technique. I was surprised to read that you use acrylic dark brown paint for brush streaking the wood grain. For me the use of dark brown (burnt umber) oil paint thinned with mineral spirits and using a coarse brush works really nicely when applied over the tan acrylic base. The thinned oil paint is very forgiving and has the advantage over acrylic paint in that you can keep repeating the brush streaking until you’re happy with the appearance (it takes 1-2 days to dry). Once the oil paint streak coat is dry, I then airbrush a thinned down application of the transparent acrylic orange or yellow. Here’s a pic of a WWI aircraft prop I did using this oil paint wood grain technique:

On your next wood paint project, you might want to try this thinned dark brown oil paint technique and compare it to the results you get with the dark brown acrylic streaking.

Thanks, John!

That propellor looks absolutely amazing! Next time I have some woodgrain to do, I'll give your technique a try. The longer working time for the oil paint would be a definite advantage over acrylics.

Bart

[TooOld]

Very nice looking woody ! Great color and great job painting the wood grain !

 

[carrucha]

Cool woody wagon.  Nice work on the wood graining.