Farrari "Testa Rossa" head wrinkle paint help

[Matt Bacon]

3 hours ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

For some odd reason, as modelers, our eyes apparently see a texture such as that as acceptable in 1/25th scale, when in reality, as a rule, it's not even close to what a texture reduced by 25 times should be.

For the same reason we accept engraved panel lines and recessed “rivets” on model aircraft, and laud manufacturers who manage to reproduce “oil-canning” and lapped panels. It’s not about accurately reproducing the detail 24 (or 32 or 48 or 72 or 144) times smaller, because in most cases it would just not be there. It’s about providing the illusion or impression or effect of structure, detail, texture or material. In our world, ribbon doesn’t look like seat belt material, and flocking for sure doesn’t look like scale carpet. The crackle effect on full size heads scatters the light differently from a smooth painted piece, or a chrome plated piece. It may be that in real life, making it 25 times smaller would just result in something that looks like matt paint or frosted plastic, but just painting the heads matt doesn’t give that qualitative difference in what you perceive that a crackled finish does, even if it’s over scale…

To my mind, it’s just about trying to achieve a variety of colours and finishes and texture to hint at the complexity there is in the real thing, so your eye and brain fill in the details.  
best,

M.

 

[StevenGuthmiller]

43 minutes ago, sidcharles said:

in this day & age, i still see spark plug wire that could be heater hose for its size & lack of 'droopy-ness'.

as Dr Cranky says, scale modeling "is a journey."

Yes, that’s another common one.

 

 

Steve

[StevenGuthmiller]

20 minutes ago, Matt Bacon said:

For the same reason we accept engraved panel lines and recessed “rivets” on model aircraft, and laud manufacturers who manage to reproduce “oil-canning” and lapped panels. It’s not about accurately reproducing the detail 24 (or 32 or 48 or 72 or 144) times smaller, because in most cases it would just not be there. It’s about providing the illusion or impression or effect of structure, detail, texture or material. In our world, ribbon doesn’t look like seat belt material, and flocking for sure doesn’t look like scale carpet. The crackle effect on full size heads scatters the light differently from a smooth painted piece, or a chrome plated piece. It may be that in real life, making it 25 times smaller would just result in something that looks like matt paint or frosted plastic, but just painting the heads matt doesn’t give that qualitative difference in what you perceive that a crackled finish does, even if it’s over scale…

To my mind, it’s just about trying to achieve a variety of colours and finishes and texture to hint at the complexity there is in the real thing, so your eye and brain fill in the details.  
best,

M.

 

Of course.

That’s why I said “it’s not always possible”.

But there are avenues in most cases to get as close as possible to a scale texture without going over board.

An overdone texture seems to be acceptable to some, but very obviously way outside of what most would consider “in scale”, even though it’s not in scale in actuality.

 

 

 

Steve

[gtx6970]

3 hours ago, sidcharles said:

in this day & age, i still see spark plug wire that could be heater hose for its size & lack of 'droopy-ness'.

as Dr Cranky says, scale modeling "is a journey."

Agreed 100%

 

BUT,,,, Not all are on the same journey  and / or desire to achieve the same exact goal with the end product

 

Using myself as an example.

Im after a certain look. Not necessarily 100% dead nuts accurate or correct per say.  As long as I look at the finished product and it represents what I had in my minds eye at the beginning. Its Mission accomplished For me

The end goal has to please me and me alone.  I don't do contests. That said, I will build to the best of my ability and skill level. Im always interested in reading about / trying new methods  . As to whether or not I may try said methods all comes down to what I had in mind for the end product.

But for me ,,,Mine once done, go in the case and get seen by myself, my family and any visitor that happens to take notice in them.

Edited Tuesday at 09:23 PM by gtx6970

[StevenGuthmiller]

41 minutes ago, gtx6970 said:

Agreed 100%

 

BUT,,,, Not all are on the same journey  and / or desire to achieve the same exact goal with the end product

 

Using myself as an example.

Im after a certain look. Not necessarily 100% dead nuts accurate or correct per say.  As long as I look at the finished product and it represents what I had in my minds eye at the beginning. Its Mission accomplished For me

The end goal has to please me and me alone.  I don't do contests. That said, I will build to the best of my ability and skill level. Im always interested in reading about / trying new methods  . As to whether or not I may try said methods all comes down to what I had in mind for the end product.

But for me ,,,Mine once done, go in the case and get seen by myself, my family and any visitor that happens to take notice in them.

I can agree with all of that, but I’ll confess that I don’t think that I have a finished model in my case, (probably never have, or never will) that didn’t have something about it that every time I look at it, I say to myself, “I wish I would have done that differently, or better”.

I’m pretty sure that the quest for perfection is a futile one, but it’s one that I’ll never stop striving for.

I guess it’s in my blood.

”Good enough” has begun to slowly disappear from my vocabulary.

 

 

Steve

[sidcharles]

i 

2 hours ago, gtx6970 said:

. . .  Not all are on the same journey. . . .

you are correct.

sometimes my dogma over rides my diplomacy.

gotta work on that . . . 

 

[sidcharles]

2 hours ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

. . . .  ”Good enough” has begun to slowly disappear from my vocabulary.    Steve

i think there's plenty of grey between scale 2" thick spark plug wires and perfection.

i remember telling a contractor i worked for " i can't... " whatever it was i thought i could not do.

he stopped in mid-stride, turned to me, pointing his finger said "you get that word right out of your vocabulary!"

which really has nothing to do with the thread topic, but this is how these things drift sometimes.

carry on.

[NOBLNG]

Getting back to the question of the Ferrari heads…I think a little experimentation with paint consistency, air pressure and distance, one could achieve an acceptable degree of “not quite flat” texture.