I've built a few Zooch kits and used to paint the fins yellow, orange and red. They all ended up looking a bit cartoony.
Look up some actual NASA launch shots and you'll notice launch flames go from bright white to yellow to grey.
After the fins are filled and glued in place the assembly gets an overall shot of gloss white.
After the white dries, yellow is shot. Aim towards the bottom of the fins and it should blend pretty easily.
After the yellow dries, shoot the grey at a 45 degree angle starting below the bottom fin tip. You are actually starting the spray on the painting wand and going up to the right along the outside edge.
Here's the fin unit glued into the bottom of the model.
This is one of the few Dr. Zooch models where the flame fins are glued in permanently. Other fin units remove for display.
This is a nice touch. I've always understood why the flame fins, but never really liked them. This might end up making the rocket look a lot more realistic.
ReplyDeleteHi Daniel,
DeleteAt first I didn't know what to make of them either. They do work well and are a lot stronger than clear fins. Clear fins always pop off when they land hard. The grey, yellow and white colors help a bit.