672nd Fighter Wing, Red Dragon Squadron Imperial Navy - “The Red Baroness” (SPRING CLEAN CHALLENGE 2021 by Zebraoutrider)

It’s been a couple of weeks since my last entry, mainly because I’ve just be in the flow of cracking on with the painting of the Thunderbolt without thinking about the blog. You know how it it – when you are in the zone, you just want it to never end!

So, to update the blog now, I began by undercoating the Thunderbolt with Plastikote white spray paint and once dry used Matt Red spray for the upper fuselage and wings.

I decided that I wanted the Thunderbolt to have a unique camouflage pattern and immediately thought of the Red Admiral butterfly, but actually it’s more black than red and what I had for decades was the Red Admiral was in fact a Peacock butterfly. A photo I’d taken in the garden inspired the pattern and so the painting of details began.

To start with I used Carroburg Crimson wash to blend into the recesses. I then used Abaddon Black to add a dark layer to the wing edges and then Wraithbone to create the Peacock butterfly eyes on the wings and tail fins. I used Lothern Blue, Averland Sunset and Mephiston Red to create further colouring and blending of the Peacock camouflage. I also painted the metalwork using Retributor Armour and Chainmail with a wash of Reikland Fleshshade.

Next up was to create unique transfers  for the Thunderbolt which could also be used on the Lightning and tie the two to the Dragon Wing/Squadron. I selected an image from page 27 of the 1996 edition of the Warhammer Armies Bretonnian supplement, photographed it and turned the image into a series of small and large transfers along with sets of designation numbers and pilots’ name boards. The transfer sheet, once printed, was sprayed with Purity Seal and coated with ‘ardcoat for durability and then individual transfers were carefully cut out, soaked in water and applied to both the Thunderbolt and Lightning.

Where transfers overlapped grooves in the fuselage panels, I carefully cut the transfer using a pointed sculpting tool and applied Nuln Oil to run into the grooves. transfers were sealed with a coat of ‘ardcoat and then a coat of Stormshield to dull the gloss sheen.

I used Typhoid Technical paint and further washes to blend and begin the weathering process, culminating in Vallejo Weathering Powders (medium rust and Ochre.)