Primed and ready

Seeing the hull now complete in all over black plastic does look good, though this is not going to sit well for a completed model. I have finally managed to get the paints I needed. Purchased from Hobbycraft stores at a cost of roughly £5 per tin.

The three colours are Crimson red, Cream, and Satin Black. I decided to use spray paints instead of the brush on paints provided because they give a more even coating and will over a larger area more easily. The other advantage is that you can apply several thin layers instead of one thick layer. Before the hull is painted it needs a covering of primer. I did think of using red oxide primer so I wouldn't need to paint the 'Anti-Fouling' layer on the lower part of the hull but when I checked the colour swatches the red oxide primer would have dried to a much lighter shade than was required. 


Its important to heed the warnings on spray cans when using them. They should always be used in a well ventilated environment and where possible not indoors. What I use is a very basic booth made from a cardboard box. I cut off one side so I can place the model inside and access it easily with the spray. With the Titanic's hull being such a large piece I ended up placing it on top of the box and priming the surface outdoors, luckily it was a nice day so I could get on with it knowing that in the sunshine it would dry quickly.

The hull with the first of three coats of primer.

By applying thin layers one at a time it retains the fine detail on the model

Once the primer had dried, I masked off the top section of the hull ready to apply
the red Crimson paint to the lower section

I taped pieces of newspaper to the top of the hull to avoid overspray from the crimson getting inside the hull. I will continue with the rest of the hull painting next time