Big Bertha paint - need help!

[Tarasdad]

I'm in the process of painting my Big Bertha. Currently I've painted the body in gloss white and the nose cone gloss red, but I'm stuck trying to decide the rest of the paint scheme. Here are the four I'm looking at:

1 - Red nose cone and fins only


2 - Red nose cone, fins, aft body


3 - Red nose cone and fins, black aft body and BT stripe


4 - Red nose cone and aft body, black fins


Which do you think looks best?

(Images are rough, made from OR PDF export modified in GIMP, saved as JPG - quality sucks)

[hcmbanjo]

Since you are already going with the red, white and black colors -
Why note use vinyl electrical tape and add some roll patterns?
This look is from an old Estes catalog.
There's no masking and it's easier than you'd think.

Here's some links from my blog on how to do it:
http://modelrocketbuilding.blogspot....-tape-tip.html
http://modelrocketbuilding.blogspot....e-part-19.html
http://modelrocketbuilding.blogspot....e-part-20.html

[Tarasdad]

Gotta admit it's a great scheme, but a bit more than I want to tackle right now. Not that ambitious for one, don't have the tape and can't afford it for another - spent more than I should have getting the paint for this and my Big Daddy as it is.

[Rocketbuilder]

I would say ether 2 or 3.

[Fishhead]

2

[qquake2k]

I vote for #3.

[GDJ]

I kinda like #1 myself.

[foamy]

Lots of great inspiration here in the Big Bertha Gallery: http://www.rocketryforum.com/showthr...-1206)-Gallery

Otherwise, my vote is for number 3. It has the most going on.

You might consider adding a red stripe of the black stripes thickness, a stripes width above the fins.

[AfterBurners]

#4 looks cool

[Rocketbuilder]

I think maybe this thread need a poll.

[JPVegh]

I vote for #2, quick, easy, get it in the air.

[Tarasdad]

After thinking it over I decided to go with #2 for simplicity. Not 100% sure of my ability to mask anything more complex right now, been too long since I did any serious painting where masking was required.

Photos will be up later, once the paint is dry enough.

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Here's a pic! Click for large version.

[adrian]

I vote for 2.5. You've already done scheme 2. Now add in the black ring from 3, which can go immediately behind the red on the front end of the body tube. Perhaps put another ring immediately ahead of the red on the read of the body. That gets you the best bits of both schemes while being no harder than what you've already done.

[Tarasdad]

I'm debating getting a Monokote trim sheet in black and doing thr rings that way.

[bradycros]

Gotta admit it's a great scheme, but a bit more than I want to tackle right now. Not that ambitious for one, don't have the tape and can't afford it for another - spent more than I should have getting the paint for this and my Big Daddy as it is.

I'm debating getting a Monokote trim sheet in black and doing thr rings that way.

If you know a place that's giving away Monokote trim sheets, I want to know all about it.

[Tarasdad]

Yeah, the lack of money is why I don't have it already. My wife surprised me last night when she ordered a set of decals for my Big Daddy. I showed her the Der Grosser Vati set from Excelsior and said that's what I wanted to put on it eventually but didn't expect her to order them right away! Normally I have to plan at least a month ahead for any hobby purchase that big.

I'm still debating what, if anything else I want to do on the Big Bertha. One or more of the fins may yet end up black and it may get black stripes since I already have the paint ($1.25 Walmart rattle cans). I also have several cigar boxes full of Tamiya, Testors and Pactra model paints that could conceivably be used, although the vast majority of those are military flats.

Deciding on a paint scheme is tough!

[Spacepirate R]

Looks great to me!

[qquake2k]

I think it turned out great!

[PhlAsh]

I'd go with #1 then mask half the area between each fin as well as the adjacent fin (and the upper rocket), then go back with black over the unmasked side. That'll give you fins that are red on one side, black on the other with an easy roll-pattern between.