experiments with better tentacle material...
Once I was satisfied that all the construction was finished, I cleaned the models and then undercoated with a mixture of PVA glue and thick tube acrylic paint - usually I spraypaint my undercoat, but was wary of how the spray paint would react with the 'hard foam'. In addition I was very conscious of the texture of the foam, and felt that this 'thicker' paint would help to fill any small defects in the foam.
Once dry, each model was given a coat of dark grey acrylic paint, but found it too dark for my liking. I then painted the models Space Wolf Grey, but found this too blue. Finally, each model was painted Stonewall Grey from Vallejo... which was just right.
One note or technique that I use when painting with acrylic paint: I mix Kleer (or Future) in 1:1 proportions with the paint, which does two things - it does not show brush strokes, and produces a gloss finish which is ideal for 'washes' and decals. I would recommend this trick to anybody who paints vehicles with acrylic paints and a brush!
Once I had good, even coverage, the next step was a simple wash - 1 part distilled water, 1 part Kleer, and a dash of flow improver, then a small dash of black ink and a tiny drop of black paint. This took a couple of coats before I had built up enough shadow.
I then painted the deck areas and mast brown (a mixture of three brown paints, to give depth). This was very difficult as the small area needed careful brush work and touch-up.
The 'liftwood' panels were next, I started with a dark brown/black paint, then painted dark brown strips from fore to aft, then mid-brown and finally light brown. This helps to give some definition to the 'liftwood'. I then had to do some more touching up and another wash.
One of the gunships has a yellow identification strip down the tail (the other two are grey), which was painted with a darker grey - then pale brown, and finally yellow.
The windows or portholes were first painted very dark grey, then dark blue, then mid-blue, then light blue, each colour highlighting the former. Finally, a small white dot was added as a light spot in the glass.
The decals or transfers were from an Airfix Alpha jet set, and I used the German crosses on the sides, and numbers on the back of the engine room. Other decals were a badge placed on the tail of one. Then a coat of Kleer to seal the decals, before some more detailed painting and highlighting.
The bases were constructed and painted in exactly the same way as the one for USS Meade.
The models and bases were varnished with 'water based' acrylic varnish. The final details are the German Naval ensigns, the name plaques, and the clear disc propellers, which were all added after varnishing.