Wanted to see how you guys paint the molded on tools in small scale subjects? I use a toothpick and with a well placed black or brown wash, it looks fine from a reasonable distance

I use a 3/0 and/or a 0 brush followed by an appropriate wash.

1:72 Dragon Tiger 1
Cheers,
Joe

nice ---- looks great. It's just trying to paint the whole tool handle down to the hull without over doing it.

Brian, yes, agree that the trick is to obscure the attachment point with your dark wash. It's nice also to get a bit of shading / variation in tone on the tool handle (sometimes I am successful at doing so). So on a wooden pick or shovel handle starting off with a pale buff colour (imagining a brand new handle), let it dry, then adding a tiny dot of enamel or oil of some reddish brown (e.g. sienna) at the point where it attaches to the tool head, and maybe where the stowage clasps are, then when almost dry blending that along the handle a few mills... then maybe increases the edges of that shadow with darker paint to blend that in. The same paints can be used to do the shadow that is "under" the tool as well, to try to make the handles look round, rather than U shaped.

What I tried to do here - a bit messily maybe:

Wow - very nice. Great info & will be trying to use the wash to my advantage. Those little q tip type dental sticks in the smallest size seem to work as well.

good stuff, now if I just remember to find this thread when I get to that part of my M-8...