I am returning to the hobby after many years. I am building Tamiyas Stuka Zu Fuss> I need to simulate the wooden crates on the side that hold the rockets. Can someone please share their methodes of painting wood. Thanks

Generally,I like to use Modelmaster acrylic Wood ,then I wash it with a dark brown wash to simulate a grain.

Of course you may have to research to see if those particular crates are painted or natural wood

Swanny's Models;

http://www.swannysmodels.com/Wood.html

I use the same basic method that Chris's Link at Swanny's does. I usually only use one grain color as I'm painting small strips of plastic wood. I don't use clear Yellow but rather a light coat of clear Orange as it's closer to what the old time varnishes looked like. Then a clear gloss coat.
Joel

http://www.uschivdr.com/
Very nice decals that represent scale wood grain.

To add another option into the mix that is close to what is already posted but still differs a bit from the rest.

I first do a khaki or light sand base color. When that is dry I take a pencil and draw some lines and notches on it. And then I do a fairly thick wash over it with Burnt Sienna oilpaint. I let that sit for 2 or 3 hours then I take an old soft brush from which the hairs are already splitting a bit and I moist it a bit with turpentine and gently stroke once or twice over the oilpaint to create streaks in it which reveal the basecolor. It takes a bit of practice but you can get quite nice results with it.

Below a picture of the floor of a Mercedes 1904 I did with this technique


Works well with riflestocks too. Did not do pencil here.

Mark:

Hi! OK, wood wurfkasten (wurf boxes or cases)... You have LOTS of options, including various the other folks have relayed.

The real thing was seldom ever varnished - these were a single-use item (metal boxes were recycled) and were often painted (dark green, middle green, etc.) or left in dirty naked wood. The naked wood items could of course be fresher (lighter piney colors - tan with light wash streaking for a little grain) or darker wood colors or a combo of boards of different colors. They often would be dirty and even muddy, as when set down on the ground from a truck.

I use Testor's MM wood or Tamiya deck-tan acryl and wash with some van Dycke brown oil or sometimes some other umber or brown very very thin and sometimes dry-brush streaked on. A green case might have some scrapes and such revealing wood.

Don't forget that these boxes were put together with screws and had 4 small legs which could be swung down to prop a single box on the ground for firing it. So... detail these small black dot heads on! I use a sharp sewing needle and poke in small holes which then collect a little dark brown wash and do show up!

The case came with paper tags in different places (probably instructions like "Don't drop on your foot!" or "this is part nummer....der rocket-bomb-unit... yahdeeyahdeeyah... Use only when commanded to, Aim big end at enemy... Heil Hitler!" (jist funnin' guys! We all know that this sort of thing does come with sometimes lots of instruction and verbiage). IF you don't have decals, just paint some on (white rectangles, small black marks for text) or even make some on your printer. Again, a very visible tweak, and easy.

The fuses were always kept separate except when prepping to actually fire the things - so if you are in transport mode, or stacked boxes on a vehicle or on the ground, NO fuses - make a shallow hole in the bomb-nose. Fuse was aluminum-colored.

Here, for amusement, is the very first model I built after returning to this hobby a few years back after a 35+ year styrene-free stint. I elected to make one box green, most got small decals (actually came in the otherwise crude RPM kit), and all received the small metal cross-pieces on the rear end.



Bob