Model Forum / General / Models / June 2008

I got addicted to watching all those Japanese tutorials on model making
on You Tube, especially those posted by sleepylafiel, which seem to come
out of the same video studio. I have found them most informative,
especially in the painting and weathering, even though they are in
Japanese. I wish the lighting was better in some of them, though.
I observed that most all of the different Japanese builders seem to
build the entire model before they pick up the airbrush for painting,
even after putting on the small parts which would be painted different
colors. I usually prepaint the parts in their base color before
assembly, and in some cases, while still on the sprue. How many of you
paint the models after complete construction?

Another curiosity is their use of English words for some parts and paint
colors. Those of us that are not fluent in Japanese will note those
English words in the narrative. Don't the Japanese have their own words
for 'engine', 'cockpit', 'track', etc.? For any English word ending in a
consonant that they use, a 'U' is added to the end, as in 'cockpitu',
'masking tapeu', 'tissue paper'.
Also the paint colors used have the English words, ie. 'blacku', 'german
grey', 'green', 'clearu flatu', etc., even the technique, 'drybrush',
Although it helps in understanding what they are talking about, I'm just
curious as to why that is.