TECHNICS I USE FOR BUILDING,PAINTING AND MODELS IN CONSTRUCTION.

Weathering........

i was asked by a guy, how do i weather the tanks to make them look more real. to build a tank fresh from the factory is really very simple, it just needs a perfect clean paint job......but to make it look like it has been driven across half of europe and through every hedge on the way too, is alittle more difficult!

the weathering on my tanks paint is just done in layers. the main products i use are:

tamiya acriylic paints___for the base colours, brushed on straight from the jar.
humbrol enamle paints___ normaly for tracks
artists oil paints___for fading/darkening the base coat.i'll explain...
artists pastles___also so fading and dust/soot
mig productions pigments___for mud and rust
mig productions dark wash___allover wash to bring the colours together and also make details stand out.
mig productions filters___gives diffrent tints to colours like german gray and olive drab.

the first thing to note, the wash and oil fading and filters can only be done onto acriylic paint......they are enamle/spirit based and will attack or loosen ename paint!!!

the process i use is................

 * to paint the base colours all the detailed bits and everything, sometimes in sub assemblies (ie:the  tracks and wheels left off, turret seperate)
 
* i then fade/shade the paintwork with artists oils, i just dot it onto the model with a stick, then brush
it over with white spirit or thinners. it depends on the model colour but the colours i have are, white, tan, yellow, light green, black, gray,blue,brown.

 use say yellow, white, light green on olive drab
 or say light gray, black, white, blue for german gray.
 or use the mig filters, they get the same sort of finish.

* then a wash in dark brown oil paint or enamle and thinners or mig productions wash (this is just the same just ready made, i like it though, good quality) the wash you have to apply with a very soft brush, get it very 'wet' and just dab it on then dab most off again with a cloth/kitchin roll.
be very careful not to wipe it at all or the oil fading will 'move'. leave it in corners/cracks as this shows the detail and gives ther paint work some depth.

*i then make up mud.....i use mig production pigments mixed with acrylic resin and plaster of paris. or also add gloss varnish to get wet mud. this mixture is then well paisted on the hull, wheels and tracks depending on the look needed. this wouldnt be done in
 the desert but would be plenty in say anzio, itialy.


* then put it all together and dust it on pastle or pigment, get it dirty and blend the mud into the paint. use rust colour pigment where nessesary like on exausts and black pigment around the end and barrel ends.

* then lastly i tend to attack it with a pencil/ graphite powder and a paper pencil. give handles, edges and thing a heavly used look, down to the metal. i also rub the track edges with this for use in a hard surface of in the desert. i belive in the desert it all gets alittle polished.

a model befor any weathering..

though not the same model, these 2 models are painted with the same base colour.

after weathering..

current projects.

this is what i am working on at the moment, its a german heavy assault weapon. its the sdkfz 166 Brummbar. this is the first model i have tryed to put zimmerit onto. this was a paste that the germans coated there tanks in to stop magnetic mines from sticking. i am pleased with how it has come out for a first attempt. it is done with model putty and a rake like tool, takes a long time just working one face at a time.

Panthertrum.  this is the turret of a german panther tank, they where put on  a steel box and dug in to make fortified lines. there was a big defencive line built across italy, the gothic line.that is where my model is set.
 it is built from a resin kit by mig productions and set into a picture frame, then i have used foam and plaster to create the ground around it, it is nearly finished, i just need to do the weathering on the turret and paint and weather the barbed wire and posts.
 the mig productions kit is very good, i have put a link at the bottom of the page to their site.