I commend your stencil work, it came out really well. Are you going to repaint the inside of the sprockets, because it looks like you missed a great deal.
I finished light washing the tank, at least I think I am finished. I’m not sure it comes out in the photos, but the yellow really took on an aged look.
I beleive the next step is a flat sealer, then pastels, but I need to do some researhc on that.
I was able to use a pallette with straight umber to pick out the details I wanted dark while I light washed the plain parts. It was trichky, but it kept me from washing out all the detail. I had to do this while it was wet, of course.
One last one…
Comments welcome, is the effect what I am looking for, in general I mean?
Tigerman,
Do you mean the separate drive sprocket? I’ll check it, thanks. I think that’s a shortage of Mig wash, not paint, but it looks funny, I will address it.
Looks really good, Bill!
You don’t need to seal the wash before pasteling or applying pigments; just put them on over what you have!
You’ re gettin’ there! [:D][tup]
Thanks very much Doog. I could not have gotten this far without your help.
It looks like the sprocket on the right is missing dark yellow on the inside. I suppose it could be the lighting.
Minor setback: I decided to attempt the dot filter method,at least on the vertical surfactes. I read some how tos, and set about sealing my prior washes…with… “tamiya flat base”.
It appeared really thick, maybe even milky, but I took little concern. I tested it on apiece of inner skirt that had flat red on it, it did not appear to have any effect, so I flipped it over and sprayed all 4 skirt pieces, and just before I attacked the turret, I noticed something. It was drying WHITE, almost as white as a faded winter whitewash. I flipped over the skirt, and the inside had apparently turned white seconds after I flipped it.
So although I snuck a few hours in tonight, all I got done was to re-do the skirt camo, and now I need to put 2 washes on it, then I will be where I was before…
So what is this “flat base” used for, it’s apparently not a clear flat overcoat.
And how long do I have to wait before I can wash with water soluble oils…again.
OH man, Bill!
With all the questions you’ve been torturing me with ([;)] JUST KIDDING!!!) you should have asked me about this before you did it! First of all, if you are using Tamiya paint, YOU DO NOT NEED TO SEAL THE BASE COAT BEFORE WEATHERING!
Secondly, Tamiya Flat Base is simply an additive for making gloss paints “flat”. You add it to the gloss line to flatten it. The more you add, the flatter it becomes.
You don’t need to reseal it at all before doing more weathering!
The flat base is used as a base to add color to, or clear I guess, to make a flat coat. Like, if you have a gloss or semi-gloss paint, you can add some flat base to it to make a flat color. If you read the small print on the flat base, it tells you not to use it “as is”, for the very reason you found.
The other questions I can’t answer.
Michael
No worries, Karl. Like I said I read your dot filter tutorial, you mentioned a rattle can sealing before you did the dots "OK, now the fun REALLY begins! After sealing the model with some rattle-can dullcaot and letting dry overnight, I set about doing the “dot” step. " I assumed the water soluble washes I did would be affected by the dots, hence the sealing. I would have been OK if I hadn’t had a stupid attack with the “flat base” rather than a correct flat coat.
I knew I could pigment and pastel over the washes, but figured I had to seal it because of all the thinner/scrubbing action with the dots. I was hoping to triumph under the radar and post amazing pictures…Which is, by the way, still the plan.
Well, like I said, it’s really not a giant problem, I just reshot the skirts and already have the straight raw umber wash drying as I type. Then I’ll dust wash it, and I’m back where I started, but I got another 1/2 tank’s experience out of the same kit!
EDIT_ I am REALLY happy with the turret after the washes, I would not be nearly so calm if I had screwed up the turret, but it was only the skirts,and, besides, I thought ahead and primed the under skirt areas red, so even if I totalled the skirts, there’s a salvage in the old girl.
LIVE AND LEARN!!!
Now that I’m approaching where I was before I took two steps back, it’s OK to do dot filter with water soluble oils right over the washes, correct?
Oops! I forgot about that.
Actually, I did that so as to protect the initial washes from the solvent-based oil dot weathering technique.
And yes, it’s ok to do the washes without a sealer now!
Glad to see though, that you’re experimenting on your own! It’s truly the most valuable tool for learning! Good luck!
I just got back from a Michael’s Speed run…Blue, Red, Orange, and a green…check…
Cover me, I’m going in…
OK, back from the brink on my experiment with not reading the label.
Tried dot filtering today, paints were W and N water solubles, thinner was odorless mineral spirits.
Results were…hmm. I seemed to either take all the paint off, or was UNABLE to get the initial “stain” from where I put the dab intially, off the base coat. I don’t think I ruined it, per se, I’m just not sure about the effect. I took lots of pictures, so maybe a sharp eyed reader can help me out. You can clearly see somespots where the initial dab of paint remains visible, even after dedicated scrubbing.
Thoughts?
Here’s the initial dabbing 
Heres the thinner step
Here’s what I ended up with, you can clearly see where I initially put the paint. Is this what I am going for,it looks strange to me.
Again, the turret rear, look under the hatch, that will nto come off no matter how hard I scrub.
I think with some pigment and powder, this will be minimized, but I haven’t seen such prominent spots on anyone elses’ work here.
THanks for looking.
Bill; am I reading you right? You used mineral spirits with WATER-soluble artist’s paints?
I think you should be able to figure out why you have those spots? [:-^]
It’s Windsor and Newton water soluble oil paint.
IS there a salvage, will water work for the blending?
IS there hope for me, or should I look for a stamp collecting forum?
LOL I too, wondered why you used mineral spirits with water-soluble paint. Now, had you gotten oil-based paints…[:-^]
I’ve never used 'em Bill, so I can’t tell you. I would try to “dab” some original color over the spots you have, and hope that subsequent washes will blend them in. It can be fixed, it’s just going to take a little patience.
Take a break from it if you’re getting frustrated. Don’t just rush it and wind up settling for something that will remind you of your failures. Take a break, and come back to it and make it a masterpiece.
Uh, I can answer that, Bill.
Don’t worry, this hapened to me, too.
Just go back, re dab the areas with the paint you have, then during the scrubbing, the old spots will dissappear.
Don’t worry, you didn’t ruin your tank.[:-^]
Thanks, Doog. I actually have a very frustrating job, so most anything that gets my mind off it is a relaxation. This is rolling right off my back. Luckily, both of my…experiments… were only minor setbacks, plus I beleive I have established that water soluble and water as a thinner work pretty well for the dot filter, at least in my eyes. The horrible residue spots are gone, in their place, some subtle changes to the base coat. To me, this is a VERY forgiving way to do the filter, I literally let those spots sit for an hour, then went back with water and they came off.
One thing I am getting a little anxious about, this baby is getting DARK, and, admittedly, overweathered, at least from a that thing looks old perspecitve. I need to get teh experience, so I’m continuing to go for it, plus, if this thing actually took to the field, meaning if the war laster another 1-2 years, I figure they would get pretty abused plodding around muddy Europe without TLC, right? THe Panther is going to get much lighter base coats.
A couple recovery shots so you guys don’tthink I chucker her into the wall:
Repaired turret rear, no spot under the hatch, still wet, though
And final shots of what is soon to come:
Hey, Citadel! While I know that the flash from the camera can “change” the color of what you’re photographing (Usually making our projects lighter), I must say that I think this is looking good. Glad you were able to recover from your mis-steps, as this build is both great info for me and wonderful experience for you.
Thanks for sharing this, and I’ll make a note to put a lighter shade than I would think on my next builds.
Michael