Grease stains on military vehicles

I’ve been trying to figure out a way to show wet grease on an armored vehicle.

I’m build a 1/48 scale Tamiya Opel truck. It came with barrels and I plan to add some cables. In the past I made this effect by using pastel chalks but I want it to look wetter aka freshly spiller/poured.

If I wash then final coat with dullcote or equivalent, then the finish is Matt. Also’ once done it’s hard to add a wash because of the rough finish.

Any thoughts?

Perhaps do all the colour/texture/shade first, after the final dullcote, apply a small amount of gloss or semi gloss clear by brush overtop the area you want to look moist.

I use bit of Tamiya Clear Smoke to show fuel or grease stains. It looks pretty good in my opinion.



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@HeavyArty that is a great idea and looks authentic. Thanks for sharing!

Thank you. That will more than do the trick.

Oils are good for grease or oil effect, too.

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Enamel washes work well, too. In fact, some companies create whole lines just for those effects. And for the oil or grease stains, you want to add them after your flat coat so they are glossy and wick out naturally.

@Tim_Kidwell1 do you have a brand you recommend?

I mix a lot of my own colors these days, but Ammo by Mig Jimenez and AK Interactive are probably the two most popular brands with premixed enamel washes for oil and grease stains.

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Thanks to everyone who joined this conversation. I picked up a lot of ideas/tips that I want to try.

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Me too. It’s appreciated.

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