I was looking through the technique forum and just got confused. Can someone please direct me to the link that will tell me how to “wash” my projects (please keep in mind that I will probably need lots of spoonfeeding).
My current project is Tamiya’s MkIII. I put down Testors Africa Mustard from the spray can, after drying time I lightly airbrushed some of Tamiya’s XF-59. After drying, I put on a coat of future and placed my decals.
Now is where my confusion sets in. I want to keep using the acrylic’s from Tamiya for my wash. Should I use black? brown? desert yellow darkened w/brown? and what is the ratio of paint to water to dishsoap? What is the drying time before I can take the excess off with? Should I concentrate only on edges and around hatches etc or wash the entire model? Is Testors dullcoat safe to put over what i described? I am also going to use Tamiya weathering master sand / light sand. I assume that this would be placed after the dullcoat has cured.
As you can see I’m new to this, I appreciate all your help.
If you want to risk the paint job and the decals, cover the whole thing with your wash and hope you get the timing and pressure just right to remove the excess without staining the base and/or pulling the wash out of the recesses where you want it to stayt. There’s at least a post a week in these forums from someone who ruined a model using this technique.
Nearly 25 years wash experience (and a boatload of trophies) speaking here: For a wash, you’d really be much bertter off with a tube or burnt umber oil and some plain old thinner from the hardware store. Tamiya acrylics have very large pigments. The oils are much finer. Make a mix of at least 9 parts thinner to one part paint and dip a fine brush in it and transfer it to panel lline junctions and the base of raised details. Allow capillary action to draw the paint along the edges and lines. There should be very minimal amounts on the base color.
If you’ve used Tamiya acrylics for your basecoat, then make sure you mix the oils with enamel thinner, otherwise you’ll be pullin’ the paint off! Oils are the best paint to wash with! They’re so much finer!
[2c] Remember to shoot another coat of future over the decals before continuing. [8)] If you don’t, the wash will settle into and around the edges[:O] kinda “framing” them.
Also remember try NOT to use the same paint for your next step.
For example;
If you basecoat with Acrylic paint, dont wash with Acrylic, instead use enamel
Once you done with enamel paint, if you want to add something, use acrylic.
Use lacquer paint with caution because it can peel both acrylic and enamel.
If you have to do acrylic and acrylic or enamel and enamel, make sure the first coat is fully dry.