I haven’t built a tank in about 25 years. In fact in that time I think I only built 1 truck, 1 car and 3 of those winged thingees but due to work, family etc etc etc it was all I could do, other than reading every issue of FSM I could find, to stay in touch with the best hobby out there.
I started an AFV Club Achilles Tank Destroyer with great intensions of joining a group build but after I dropped the almost completed kit from eye level (I was checking the allignment of the wheels) I figured I would just relegate the remains to the parts bin and try again.
I picked up a Tamiya Panther G (Late) and decided to make it a guinea pig build and try lots of new (to me) procedures. I built up a set of Fruilly tracks, made my own tow cables, made my own intake screens and made some mud to dirty up the down side. I also bought an airbrush and painted my 1st camo scheme.
At this point I think it’s time to apply some weathering and here’s the snag. So far I have been able to find all the help I neded by pouring over my old issues of FSM but for the life of me, I can’t find any articles on 2 specific types of weathering I want to try. I know they have been covered in several issues but I either don’t have that issue or I have lost it.
1st I want to try a sludge wash, and next some chalk dust. I figured out the dust, I picked up all the Tamiya weathering kits and have practiced a bit on the remains of that Achilles.
How (and what) do I mix to make this wash, and how do I apply it? I am trying to make the tank appear as if it has just arrived at the front with minimal damage-saving that for the next one-but still a bit dirty and grimy from the trip.
Also, can anyone tell me how to go about posting pics on here? I would like to show y’all what I’ve done so that it can be picked apart by anyone with some advise on how to make the next one better.
To answer your first question I would advise you to use weathering paints as they are easier to use and can be used on mulitple AFVs. Since it sounds like you might have gotten a little rusty along the way( No offense.) start out simple. Rustall has a 1 2 3 4 step weathering process that is simple to use and dries in one hour. It is avalible through MicroMark at www.micromark.com
These are great suggestions by these guys. I don’t like to use pre made weatehring paints mself. They are harder to tailor to the project that way. However the rustall is good stuff. I use rustall in conjunction with instant rust. No better way to reproduce rust realistically because essentially it really is rust. Instant rust is a testured paint with iron filings which if left to dry wil oxidize and rust on their own but when using the antiquing solution with it accelerates this rusting process to just a few hours or days. Rustall contains not only thin rust colored pigment, but also granules of rust, which attach very well to the instant rust after it’s done.
To answer your question on the sludge wash more directly, it’s easy. Pick your color depending on project, black is very common. Take like a capful of thinner, and add 2-5 drops of paint. Small drops. You can always add more paint if needed. but it’s really tough to take it away.
A cheaper way to do the powders is to just buy some 80 grit or 220 grit sandpaper and some artists pastel chalks, and grind them up. Every bit as good as the tamiya, but one set will cost less, and last longer. Plus there are more options for color. I myself usually just buy them by the stick since I wouldn’t use a whole set.
Thanks for the tip. I’ve heard about that stuff and have checked into availability. Unfortunately I will have to order some in as there are absolutely NO shops anywhere close to me that carry anything like that. Micro Mark should put you on commision, lol.
As for your comment about getting rusty, well I had to pack up the kit back when I considered a base coat to be the color it was molded in and weathering was a jar of brown paint. Man O man, things have changed (for the better) since I been gone.
Thanks for the link. That is a great tutorial, but it’s a little extreme for me yet. Maybe a few more builds down the road I’ll be ready to dive into something like that.
And if The Doog happens to read this-WOW!! Fantastic work. Also great article in FSM with that destroyed Pz IV.
Thank you for the lesson. I have tried your sludge recipe on an old kit and with a little tweaking I think I got it. This afternoon I will be using it on my Panther and hopefully I won’t drop the darned thing before it gets to the shelf, lol. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
You can upload your pics to http://photobucket.com/ It is a free pic hosting site When you pick the picture you want you are given 4 choices.
Email and IM
Direct Link
HTML Code
Img Code
Img Code is the one that you want. Copy the code and paste it in your post. It will have [ code then ] The code won’t show but the pic will. This forum will automatically shrink or cut your pic to fit the window, but once you are done posting you can click the image for the full pic. Here is an example.
Be careful with using a sludge wash. It’s a great weay to ruin a paint job.
Instead, and especially since you’re truying for a relatively new vehicle, mix about 1 part paint and 9 parts thinner. Using a fine brush, apply this to panel lines and at the base of raised surfaces. Don’t brush it on, just touch the loaded brush where yo want it and allow capilary action to draw the paint along. There is little or nothing to wipe off. You can repaet when dry if you need more contrast.
(Been doing washes like this since the early 80’s.)
