I need some help. I am getting ready to put a wet wash on my M1. I painted it with MM acrylic US Army/Marine Gulf #4812 paint. I have MIG dark wash and Brown wash. What I like to get is for for all of the panels and wheels to stand out. Also I like to get a slight weathering before I add dry brush and dusting. Here are my questions.
1-Do I need to put a gloss or semi-gloss clear coat on before the wash?
2-Which wash should I use?
3-Do I apply the wash to the whole tank?
4-How long does the wash stay on until the excess is wiped off?
Any help would be greatly appreciated. I want to get this right because the M1 is looking good and I don’t want to screw it up.
You want a gloss or at least semi gloss before you wash. You want a smooth surface so that the wash only really ‘sticks’ into the recesses, and the excess can be wiped off of the smooth areas.
Colour is up to you and the effect you want to create, Based on that colour, I would probably start with brown and see how it looked, you can always go darker if you want to, but really tough to lighten it.
For panel line or pin washes, your wash should be thin and applied to the recesses as closely as possible, then the excess wiped away. So, with the thin wash, you’d touch your brush to a corner of a panel and let the fluid run along the grooves, and repeat as required.
Wipe away once the wash is dry (it should take on a dull look to it).
Personally I like the duller appearance when you just leave it on and leave it to dry. Whether you wipe it off or leave it on is one of those “no right or wrong,” personal preference and what you are trying to achieve. I do keep cotton balls or q-tips handy in case things go really wrong, but I usually leave the washes on to dry.