I am currently modeling a Leopard AS1. I’d like to do some in depth weathering, and make it look like that it has just rained. Does anyone have any good tips on how to simulate such a look? The model will be placed in a small diorama, most likely at a military depot (just some ‘cement’ as the base, and some puddles, maybe some minor pieces of equipment).
I am also planning to paint the model German Army Green. My hobby store doesn’t stock this colour. Would Dark Green or Nato Green best match this colour?
I have a military vehicle parked on my driveway (ex brit army Land Rover) painted in Nato green. The thing I noticed was the paint, when wet, goes a slightly darker shade, and is satin, opposed to matt. I suggest mixing up some satin clear with a hint of darkened base (i.e. same as the tank) and mist from above in the wind direction of your choice… That way the airbrush actually rains on the tank, as it where. Depending on how long after it rained you might want to do less, and concentrate on more of the centre of the tanks panels (and steering clear from the engine area. If the tank has been running this will warm up the surrounding hull). If its just freshly wettened, then you might want to add some gloss afterwards. The closer to the centre of panels (or actually, the further away from the ground), the wetter. Puddles will form in recesses and flat horizontal panels. Also, water will have run down sloped/vertical panels, taking any dust and mud with it. If a hatch has been opened after it had rained, the standing water will have run off the side of the turret.
Test on something else, mind…
Also a dusting of gloss onto the diorama’s grass will make it nice and wet… Puddles are also rarely clear, and usually occur in the same spots, so they’ll collect crud that washes in from around them. Some dark pastel chafings trapped by some clear gloss would do nicely I think. Also, has the tank moved since it has rained? It will be dry underneath, so the concrete will be noticably a few shades lighter. Concrete slabs also aren´t always level, so water will run off them forming a puddle in the direction to the way off… I reckon after the base coat apply some darkened base 70-30 gloss-satin, then dust with satin then matt… If its been some time since it rained, the slaby will be blotchy with certain areas being dryer. The further away from a puddle, the dryer.
I have a military vehicle parked on my driveway (ex brit army Land Rover) painted in Nato green. The thing I noticed was the paint, when wet, goes a slightly darker shade, and is satin, opposed to matt. I suggest mixing up some satin clear with a hint of darkened base (i.e. same as the tank) and mist from above in the wind direction of your choice… That way the airbrush actually rains on the tank, as it where. Depending on how long after it rained you might want to do less, and concentrate on more of the centre of the tanks panels (and steering clear from the engine area. If the tank has been running this will warm up the surrounding hull). If its just freshly wettened, then you might want to add some gloss afterwards. The closer to the centre of panels (or actually, the further away from the ground), the wetter. Puddles will form in recesses and flat horizontal panels. Also, water will have run down sloped/vertical panels, taking any dust and mud with it. If a hatch has been opened after it had rained, the standing water will have run off the side of the turret.
Test on something else, mind…
Also a dusting of gloss onto the diorama’s grass will make it nice and wet… Puddles are also rarely clear, and usually occur in the same spots, so they’ll collect crud that washes in from around them. Some dark pastel chafings trapped by some clear gloss would do nicely I think. Also, has the tank moved since it has rained? It will be dry underneath, so the concrete will be noticably a few shades lighter. Concrete slabs also aren´t always level, so water will run off them forming a puddle in the direction to the way off… I reckon after the base coat apply some darkened base 70-30 gloss-satin, then dust with satin then matt… If its been some time since it rained, the slaby will be blotchy with certain areas being dryer. The further away from a puddle, the dryer.
I got the idea off a picture i saw of a tank sitting in a depot. the picture was just taken after some light rain. it had just come in from exercise. Its just an idea as of now, i have the tank etc, just looking for ideas, and for somehing a little bit different, instead of a battle hardened tank.
anywyas, i’ll have a fiddle around wif that bit of adivce,
thanks
on the german vehicles i’ve seen in kosovo and while stationed in germany, it seems like they are mostly painted the same as our tracked vehicles?
I can ask some of the bundesweihr (spelling) and try to find out?
i see them every time i leave my housing area and go to main post.
I’ll hopefully be painting it German Army Green (which most leopard 1s were painted then…)or an equivallent…thing is, i can’t find one that looks the same, tho i think Black Green is very similair. the pictures i have seen it to be very dark, then a close up shows it very light…then other pictues show a comepletey different shade…so its making it difficult to find a matching colour [}:)]
I couldn’t get a pic of the vehicles but i got a uniform if that helps a lil’?
I’ll keep my eyes open, i have seen a few around here in the past ( what looked like some srot of bradly looking thing? and some kinda big 4X4 truck thing?).
check out ronUSMC s web page for the pics.
As mentioned earlier in regards to using future to simulate rain/wet look, why mix future w/ a darker green??. I thought when you applied a gloss to a finish does’nt it make the color deeper in tone(darker)?
Flaps up, Mike
Not in my experiance, thankfully… Especially when I was spray painting my motorcycle…
The best way is to test the methods on a junk kit… See what works best… The deeper colour on a wet object is as far as I know a refraction thing, and on a scaled down size its only really achievable by a fair amount of experimenting… Depending on the undersurface stuff can turn out pretty dark.
I like the idea of puddles formed in any recessed areas of the hull superstructure. It cn only add to the perception of rain (or recent rain), especially if you add any figures and make ponchos for them. If its in a depot setting, any drums or tarps will also have puddles. I’ve made drips/runoff in dioramas with hot glue or resin, allowing it to start to set up and dripping it from the edge of tents, vehicles and obstacles.
does anyone know of any pictures of models weathered in a similiar way…with rain and puddles around then etc?
having some visual references would help alot. I jot got the latest FSM (had to go to a book store that imports from America, most FSM magazines arrive 1 and a half months late) i read the article on the “mudding up a tank”. I now have a new idea of having the Leopard AS1 moving through the training range (which gets real muddy)…but also have it as if its just forded across a river or has rained…so alot of gunk would build up around the tracks, track gaurds/shrouds and the glacis (sp?) plate
i have the equipment, and all the resources i need…i think its just a matter of experimenting until i am ready to place the model on the base…
I think the Leopard and Gepard are not in black green, but light green rather.
So you should find light green color, similar to this one :
To simulate water in a dio, nothing is better than clear resin. And to simulate
rain, I think nothing is better than using JAVA Applet named “Weather” as
illustrated by the opening shot of the following page: http://www.falconbbs.com/model17a.htm
- thats the colour that was applied to these tanks…German Army Green apprently…