Underwhelming pin wash

[Binky]

Used A.MIG enamel dark brown wash, trying to pin wash details on these 1/76 IJA Chi-Ha and Chi-Ha Kai tanks. There doesn’t seem to be enough pigment to bring out the details however. I did stir and then shake the bottle and there is no layer of sediment on the bottom. But it’s not very striking.

Here are two after pics, I’ll try to post the ‘befores’ later.

[keavdog]

Lot of goodness there my friend. I’d suggest Flory washes - really good stuff and it doesn’t attack the paint at all. It’s water and clay and you can lather it on and wipe of what you don’t like with a damp towel. Great looking build so far.

Here’s an example on this Mentor

[PhoenixG]

Hi @Binky

Thanks for the excellent photos of the results. I’m seeing a few possible things that could be contributing to the results your getting.

1. The pigment in the wash may be settling out before application. I run into this all the time. Shake the bottle really well, place some in paint palette. Waiting just a minute and you can see the pigment settling to bottom of the well. I have to constantly stir the wash in order to keep the application consistent. Otherwise I get sections that have barely any color and others that are extremely dark.
2. Colors may be too similar. The brown of the wash is very close to the colors on the tanks. That can make it harder to see. When I’ve encountered this I’ve mixed in a little dark grey or black wash with the brown wash to make it darker. It usually does the trick.
3. Last thing I noticed. Pinwash works best with really sharp well defined details. I noticed that in several places the detail was rounded and or very soft edged. In places like that the wash will tend to puddle around rather gather in the corners. The best I’ve been able to do is apply several coats of wash in those areas. But the lack of a sharp corner makes it easy to remove the wash you want while cleaning up the excess. But if you have the patience it can provide improved results.

Giving a good close look at the photos I think a combination of 2 & 3 are what is impacting your ability to get a good pin wash result.

Hopefully some of this is useful. Good luck!

[Binky]

Thanks. I think these are not particularly well-molded models to begin with. After a coat of primer, one or two coats of acrylic paint and one or two coats of satin coat, there’s not much to highlight. I’m about to start some other kits which look much sharper on inspection.
In this case, probably the better course will be to highlight the raised sections.

[Tojo72]

With any technique,it’s good to be careful not to fall in love with it and go overboard,like washes,chipping,rusting.Subtle is usually better,especially if your armor is not in a diorama.

[Binky]

All done but the treads. A bit of acrylic wash, some drybrushing. The Ha Go didn’t need any pinwashing.

[PhoenixG]

Looking good.
I don’t know why, but I really like how the rivets stand out on last tank.