I have several hundred 1/72 scale german vehicles that i want to weather, to make them more realistic any suggestions out there. i've always made clean AFV's, now i need hints and tips to make them look used and battle worn as i soon will be conquering my nieghborhood with my division. thanks
The glib answer is --- one at a time. There are many articles, even books, on how to weather model tanks. There are many different techniques, as well. My suggestion is to visit a forum where there are members showing their "builds", and follow along. One I can suggest is planetArmor planetArmor - Home Cheers Scott Fraser
MIG productions makes great pigments that are indespensible for weathering models. Also learning techniques like filters, washes and drybrushing also are important. Paint chipping and rust are more advanced but bascially practice and time is what it takes
I have weathered quite a few armored models. Here are some tips to make it look more realistic i have learned. Underdoing is better than overdoing weathering. The model's small size tend to magnify any weathering you do to it and when you have the brush or airbrush in your hand theres always the tendency to overdo, so try to avoid that. Some things are a constant with weathering tank models, the tracks are always completely rusted except the part that touches the ground or the tank's running gear which is always shiny metal/silver color. As for the body lighter weathering is better. You have probably heard of drybrushing, all this is is putting some paint on the brush then scrubbing it on some paper until almost all the paints out. Then use it to "dust" the model to bring out the high points of the details. For a dark model, use a lighter shade of the same basic color, for a light model, a darker shade. One of the most effective weathering techniques i used that came out beautifully was on a 1/32 M-48 tank model. I did not paint the model one solid green olive drab color, i used two spray cans, one regular olive drab and another a lighter shade of green. I spritzeon on a "cloud" pattern, first the light then the dark. That is, i painted sections only a couple inches wide and left the in between area unpainted. Then i took the darker shade and spritzed it on even lighter, just enough to color the unpainted patches. An airbrush would give even better results. It gave a mottled effect that was amazing and really gave the model depth and realism...if you want to try this i suggest an airbrush and some white cardboard to practice on first and you too can get some spectacular weathering effects.
