Weathering is an essential aspect of armored fighting vehicles modeling such as tanks, armored cars, self-propelled guns or trucks. It is a technique used by modeler to give the armor model an old, well used and worn out look. During wartime, all sorts of armored fighting vehicles encountered a variety of wear and tear.
Here is a brief guide for weathering an armored fighting vehicle:
1. The first step is to apply washes to the armor model. Prepare the washes by mixing a ratio of 20 per cent matt black paint and 80 per cent thinner.
2. Use a wide flat brush to run the wash freely onto the model, covering only small areas at a time.
3. Once you have coated the entire model, wipe away most of the black using a soft cloth while it is still wet. The washes will provide an "old and used" outlook for the armor model.
4. Next, the painting is highlighted by using a method called "dry brushing". This technique makes use of an almost dry brush by stroking it back and forth over the surface of the model to bring out its details.
5. To obtain good results, use flat sable brushes with different sizes. There are two important elements that you have to take note which is the amount of paint on the brush and the consistency of the paint. Having too much paint on the brush will result in solid patches of color whereas too little paint will leave nothing at all from the brush.
6. When dry brushing, the paint used should be a lighter color over a darker basic coat. Begin by adding white to the basic color and regulate the consistency of the paint. Use the brush to pick up a small amount of paint. Then remove most of the paint off the brush on cardboard or a rag before dry brushing over the surface of the model.
7. After the initial dry brushing is accomplished for the entire model, repeat the procedure by adding more white color to the paint. But this time, apply with a lighter stroke and concentrate only the raised detail. Inspect your work carefully and dry brush again with an even lighter color if necessary. You should have noticed that after dry brushing, the details on the model appear to be more visible and highlighted.
One of the best ways to learn more about weathering is to look and study photos showing wartime armor vehicles in action. The photos can be obtained from related magazines, books or internet. Every modeler tends to have their own style and favorite weathering techniques. You will eventually create your own as you continue to build more models and gain experience.