Weathering advice needed

[Guest]

I have finished painting my Tamiya Pzkpfw IV D in desert colours. I have gone for the early DAK scheme of 2/3 Gelbbraun (RAL 8000) and 1/3 Graugrün (RAL 7008), although mine looks closer to 1/2 each. As you should see from the photos, it is a low contrast scheme. I even added some Olivgrün to increase the contrast to where it is. I plan to add some chipping to the extremities and high wear areas.

Can anyone suggest the best approach to weathering to represent dust/oil etc. that will not cover up the camo? I think I’ve already covered up my attempts at colour modulation, and don’t want to repeat that!

Any help will be gratefully received,

Jim

[Allen Dewire]

Hi Jim,

Nice work Sir and I think It looks fine as it is. If you need some help, I would contact Steve Jones on here. He is a desert rat and loves doing desert finishes on his builds…...HTH......

Prost
Allen

[Guest]

Hi Allen, thanks for the suggestion. I’ve had a look at some of Steve’s posts, and I think I will try and take a similar approach. Go for an effect along the lines something used and dusty, but not worn out.

Jim

[Steve Jones]

Jim

It's difficult to advise without knowing what you use ie oils, acrylics, enamels etc and also what type of finish you are after. What I can say is what I would do if this was my build. As you can see from the first photo, my Stug had the same camo scheme as yours. Do not be worried about losing the colours and modulation during the weathering process as in real life the AFV would have been covered in dust and grime. However I would recommend you highlight all raised areas like rivets, hinges etc in a light colour like Iraqi Sand or Buff. I applied a Beige oil filter to blend the camo scheme in and to start the dust process. Once fully dry I would use a variety of oils to lighten and darken areas to add depth and colour. Some people use the oil dot method which can be found on You Tube

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For me chipping is minimal at the early part of the African campaign as the vehicles would only have just been painted and sent over for combat. So concentrate on heavy wear areas like hatches, mounting areas, storage boxes etc. Then I would apply an oil pin wash around all raised areas and seam lines. I would also add some dots for the streaking process also

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This would then be blended in using a moist brush with thinner. The advantage of oil is that you can play around with this until you are happy with the look

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Once fully dry I would use pigments and fixers to add dust work. I would advise you to use a mixture of two or three pigment colours to add depth and contrast. Also do a thorough dry brush with an oil mixture of Beige and White.

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Here are some other close ups to give you an idea of the look that I was after. If you need any other help with exhausts, tracks etc then let me know. I look forward to seeing how you get on



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I hope this helps

Steve

[Guest]

Hi Steve,

Many thanks for the detailed advice. The camo was done using Vallejo Model Air, and I have some oils and thinners to use as you suggest.

I returned to modelling a couple of years ago, having put away my glue and paints over 30 years previously, and I’m still getting to grips with the wide array of products available now.

I’ve been meaning to do a blog, so perhaps now would be the opportunity, even if the build portion is missing.

Jim

[Steve Jones]

Sounds good to me Jim. More than happy to help if needed