So far all the models I've painted have been left in pristine condition but in reality railways aren't really clean places. It won't take more than a few miles for mud and dirt to be deposited onto a newly painted surface. I haven't yet been able to bring myself to try and weather one of the wagons I've finished with transfers, but I thought I'd have a go at muddying up the LNWR 1 plank wagon given that it won't be a particularly useful model as
I messed up one of the axle holes.
I didn't really have the right shade of grey to hand to paint the model, so I just used the wolf grey primer I did have to do the initial painting. As you can see from the photo on the left it is rather blue in colour and way too bright and clean to represent an
"in use" model. Fortunately I'd also recently picked up a can of spray on mud!
There are a number of weathering products available including paints and weathering powders, but I decided to start my weather experiments using a spray can of
Modelmates Mud Brown. I applied three thin coats before I was happy that the blue colour had been adequately toned down. While it isn't perfect I'm quite happy with this really simple approach to weathering, and I feel that the final model is much better for it.
It certainly looks better. I used to use a small stencil brush and smudge with a bit of eraser rubber when it was half dry. You can then build up a bit more depth with different or the same colours. Acrylic paint is good as you can wipe it all off when one fouls up.
ReplyDeleteLidal usually have big boxes of tubes of it for next to nothing.
PS. I seem to recall wagons having a bit of blackboard on them where they chalked up numbers for making up the trains in shunting yards. Or I assume that's what they were for.
ReplyDeleteSpray on mud!? What next? Thanks for the tip about acrylic paints being available at Lidal Adrian. I never even wondered what the blackboards on the wagons were for. I just don't have an enquiring mind.
ReplyDelete