RC Tank Warfare community hobby forum

I like using artist oils and white spirit for washes, gives you longer to blend the colours or mop up the bits you don't want. Enamel model paints work in a similar way. I only use 3 colours, a black, a dark brown called Burnt Umber and a reddy brown called Burnt Sienna.

Wet the area you want to wash with white spirit, then put a blob of each colour on a plastic surface (I use lids from old takeaway cartons). Mix some white spirit in with the colour you want until you get the concentration you need and then touch or paint it onto the model. Because you've already wet the surface the pigment will run into the grooves and hollows. You can move it around with the brush and suck it out of areas you don't want it with a dry brush. Mix in the different colours for varying shades, really you just need to give it a go with a little trial and error. Probably best to start with a less obvious area or an old model for a bit of practice. I used the above technique on my Landie before the camo went on...



The Landie had just been sprayed a single tan colour, all that shading was done with washes. It was deliberately heavy so it would show under the camo scheme. It also works very well on tanks as it's easy to get that oily, grubby look. Here on my Stug3 it shows up well on the weld seams and the rain streaks

Thanks for that, will give it a try. Never really done much weathering but it makes a model look finished.

Another very easy method is the weathering powders or if you're cheap like me pastel dust. I have some chalk pastels left over from my art college days and found if you rub them on sand paper to get a nice pile of dust, you can use a stiff old paint brush to apply them to your model and they give impressive results. It can be hard to make them set on the model, I've tried a dusting of Matt varnish but it reduces their effect. TBH I've mostly just left them alone and as I mainly want then in the recesses it doesn't matter if they ware off with handling. I find they are perfect for getting a dusty, desert effects... not surprising really I guess.

Here's the Stugs exhaust getting some rust effects





You can also mix them with white spirit and get a kind of dust wash but I've yet to try that myself.

Well I've done a burnt umber wash doing as you said - came out pretty well!

Got to do lights and decals or an identification sheet for it next.

I have pastels and pigments that I thin using thinners - that and chips used to be how I weathered my models. Quite simple and effective but washes do well, need more practise.

Finally finished bar the .50 cal MG and spare wheel fitting - however I am selling some bits off as I have got a 1/6th tank coming and need to raise some £££ for it.

Managed to get another one of these - this time a genuine Hummer chassis.

Ordered a new body as this one has a crack in the grill so needs replacing.

May do something funky with the old body at some point.

Pics to follow!

Purchased a mcfarlane .50cal today.

That and the new body shell should be with in a week or two then I can make some progress!!

This is how my new one sits currently

Almost finished the Hummer now - awaiting some stowage and then I can chuck a camo/webbing net over to hold it in place!

Quick update, wash applied to the basic desert paintwork, chips etc too.

Paiinted the .50 cal as well