Weathering.....

Take a look at what I did on this LAV I just finished. The last two pages have the info and pics.

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I will give that mud idea a try, thanks armour!

hey Tony for mud there are several ways to make mud. When I was a kid I used bakeing soda and Elmers glue When I got a little older I used Testors  model putty.the main thing is look at pictures where you want your model to depict. For instantce in Viet Nam there is a lot of red mud. if you are doing a tank remember mud will splatter to the rear of the vehicle. so you will want to put lttle dabs of putty up onto the vehicle use a tooth pick.then use a red brown to paint the putty. The mud didn't just did.n't  just land there.Pulla thin line frm the droplets.

 Remember different areas different dirt and mud and different colors and oil stains on the mud.

  The pieces are sealed in the box, but there is a miraculous feeling of the model being there, invisible, illuminated by the crafter’s imagination, and clamoring to become visible.  Post lots and lots of pictures.

As an overall wash, I should probly lighten the color and use large brush and how do I lighten it? or do you mean thin it out? I would also like to add streaks, say down from grab handles, rivets, etc, mud clumps around suspension bogies, etc...........this is all good advice, keep it comin'!

stikpusher, I most appreciate your advice.  I found a cheap Panzer Kampwagen Mk1 for 14 bucks at Hobby Lobby I am going to try this on.  I purchased a can of Testors DullCoat Lacquer as a finish over the base color.  Then I can wash like you suggested, is that correct? And, can I use oil based paints on one layer and then use water based on the next..... ok........dumb question........what is the definition of enamles and acrylics and what are the differences?  Probly a dumb question, but one i am puzzled on.........  Let me know kinda sorta in step form how to do all this........

Thanks, M4

Washes are a very thinned paint applied over the base color. A basic wash is applied with a larger brush overall as a tint or such, while a pin was is applied to specific areas such as recessed areas like grills, panel lines, etc., with a very fine pointed brush. In my experience, enamels work better as washes than acrylics, but if you are going to put an enamel wash over an enamel base, there has to be a dissimilar layer in between, such as Future or some other clear acrylic. Otherwise the thinner in the wash may affect or damage the enamel base coat.

what does "washing" mean and how can I perform this.......

still looking for tricks and hints, stuff to start out with, you know......For starters most of my WWII american stuff calls for a basic coat of good ole' O.D. green.  What can I do to add mud, dirt, or fade the paint to give it the appearance of being out on the battlefield for a while........

Welcome aboard Tony. If you are mainly an armor modeler,take a look in the Armor forum for lots of great builds and ideas. There are more great modelers there than are easily named. Things like weathering and battle damage are best done during the building/finishing process. But you can take those older builds and experiment with various techniques that you may learn on them if you are worried about ruining a new expensive kit.