F-16 Weathering Suggestions?

i always use a thinned clear with a drop of black then airbush it on the part you to look dirty.you it is also good for shading panel lines.

Good 'ole Butz, taught him everything he knows, but not everything I know!

Fade to Black...

Eagle334

Right.....!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Flaps up,Mike

Hey Butz

You must have to use a lot of that primer stuff to cover those imperfections and "hidden flaws".

Jew0312,
The best thing I would do is take an old kit slap it together and "practice" weathering technics.
My main source of creating "natural shadowing" is to paint the over all a/c a scale black or a dark dark gray(this is also my primer to see if the model has any imperfections).
From there I will put on very light(thinned down) coat(s) of the gunship gray. I do dark colors to light. Yes this is harder but I like the results(This will also help out w/ "natural shadowing") Then I' ll go to the lighter color and repete the process until I am pleased.
I also use a black primer coat on the wheel wells and the landing gear. Again I build up the coats of white till I am satisfied.
As for the tail pipe painting I prefer to paint it a very very light beige/ivory(since the engine basically burns clean). Then go back and use a blackish gray chalk/pastel. In a straight line go from the back to the front. Kinda feather it as you go to the front.(dont want to go too heavy w/ the pastels) I painted my tail pipe white once and I said once (LMAO) on a 16, then went over it w/ some pastels, BOY did it look really fake But than again that is my opinion
There is another way that you can highlight your panel lines. Its called a "smudge wash"(it was a few months back in FSM). Take a daker color and thin it down w/ distilled water.(has to go on over a gloss coat) Apply it has to how you feel. Each time you apply it, let it sit for about 15min then go over it w/ a moistened Q-tip. Like I said repete the steps till you feel it looks good.
Just look at the ref's on the F-16 to dertermine how much you want to weather.
Flaps up,Mike
Ref's
F-16 Walk Around #1
F-16 Fighting Falcon (Robbie Shaw)
Lockheed Horizons (F-16)
F-16 - War Data No.16

For the landing gears, I'd approach it in the same fashion as some do figures. Give all the landing gear components a base coat of black and dry brush white over top. If you do it right, the white won't make it into all the little nooks and crannies and the black will really accent all the component junctions well.

You'll also want to paint the inside of the tail pipe white as it has a ceramic coating in there, to weather that, streak some charcoal or black pastel in straight lines front to back inside the pipe with a q-tip.