would like help on weathering armor

pastels and pigments are really not the same. and what's more, pigments from different manufactures have diferent properties. for example, pigments from mig are the best fos soft dust, but if you want to made some structural mud od the vehicle, vallejo's pigments are better, due their particles size. For airbrushin i'm using only pigments from art-shop. pigments from mig can be applyied on the surface with rubbing with a soft brush. It is impossible with vallejo's and art pigments.

for 'shining' edges soft stencil (8B) is great, but sometimes, for example if you are working about track links, metallic pigment applied with a finger gives better reslt. etc.

so.. there are no 'the only and the best' procuct for weathering. It is necessary to mix different techniques and materials to get realistic look.

Wilbur, you've been building longer than I've been alive, like I said I plan on experimenting with them as well. I tried normal pastel pigments, fiddled a bit with them and had poor results. The pre-made stuff makes my life easier as I can simply order an exact pigment, online, and know pretty much what I'm getting. Cost a little more? Yes. Save me time so I can actually fit in some building? Yes.

I love cheaper and scratch built stuff too, it's a lot of fun, but I'm willing to pay for time savers.

thanks guys...will consider everything said. appreciate the help.

With that in mind you must understand that unless the pigments are set they can come off, and if you look at the longevity of an expensive model in a case or on the shelf, inevitably they are going to get dust on them, and need to be cleaned.

I've been building since 1977, and many of my models have required cleaning at which point the "Pigments" would come off.

Whats mind boggling to me is that everyone buys into the marketing like "Pigments"  fell out of the sky yesterday, while myself and other decades long model builders have been using fine artists pastels (ground down) for decades and not calling them "Pigments".  If you go to a real art store they will have every conceivable hue of sienna (for instance) which would be used for rust. Far more shades than Mig could ever produce and stay in business, and a pastel stick would give you about four times as much as one shade in a Tamiya weathering kit for that particular shade.

I really prefer to use Grumbacher or W&N artist oils which permanently set with odorless mineral spirits, if dust is requires I will airbrush a very diluted base color coat to trim contrast before the oils. I just did an Eighth Army desert dio which required just that.

Just things to consider.

I was a little intimidated by pigments too but I finally ordered some by Mig last week. I applied some dry with a makeup applicator and really, really liked the results. That has to be the easiest way to apply them but the only way to learn is to try. I plan on experimenting more with them on my current kit.

And yes, very forgiving and easy to remove.

It doesn't get any easier than with Tamiya weathering kits.Unless you clearcoat the stuff,you can wipe it off if you don't like the results.