Weathering sugestions needed

Dot filtering will break up the monotone grey color and make it look more interesting. You need a clear acrylic flat base to apply the oils. Weathering powders are great for mud and grime.

Howdy!

Now it might be hard to recreate the conditions of the eastern front at home for some folks...

Now Mike - if you washed your tank in the autumn, let it dry throughly, wait 'till everything freezes and then take it for a drive, I'd say you wouldn't get any mud on it at all. But that's not very realistic, is it? On the other hand in Russia there are still not as many paved roads as there are in Western Europe or in the States, and seventy years ago there were even fewer. So in Autumn everybody waded in mud up to their armpits, so to say. And after water starts freezing, it gets really hard to wash anything, let alone the big things like a tank. But as the winter goes on, the frozen mud from autumn wears off. It's a bit different than what we see in winter, where there are lots of salt or other chemicals used to remove ice from the streets.

Hope it helps, have a nice day

Paweł

LOL I live way down south in California, I barely even know what snow is much less have real life experience with it

You might want to check but I thought all the SiG33 vehicles were KOd before the Wehrmacht made it to the city outskirts.  

@corvettmike: do you live in a cold clime?  When you drive in snowy conditions do you experince mud or is your vehicle only have snow on it?  Look at construction equipment in witnertime. Mud is definitely a main component with any snowy scene as AFVs churn up the earth and wet snow and muddy muck are commonplace.  Remember: using real life for actual references is your best bet.

Not to hijack the thread but that brings ann interesting point to my mind. I'm doing a T-34/85 in January whitewash on a snow base. Going by your post should I not add any mud to the bottom of it then?

Oh, in a Russian city 70 years ago you don't have to worry about lack of mud - even if the main streets were paved, you could still find enough smaller paths and especially backyards, that were still unpaved. Add a few parks and bomb craters and what you get is endless possibilities for mud. The one thing that relatively prevents mud in Russia is the winter - when everything freezes hard. Just then you don't get any mud. Hope it helps, good luck with your project

Paweł

lots of dust.I know Mig sells Industrial City Dirt,if you can believe it.

I would say definately a lot of dust for a close support infantry gun in the middle of all that street fighting. I don't think there would be a lot of mud in urban areas.

Panzer grey had a tendancy to lighten up quickly under the sun, so you may want to airbrush a distinctly lighter shade of this on it. Do not make it regular, sort of a cloud pattern if you will. Thin the paint more than usual and keep the application light. You'll want more on the top surfaces, less on the sides. As said before, don't make this uniform. The same effect can be created by drybrushing if you are uncomfortable doing this or do not use an airbrush.

A couple of filters of raw umber would probably be in order as well, followed by a pin wash of a dark brown, earthy color. A spot or two of rust? Sure, it's set in Russia. Chipping? Brick dust? The possibilities are endless.

 True, Stalingrad did not have much mud in it but remember the vehicle would have had to travel through quite a bit of it to get there so some dried mud and dust would not look out of place. Anyhow, that's where my head would be traveling were I you.

Regards,

Mark