Weathering over Measure 21

Rust streaks are usually also tinted with the white salt residue, so here's my method...

I use pastels for most of my weathering, so for a rust stain, I'll touch the pastel to the side of the model, leaving a small mark of 'rust'. Take a flat brush, and swipe the rust mark downwards and slightly aft. Repeat until you get the effect you want. Then take a thin flat brush, and using the thin edge, run a little bit of light grey pastel over the rust streak.

Jeff Herne

Would you guys suggest dry brushing rust streaks as well? Or is there a better method?

Another idea (which I've mentioned a couple of times elsewhere in this Forum). I credit this one to my father, who served on board an attack transport in the Pacific.

He - like everybody else who served in the U.S. Navy during WWII or since - recalled that the ship's personnel spent an enormous percentage of their time chipping paint and repainting. The first step in the process was to chip off the old, loose stuff. Then came a coat of primer, then the finish coat (grey, blue, or whatever).

The primer used by the U.S. Navy during the war was a sickly, slightly greenish, pale yellow - presumably a form of zinc chromate. (Dad recalled that one gang of enterprising sailors on board his ship tried to save some time by mixing primer with ocean grey, thereby producing a remarkably nauseous shade of green. The captain made them throw it overboard.)

This process went on constantly, virtually all over the ship - with the exception of the exterior of the hull, which normally was off-limits while the ship was under way. At any given moment, any warship that wasn't straight from a refitting yard would be adorned with lots of irregular splotches of that dull yellow primer, where the hands were in the process of repainting.

The trick in replicating this effect is to make it so subtle that it only shows up on close examination. I've done a couple of models this way, and they always bring smiles of recognition to Navy vets.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm assuming the dry brushing technique would be done over a coat of Future to allow for adjustment. Think I'll try these techniques out on some practice material to see what I get. Appreciate the help!

The key to weathering Ms21 is not to over weather it. You really don't need to bloth up the paint, because most modelers will think you simply screwed it up.

Subtle drybrushing with 5-O Ocean Grey over the 5-N will go a long way to improving the contrast. If you're not happy with the tonality, try using some 5-H drybrushed over the high points and sharp edges.

Best,

Jeff Herne

From the pictures I have seen, it seems to be a splotchy lighter blue when it gets faded. I would think that airbrushing a dark base coat on and letting it dry, then dry brushing a coast of a lighter shade would work out for simulating a weathered pattern. There would be more weathering on the bow, from pounded through some Pacific storms

This is just a stab in the dark, because I've never actually done it. If I was to, that is what I would too. Similar to weathering a tank, with a good base coat and applying the weathering from there. Good luck!