Perspectives on Weathering

   Weathering is an artistic touch, and a personal choice. The choice seems to depend more on the purpose of the model. If a model is meant to represent purely ship construction and rigging, it is usually not weathered. If it is meant to portray a ship, as it might appear at any given time, as a representation of reality, it will most likely be weathered. Sort of the modelbuilders version of impressionistic painting, vice photographic painting. I will weather a model if I intend to display it in a "working" situation.

Whole hull ship models (on pedestals or keel blocks) tend to be displayed without weathering. 

Waterline models, which more often than not show the ship in an operational state, tend to show the ship with some degree of weathering.

Like Sumpter indicates, it is a personal choice for the casual modeler.

For most museum made models and all US Navy contract-built models in the steel era - they are built according to a specification which requires a whole hull/pristine presentation.   The USNA ship collection, along with the collection at the David Taylor facility  house most of the official US Navy ship models.   Others are on loan to other facilities (state houses, other museums, etc.)

To add on to this thread, there are two basic standards that are generally discussed when it comes to Museum standards of ship models. There are US Navy standards and Smithsonian Institutions standards. Navy standards are usually thought of as higher. Those standards were introduced in 1883 and put in written form in 1945. If you ever get a chance to see a Gibbs & Cox model of a Navy ship you are looking at the epitome of model making. In 1944 they employed 167 ship modelers. Here are just a few of the standards; "classic type of full model, built to perfect scale and proportion of durable materials, bearing no signs of craftman's hand. .... no tool or brushmarks...building material finished as to be unidentfiable..." So you see on a true static scale model there would not be any weathering. But then what is a museum quality model, any model that gets accepted by a museum.  

But then what is a museum quality model, any model that gets accepted by a museum.

   Absolutely!, and an "award winning model", was the best model present when the judging for that award was held. Quality, Is highly subjective.

It depends on who you're building the model for - you or someone else. If I'm building it for someone else, I discuss the various appearance issues, which include weathering, and build it the way they want it.

If I'm building for myself - I'm the only one I have to please. My current project is depicting a "well used" Liberty ship on a convoy run in the North Atlantic. Almost all of the photos I've found of Liberties shows them turning into rustbuckets, often within a few months of being launched. Since I've wanted to get better at weathering, that is how I am depicting this ship - new/fresh rust, old rust, rust streaks, rust patches, oil stains, etc. I have an unfair advantage, though, I can pick my Dad's brain on how things looked, since he was in the Merchant Marine.

I am no exoert but personally I like weathering on smaller ships such as a U-boat, S-boat but No weathing on larger ships such as battleships.

Deciding to or not to weather is not a big deal.  There's a couple of different approaches.  There are those modellers who build to the pristine.  That is, they want to show their model as it had looked brand new.   There are those who want to show a model as it would look on an average day.  The level of weathering goes all the way to showing their model as if it had been destroyed.  A good comparative example would be someone who is modelling a hot rod model, who wants everything to shine and someone who is modelling the Titanic as she sits on the ocean's floor, argueably just about the most weathering you can do to a model.

For model ships, it is my opinion that weathering is a must.  Period ships especially.  These ships took years to build.  The ship would take daily wear and tear while being built.  Wood bleaches in the sun, splits, etc.  Paint in those days faded rather quickly....you get the idea.

I am in two builds right now.  The first is Heller's Soleil Royale.  I have just started rigging her shrouds.  I've done and am doing only enough weathering to show detail.  In this case, too much weathering would detract from the beautiful guilding on the model.  Examples would be the dark wash that I've put on all gun carriages, followed by enough drybrushing to make details stand out.  The same for the deck, masts, and whatnot.  What I'm not doing is rust lines or hull damage from prolonged exposure to seawater.  What I will end up with is a model that has a bit of an "antique" look to it.  I don't intend for this to be a scale model.  There are too many flaws, both in the model's design (which has been discussed extensively on this forum) and the admitted flaws in my own skill as a modeller.  No, this is going to be a show-piece in the living room (everyone thank my wife, who relented and is letting me put it in the living room).

The second build I have just begun.  Revell's 1:96 Constitution.  This kit I intend to do a little more weathering with.  There will be worn egdes on painted wood in logical areas, as well as wear-marks where ropes drag repeatedly across wood.  It won't be all over the model.  Just enough to make it look "lived in."  I will also be weathering the copper hull.  On models, pristine copper hulls just don't look right to me.  My intention is to try and give an idea of Constitution as she would have looked on an average day at sea in the early 1800's.  Not in before, during, or after battle, but just your average day at sea. 

And weathering is not just all about washes, chips, and drybrushes.  Weathering is also about a deck that has some planks lighter shades, indicating repairs.  Weathering is coils of rope piled here or there on deck.  Doing historical searches, reading Captain's logs, old pictures...just about any research will give you a wealth of ideas for "weathering" your ship.

It comes down to what you want.  There is no rule about weathering.  Just look at your model and decide for yourself.  And have fun building.  That's what it's all about.

 Grymm