weathering army helos

sorry for the delay in response guys, thanks for the info.  when i try it i will post pics in the helo section!

An overall wash of raw umber gives a nice dirty dusty finish and then a pinwash of burnt umber to pick out details. Testors MM makes both colors in their acrylic and enamel line ups. Many Army birds tend to get a sun faded patchy appearance, if you look at those pics already posted.

Looks like a good start.  The pin-wash and overall sandy wash should give the color variations you are looking for.  If its not enough, go with another wash with a darker color in some areas to give more of a dusty/dirty finish.

thanks for the replies guys, i did paint the helo in the corrects color (called it the wrong thing i guess), i bought the testors paint and had home depot match the color in latex.

i am planning on doing a deployed model i was already thinking a wash, but would the pin wash kinda give me that color difference you see all over the heli? or would you have to hi light with a lighter color?..or would the wash be sufficient?

here is a pic of what i have.

First off, if you painted it OD Green, thats the wrong color.  The current US Army helo color (since the late '70s-early '80s) is Helo Drab Green.  Testors has the color in both their Model Master enamel and acrylic lines.  Also, Krylon's Camo Colors Dark Green is pretty close and comes in a big spray can for about $4.

To the weathering, stateside, the helos do stay pretty clean and get washed regularly.  In Iraq and A'stan, they get a little dirtier.  The majority is dirt and dust that sticks to the always-present oil and fluid leaks and makes dirt spots. 

Some examples:

To model this, its best do do a pin-wash of a medium brown around engine panels and exaust areas where fluids build up.  Then do an overall wash with a sandy-brown color to give it a good dusty look.

Good luck and post some pics in the Helo forum when done.  Asking helo questions there will get you more replies from helo experts too.

You might want to take a look here for ideas of what Apaches look like in service. The pics, however, show pretty little in the way of weathering.