How to make paint fade?

These methods take an airbrush.  Two techniques, somewhat different effect, I sometimes do both on same project.

First method is to overspray with a very thin coat of the final color after decals are on.  This is very difficult with fancy camouflage schemes, but works fine with simple schemes. It basically only fades markings.

Second simulates chalked and faded paint. I had a small amount of white to dark finish colors- a moderate amount of white for medium colors.  I thin overspray, again after decaling.  I put this coating on mostly on horizontal surfaces- top of fuselage, top of wings, stab, elevators.  On fuselage I put coat on heaviest on very top of fuselage, making coat lighter as I round down to sides.  Simulates chalking and fading due to sun UV.

You can fade by using the oil dot method

Similar to Don, i mix the colour to be faded with a few drops of white or light grey and repray the higher areas or centres of panels etc.

I've also had success using heavily diluted white and spraying panels.

However, both methods use an airbrush.

Thanks for the tips. unfortunately i dont have an airbrush, so ill be using dot filtering, drybrushing etc to try and wear it down and make it look old.

The aircraft in question was part of a servicing unit, so it was clean as, just hadnt been painted in a loooong time.

Here is a link I came across a while back:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOLcQVBa87E&feature=related

This may not be the effect you are looking for.  I have tried this on some armor, and it came out looking very nice, but as you can see it comes out more streaked than just a fade, so maybe not what you are looking for.

There's the alternative of leaving it outside for three months...