Thank you all for the great feedback it's very motivating.
As far as my technique goes...hmm.. I really don't have a certain technique, and I don't follow the normal painting sequences that is the norm nowadays. I like to mix things up and change the order of painting depending on how I want a tank to look. I always go thrue the order of how I'm going to paint a model while I'm still building it. I have a mental image of how it will look when done and that's how I paint it.
I have been applying my rust "dry" on the model for a couple of years now..but I switched back to my old way of mixing it with oil washes. Confused..s me too. Ok here is an easy way to apply it with oils and pigments to get the look as in the first pics.
1. Prime the model. I use a dark color like black or a dark brown. Over this I paint a mixture of a couple of srops of black with dark brown. This is the base color for the rust and burnt areas.
2. Decide where you want the burnt/rusted to be, paint the rest of the model in the normal tanks color except for the burnt area.
3. Apply the normal washes and filters to the model including the burnt/rust area.
4. Now this where the fun starts... while the burnt area is still damp from the wash and or filter give this area another wash with lots of oils. I usea little bit of black and lots of Van *** brown. The trick is to get oils on the paint and discolor it as you would with the dot/spot method. If the model is too wet use a damp cloth to wisk some of the thinner off. When I do this , it looks like I smeared dark mud on the model.
5. Go drink a beer and have a smoke, 15 minute break to let the oils set in a little and the thinner to start evaporating. A hair dryer speeds thing up too but a cold beer sounds better.
6. When the burnt/rust area is almost dry, use a large soft brush danpend with thinner to mix upand remove some of the oil paint. You don't want the oil paints on too thick, let this dry a bit ( one more beer ).
7. Using an old paint brush apply the rust pigments to the damp(wet) area mixing and blending it with the oil paint. Try not to apply it too thick, a little bit at a time, wetting the brush a little as you go. What I do is start with dark shades of rust to a lighter rust. The surface of the model should not be wet or dry, kinda in that half dry stage of painting. If you think there's too much rust, no worries, use a wet brush to remove the excess pigments. I always have a damp cloth and Qtips at the ready.
8. Let it all dry or use a hair dryer on a low setting to speed it up a bit. Here is where you can start to see the results. If it look blotchy, apply more pigments or remove some. If the rusult is good for you then all that's left to do is blacken the burnt area. See step 9.
9. The blackened burnt areas on wrecks are the burnt paint and soot, for this I use black pastel chalk ground to a fine powder. I have also used charcoal in the past. Use a soft brush to apply the soot to the desired area. An example would be around hatches in turrets and the engine deck hatches and don't forget above road wheels on the fenders ( not on all steel road wheels).
10. Have another beer your done.
OK if you made it this far, cool , I didn't bore you too much.I used this method on the T55 turret and it only took less than 1 hour. Practice makes perfect so try it on an old model first.
Hope this helps. I'll try to post step by step pics.
Rob