With this cotinuation of the Normandy Wespe, the model is complete and on a scenic base.
These photos will hopefully show the subtle color changes and realistic finish that I'll try to explain here.
I neglected to take any "in progress" photos of the weathering process because it's difficult to stop in the middle of an application and set the model up for photos. There is an enjoyable process that you can get caught up in and the effects of the paint take place very quickly. The practical matter is that you have to be attending to the process and it doesn't just stop for a time to allow photos.
I'll do my best to describe some general steps I prefer but my methods do change from project to project. In any case, the photos tell the story of how the finish is arrived at. Each project can be a very individual process.
This model was sprayed with a light coat of clear aerosol to somewhat protect the base colors and to give the tank a scale sheen that the real paint might have had. I've gotten used to trying to show this finish after being able to photograph un-restored vehicles and from studying German helmets that have been camouflaged with the same paints that would have been used on vehicles. Refer to my short article on priming to see the brand of clear I used in this case.
The clear coat is important as a protective layer because I use Denatured or "Rubbing" Alcohol as part of my weathering process.
I don't have very many "model paints" but a few colors I seem to always have a use for, are Polly Scale or what use to be known as "Polly S" brand.
I use- Grimy Black as a very thin wash to bring out details and to instantly make any paint finish look "tired". It's also the color I paint any rubber tires/road wheels with because it is a warm, dark gray and it gives tires a scale, sun worn look.
Aged Concrete and Mud because these colors are perfect for bleaching a paint finish and if left to puddle around details they look like-dried mud.
Rust because it is a very convincing color and works well when combined with other brands of darker colors.
These paints flow very nicely when used as washes and dry almost immediately. I typically thin them with a mixture of water and alcohol because the alcohol creates a very random staining effect.
I should mention that I don't often use the airbrush for any of the weathering process and all my effects are done with washes and some dry brushing and burnishing. However, Grimy Black is very nice when airbrushed to simulate soot and mud is also nice in the airbrush for even looking dusting on vehicles.
This model was washed with a very thin, random layer of Grimy Black. I also spotted around some Burnt Umber to give some variation.
The next step was to sand some black Conte Crayon into a powder and apply it along the upper edges of the walls with my finger.
I scrubbed these areas with a short bristle brush, slightly wetted with water and alcohol and the crayon was able to be pulled down the sides into very subtle streaks. The alcohol also abraded the paint in some areas where I scrubbed a little harder. It makes the camouflage colors look like they were thinned too much when sprayed and the environment is degrading them against the factory applied Yellow base.
Next, I applied a wash of Rust to selected areas and did a little bit of dry brushing with Burnt Umber to replicate scratches and chips back to metal.
I sanded a graphite stick into powder and just touched this along some edges to indicate newly exposed metal. This is also good for rubbing on a larger surface and small details like bolt heads will pop.
The final treatment for weathering was to sand some artist pastels into powder and create a "slurry" by adding water and alcohol. The colors are a blend of Ivory, Raw Sienna, Dark Brown and Black but it's just something you can "eyeball" to get right.
The slurry was brushed around the road wheels in particular and then "spritzed" with a little plastic pump bottle of water. The fine mist allows the pigments to migrate and run and the alcohol makes them dry very quickly to accentuate details.
The tracks were a little bit of a separate project and these were painted before they were added to the tank.
The tracks were washed with Grimy Black and then a very Dark Brown. Then I rubbed graphite powder over them and the highlights popped out like worn metal. Once they were on the tank, the pastel powder mix and a little bit of Mud paint were applied and they became part of the tank.
The national crosses were hand painted using a stencil for the White and handpainting the Black over the White. A little bit of Mud paint at the edges made them look clean and square.
The battery letter is a water transfer left over from a sheet of signage and it also got a slight tint of Mud paint to tone it down.
The interior was brush painted in a few light, wet coats of a slightly different shade of Yellow. The spare road wheel also was painted a little different Yellow for contrast. It made sense to me that the interior might look a little different as it was generally not as exposed to the elements.
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