Painting and Weathering

Adam Wilder

As scale modelers we all share a common goal. This goal is to build a model that accurately represents a scale replica taken directly out of its time and environment. As a result we spend long hours and sometimes lots of money upgrading and detailing our models. As we know this is only half the task. Realistically painting and weathering our models is the other half of obtaining this goal.

Military vehicles spend countless days in the mud participating in maneuvers and in combat. Within a short amount of time, they can get very dirty. In this article, I am going to discuss and demonstrate the painting and weathering techniques that I use to achieve a realistic weathered finish on my armor models.

All armor modelers have their own approach to painting and weathering. I myself have tried many techniques and read numerous books and magazine articles. I have studied endless photos and have asked numerous questions to other modelers. I have always put a lot of thought into the painting and weathering of each new model I construct, always trying to obtain a finish that I feel is an accurate representation. I know that I am always been excited to try something new if I think it may improve the realness of my finish. Over my last eight years of modeling, through trial and error, I have come up with a systematic group of processes for painting and weathering. I will attempt to convey these processes in order for you in this article.

As you go through the steps in each of the processes, you may notice some techniques already used and discussed in publications by other well-known modelers. Some of these steps I have adopted and others I discovered on my own over time. Some steps have been accomplished by combining their ideas with mine to obtain a desired result. I would like to credit Tony Greenland and Makoto Takaishi for some of their techniques that I have adopted. I would also like to thank and credit my friend Miguel Jemenez for his ideas and advice that I have also added to this group of processes.

This is a first

Other than a few small articles that I have written for my local International Plastic Modelers’ Society chapter, this is my first major article concerning armor modeling. In this article, I have taken steps to make it easier for the reader to understand. I used numerous pictures to aid in my explanations. I have also written my painting and weathering process in outline form, to make this article less daunting.

The example

The example I used for this article is DML’s SU-100. The kit is recent and assembles well (with minor corrections). A small number of brass details from a Royal Model set where used. The tracks are beautiful cast-metal pinned links from Friulmodellismo.

I have decided to make this model of the SU-100 appear as one did during the spring of 1945. This one is going to be dirty, letting me carry each step to the extreme to better demonstrate them for you.

As you will notice in picture number one, I have completed the kit but left the road, drive, and idler wheels separate. All the wheels and tracks for my models are kept apart during most of the painting and weathering. I do this for easy access of the lower hull and under the fenders during weathering. I glued the hubs to the wheels and left the wheels attached to the sprues to aid in airbrushing. Micro mask has been applied to the torsion bars and on the wheels to keep the areas to be glued free of paint. I detach, clean, finish painting, and then glue the wheels to the model after completing process "E", one of the final weathering process of this article.

Picture 1

The unpainted model of the SU-100. Still separate are the running gear, antenna mount and treads. The wheels are still attached to the sprues, which will serve as good handles when painting. Note that I have already assembled the drive and idler wheels. As a result of their complex joint assembly, I felt it would be better to assemble them before painting. I still did not know at this point where I was going to place the shovel. Although not apparent in this photo, the Micro Mask had been applied.

 Before we get started

I have outlined and explained all of the steps in each process with detail. The intensity in which the steps are carried out during each process changes with the time and location for each model I construct. Upon reading this article, you may decide that some steps are unnecessary for a finish you are trying to obtain. Increase or reduce the amounts of the steps I applied to match the age and location of your particular model. Feel free to take some of these steps and experiment with them; combine them with your own techniques and have fun. No matter the outcome, I hope this article proves useful to you. Enough of the talking already, let us get down to business.

Painting

The first three processes of this article will deal with painting the model. These process are pretty straightforward. If you have any questions, E-mail me at work: awilder@southworthproducts.com or at home: awilder@maine.rr.com

1. We will start by airbrushing the model with a base coat.

• Mix 3 parts Tamiya dark green XF-61, one part Tamiya thinner X-20A, and one part Tamiya semi-gloss varnish X-22.(Your mixture may vary, do what works best for you and your airbrush)

• Spray the paint on carefully because as you know, a bad paint job of your base coat will have an effect on the overall finish.

2. In step two we will give the model a shadowed appearance. I do this by airbrushing all of the flat open surfaces of the model with a lighter shade of the base color.

• Mix 1 1/2 parts Tamiya dark green, 1 1/2 parts flat white XF-2, 1 part Tamiya thinner, and 1 part Tamiya semi gloss varnish

• Airbrush all of the flat surfaces of your model between any extrusions such as grab handles, rivets, bolts, and weld seams.

• Always keep your airbrush perpendicular to the surface of the model you are air brushing when performing this operation. Refer to picture 2

Picture 2.

The model sprayed with the Tamiya dark green base coat then with a lighter shade of green. Although you are viewing a photo, you can still see the depth and scaled appearance added by the lighter over spray of green. The antenna mount has also been painted and over-sprayed. The wheels are sprayed only with a base coat. The wheels will be getting the brunt of the weathering, I felt it useless to waste valuable time over spraying them.

B) Applying a Wash

Over time a thin black film forms over vehicles that have been outside and open to the elements. A close look at railroad cars will prove this to be so. This film is what my black washes are supposed to represent. Washes also have other advantages. Applying dark washes is a way of blending steps one and two from process "A". It is also a way of bringing out details such as weld seems, bolt details, and flame-cut edges.

1. Take a small plastic or glass container. I like to use a cleaned glass paint jar because it is easier to see the shade of the wash I am mixing. First, I fill the paint jar about 1/4 of the way with Better Way brand brush cleaner.
2. Take a toothpick, dip it in some Winsor & Newton ivory black oil paint, and then mix it into the jar of brush cleaner. I sometimes also add a little bit of Winsor & Newton burnt-umber to the wash. If you think your wash is a little light, once more dip the toothpick into the paint tube and mix it into the jar. You are trying to get a mixture of 15% paint and 85% thinner.

• Using a toothpick to apply small amounts of paint to the thinner allows you to easily regulate the tint of the wash. Take a no.2 round brush and use it to continue mixing the paint.

3. Once the paint is thoroughly mixed, check the brush to ensure that there is no excess paint left on the bristles. Apply a wash using the same no. 2 round brush over the entire model. When you have finished applying the first coat, continue brushing the model (without adding any more of the wash) using downward strokes to help blend the paint evenly over the entire surface. When you feel the wash is blended, put the model in a dust free environment and let it dry for a day. When the wash is dry we will be ready to start adding oils. Refer to picture no. 3

Picture 3

The SU-100 with a black wash of oils added. Note how the black wash settles into the seams, crevices, and corners bringing out detail. It also helps to blend the base coat of green with the lighter shade done in process one.

C) Adding Oils

This step is to give your base coat a semi gloss finish that will help add depth to the model. More important it will help to represent an appearance in the finished model that resembles painted steel instead of painted plastic. You can also use this step to manipulate your base color to a more desired color. It will also help to further blend the base coat with the over-sprayed areas from process "A". I use Winsor & Newton artist oils. Although expensive, all you will need is black, white, and the three primary colors along with a color wheel to aid with mixing the colors.

I use toothpicks to mix my artist oil paints. I open the tubes of paint and take out what I need with a toothpick. This allows me to carefully regulate the colors during mixing, adding small amounts at a time. I apply my linseed oil and varnish in the same manor. This may cause a bit of ambiguity during this article in regards to the specific amounts of paint, varnish, and linseed oil to add in each step. Over time and with practice, you will become familiar with mixing the paints to obtain desired colors and spreading capabilities.

I build a lot of Russian armor. With experience in have found that a light coat of red-brown oils over a base of Tamiya dark green gives me my desired result. If you where painting a German Tiger tank, you may be mixing an oil color that is quit different.

1. Using the artist oils, carefully mix a brown or red-brown color using toothpicks on a scrap piece of sheet plastic. After obtaining your desired color, take another toothpick and add some varnish that’s been designed for use with oils. I use Talens Dammar picture varnish glossy 081, along with some artist grade Alkali linseed oil. The linseed oil will improve the distribution of the paint over the surface of the model. Thinning of the artist oils will also lengthen the life of your oil brushes.
2. Take your high quality no. 2 round oil brush, dip it into your red-brown mixture, then brush off almost all (or what appears to be all) of the paint from your paintbrush onto the sheet plastic.  See picture below:

 



Picture 4.

The mixed color of artist oils along with the makeshift pallet of sheet plastic. Note how 99% of the pant is brushed from the brush before its applied to the model.

3. Using downward strokes, brush over the entire upper hull and fenders of the model. I usually ignore from under the fenders down and the running gear. This is because these areas will be eventually over-sprayed with earth colors in a later process. When the paint stops spreading, re-dip the brush into the paint and wipe clean onto the plastic. Continue brushing until the model from the fenders up is completely covered. Let this coat dry for two days.

Picture 5.

The model with the base coat, lighter over spray, black wash, and oils. As a result of the Tamiya clear added to the base coat and over spray, and the varnish added to the oils, the model has a semi gloss appearance.

It is very important that your brush is completely dry of any brush cleaner during this process. Having the smallest amount of brush cleaner on your brush will keep the oil paints from adhering to the Tamiya base coat

Right as you start this operation you’ll begin to notice the brilliant color and look that the high quality artist oils add to the model. By spreading the oils in light amounts, your model is brought to life and the base and highlighted coats can still be seen through the oils. Although aesthetically pleasing, the model is currently unrealistic in appearance. Do not worry, this semi gloss appearance is exactly what we are looking for. Later as we start adding coats of earth colors and washes, the glossy appearance will be reduced to a convincing appearance representing painted steel instead of painted plastic. Remember, when working with oils, a little will go a very long way due to their extremely slow curing speed. This step can be carried further by mixing lighter shades of artist oils and painting over refined areas of the model. Although it may further enhance the base coat, the time of the over all painting process is greatly extended due to the extra time needed to let each coat dry.

Now would be the time to paint and add any stowage such as tools, blankets, barrels, and munitions boxes. The items kept on the outside for the most part would be just as dirty as the vehicle.

This will end the third part in the painting process. Now we will move on into weathering.

Weathering

What we must keep in mind…

I can say with confidence that nothing brings an armor model to life better then a good well-planned weathering job. Conversely, we must also realize that a bad weathering job can ruin a well-constructed model or a beautiful paint job. Weathering is a topic that is viewed with different opinions by all types of modelers. Some will argue that weathering takes focus away from the models actual details while others say that weathering can be used to hide mistakes (the second I will not deny). It is because of these reasons that the modeler must think and plan carefully. Planing carefully is essential in making a convincing weathered finish that is not overdone, fake in appearance, or disproportional to the model.

The first thing the modeler must do is ask him or herself the following:

• If involved in a conflict, in what theater did the vehicle take part?
• What type of environment has the vehicle been exposed to?
• How long has the vehicle been exposed to this environment?

Once we have answered the questions above, we must constantly remind ourselves of the following throughout each step of the weathering process:

• Keep your earth tones and washes consistent on all parts of the model. This means that the combination of colors used to weather your hull and turret should match the colors on your tracks and stowage along with the ground on the model’s base if you choose to have one.
• Keep in mind the areas that would collect the most amounts of dust, dirt, and rust. Dust and dirt collect on the hull and turret top, while large amounts of mud adheres to the running gear, tracks, and the lower parts of the fenders and hull.
• Be aware of what parts of the model would be clean, polished, and clear of mud. Take notice as to where the crew would frequently step. Know the parts of the vehicle that extrude from the sides, front, and rear that would most likely be hit by objects passed by the vehicle.

Once we have considered the topics listed above, we can finally move forward with the first process of our models painting and weathering process.

The first step of this weathering process is to replicate chips and scrapes on the vehicle. Chips and scrapes result from hits by artillery debris, trees, and other objects not cleared by the vehicle. This also includes any wear caused by the crew. Note that we will be calling these chips and scratches "taps and scrapes", due to the application of the paint during this process. To the existent of how much you decide to carry out the tapping and scraping step, depends on the age and location of your vehicle. Tapping and scraping would be essential to a scale model of an SU-100 involved in the battle of Berlin or a Stug III in the street fighting during Stalingrad. On the other hand, you would probably want to keep the tapping and scraping step minimal if you were modeling a Sherman running straight off the assembly line.

WARNING! Tapping and scraping is very easy to overdo. When you think you have done enough, you have probably done too much. Again, you must keep focused, conservative with the paint, and as random as possible. As soon as your mind starts wandering, you’ll start getting overzealous and carried away. I recommend a 10-minuet break every 15 minutes. I also keep the headphones and TV off during this process. Some may say that I am getting ridiculous but I have found that when rested and focused, I get the best results.

A lot of your taps and scrapes are going to be covered during the remaining weathering process. This step is still important because the taps and scraps that remain visible will add to the final result.

1. Taking your Winsor & Newton artist oils along with your trusty piece of sheet plastic, mix a green that’s a few shades lighter than the finished color you obtained at the end of process "B" in part one. If necessary, add just enough linseed oil to enhance the paints spreading capabilities. We will be applying very small amounts of paint. It is important that it spreads easily to get the desired affect.
2. When you have mixed your desired light-green, take a piece of sprue and heat it over a flame. Stretch the sprue as if making an antenna.
3. Carefully cut a section out of the stretched sprue that is about ¾" long at an area where it is around 1/64" in diameter. Fasten it into your pin-vise leaving about ½" exposed. I like to make a small 30-degree bend at the end of the exposed sprue around 1/8" long. Refer to picture below

 



Picture 6.

The tapping and scraping tool consisting of your pin vise and a piece of stretched sprue. Note the small bend at the end of the sprue. The tool is next to the piece of sheet plastic being used as a pallet for the oil paint.

4. Take the pin-vise with the fasten sprue and lightly dip it in your mixed oil paint. Carefully tap and scrape on and around the corners and edges of your model. Refer to picture no. 7

1. After the paint from step four has set, take an ordinary no. 2 pencil and gently mark the centers of your larger taps and scrapes.

• We are trying to represent where the paint has been scraped and chipped completely to the metal. You want to put a small speck of graphite close to the center of the chips and small line of graphite running approximately on center lengthwise with the scrapes.
• You don’t want to hit all of your taps and scrapes. Before starting, I like to keep in mind that I’ll be only marking about 1/8 of all my taps and scrapes with graphite.
• Focus your graphite on the taps and scrapes around the outer sides and ends of the hull and lower fenders. Also, mark a large amount of "taps and scrapes" located on sharp angles and edges of the upper hull and turret.

Once you have completed this process we will be ready to start applying the earth and dust.

Compared to the previous processes the following are a little less tedious and easier to apply. This is where your model is really going to start looking as though it has been outside on the battlefield. As in the preceding processes, it is important to keep in mind how long the vehicle has been outside and exposed to the elements. Although this step is easier to apply, one can still get carried away if he or she starts to daydream.

1. Lets start by making some texture for our base coat of earth. In a disposable plastic cup, make a concoction that is about 3/4 Woodland Scenic mud, 1/8 VLS static grass, and 1/8 Woodland Scenic tall grass cut to ½" lengths. Add another mixture of ½ water and ½ Elmer’s glue to the concoction. Insert enough glue and water to make your concoction damp enough to adhere and spread onto the model.
2. With an old brush, apply a thin uneven coat to the entire chassis of the vehicle from under the fenders down. Also carefully apply a coat to the running gear and tracks.

• Do not place any of the mixture to the outer diameter of the wheels that will be running over the track. Thick amounts of mud on these areas would be quickly pushed away. Let the mixture dry for a day.

• It is very important that you do not apply this mixture in thick amounts. If put on to thick, cavities and small pockets will form in the solidified mixture resulting in a fake appearance. We can now move onto step three.

1. Load your airbrush with some Tamiya XF-52 earth. Thin using Tamiya thinner to a ratio that works best in your airbrush.
2. Before we start, carefully think about the parts of the model that would be most susceptible to mud. With your regulator set at 15 psi, start randomly spraying these areas, gradually intensifying more as you get closer to the fenders and running gear. Refer to picture no. 7

• Try not to spray any grab handles or other areas that would be polished clean as a result of constant stepping on and grabbing by the crew members and infantry.

• A coat of mud and dust tends to collect on the horizontal surfaces of vehicles. Carefully spray a light, even coat of flat earth on all the horizontal surfaces of the model. Refer to pic no. 8

• Once you have randomly sprayed your model with flat earth, spray a heavy even coat on the bottom of the chassis, up under the sponsons, and inside the fenders. Spray all of the wheels and tracks that make up the running gear as well. Make shore all of your solidified mixture from step two is also covered. Refer to picture no. 7

 

When you have intermittently sprayed your model to an amount you feel is sufficient, put it in a dust-free environment for one day. The following day, you will be ready to start applying washes.

When applying washes, I like to use Humbrol earth enamels because they spread evenly when thinned drying to a matte finish. We want to apply extremely light washes. This makes it easier to control the amounts of thinned paint distributed onto the model. Applying two or three light washes also gives a more convincing scaled appearance when compared to one heavy wash.

1. Take a small plastic or glass container as previously done in step one of process "B". First I fill the paint jar about 1/4 with Humbrol thinner.
2. I then take my tin of Humbrol light earth matt no. 72, and mix the paint thoroughly. Once mixed I take a toothpick, dip it in the paint, then mix it into the jar of thinner. If you think your wash is not tinted enough, again dip the toothpick into the paint tin and mix it into the jar. Take a no.12 brush and use it to continue mixing the paint.
3. Once the paint is thoroughly mixed, check the brush to ensure that there is no excess paint left in the bristles. Apply a wash using the same no. 12 brush over the entire model, running gear, and track. When you have covered the model, use the same brush to continue brushing using downward strokes. Do this to help blend the paint evenly over the entire surface. When you feel the wash is blended, put the model in a dust free environment and let it dry for an hour. Refer to pic no. 7

• After you have covered the model with the wash it is very important to continue blending the excess wash over the model. If you fail to do so, areas containing excess wash will be apparent, leaving an unconvincing effect.

4. In this step we will apply a second light wash. First apply the second wash over the entire model, running gear, and track. Blend using downward strokes. After blending the wash, take the same no. 2 round brush, dip it again into the wash, and carefully tap the top flat areas of the model. Your model must be on a flat surface during this step to allow the paint to spread evenly as if washed by the rain. Refer to picture no. 8

• By tapping the wash onto the top of the model instead of brushing it, we will be letting it settle onto the flat areas and not only into the seams or around the details and extrusions.

5. Let the second wash dry for about ten minutes then take the same pointed no. 2 round brush and scrape some of the areas where the crew would step and sit. Add thinner to the brush if necessary. Let the model dry for another hour.
6. Apply a third wash only over the lower hull under the fenders and on the running gear. After the third wash is completed place the model in a dust free environment for one day before starting process "F". (You may choose to add more washes if desired. Carryout these additional washes the same as the steps listed above)

Also in this picture the washes of light earth from process "F" can be seen. Notice how the model has lost some of its gloss as a result of these washes and has taken on a more convincing appearance of painted steel.

Picture 8.

Another picture of the models top during the same stage of the weathering process. You can see the faint areas of airbrushed Tamiya dark earth and the light earth colored washes. Notice taps and scrapes around the hatches and hinges. I also kept the taps and scrapes around the outer diameter of the vent domes. At this stage the taps and scrapes look rather brilliant and unconvincing. Do not worry, as we work through the rest of the weathering processes they will take on a more realistic appearance.

7. More Light Earth

Before I start explaining you should be aware that process "F" could be long. The entire model should be done in one step to obtain the best results. You will not want to start until you have three to four hours. The first thing that I do is find one of my old no.00 brushes that is still in reasonably good shape. Take a sharp pair of scissors and cut the brush leaving the bristles about 3/16" long with a flat end.

1. Take your modified brush and dip it directly into your tin of Humbrol light earth paint. Carefully tap away the excess paint from the brush onto a piece of sheet plastic or lint-free dinner napkin.
2. After the excess paint is removed, take the modified brush and lightly tap (or dry brush as some may call this technique) over the model on all of the areas you randomly airbrushed with the Tamiya Flat Earth.

• You will want to tap the entire lower chassis from under the fenders down.

• Cover all of your running gear and track. (The entire reason for doing process "E" was to give a darker base color for your lighter earth color, giving depth to the weathering. During this step it is important to tap the brush very lightly to help elongate its life)

3. Immediately after step two, take a 6/0 brush and dip it into some straight Humbrol thinner. Start brushing your tapped areas of light earth. This will blend your light earth areas from step "2" with your washes done in step "F".

• Always apply downward strokes to the sides and any other slopes to represent washing from rain. Refer to pic no. 11

4. As for the horizontal areas, you will want to blend the tapped light earth areas by tapping again with straight thinner instead of brushing.

• Humbrol takes time to set, so take your time. Refer to picture no. 9

5. Carefully dip your 6/0 brush directly into the paint and then into the thinner. With some practice, you can make some runs where the rain has washed away dirt from the seams, grab handles, lifting eyes and the top of the supper structure. Be careful not to make the runs too big and disproportional to the model. Further blend the runs with straight thinner. Refer to pictures no. 12 and 13

Your result on the vehicles flat tapped areas will be a very unconvincing spotty appearance. Don’t worry, this is how it is supposed to appear at this stage. This appearance will be essential for process "H". After finishing this step let your model dry in your dust free environment for a day. We are now ready to move onto the final steps of our weathering process.

A view of the model’s top after completing process "G". Note the muddled appearance that is a result of tapping the Hombrol light earth with a round brush and thinner. This appearance will play an essential role in process "H". Notice how the taps and scrapes from process "C" are looking more convincing. View picture no. 10 for a side view of the thinned, light, streaked earth, added from steps 2, 3, and 5 of process "G".

A view of the chassis under the model with the coat of Tamiya earth, the washes, and the thinned Humbrol light earth from process "G". Note how the light earth is running lengthwise with the model.

8. Applying a heavy layer of dust

This is a step that I think a lot of armor modelers overlook. Dirt and dust is washed away down the sides of vehicles but large amounts of dirt and dust collect on the horizontal surfaces. Whether you are studying new photos or old black and white pictures, it is easy to see this is evident. This dirt and dust on the vehicles top comes from constant stepping by the crewman and infantry, along with dust that’s been thrown in the air from traveling vehicles. This layer of dust is washed across the top of the vehicle from rain making an uneven layer of earth. This uneven layer of earth is what we will duplicate in this process. Before we start place your model on a flat surface.

1. Take an old No. 0 round brush and dip it into your tin of Humbrol light earth.
2. Wipe away the excess paint on a lint free napkin and pick a horizontal aria on top of the model.
3. Start slowly tapping and blending (adding a little thinner when necessary) a semi transparent layer of earth over the all the horizontal surfaces of the model. This is a little hard to understand and it is important that you refer to picture no. 11. IMPORTANT!!!…We are trying to make a consistent, but semi transparent layer of light earth with the base paint still faintly apparent.
4. Do not apply this layer of earth to any extrusions on the flat surfaces. These extrusions being weld seams, hinges, grab-handles, or any narrow flat areas approximately less than 1/32" across. We ignore these areas because the rain quickly washes the mud and dust off these narrow parts onto the larger flat areas below.

• In this step, it important that you refer to the picture no. 11 to understand the appearance that we are trying to obtain. When looking at the right side of the toolbox, you can see the different washes of light earth and on the left, the semi transparent earth area we are applying in this process.

A view of the in-process application of the dust coat. The right side of the toolbox shows the muddled appearance of the washes and thinned light earth. The left side shows the carefully blended coat of earth and dust. Note how the base coat from process "A" and the muddled thinned light earth from process "F" are still lightly evident through the blended coat of dust. The top of the superstructure has already been completed. Now it is clear as to how the thinned light tapped earth from process "F", is working with the coat of dust. Together they give the result of a scuffed, tracked, even coat of earth and dust that has settled on the horizontal surfaces of the vehicle. Also evident in this view is some of the splattered streaked light earth also done in process "F".

5. Apply a layer of dust still using Humbrol light earth on the tops of the cylindrical fuel tanks. Dip the brush in some Humbrol thinner. Using vertical strokes, carefully work and blend the Humbrol light earth down the sides of the fuel tanks. Refer to the picture of the finished fuel tanks at the end of the article.

• You want to brush down less light earth (blend) as your work you way to the bottom of the fuel tank. Let the thinner dry and if you think the light earth requires more blending, dip the brush in some more Humbrol thinner and repeat as many times as necessary.

6. After you have applied an even coat of earth to the vehicle’s top and blended any horizontal cylindrical objects (external fuel tanks and gun), you will need to apply some very faint washes over the entire vehicle. Add some additional streaks on the side starting at the top to represent dust running off the top of the vehicle.

• You will want to mix and apply the washes the same way as done in process "E". Remember to keep the washes extremely light.
• Again, it is better to apply faint washes and work your way to the desired affect.   (We are applying the washes and streaks to further blend process "H" with the rest of the weathering done in the preceding steps)

You may have already noticed the clean double handed saw mounted on the side. I did not realize until after process "G", that I had forgotten to paint it with a metallic color. I had to take some time and go back and apply processes "E" and "F" to make it resemble the rest of the vehicle.

Another view of the model after process "H" has been completed. Note the downward streaks coming off the mantel and down the sides of the superstructure. Also take into account the chaotic earth on the fenders. Note how the base-coat now resembles painted steel instead of plastic. The darker sprayed coat of Tamiya earth is evident on the chassis from the fenders down.

Lets talk about our current location

Armored fighting vehicles are constantly walked on by their crewmembers and open to the weather. The base coat in step four of process "E" along with the muddled flat tapped appearance obtained in process "G", was to provide a base for process "H". Now we have a realistic coat of dust across all of the horizontal surfaces of the vehicle. Because of our chaotic finish from process "G", the coat of dirt and dust from process "H" has a slightly uneven appearance that would resemble constant walking by crewmembers and washing from the rain.

Now what we need to do is start adding a little more dark earth. Yes…. I know…..how could we possibly need any more earth colors. Trust me, part "I" is also an important part.

8. Fresh dark mud

Over the old, dry, light layers of mud and dust, new mud is constantly being splattered from the movement of the vehicle and other vehicles nearby.

1. The first thing to do is find an old round no. 00 brush and start heavily tapping on an almost constant coat of Humbrol matt 29 dark earth (straight from the tin) to the underneath of the vehicle.
2. Also tap the side of the chassis. Tap the Humbrol dark earth heavily onto the torsion bars and lighten up as you work your way towered the fenders. Apply a heavy coat under the fenders.
3. The road wheels and drive sprockets will need a little thought. You want to tap on an almost constant layer of dark mud on the outside of the wheels and lighting up as you move toward the center.
4. Sporadically apply some dark earth to the tops of the fenders and the lower hull front and rear. Again, lighten up the amount of taped dark earth as you work your way up the hull.

• This coat of dark earth is supposed to represent fresh, damp, earth stuck to the vehicle. Therefore you will want to keep it confined mostly to the running gear and lower hull. Some fresh earth would find its way over the fenders and onto the lower hull. This would be due to the vehicle running through deep puddles and being splashed by other passing vehicles. The crewman and infantry would also contribute.

5. Load your airbrush with the same Humbrol dark earth paint, and spray your track entirely.

A view if the models underside. Note how we started the dark earth densely toward the bottom of the tank. We then lightened up as we moved up toward the fenders.

Process "I" plays an important part in achieving a realistic weathering finish. It gives further depth to the weathering making it much more dynamic. This is one process that I think is vital the overall finish.

At this point it may seem as though we have covered a lot of the timely work done in the preceding processes. On some parts of the model this will be true, but as for most of the vehicle, all of these processes are working together to make a realistic weathered result. After you have completed process "I", and the model has dried for 24 hours, we can finish attaching the running gear and tracks.

J) Finishing and attaching the wheels and tracks

Now that we have added all of our earth colors we are ready to finish and attach the wheels.

1. Clip all of your wheels from the sprues. Carefully file and sand away any remaining sprue.

• Use felt gloves while cleaning the wheels. I never touch any parts of my model with my bare hands unless absolutely necessary!

2. We will need to mix a color that represents the rubber around the road wheels. I take a half-empty tin of Hombrol flat black and add some neutral gray.

• Mix the paint thoroughly and mark the tin. This mixture should last you for many models to come.

3. The next thing is to find some rigid rods (I go through my container of old paintbrushes). The rods will need to be about seven inches in length, with a diameter that will fit into the hole where the road wheels will be attached to the torsion bar. Refer to picture no. 15

• If the end of the rod is to small, wrap it with tape to obtain the proper diameter (common sense stuff).

4. Hold the rod with the wheel attached in one hand and the paintbrush in the other. Rest your forearms against your workbench.
5. Place the paintbrush onto the wheel and keep it steady. Use the rod in the other hand to slowly rotate the wheel. When finished, carefully place the rod with the wheel still attached onto the table with the wheel hanging over the edge. Move onto the next wheel.

• When painting the wheels in this fashion you are able to keep the paintbrush steady. This will allow you better control of the paint distribution. (If this is a new technique for you it may take a little practice. Do not get discouraged. In time you will get it. Trust me.)

• By only painting the bottom of the wheel, we are representing where the dirt has been polished away as a result of rolling over the tracks.

• The more rods you can find to fit the connecting holes of the road wheels, the better. This will allow you to line up the wheels on your desk, pick one up at a time to perform the painting operation, then put it aside to let the paint dry. Now you can move onto the next wheel without ever touching any wet paint. When you have finished all of the wheels, let them dry for a day.

1. After you have let the paint from step "5" dry, Peal off all the micro mask from the torsion bars and wheels.
2. Still warring your gloves, glue the pairs of road wheels together.
3. Paint the drive and idler wheels with some Hombrol aluminum over the ends where they run against the track. Paint the ends of the idler wheels in the same fashion as the previous step, using a small pair of pliers to hold the center rod of the wheels that will fit into the hull.
4. After the glue from step "8" has dried, carefully glue all the wheels to the torsion bars.

• Use a straight edge to ensure that they are properly aligned.

5. Carefully brush some of Humbrol aluminum over the treads. Remember to apply larger amounts of aluminum where the road wheels run over the tread.

• Be careful not to get the areas on the track that have any textured mud from process "E". These areas represent solid mud and dry-brushing aluminum over them will ruin the effect (more common sense stuff).

• Let the paint dry for roughly 24 hours then attach the track.

These are going to be the final steps in our painting and weathering process. They are relatively short but still a little tedious.

1. I use three Winsor & Newton oil pastels. The first pastel should be your desired red brown rust color. The second color should be a brighter color to represent fresh oxidization. The third will be a black or dark gray. Use sandpaper to scrape a small amount of each pastel into separate containers (I use the small white plastic dishes that can be purchased in any artist and craft store).
2. Take a cap from an empty jar of paint. Fill the cap 1/3 of the way with Hombrol paint thinner. Take a no. 20/0 brush and partially dip it into the Humbrol thinner. After you have a small amount of thinner on your brush carefully brush it into your rust-colored pastel. Wipe away the excess thinner and pastel onto a piece of sheet plastic or lint free dinner napkin.
3. Once you have wiped off the excess thinner and pastel, go to some of the graphite scrapes made in step five of process "D", on the side of your model. Make a small downward streak of rust starting at the graphite. On horizontal areas, simply place only a spec of rust.

• You must keep focused during this step. It is very easy to make your rust streak too big and out of scale. Try to keep in mind the scale of your model relative to the streaks of rust. Refer to pictures no. 16 and 17

4. Once you have touched some of your graphite areas with a small streak of rust, take another No.20/0 brush and go over the rust streaks with some black or gray pastel. Your brush must be dry of any thinner to get the proper results during this step.

 



Picture no. 16

The size of the rust steaks relative to the scale of the model is very important. Note the small accurately scaled streaks of rust running over the periscope cover. Also see the small areas of rust on the corner of the superstructure, around the corner of the drivers door, and on the flat bar welded directly beneath.

5. With some Humbrol paints, mix a green slightly darker than the light green color you used to make your taps and scrapes in process "D". Using a No.0 flat-brush, carefully dry brush your grab handles in the areas that you think would be gripped and polished clean by the crewmembers and tank riders. You may want to carefully mark the centers of these light green areas with a pencil to represent further wear.
6. Use the same light green from step no. 4 and the same No.0 flat-brush. Hit the tops of any other extrusions on the sides of the hull that the crew would use to climb onto the vehicle. Again rub the corners of these brushed areas with a pencil to represent further wear.
7. Using a No. 0 brush, lightly brush some earth colored oil pastels on the top of the vehicle to further blend the mud and dust.
8. After you have blended the mud on the areas you feel necessary. Take your No. 20/0 brush and add some light rust (again with the aid of Hombrol thinner) to the larger areas of rust, applied in step three. Whether on the side or on the top, just a spec of light rust will do.

(These lighter areas represent new layers of rust forming over the older layers.)

9. Mix another extremely light (almost see-through) earth wash like we did in process "F". Apply two to three coats of this wash over the entire vehicle.

• This final application of washes is to blend all of your oil pastels with the rest of the weathering job.
• Remember to keep brushing the wash with downward strokes until they are almost dry.

Voila, you’re done. Lets discuss a couple more photos of the finished subject.

Also note the dark earth from process "I" that has been sporadically painted to the rear fenders and lower rear plate. It is evident as to how much more dynamic and realistic different colored coats of mud make the finished model appear. The exhaust was airbrushed with a flat-black paint then brushed over with black oil pastels. 

The finished model.

Lets quickly review….

This is basically the outline I follow for painting and weathering my armor models. I started with airbrushing on the base coat and lightly adding the oil paints. The oils where added to give depth to the base coat and altering the base color if desired. Moving into the weathering part of the article, I outlined the complete weathering process. We talked about duplicating scratches and chipped paint in the base coat, which resulted from use in the field. We then discussed the different steps for adding earth colors and finished with some minor touch up techniques such as adding rust and blending it with the rest of the weathering job.

I cannot stress the importance of deciding on the conflict, location, and age of your vehicle before you start. It will help you determine the extent as to how you carry out each step used in each process.

Other areas of interest concerning the finished SU-100

Small details where added to further enhance the realness of the finished SU-100. Details such as stowage can help to further enhance the models theme, time, and location. They also give the model character making it appear inhabited and used.

The spare track links located on the hull front ware included with the DML SU-100 kit. The links on the side of the superstructure where left over from the frulmodellismo set. These spare tracks where airbrushed with a base coat of Tamiya flat black than intermittently over sprayed with a light coat of rust. Red-brown filters where added to help further achieve an appearance representing large ingots of steal open to the elements.

Filters are thinned coats of paint (5 % to 10% paint and 90% to 95% thinner) applied with a brush to alter and help enhance a base color achieving a more realistic appearance. After you dip your brush into the mixture, you carefully ring out any excess pant from the brush onto the side of the jar holding the filter mixture. You than brush on the filter with a damp brush instead of a soaked brush as with a wash.

Filters have a similar purpose as the light coats of artist oils used in process "C". For a better understanding of filters, keep an eye out for Miquel Jimenez’s article "The Filter", that will soon be appearing on Missing Links (if not already). Following the application of the filters, the tracks where glued in place after the completion of process "E" and weathered equally with the rest of the vehicle.

The shovel’s handle was painted with a light tan enamel base. Small red-brown lines where then painted to represent the woods grain structure. After the red-brown had dried, three to four light coats of Winsor & Newton burnt-umber where painted over the handle. Remember to give each light coat time to dry before the next is added. The end of the shovel was painted in the same manor as the spare track. The shovel was then glued in place after process "E" with the spare track, and also weathered with the rest of the model.

The spare cylindrical fuel tank came from another DML SU-100 kit and slightly reworked. I weathered the spare fuel tank completely separate from the model then carefully tied it in place after process "J". The crew of the SU-100 most likely obtained the spare tank sometime after the vehicle was issued to them in the field. I weathered the tank in a fashion that would make it appear newer than the rest of the SU-100. The rope used to hold the fuel tank in place is thread purchased at a bead and necklace store. I carefully airbrushed the thread with a buff color before using it to attach the fuel tank. When adding the final coats of light earth to the model in step no. 8 of process "K", they where equally applied to the attached rope and external fuel tank.

Remember…..

Now that I have briefly explained the final add-ons, all the details for the finish of the SU-100 have been discussed. Yes, this is a very long set of processes for achieving the finish of a model. Although long, all the processes are straight forward and will simply require a little time and thought. After this set of processes is used on a few models, they will start to become routine; reducing the time needed to complete them. The most important thing to remember is that the realness of your model’s finish will start to increase. Let me repeat myself by saying that adding after-market detail sets to improve the accuracy of a scale model is only part of the task. Carefully planing and adding a realistic weathered finish will make your detailed model much more exciting and rewarding. Please trust me on this. Thank you for taking the time to read this article.

I would like to thank…

I would like to thank my girl friend Andrea Browne, and my Parents Gail and Jeff for there help with editing. Andrea’s patience concerning the long hours that I needed to build the SU-100 and write this article is also greatly appreciated. Last but not least, I would like to thank Phil Cormier for the added machining of the Jordi Rubio aluminum gun barrel.

• Greenland Tony "Panzer Modelling Masterclass." Window & Greene Publishing. Great Britain, 1996

• "SU Guns on the T-34 Chassis." Modelist – Konstructor Magazine. January 2000, Author unavailable

Thank you again for taking the time to read this article.

Until next time……

Adam N.P. Wilder