MIG Pigments

by Steve Kubik

I read Mig Jimenez's article on the use of MIG Pigments and I had to give them a try. It took me five days of searching and emailing before I finally found an online hobby shop that carried them in the United States.
I used four of the colors on a recent build of an M8 Greyhound. Colors used were European Dust, Light Dust, Light Rust and Smoke. Let me sum up of the quality as EXCELLENT!
The pigment texture is finely ground with no need to grind further. The colors blend well to create different shades and hues needed to weather any vehicle in just about any locale. I was able to create rain marks, dried mud, ash and rust as Mig described in his article.
I mixed the pigments with turpenoid, water and alcohol to produce different effects, such as rain marks, rust streaks, oil stains, etc. Each medium worked just as well as the others.
Con: Expensive, in my opinion. The site that I purchased them from charged $3.25 per bottle. For 12USD, I purchased a set of 15 pastel chalks from a Craft store that work just as well. I scraped the chalk with an Xacto knife to produce a chunky powder and then finely ground it down further by rolling the knife handle over the chunks.
Highly recommended for quality and use, but they lose a point for cost.