A 'Ice breaker' painting project for a novice modeler - Part 4

HIGHLIGHTING AND WEATHERING
Well, I guess I could say 'job done'! This is the very first model I have completed since I was a teenager.

In the end I decided 'less was more' and took it easy with the weathering - I could actually do more here (and probably will, using this test model to practice other new techniques). I could have applied chips and scratches, or done more grime streaks, or I could have applied dirt and mud, but I have decided that this is as much as I initially want to do...







CONCLUSION
OK, this is my first model since I started the hobby again this year, so there's loads of room for improvement. But as an experiment and icebreaker just to get me from start to finish it has achieved what I set out to do...I'm now not so afraid of slapping paint on plastic!

The biggest revelation for me was the use of oil paints for the highlighting and weathering. The effect was subtle and very controllable - I was very pleased with this and will use this technique again.

I also had a second go at the pin-wash - which I wasn't happy with initially - and tried out the 'washing-up liquid and acrylic' technique this time and am a lot happier - especially as this was a great way to avoid the staining that I got with an acrylic wash on it's own.

The tracks with their metallic dry-brushing went well too - although I did prefer using a graphite pencil to get a smooth and controlled finish. But what I enjoyed most of all was applying the grime streaks on the rear hull - another first!

A 'Ice breaker' painting project for a novice modeler - Part 3

PINWASH DETAIL AND TRACK PAINTING
This is my first attempt at doing some pin-washing - using thinned acrylic paint drawn into all the nooks and crannies in the hull. It wasn't altogether successful and a bit messy and I will have to practise this a few more times before I really get the knack (I note that many people used thinned oil paint rather than acrylics). Still I reckon I can clean this up a bit at the next stage where I add some of the highlights at the edges of these shadow areas.



The tracks were done in an attempt to convey metal treads with rust and mud between them. Although this isn't authentic it is a technique that works well with Armourfasts one piece tracks. I didn't go wild with the rust. I got the metal looking finish in two different ways (just to try them out). On one track I got the metal sheen by dry-brushing silver over the black undercoat - with a couple of filter washes in between. The other track was done using graphite pencil dust which was applied then dusted off and then the tracks were polished. 



I prefer the flatter graphite technique as t is more uniform and looks like dull iron - the dry brushed technique looks more like scratched steel and was a bit too shinny in some places. 

But it's all practise!

A 'Ice breaker' painting project for a novice modeler - Part 2

PRIMER COAT AND GLOSS 
I chose to prime the model with the base colour - olive drab - rather than priming with a grey or black and then over-spraying the OD as a top coat. Some would say that the result lacks depth because of that but I hope to add depth during the subsequent stages. I used Humbrol Light Olive and their gloss varnish sprays. 

 

One thing I did do though was to apply a coat of Tamiya Flat Black over the tracks before glossing. 

The next stage is to apply the decals.

A 'Ice breaker' painting project for a novice modeler - Part 1

I am having a bit of a mental block when it comes to finishing my models.  

I started making models again fairly recently and since then I have nearly completed three models but haven't managed to go that extra yard and actually finish them. My problem seems to be a lack of confidence regarding my painting skills. 

SO - in order to get over this problem (not wanting to 'spoil' models I have spent so long building and detailing) I decided what I needed was an 'ice breaker'. A practice paint project on a fairly cheap and simple model just to work through the paint proceedure beginning to end. 

I have chosen one of my spare Armourfast Shermans, mainly because you can't get any more basic than Armourfast, and because it lacks any intricate detailing it seems to me to be the perfect blank canvas on which to try out a first painting project...In other words I am not really bothered if I muck this one up as practically no work has gone into building it at all! 

Here's the subject... 

 

Now, from reading the forum here's my take on the painting proceedure (simplified)... 

1. Primer coat (of the choise of the modeller, could be light grey, black to add depth or an undercoat of the primary colour of the vehicle) - I'm going for a light OD colour on my Sherman. 
1.b. Top coat - where you have painted grey or black as a primer coat you will then want to paint on the primary vehicle colour (in my case I have started with a base coat of OD anyway so this is the primer and the basic colour). 
2. Light gloss varnish (or coat of Klear) - to act as a base for decals 
3. Decalling - Using MicroSet or MicroSol as aid to decals 'bedding in' 
4. Sealing coat of gloss (or Klear) to fix decals down 
5. Pin washing - to bring out model details and surface lines 
6. Weathering 
7. Final seal of matt varnish