One area of modeling that has grown, developed so much, and so far is weathering. When I began plastic modeling, weathering the finished model was an after-thought and only done if the modeler dared risk his ‘perfect’ paint job, or dared to venture into the realm of the ‘grown up modellers, Today, if a plastic or even a realistic wooden model isn’t weathered, it’s usually seen as the modeller didn’t do his job completely.
You will hear a lot about weathering everywhere, and in almost every model technique book and website you can find. All you really have to keep in mind about weathering is that it breaks down into two different camps of thought and practice. Exposing-off and covering-up. Exposing-off weathering is to show the removal of paint, or anything else that covers another material. Such as seeing a white painted fence, with some of the paint that’s worn, flaked, rubbed off, wind and rain damage exposing the natural yet weathered wood underneath. The other camp is covering-up, such as a white painted fence that has grass grow around on it, vines through it, mud splattered on it from passing cars, or even graffiti written or sprayed on it. Most things to be weathered are a combination of both of these camps, so the best way to figure out your weathering it to look at the real thing that you want to weather, whether that’s in a book, on a website, or if possible the actual item, and then adding some imagination into the mix.
Weathering can be something as simple as adding some color or color variations to show sun exposure, wind and rain erosion, to drastic color changes and alterations. Also adding grass from all the modeling landscaping materials available out there, even adding model mud. You can get anything today from a well-stocked hobby shop, like Hobby Sense.
One of the biggest mistakes beginning modelers make it to be too timid with their weathering. Often looking at photos or websites of the real thing, especially tanks in battle, or planes after an aerial dog-fight. There is so much damage, different colors, oil stains, radical exposure of under laying wood or metal panels, or such buildup of mud, grass, even barbed wire. Sometimes you have to wonder how these tanks still ran, or how the planes could still fly or even made it back to the base runway.
Good weathering can take a good amount of time, imagination, and research to do something either not often seen and therefore unique, or so ultra-realistic that people looking at your model will be awed and impressed, even inspired. When the weathering is mild, timid, or slight to be almost unnoticeable, it won’t tell your story of the model you made, and usually looks like an afterthought or a poor attempt to do weathering, or just boring. This is a good segway into another aspect of good painting and weathering. That is contrast. Just like in a good novel, a good movie, or some music, contract adds interest, and especially in any visual art, such as modeling, contrast in colors, materials, shapes, creates visual interest and once you’ve made 2-3 models, you can start experimenting with visual interest in your painting and weathering techniques. Again, try to look at the real thing your modeling any way you can.
Recent model paint companies such as ‘Vallejo’ and ‘AK’ have come out with some of the most accurate and user friendly weathering products ever. As I mentioned in my “What Paint should I use” blog, gather these company’s free brochures on all their weathering and diorama products. The quality is top notch, and a small bottle can last for a relatively long time if sealed up after use. You could get several models from a single bottle of ‘mud’ or ‘oil stain’.
Something that isn’t as important as it used to be, is to make sure to use two different kinds of paint, one for the actual painting of your model, usually a solvent based paint such as a lacquer or enamel based. Then using water based paints, and water based weathering washes on top of the solvent based paint. The goal was to make sure the weathering layers don’t rub into or wear through the paint used on the model. Now a days, the acrylic paints dry fast and usually tough enough to withstand subsequent weathering layers with acrylic paints and weathering washes. Do a test run to make sure whatever paints and weathering materials you use, they are compatible in that one adheres to the other without blending, wearing though or rubbing off together
I’d suggest, when you start building your model, no matter what it is, start to think about and plan what you want to do with weathering. Like painting and the colors you choose, weathering can be used to tell a story with your model. The weathering , mostly the covering or additive kind can convey where your model is or was, where it came from, what it was doing, did it survive, was it captured by the opponent, whatever you want to say and tell a story of, use weathering to help tell that story. You will know how successful your weathering is, by showing your model to a few friends and ask them if they can tell what you are trying to say or convey. If they can’t, then figure out why not, maybe the colors are too weak or subtle with not enough contrast, not enough mud built up on the tank tracks, or faded paint on the upper side of the airplanes wings, no oil stains, or not enough oil stains.
One of the most common weathering effects is muzzle blast from aircraft and/or tank, guns, as the wind blows the blast back over the wings, fuselage, or cannon muzzle itself. I used to use ground charcoal applied with a stiff ox-hair paint brush to simulate this. Now a days you can buy a small bottle of ‘Muzzle Wash’, or ‘Oil Streaking’, and apply with a small paint brush or even an airbrush. When researching your model, try to pay particular attention to how it looks and how it’s weathered. Unless your model has just rolled off the factory assembly line, which is factory finished, even after an hour or so on the battle field it will show signs of wear, possible damage, paint scuff, bangs and dents.
If Plastic modeling is to be considered and taken seriously as an art form similar to painting or sculpting. Then you’ll have to do more than just assembling a box full of little plastic parts. There has to be a lot of additional work and feeling put into the finished model. Even pushing the envelope and not just making a smaller version of a real thing, but adding some artistic license and with certain techniques. Weathering is the perfect technique for this artistic expression. From showing battle damage, broken fenders, to washed out paint to putting the model in a physical environment, or just suggesting that environment. Learn about colors, weathering, and no matter what, try to tell a story. It doesn’t have to the entire history of a battle or campaign, it could just be for example, how the tank managed to get its crew back home from the battle field. Like true art, your model work doesn’t have to please everyone or anyone except yourself. It is your venue of expression and you are in charge. All that other fellow modelers and hobby shops can give you are just ideas, materials to do the work, and sometimes inspiration, but all the work, the first steps, the blood, the sweat, all the trail and errors, and tears are yours, and remember, every step of the way, Hobby Sense is here for you!