 Step 1:
After cleaning all flash, and
gluing all parts on with Cyanoacrylate (Crazy glue or Zap-a-Gap) mount the model
on the head of a 3" roofing nail with a small amount of Cyano to avoid
having to touch it with your hands. The nail can be held in a block of
Styrofoam. A THIN base coat of flat white primer is then sprayed on. This
will help the later coats of paint from rubbing off and add a natural highlight
to the overall paint job. I use cheap, spray can type that can be found in most
hardware stores. The model is then baked at 150-170 Fahrenheit for
20 minutes on a wooden cutting board or a spare piece of plywood. (check with
your wife to find out which thing in the kitchen is the stove.) Do not use
metal. |
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| Step 2:
Next, decide the overall base
color of your model. For example, for most German/French vehicles, this
would be Dark Yellow or Tan. The base color is thinned
down to a slightly watery consistency by adding Turpentine ( not mineral spirits
or Varsol!). 5% white is added to the original color for
scale. This is important as the model tends to look dark if the
paint is used straight from the bottle. The overall color is then brushed on
with an old round paint brush taking care to keep the layer thin and even. Extra
paint can be drawn off with a dried paint brush
and removed on a paint rag. |
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| Step 3:
The next step is to decide if you want a Soft-edged or Hard-edged
scheme. Soft-edged is best done with an Airbrush; Hard-edged with a paintbrush.
Begin by collecting reference photos of the real thing. Try and view these at a
distance to see how the pattern would look on your model. Remember - small!
One or two patches of color will not do at this scale. |
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 Step
3A: Soft-edged Airbrush: This type
of camo has blurred or 'soft' edges between colors. The model pictured on the
left was done with a Badger Dual-action airbrush (the dots were added with a
size #10/0 brush). Do not expect these kinds of results on your first try. It
take years of practice and a steady hand to do a pattern such as the 'Ambush' on
this SPW 251. I use mostly acrylics for airbrushing as the turpentine wash
will not damage them. Set up your airbrush to use as little paint as possible.
This may take some fiddling with to get the right paint consistency and air
pressure but once you get the right combination, you should be able to spray a
thick, pencil sized line. If painting a continuous line is too hard, try
spraying a small dot of color, and move the model and spray another dot,
connecting them in an irregular pattern. Do not obscure all of the base color.
The end result should be evenly split between all of the camo colors. |
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 Step
3B Soft-edged Paintbrush: This
type of camo has a more distinct edge to the colors. At this scale, camo applied
on the real vehicles may look 'Hard-edged' even if the original was applied with
an airbrush. The pattern at left is based on a 'Soft-edged' pattern
applied on PzJg Tiger 'Elephants' for the battle of Kursk in 1943 (bow MG should
have been scraped off and cross too high!). This type of camo is easier to apply
than the soft-edged Airbrush type. Begin by finding a brush that you can
paint a thin line with easily. Mix your color to a thin but still opaque color.
Paint on the pattern and allow to dry. Then using a small square cut brush,
drybrush the same color over the pattern to 'feather' it out a bit. Blend any
rough areas with a very small amount of thinner on a brush. |
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 Step
3C Hard-edged Paintbrush: This is
a straightforward paintjob done with brush and thinned paint. Pictured at left
are two British Matildas in 'Caunter' three color western desert camo. Try to
mimic your reference photos and keep the paint thin. |
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 Step 4:
The
model MUST then be again baked at 150 C for 20 minutes to prepare and cure the
paint for the next step. If not, the wash will not work properly. Mixed together a wash of 90%
TURPENTINE (not paint thinner!!) and 10% either flat black or flat dark brown.
This will depend on the base color - for US Olive Drab, use a black wash - for
German Afrika Korps Sand (Mustard), use a brown wash, etc. The paint used for
this must be flat enamels such as HUMBROL (the best due to the finely ground
pigment) or TESTORS (cheap glass bottles found at most any hobby or drug store)
The next step must be carefully carried out. This mix is dabbed onto the upper
surfaces of the MODEL with a flat square-cut brush and allowed to run down into
all the model's recesses. DO NOT go over areas that have been washed again or
the underlying base coat will be damaged. A mix of 70% Turpentine and 30% paint
is then added to the areas of the tracks and bogies/wheels to bring out the
detail contrast more. Do not use too much wash as the extra turpentine will go
gummy and shiny and ruin your model. Again, extra wash can be drawn off with the
tip of a dry paint brush and removed on a paint rag. The model is then air dried
for approximately 10 minutes or so. I generally wash 5 vehicles at a time and by
the time I am finished the wash, the 1st model is ready to begin Step 4. DO
NOT bake as you do not want to cure the wash - just fix it to the surface. |
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| Step 5:
By
now the model will have slightly shadowed look from the wash. The next step is a
bit tricky but it gets easier with experience. Take a wide square brush and a
small bottle of clean turpentine. Dip the brush in the turpentine and remove as
much of it as you can on a paint rag. This is critical - if the brush is too
wet, it will remove all the wash or your camo work. Use a LIGHT stroke across the model in a 360
degree action, trying not to wipe all the wash off. What will happen if it is
done right is that the wash will be picked up from the flat areas and pushed
into the corners and recesses and the base coat will be worn off of the high
areas so that you are left with a nicely weathered model. It definitely takes a
bit of practice! |
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| Step 6:
Now
is the time to add touch off a black or rust colored wash in any areas that need
a bit more shadow (such as grills, hatches, around tools, spare track links,
etc) Do this by using a pointed brush to touch off the wash on the model - done
right the wash will be drawn by capillary action around the object. Use the wash
sparingly - too much and the shadows will look out of scale. |
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| Step 7:
The
next step is to highlight the raised areas using a Number 4 SABLE Flat square
brush ( I know they are expensive but one will last for years if properly cared
for) Mix up the base color with Yellow and White in the following formula 60%
Base - 20% Yellow - 20% White. Fill the brush completely and then strip
off as much of the paint as you can with a cotton rag. I find squeezing the tip
between your fingers with the rag and then brushing the rag in a back-forth
motion takes off the right amount of paint. The brush is then swept over the
model lightly until the right highlight effect if achieved. You may have to
press harder and harder as the paint is used up. All that you want to do is add
a final very light highlight to the raised areas. Too many brushstrokes with a
lighter highlight color will overpower your earlier work. |
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| Step 8: Finally
paint all weapons/tool flat black and paint the tracks and/or tires. Tracks,
many different methods - flat brown with a light black wash and a silver/black
highlight is the easiest method but it depends on the theater and track type -
rubber cleats or all steel, etc etc...Tires - Humbrol or Testors - a good dark
black with a dab of blue and whitened to a dark grey color. I save the gun-metal
silver highlighting of tools, weapons and tracks until the flatcoat (see next
step) is done. |
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| Step 9: If
you plan on being rough with your Model's (i.e. wargaming) you must protect the
paint finish. This is done one of two ways. For a dead flat finish, use TESTORS
DULLCOTE #1260 to spray the model. This will give the paint a very accurate flat
finish but paint chipping will still occur with handling. DO NOT use this in
your model room...this stuff is bad for your health!! I spray my models
outdoors and let them cure for a bit before bringing them inside. I always keep
an airflow in my office when using turpentine as well. The second
method is better if a dead-flat finish isn't as important. A more durable finish
can be achieved with the use of a ACRYLIC MATT SEALER. It will give the model an
overall slight gloss look but this can be dulled a little with a coat of
DULLCOTE. Back to the oven... |
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| Step 10:
A
final very light highlighting with gunmetal and/or silver is done on all
tools/weapons/tracks. |