My first attemt at making my new tank look old
#1
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My first attemt at making my new tank look old
This T34 I got a couple of months ago and has just been sitting in a shelf waiting for a new look. I have been reading as much as I can on painting and weathering so it was time to give it a try. I got what paints I could from local hobby shops and some from wally world. No air brush work on this one all brush work. I still have not found my air brush after the move this summer. I made some extras to go on it based on some pictures I have found. I remade the tow cables using real wire rope, made a barrel brush, added winter tents and a big chunk of wood. Put it all together tonight and was happy with the results for my first try.
Jimmy
Jimmy
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Thanks guys. A lot of what I have learned so far has come from the group here and the willingness to share information. Its fun to try new things. Any ideas or suggestions to ad to the effects?
Jimmy
Jimmy
#6
Your weathering looks very realistic --- not overdone, not underdone --- just right!
I am going to save your photos as a reference on how to do a beautiful weathering job.
rex
I am going to save your photos as a reference on how to do a beautiful weathering job.
rex
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Tank number 2 is sitting on the shelf. I have a type 99 I got from Crius and I am looking for pictures now. I need to find my air brush stuff for this one. I am going to go to the flea market and get some stuff to practice on. I want to learn chipping and rust next. I have lots of rusty stuff around the shop for reference.
Jimmy
Jimmy
#8
Looks great Jimmy, are you sure you have not done this before? :-) Really nice work for your first time!!!
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I have painted a lot of stuff over the years, learned to paint cars in the mid 70's. The goal was always to make stuff look good. A lot of those skills apply just the goal is different. You want it to look good just not in the same way. Once I got a good way through the process it still seemed lacking something. So back to searching what was missing. It was the added items. None of the pictures I had saved were bare tanks. They all had stuff like supplies on them. So I started to look for ways to ad the things in the pictures. First thing I made was the gun brush. Its 1/8" tubing with a piece of pipe cleaner in the end. Then came the log. I walked around the yard (8 acres of woods) and looked for something that looked like birch. Cut off some small branches and settled on the one I used. So then I needed something that looked like a tent or tarp. I did not have anything green but there was a picture of a tank in winter camo so I had something that would work for that. They are the cotton bags for putting hardware in that have the tags sewn to them. Off with the tags and tie string and rolled em up. Added some dirt as I added it to the tank and it worked out fine. The tow cables I used 3/32 galvanized wire rope that had been hanging on the wall for years. Pulled the copper right out of the fittings and drilled them to just over .100" and did a little countersink on the end to make the cable go in easier. Slipped them on the ends of the cable with a little super glue and they worked out good. Mixed up a little rust colored paint with water to make a wash and put a couple of coats on the cable to give it some age. The bucket is a plastic cap off a 1/4" pipe fitting with the lip cut off and a piece of safety wire for the handle. It has a little brown stuff in the bottom and a few shreds of white paper towels. The process of making the added items was a lot of fun. I have a big chunk of 1 1/2 bar stock and plan on making some fuel drums to go with it.
Jimmy
Jimmy
#14
That is really impressive for a first attempt, you did your homework on techniques. Most people really over do the drybrushing with silver and rust, then go crazy with mud on their first tank. I think weathering tanks is my favorite part of this hobby since it is ridiculously cheap (I use $.99 Walmart acrylics) and has the biggest impact on the finished product.
#16
Very very nice. Great brush work (wish I had that talent but couldn't even color in the lines as a youth). How did you attach the back of the tow ropes? Also what did you use for the tent material and the rope pieces around it?? Appreciate you taking the time to do pics and describe--!!!
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I swapped out the copper cable on the tow cables for some steel cable to make it look more correct. The front is locked into the tow hooks and the rear is just tucked in. The stay there just fine. The tent material is just cotton cloth parts bags. Any cotton will work. I have some green know that is cut from some faded pants that came from the thrift store. The string is from a piece of parachute cord. I just pull the strands out and it is a good size for this scale. As for the brush work it is easier than staying between the lines. Most of it is washes I made and it goes on all over.
Jimmy
Jimmy
#19
Thanks Supperrod--checked some pics on line for Russian ww2 tents and found some grey material my wife had that looks weathered so I'm ok on making a tent. Think I'll give the weathering a try. A few questions on that (am familiar with doing washes as have do a little of it. What size type of brush do your recommend? I assume it is a wider softer one. Also I have some Testors enamel in a "flat desert tan" for lighter dirt and some "flat military brown" for darker dirt. Would it be ok to thin this with paint thinner or lacquer thinner to make the washes? Any other tips on the painting? Thanks again--Ken
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I was going to do some fender damage but it a cast metal tank so it won't bend. All the paints I use are water base acrylic. I have a big selection now compared to what I had when I did this one. I have a bunch from walmart and the rest from Michaels arts and crafts. The water based paints makes it easy to thin for many effects. The gloss colors make good oil and rust streaks and the flat colors make good mud and dirt right out of the bottle. Then to make it look dirty use the color you want for the wash and thin it out. I used a small water bottle about half full. Then put some paint on a brush and washed it in the bottle. Did this a few times and tested it on a old truck hood and let it dry. Came up with a mix that was easy to put on with the big brushes you can see in the first picture. Put on a coat and let it dry. Areas where more dirt would settle get another coat. Areas where the rain may streak it down the side get brushed as it drys. Keep doing it in small steps till you get the look you want. Take it slow and ad little details like boot prints. All the mud and spatter i did with small pieces of foam. Toys from yard sales make great things to practice on.
Jimmy
Jimmy
#21
Jimmy you've been great and I appreciate all your help. Last question, do you put any type of clear coat on after finishing the weathering? Also, I found some acrylics that I had bought for this purpose when I got my first tank--but never did weather it. LOL Ken
#23
Jimmy, since there is almost no green showing can I assume that most of the tank has some wash on it? Started by darkening all the bolt heads and made a rolled up tent, plus painted the copper tow cables a steel color. If I use acrylic for some details will it wash off later when I start applying washes by brush? Going to use a gun cleaning product (like oversized Q tips) to make a barrel brush. Ken
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All of the tank has some wash on it. Some places more than others. Just look at your car when it is really dirty and its easy to see how everything has dirt on it and how places have much more than others. If you look at construction equipment pictures thats another good source of ideas.
Jimmy
Jimmy