Entry 3: A case of "the new" painted over "the old" - Using artist oils on Italeri's 1/35 scale German BergePanther

85% completed

As a scale modeller, this stage of  using oils to create faded surfaces, dirt and streaks are the most fun. Using just oils alone can account for most of the weathering effects on a scale model kit.  There is not limit to how one can weathered their scale model. However, as a hobby, i do find weathering needs to be balance. Currently, scale modellers are spoiled for choices with oil paints. Abteilung 502 offers a range of oil paints in military and weathering colours, saving time if you are not keen to mixing your own color palette. The other make is AK interactive weathering Products with their range of AK Oilbrushers

Now it's time to use artist oils and it's opacity and transparency properties to create simulated effects of grime, oils, shadows, streaks, rust, mud on to the model. Artist oils are classes of paint with high pigment content, which results in rich, vibrant colors. Suspended in linseed oil medium, they have long drying time which allows artist to continue adjusting colours, tones and texture on canvases which makes them the number one choice of paint for artist. Due to the high pigment load, a small amount of  oil paints goes a long way and due to the oil medium, the paint usually dries glossy. Good brand of Artist oils includes Winsor & Newton and Gamblin are good starter with their rich colours. To begin weathering your scale model kit, you would need a 

• Set of pointed and flat brushes 
• 10 x 10 cm cardboard with your choice of colours. The use of the cardboard is to absorb the oil medium from the paint. Allow up to 30 minutes for the oils to be drawn out as this would make the paint pigments dried matt instead of glossy.
• Odourless thinner for Artist oils
• Paper towels

Weathering or fading horizontal surfaces- using Artist oils transparency properties to glaze over the horizontal surface, to create variations of faded or weathered  surfaces

• For fading look (example: faded paint over dark green base colour.)
• Wet the work surface with odourless thinner for artist oil using a round bristle brush of reasonable size. Allow to dry for 30~60 seconds
• Use a toothpick to apply dots of white, yelllow and dark green over the wetted work surface.
•  Wet the same round bristle brush with very small amounts of thinner and ever so gently dab on to the dotted colours at random to "mix the dots into a light shade of green". 
• Varied the glazed colour by varying dabbing pressure and timing strokes on the work area. You will notice, heavier pressure will deposit more glaze BUT would also licked up if left to long on the work surface. Continue this until a satisfactory look is achieved.
• Move to another work area whlist letting the first section dry.
• Allow weathered surfaces to dried completely. Artist oils takes over 24 hours to completely dry of the weather is wet or humid. By wetting brush with thinner, sections can be re-work if required.

Streaking on vertical surfaces for rust stains, grime and mud

• For streaking onvertical surfaces, the approach is similar.
• Wet the work surface with odourless thinner for artist oil using a round bristle brush of reasonable size. Allow to dry for 30~60 seconds
• Use a toothpick to apply dots of random warm or cool colours on the work area.
• Use a damped flat brush to pull from the top, vertically down in one direction.
• Offload excess paint from flt brush onto papertowel, re-wet flat brush with thinner.
• Continue technique removing excess paint to achieve desired streaked effect.

Note of Warm and Cool Colour

The same dirt would look different in different regions of the world. In a arid climate i.e. middle east. The same brown dirt would have more white and yellow components making the dirt show in light brown (hence warm colours) The same dirt in Northern Europe will have more hues of umber, blue and red for cool colours. Depending on the context of the model kit, use appropiate warm or cool tones to fade or weather the model kit.

Top horizontal surfaces using a combintaion of white, burnt sienna, raw umber, yellow Artist Oils.

Top and vertical surfaces completed.

Vertical Streaks on the frontal slope of the Hull.

Vertical surfaces Streaks of using dot technique

Vertical Streaks of using dot technique

Application of oils  ( Circle in Red)

The top photo stated 85% completed. Usually, after the oils have dried. most modellers will proceed to fix pigments of bottled mud and powder pigments. I, for one is not a huge fan of  afixing pigments as they are rather messy. If mud is to be created, the method used is a mixture of pastel power mixed with oil paint colour to give a rich and texture. 

Here more shots of the completed Italeri's 1/35 scale German BergePanther .

See you in the Next Post where we look at Model Collect- "Fist of War" E-60 Paper Panzer!

Takom 1/35 Bergepanther Ausf.D Umbau Seibert 1945 Production Full Interior Plastic Model Kit

Takom 1/35 Bergepanther Ausf.A Assembled Full Interior Plastic Model Kit

ICM Models Bergepanther with German Tank Crew Building Kit

Entry 2: A case of "the new" painted over "the old" - Painting Italeri's 1/35 scale German BergePanther using Black and White Method.

Welcome back to the BergePanther model kit project. My first attempt on this Black and White Painting method has been, least to say interesting and quite rewarding. Writings by Mr. JOSE LUIS LOPEZ RUIZ, floats the idea of creating artificial light and shadows on an object, pretty much like drawings in  Black and White, where pencil shadings are created over a white canvas, creating DEPTH. 

It is the depth in real life, that allows our eyes to observe lines, colour and shades, in order to recongise objects and forms. In his book, depth is created using shades of grey between pure black and pure white. There are four shades of grey tone. However, this was a challange to prep four tones. Instead a whitish grey was made between pure black and white, with black primer remaining as the darkest shadow, pure white as the direct lighted objects and the whitish grey used on various surfaces to simulate the depth. Depth was created by several passes on certain areas to create more 'lighted' than others.

A summary of the results.

• At the Black and White application stages, various areas can be contrasted using shades orwhite and grey with white being the shade, the eyes observed an area in direct sunlight. Correspondingly, pure black is the dark shadows on an area (i.e. crevices between steel plates.) after grey shading, i 've use a fine paint brush to apply pure white areas which is most ideal. The effect really stands out.

• Paint to Air mixture has to be correct and paint must be thinned down enough. Vallejo's range of Model Air premixed paints have been useful in this case. Sold as ready to use in a bottle, it's easy to control the gray shades. Airbrush pressure can also be tone down as the pre-mix was well diluted.

• Applying two to three different colours as in a camoflauge can be challenging. Instead i created two monotone colours, one above and below the track line. (showing the vehicle was pull from the front in it's original German dark yellow colour , and re-purposed with a new green shade towards the end of 1945, using German Dark Green colour.)

German Berge Panther in 1/35 Scale from ITALERI MODEL KIT 

Paint Chips

Rolled homogeneous armour (RHA) is a type of vehicle armour made of a single steel composition hot-rolled to improve its material characteristics, as opposed to layered or cemented armour. Its first common application was in tanks. After World War II, it began to fall out of use on main battle tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles intended to see front-line combat as new anti-tank weapon technologies were developed which were capable of relatively easily penetrating rolled homogeneous armour plating even of significant thickness. (Wikipedia)

Abrasion of any RHA or Steel surfaces ultimately results in rust. Therefore, apart from stainless steel. All steel used are usually cleaned, primed and painted to enhance longevity and strength of the steel. Hence, the use of steel as armour during world war II predominated. Aluminum armour only came about from 50s and 60s. 

When painted surfaces wear due to abrasion. primer colour and steel colours are exposed. This can be done by the use of sponge dabbing on random areas of wear to create worn surfaces to show chipped areas. 

Colours combination used are

• Vallejo VJ70864 Model Colour Metallic Natural Steel 17 ml Miniatures for BARE STEEL

• Vallejo VJ70941 Model Colour Burnt Umber 17 ml Miniatures for STEEL COLOUR

• Vallejo Model Colour Saddle Brown 17 ml Miniatures for RUST COLOUR

Engine Deck and Engine " Chipped " simulating worn out surfaces.

OVERALL LOOK...... NICE, I say!

Once this was completed to satisfaction, i pin wash the the details to add further depth to the scale model.

Tamiya Panel Line Accent Colour - Black T87131 has always been my go to, Enamel based wash flows well to enhance details. Do remember to apply an acrylic clear coat of TAMIYA AMERICA 81522 X22 Mini Acrylic, Clear, 1/3 oz before apply this wash. Use a pointed brush,  dabbed dry with Tamiya enamel to clean up excess wash. Allow at least 24 hours for paint and washes to throughly dried. 

Let's talk more about Artist Oils next time.

ALL PARTS AFTER CHIPPING and PIN-WASHED ready for Artist Oils

Vallejo 71206 Model Air German Colours 1940-1945 8 Colour Acrylic Airbrush Paint Set