Redfinger
New member
I am going to start a new thread that has the correct title, a re-hash of what I have already posted, but scroll to the bottom and you will see some new stuff!!
Been working on this big guy, her is 1/35 scale but could be used in Infinity and 40k. I have all the major assembly done, and I am getting ready for primer and paint next.
I have more images and a brief review of the model itself on my blog, feel free to check it out and thanks for looking!!
http://redmodeling.blogspot.com/
Update;
So I am back with part 2 of this wip. I have gotten quite a bit done since the last post, but I failed to document it, because it was basic paint and weathering stuff that I have covered before, or will be covering in future posts on other projects. With this project I would like to focus on using oils to weather and enhance the surface of the model, I will be demonstrating 3 specific uses, how to use oils to discolor a surface, how to use oils to create panel variation and how to use oils to create weathered effects. That will all come in my part 3 of my WIP, but for now I just wanted to show some pics of where the project is currently at. I have always been a fan of the Naval Aviators known as the "Jolly Rogers", perhaps one day I will pick up a F-14 or F-18 and paint it up in those colors. For now though I felt like using that scheme to influence how this mech is going to look. I sourced some skull and cross bones decals and busted out my paints, airbrush and masking tape and went to work.
Here is the result so far.
A quick rundown of the colors used for the base coat was a 50/50 mix of VMC Neutral Grey and VMC Off White. I also through in a drop or two of VMC Blue Grey, and VMC Flat Earth. The end result is a color that is a little more blue than I would have liked, but I like the final result so far. When I bust out my oil paints I can modulate the color a bit then. Anyway my custom color was applied over a dark grey automotive "etching" primer. I find this product is great for use with resin and it creates a really nice, durable surface that paint will adhere to easily.
The grey color was applied via airbrush over the primer is a random pattern, basically I airbrush a lot of squiggles over and over an area and slowly build the color up. This results in a finish that has varied amounts of the dark grey primer showing underneath. I will be doing a tutorial of this on future projects to better describe the process. In this picture that I posted I have a 1/35 scale figure I have been working on to provide a sense of scale.
After I got my base layer painted I went in and started to add in my paint chipping, and some alternate colors. The yellow areas were masked off then taped and the white areas were hand painted. I really wanted this model to heavy a heavy used "urban" look. When I go in with my oils I will not be doing a lot of rust, probably just more grime and what not.
After the paint of course came the decals. Here is a close up of some "fiberglass" decal that I added on the front nose area. I think it kind of gives the model a ED-209 look. I am kinda of thinking this is more or less some kind of optic or sensor array that allows the pilot to obtain a virtual image of the world outside the cockpit. You can also see the Jolly Roger I added as well as some decals along the left side of the image that actually have a pilot name there.
Finally here are a few images of some of the weaponry. The rounds on the belt feed are not completed yet, as are some of the other details as well. This is because of the weathering I will be doing, some details will need to be cleaned up after the fact anyways. Next post will be the oils and the process that is involved in using those!!
Update:
So I have decided to use this thread as a place to log my progress on my projects. I will be making a few back to back posts here showing what I am working on. I have not updated this project for a while, but I have gotten a lot of oil weathering done. Here is where it is at, along with comments on how I did it.
To start with here is an image of the model I am working with and the supplies I am using. You will need a paper towel, brushes, Odorless Mineral Spirits, mixing cups, a palette and of course your paints. I picked 3 specific colors for this part of the process, Yellow Ocher, Dark Rust, and Starship Filth. The first 2 colors are pretty warm colors, I did this because as you can see in the photo my original surface is pretty cool. The third color I picked, Starship Filth is a pretty cool dark grey, this is an attempt to just even things out a bit. The whole purpose of this initial layer is to create the general discoloration that comes from exposure to the elements. This weathering is applied all over the model and will change the final color, so when choosing your base color, keep in mind that it may be different than what you intend the final color to be.
View attachment 27845
When you start of doing this method, pic an area to start with. It is good to work in small areas, this will help enhance the surface discoloration, and keep things simple. This is an image of the area I will be working on before applying a layer of mineral spirits.
View attachment 27846
The process is started by dipping a wide flat brush into the mineral spirits and then "wicking" as much of the excess off on a paper towel. Then take this brush to the area you intend to weather and brush the mineral spirits on to the surface. Here is the same area with a coat of the mineral spirits. This is probably a bit more than I should have put on, but I was juggling a camera in all this, I actually let this layer evaporate a little before moving on. You will notice that the surrounding areas are flat. I prefer using a flat surface when working with oils, I know there is a lot of back and forth on this topic, but the way I look at it is canvas is a flat material, so maybe keeping my surfaces flat will help me work with the oils better.
View attachment 27847
The next step is to randomly apply the chosen oil colors all over the area. There is no rhyme or reason to this, it is random and will all be blended together to create a nice, discolored surface. I keep as many brushes handy as colors I am using, that way you do not need to rinse between colors. As you can see from this photo as well, you do not need to be pretty about how the dots are applied. Also a word about color choice, there is no right choice. If I wanted to enhance the cool look of the original surface I would have gone with dark browns and blues and maybe some green, but I choose to go warm so I went with reds and yellows, the choice is yours, experiment and don't be afraid to mess up, you can fix it easily with oils.
View attachment 27848
The next step is pretty simple. Get yourself a second wide flat brush (remember your first one was used to prep the surface, a second one will be used to blend the surface), dip it in your mineral spirits and "wick" as much of the excess off onto a paper towel, you will need to experiment with how wet you want your brush to be, but the basic idea is to begin to work in a vertical motion working your brush up and down blending all the colors together. Working “up and down” will simulate streaking, rain marks and grime. You can move in any direction, but it would be best to move in the direction that gravity is working relative to the model. If your brush is to wet, the colors will come off in one or two passes. If your brush is to dry, you will smear the colors all around, it really is about finding a balance that reflects the look you are after. I like to work is small sections at a time, it helps create variety in the overall appearance and allows me to easily step away for a bit and come back again if I need too.
View attachment 27849
You are basically going to keep working the area back and forth creating and building the streaking effect.
Here is an image at about the half-way point. I have completed the center cockpit area and the surfaces to the left of that. You can see the clear difference between the left and right side of the model. Notice how the chips on the left appear now to look more natural and the surface color appears blotchy and weathered in a very subtle way. Even the decals now look less like decals and more like they were painted on.
View attachment 27850
Here is another image showing the top completely weathered. At this point the model will be allowed to dry for 24 to 48 hours, and then sealed with an acrylic coat of Vallejo Matte Varnish and Future Floor Polish. I will then move onto discoloring individual panels to really add some more depth and variety to the surface of the model.
View attachment 27851
The last thing I want to show here is a side effect that results from weathering this way. Take a look at this image
View attachment 27852
Notice how the oils paints have collected in the cracks and crevices of the model, it has created an indirect panel lining result. I think that this adds to the overall weathering, and it would be very easy at this point to enhance this effect.
Been working on this big guy, her is 1/35 scale but could be used in Infinity and 40k. I have all the major assembly done, and I am getting ready for primer and paint next.
I have more images and a brief review of the model itself on my blog, feel free to check it out and thanks for looking!!
http://redmodeling.blogspot.com/
Update;
So I am back with part 2 of this wip. I have gotten quite a bit done since the last post, but I failed to document it, because it was basic paint and weathering stuff that I have covered before, or will be covering in future posts on other projects. With this project I would like to focus on using oils to weather and enhance the surface of the model, I will be demonstrating 3 specific uses, how to use oils to discolor a surface, how to use oils to create panel variation and how to use oils to create weathered effects. That will all come in my part 3 of my WIP, but for now I just wanted to show some pics of where the project is currently at. I have always been a fan of the Naval Aviators known as the "Jolly Rogers", perhaps one day I will pick up a F-14 or F-18 and paint it up in those colors. For now though I felt like using that scheme to influence how this mech is going to look. I sourced some skull and cross bones decals and busted out my paints, airbrush and masking tape and went to work.
Here is the result so far.
A quick rundown of the colors used for the base coat was a 50/50 mix of VMC Neutral Grey and VMC Off White. I also through in a drop or two of VMC Blue Grey, and VMC Flat Earth. The end result is a color that is a little more blue than I would have liked, but I like the final result so far. When I bust out my oil paints I can modulate the color a bit then. Anyway my custom color was applied over a dark grey automotive "etching" primer. I find this product is great for use with resin and it creates a really nice, durable surface that paint will adhere to easily.
The grey color was applied via airbrush over the primer is a random pattern, basically I airbrush a lot of squiggles over and over an area and slowly build the color up. This results in a finish that has varied amounts of the dark grey primer showing underneath. I will be doing a tutorial of this on future projects to better describe the process. In this picture that I posted I have a 1/35 scale figure I have been working on to provide a sense of scale.
After I got my base layer painted I went in and started to add in my paint chipping, and some alternate colors. The yellow areas were masked off then taped and the white areas were hand painted. I really wanted this model to heavy a heavy used "urban" look. When I go in with my oils I will not be doing a lot of rust, probably just more grime and what not.
After the paint of course came the decals. Here is a close up of some "fiberglass" decal that I added on the front nose area. I think it kind of gives the model a ED-209 look. I am kinda of thinking this is more or less some kind of optic or sensor array that allows the pilot to obtain a virtual image of the world outside the cockpit. You can also see the Jolly Roger I added as well as some decals along the left side of the image that actually have a pilot name there.
Finally here are a few images of some of the weaponry. The rounds on the belt feed are not completed yet, as are some of the other details as well. This is because of the weathering I will be doing, some details will need to be cleaned up after the fact anyways. Next post will be the oils and the process that is involved in using those!!
Update:
So I have decided to use this thread as a place to log my progress on my projects. I will be making a few back to back posts here showing what I am working on. I have not updated this project for a while, but I have gotten a lot of oil weathering done. Here is where it is at, along with comments on how I did it.
To start with here is an image of the model I am working with and the supplies I am using. You will need a paper towel, brushes, Odorless Mineral Spirits, mixing cups, a palette and of course your paints. I picked 3 specific colors for this part of the process, Yellow Ocher, Dark Rust, and Starship Filth. The first 2 colors are pretty warm colors, I did this because as you can see in the photo my original surface is pretty cool. The third color I picked, Starship Filth is a pretty cool dark grey, this is an attempt to just even things out a bit. The whole purpose of this initial layer is to create the general discoloration that comes from exposure to the elements. This weathering is applied all over the model and will change the final color, so when choosing your base color, keep in mind that it may be different than what you intend the final color to be.
View attachment 27845
When you start of doing this method, pic an area to start with. It is good to work in small areas, this will help enhance the surface discoloration, and keep things simple. This is an image of the area I will be working on before applying a layer of mineral spirits.
View attachment 27846
The process is started by dipping a wide flat brush into the mineral spirits and then "wicking" as much of the excess off on a paper towel. Then take this brush to the area you intend to weather and brush the mineral spirits on to the surface. Here is the same area with a coat of the mineral spirits. This is probably a bit more than I should have put on, but I was juggling a camera in all this, I actually let this layer evaporate a little before moving on. You will notice that the surrounding areas are flat. I prefer using a flat surface when working with oils, I know there is a lot of back and forth on this topic, but the way I look at it is canvas is a flat material, so maybe keeping my surfaces flat will help me work with the oils better.
View attachment 27847
The next step is to randomly apply the chosen oil colors all over the area. There is no rhyme or reason to this, it is random and will all be blended together to create a nice, discolored surface. I keep as many brushes handy as colors I am using, that way you do not need to rinse between colors. As you can see from this photo as well, you do not need to be pretty about how the dots are applied. Also a word about color choice, there is no right choice. If I wanted to enhance the cool look of the original surface I would have gone with dark browns and blues and maybe some green, but I choose to go warm so I went with reds and yellows, the choice is yours, experiment and don't be afraid to mess up, you can fix it easily with oils.
View attachment 27848
The next step is pretty simple. Get yourself a second wide flat brush (remember your first one was used to prep the surface, a second one will be used to blend the surface), dip it in your mineral spirits and "wick" as much of the excess off onto a paper towel, you will need to experiment with how wet you want your brush to be, but the basic idea is to begin to work in a vertical motion working your brush up and down blending all the colors together. Working “up and down” will simulate streaking, rain marks and grime. You can move in any direction, but it would be best to move in the direction that gravity is working relative to the model. If your brush is to wet, the colors will come off in one or two passes. If your brush is to dry, you will smear the colors all around, it really is about finding a balance that reflects the look you are after. I like to work is small sections at a time, it helps create variety in the overall appearance and allows me to easily step away for a bit and come back again if I need too.
View attachment 27849
You are basically going to keep working the area back and forth creating and building the streaking effect.
Here is an image at about the half-way point. I have completed the center cockpit area and the surfaces to the left of that. You can see the clear difference between the left and right side of the model. Notice how the chips on the left appear now to look more natural and the surface color appears blotchy and weathered in a very subtle way. Even the decals now look less like decals and more like they were painted on.
View attachment 27850
Here is another image showing the top completely weathered. At this point the model will be allowed to dry for 24 to 48 hours, and then sealed with an acrylic coat of Vallejo Matte Varnish and Future Floor Polish. I will then move onto discoloring individual panels to really add some more depth and variety to the surface of the model.
View attachment 27851
The last thing I want to show here is a side effect that results from weathering this way. Take a look at this image
View attachment 27852
Notice how the oils paints have collected in the cracks and crevices of the model, it has created an indirect panel lining result. I think that this adds to the overall weathering, and it would be very easy at this point to enhance this effect.
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