BP Models

The fun thing about the weathering process is that it can totally transform the look of the previous paint work depending on how you go about it and what end result you want to achieve. I've been using reference photos of a surrender depot vehicle in Bohemia in 1945 and decided that a dusty appearance works best for my Pakwagen...so the following steps are designed to achieve that end.

First up I laid down an overall wash of MM enamel Raw Umber. The initial effect of course is that it darkens the finish but the real reason is to provide a foundation for the additional steps as the Raw Umber will get blended in with other colors and not left on its own.



Once that had dried, the next step was the application of dot filters using MM enamel Flat White, MM enamel Raw Sienna, and dots of the MM enamel 50/50 dunkelgelb/light gray mix I used to airbrush earlier on. The dots were applied in small sections at a time to avoid having the dots harden and begin to dry. Using a square-tip blending brush lightly dampened with clean thinner, the dots are worked in together along with the Raw Umber wash coat from earlier to create a filtered and streaking effect.





While the Pakwagen doesn't have a lot of raised detail or panel lines, there's enough there to justify using a pin wash to pull it out and deepen the finish. I used a thinned mix of MM enamel Burnt Umber and a pointed 10/0 brush to apply to the different areas and then came back with some clean thinner to remove any blooming and correct where needed. I also installed the Pak 40 permanently in place now that all the major manhandling is done.



Next up will be working on the pigment weathering for the lower hull, suspension, and tracks.

After letting the build sit over the week, I made some small adjustments to the washes and filters and then sealed everything up with a coat of Testors MM Lusterless Flat in the spray can. This removed any lingering traces of gloss and is the finishing touch to tie everything in the finish together as well as provide a nice flat surface to work on for the pigment weathering.



I applied a wet mix of Mig Dry Mud pigments by combining ordinary tap water with a drop of dish washing soap added to break the surface tension and the dry pigment powder. This mix was applied to the lower hull and suspension, tracks, and sprockets and allowed to air dry.



Using a combination of stiff bristle brushes and Q-tips, I removed the excess pigment until I had the look I wanted.



Then the tracks and sprockets were installed and some further adjustments made where I'd disturbed some of the previous results.



That just left a few little details to take care of like adding the reflective peel-and-stick mirror provided in the kit and adding some black artist pastels to the exhaust mouth. I used walk-around photos to inspect the finish and make some fine-tuning changes here and there before declaring this one complete!

This build project has been published in the Dec 2013 issue of FineScale Modeler Magazine.