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How to Toast A Turret!

Materials

Before starting to torch your tank, you need to collect all the necessary materials. You will of course need a built up model. Make sure you have as much as possible cemented to the tank, regarding fixtures etc. I prefer using MMP powders and Mig pigments in place of pastels. I find the pigments and powders stick better and give a better bond when mixed with mineral spirits than pastels do. Pastels may work well for this application however, and this method leaves plenty of room to experiment, but as this is my method of rusting burnt tanks I’ll be using pigments and powders mostly throughout the article, the one exception being powdered black pastel.
On this model I will be using MMP’s medium earth, rust red, and worn panzer grey. I will also be using MIG Russian earth. You will also need a sharp exacto blade, a paint brush, burnt umber oil paint, mineral spirits, a toothpick, medicine cups or some other mixing receptacle, the standard base coat for your model, brown paint, and an airbrush and compressor.

Preparatory Work

Build the model. Add any battle damage such as removed fenders etc. Add the destroying hit's now. What I did with this model was to drill a hole approximately the size I wanted and then spin an exacto in the hole to make it look more like a tank shot hit. Refer to photographs for a visual description.

Initial Painting

You will first need to basecoat the model. This will be the standard scheme that the vehicle would have worn before being hit and subsequently burning. On my model it is olive drab as this is a simple Sherman. If you will be doing a model wearing camouflage (like German three tone) you will have to lay that down first.

Laying Down the First Rust

Imagine where the paint would have burned off on the real tank. It will usually surround the hit areas, and all the open parts of the tank, i.e. open hatches, gun sights, etc. Then using your airbrush, spray brown all over the areas you picked out. After this has dried, using burnt umber and mineral spirits, lay a wash all over the turret. You’re tank is starting to look destroyed! After that has dried, put your markings on. The reason you didn’t do this after laying down the base coat is because you didn't know where the rust was going to go, and when the other paint burns so do the markings.

Applying the Second Rust Coat

To do this you will first need to make a really thick wash of burnt umber and mix your rust. For my rust mix I used even parts rust red to medium earth, and touches of worn panzer grey and Russian earth. As said earlier, you can use any mix you like but in this article I will be using these colors. To thicken the wash, add even more paint to the wash you mixed earlier. Brush this on all of the rusted spots, when you start on vertical or angled plates or surfaces “ streak” it down the side. Wait for this to dry to a semi-gloss sheen. Then using your brush, take little bits of pastel and stipple it into the wet wash. Keep doing this until you have covered all of the rusted spots.

Applying Ash

To become as rusted as your tank is now, it must’ve burned. This burning leaves lots of ash and residue in all the open spots where flame has touched. To simulate this I used black pastel and stippled it around both of my shell holes and around the open TC hatch.

Finishing Touches

You’re tank is really looking in a bad shape now! Final touches include any paint chipping, or normal wear that occurs on operational vehicles in the area that was untouched by fire. Mud applied on the running gear of a tank should be applied everywhere but the burned surfaces, as when the metal heats up it expands and flakes off all accumulated dirt, and it burns any organic material.

Conclusion

This method works great for simulating partially burned tanks, and can even be applied to fully burnt tanks. Try using this method on an old tank model, or spare parts first. If you see any possible improvements in the method I use now, please PM me, or email me. I am always open to suggestions for improving my technique.