Hi bruce.

The camo on your tank is probably one of the best who i've never seen

Would you mind responding me to a pair of question?

You said you used Valleyo paints...how did you dilute them and what ratio paint/thinner did you use? Did you use perhaps air valleyo paints?

What's your airbrush and what was the air pressure that you used?

Tanks in advance for your kind reply, and congrats for your really outstanding paint job

cheers

hi Mauro, thanks for the compliments on the camo paintwork that will not be seen other than these pics LOL.

i used my Iwata HP-C Plus airbrush for this project, it's a great gun. i don't use Air Vallejo only because i like to have the paints at hand for both handbrushing and airbrushing. i use tap water to thin them and i have had to experiment with the ratio to get results that work for me. too thin and the paint can be quite watery giving me an orange peel effect. too thick and the Vallejo clogs my airbrush nozzle within minutes.

for me, i use a small container and first add water into it. i squirt some Vallejo acrylic in and stir it really well. i then add more paint and stir again. the ratio would best be described as 2 parts paint: 1 part water. i try to keep the paint as thick as possible for good coverage but thin enough that it doesn't dry within the gun. i clean with Windex and then clean water.

i have my compressor set for around 25-30 psi... pretty standard for all types of paint. when i spray camo i pull only slightly back on the trigger to get the least amount of paint coming out and hold the gun fairly close to the model to get a nice narrow feathered edge.

some people do the camo pattern outlines first and then fill this in but i prefer to start from the center of the pattern and slowly build up towards the edges... it's just my personal preference and either way is good.

hope this helps, cheers for now. bd.

Interesting technique you are using for the whitewash Bruce, look forward to seeing the next step

Bruce, your work is truly amazing and your detailed step by step instructions are better than reading a book. Outstanding work
By the way maybe you should publish a book

Thanks a lot Bruce, as usual your kind explications are clear and very exhaustive.

Unfortunately i haven't had an Iwata "gun" yet, but I hope to change soon my old Paasche V (Which actually works rather well....but it isn't a gravity feed AB so I can't draw lines as thin as I wish )

I like a lot Valleyo paints but I sometime have some little trouble to dilute them perfectly.
I'll try for sure to follow your advise.

I hope to see soon next steps of your work

Cheers

Hi Bruce,

Incredible as usual Bruce, I like the camouflage a lot. As good as it is, this tank is just like an appetizer delicious but not fulfilling. I will be looking forward to your diorama scene.

Regards,

thanks once again for the great feedback everyone, the King Tiger is only the first piece planned for this diorama so there will be much more to come.

i love the build part of modeling but the painting is becoming more of a joy as i learn and practice different methods and see a bit of improvement.

the Paasche airbrush Mauro mentions comes in a kit set which i have as well. mine has a 0.35 nozzle and needle option that may help with those thin lines. it gives me great pleasure that readers of this blog are finding useful info that may open up new avenues for trying a variety of techniques. the amount of help that is shared on this site is staggering.

cheers, bd.

Bruce, I have VL that I have not used yet as I am still trying to get used to the transition from airguns to airbrushes. It is an older model that is sort of a side feed if that makes sense, and I was wondering how you would set it up for painting fine lines? I'm taking it that the 0.35" setup applies to this, and I'm wondering specifically about the psi and paint/thinner ratio.

hi Jeremy,
i have a 20 year old Iwata HP-SB that is a sidefeed airbrush and it still works though i had to replace some rubber o-rings in the trigger.

as far as i can understand, sidefeed guns are a bit of a hybrid: better that suction feed (paint bottle attached under the gun) but not as "natural" a system as gravity feed (cup on top of gun) which benefits from having pigments/paints falling into the path of the moving air.

why make a sidefeed then? they're cheaper to make than built-in cup guns and for fine commercial work some people prefer having a clear line of sight down the gun that a gravity cup setup does not offer. this is what i understand and if others have more info i'd enjoy learning more.

for fine lines it's best to have a high air pressure as low air pressure is used to create splatter patterns. i use 25-30 psi for both enamels and acrylics. anything under 20 psi would start getting into what i'd call low pressure. thinning paints for airbrushing can be an art on to its own. you may consider pre-mixed paints like Vallejo Air to start and use that consistency as a base for mixing your own. for fine camo patterns you want good colour saturation/coverage so not too thinned is what i use.

another point is what you do with the airbrush as in how you move it over the model. holding it close to the model and moving with a swift consistent pass while holding the trigger back only 1/3 of the way means paint is evenly laid down with a constant feathered edge. lingering in one area will widen the feathered edge.

i'd search online for how-to's not on airbrushing models but on commercial airbrush artwork, people who do gas tanks, hockey masks, poster art, etc... and learn about all the different ways to mask, freehand, underpaint and the lot. you'd get some great tips with pics which would help more than my written explanation.

maybe i will put together a "how-to" for airbrushing camo in the future if this is something people would like as my written reply seems underwhelming. cheers, bd.

I (We) hope so

KING TIGER PAINTING STAGE: WHITEWASH ON WHITEWASH Part 2

hi fellow modelers,
here is the next stage of the King Tiger whitewashing. i also started painting some of the base colours of the tools and accessories in preparation for weathering:

i used the hairspray technique to add the final layer of whitewash. after letting the enamel whitewash dry for few days i gave the model two light coats of hairspray and then airbrushed Vallejo Foundation White 919 over the entire model.

unfortunately, these pics don't highlight one of the more interesting features of the model in its current state: the two different whites have a subtle difference in tone that makes for a nice effect.

it seems to me that it has taken a long time just to get to the end of the base painting and have the model ready for detailing and weather. maybe it's the fact that i painted the model three times LOL.

tips i could add for those who want to try the hairspray business:
1) take off your watch and eyeglasses, i understand the hairspray makes a mess of such things;
2) two light coats are better than one heavy coat, wait about 20 minutes between each coat;
3) do the pieces one at a time. i did the turret, hull and roadwheels one at a time, hairspraying, airbrushing and stripping each separately that way i didn't have to rush and the last piece wasn't cured for too long;
4) use a variety of different sized brushes and a wooden toothpick is great as well. avoid using a sharp knife on metal pieces like the barrel as this can scratch the paint right down to the shiny aluminium.

i once again learned a lot from this process and can see how i could improve this technique for future projects. i look forward to getting some washes on this model to see it come together as right now it appears so starkly white.

comments are more than welcomed. cheers, bd.

Bruce, thanks for the quick rundown on airbrushing! I encourage you to put together a how-to article as I have no doubt a good number of us would greatly benefit from it

Moving on, the whitewash came out rather exceptional by combining the two techniques. I will have to give your method a try on my winter KT build that will be hitting the workbench soon, I hope.. What washes are you thinking about using?

thanks Jeremy, i look forward to seeing your results with this technique.

i'm thinking i need to make a custom mid-tone gray wash for this model to add dimension to the zimmerit and then add some brown washes to warm up the bleak white surface to make it look somewhat dirtied.

i will have to take it slowly with the washes as the white paint will show all the imperfections of a messy attempt. cheers, bd.

Whoaw! Nice build so far!
Love THE step by step photo's!

But i dont understand what the hairspray techniqeu does,
Just a clear layer for the next layers?

Cheers!

hi Mr Freek, that's a good question as the hairspray technique is new to my old school knowledge database.

basically, the hairspray is a clear layer that is sprayed direct from the can (or through your airbrush for surgical precision) that you then spray acrylic paint over. leave this top layer of acrylic paint to dry for 15 minutes and use warm tap water and the paint can be removed as the hairspray is water soluble as well. the paint removes in a realistic chipping pattern that would be hard to recreate by hand.

here's a link i found when looking into this technique that really opened my eyes to what could be done:
http://www.migproductionsforums.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=3293

like everything i have ever done in modeling, practice and experimenting has shown me what can be achieved so that the next model gets the benefit of my experience. i suggest putting together an Out of Box model and seeing how the hairspray works. you get different results the more the paint drys and works better with acrylics than enamels but i wouldn't be surprised if someone has succeeded with either.

hope this helps. cheers, bd.

I hope mine turns out close to yours, I don't feel that have much in the way of experience but I may surprise both of us I'm really looking forward to seeing the washes applied and will appreciate any tips or insight during your next segment.
I'm looking forward to trying out some of your painting techniques for plaster structures during the next diorama campaign as well.

Hi Bruce,

I love the tank, it’s great. Now I must paint my next vehicle in a similar style
. Can it be used to make a chipping effect with a regular paint job? and
when are you going to show us the diorama ??

Regards,

aaah, clear explenation!
i'm familiar with this technic only on cars,
i use this technic when applying special paint jobs.

thank you!

Freek: glad to help buddy.

Jeremy: i too look forward to seeing how you apply some of these techniques. the wash stage went just as i thought, terribly!!! the mid gray wash looked good but the darker brown wash made the model look way too busy and overdone. i asked the missus what she thought and she said, "it needs more white areas."

so after the washes i went over the model with white oil paint to tone the whole shebang down. i don't have any pics as it looked like a mess which is what a work-in-progress can look like. it now needs 4 days to dry and then i will seal it with matte spray and post some pics for your opinions.

Vladimir: i may not have understood the question but you can do many different effects with hairspray. doing a base in rust colours, doing a base in a lighter colour of what the vehicle will receive to make light paint chipping, doing a base in panzer gray and then desert tan to show wear between two different colour layers, etc... there's really no limit but your imagination.

as for the diorama base, i have a clear plan in my head and lots of reference pics but i won't start it until March for the Urban Diorama Campaign. i have lots to do until then but once the diorama base is underway... watch out, there is going to be a tidalwave of pics.

cheers for now, bd.

KING TIGER PAINTING STAGE: THE TRACKS

hi fellow modelers,
here is a step-by-step of how i painted the King Tiger's super wide tracks as i practice (once again) a new technique to getting this particular part weathered suitably. i am trying to learn a way to nail down tracks without too many extra steps back and forth which i seem to have run into in the past. all photo captions are for the pic above the text:


Step 1: airbrushed a dark brown over the entire track. use any brown you think is suitable for your terrain or more rusty for a wreck. once dry, i drybrushed a dark gray (say 75% grayscale) over the raised parts. then drybrush a mid-gray (around 50% grayscale) on the outer edges of the raised surfaces.

you can see on the track in the lower half of the pic how the gray fades to a lighter tone towards the ends of the links. you don't have to do this but a bit of variety in the base colours adds a nice touch. let this dry and seal with a matte varnish.


Step 2: the tools for this task: 70% isopropyl alcohol (brilliantly took a pic of the french side so my cousins of latin languages may be able to understand... or i didn't notice as i read both languages LOL) and Mig Pigments.


Step 3: mix the lighter pigment in a cap with alcohol and dabbed this wash over the tracks in a random pattern. make the wash thin as you don't want clumps for this stage.


Step 4: mix the darker pigment again as a wash but a bit thicker and dab this with a brush over the tracks in a random pattern.


Step 5: find a soft pencil (meaning one whose lead is rated in the "b"s rather than the "h"s). i used a really soft lead pencil, the trusty 6B, and rubbed the outer edges of the tracks to make a subtle metal finish. for this model, which has steel wheels, i rubbed graphite on the inner surface but for rubber wrapped roadwheels you want to leave a dark gray "path" in the weathering.

the trick to this is to have a lightbulb on in front of you so you can clearly see the shine of the graphite lead being applied in the glare. if not, you might be rubbing the pencil over the piece all day thinking you are not getting anywhere.


Step 6: for the track cleats i rubbed some silver pencil lead only on the very top raised surface to show bare metal. don't overdo this, just a hint is needed again for variety in tones.


Step 7: done, quick and easy. you may want to do some touchups with the pigments here and there if you find some areas that got missed.


above is a closeup of the track completed. these tracks will receive a touch of snow next. as promised, i will have a small step-by-step for applying snow to tracks and wheels.

i'm just a guy like you trying to figure out a better way of painting tracks, so i hope this may help a bit and i look forward to seeing the works of those who improve on the techniques shown here so i may learn how to get better myself.

cheers, bd.

those look great!
can't wait to see it finished!

Stunning and clear as usual

Thanks a lot Bruce

thanks Mr Freek and Mauro, glad that it reads clearly and may be of help.

i got a chance to try out some new Mig Pigment colours i bought earlier this week on the spare tracks:



i just read how Mig Jimenez is moving into enamel weathering products with his new company, AK Interactive, as powder pigments aren't as user-friendly. i just started getting the hang of the powders and i'm intrigued by the enamel treatments, it looks just like the white enamel technique i used earlier for the first whitewash so i think i can get my brain around how they will work.

the only problem is getting hooked on a new line of paints... it seems this is a great time to be in this hobby with all the choices. cheers for now, bd.

hi everyone,
plugging away at the separate King Tiger pieces like the roadwheels:


my custom "Roadwheel Paint Station 3000" is a foam insulation board with wooden shishkebab sticks and the wheels are kept from slipping down by using Silly Putty. i find this setup really user-friendly since you can remove each wheel to work on one at a time or spray the whole lot while stuck on the foam.

they will get some mud/dirt and then a touch of snow when they dry. cheers for now, bd.

Ouch, I was hoping that wouldn't happen but thanks for the heads up. Would you recommend just going with the mid gray wash then? I had even considered a light blue for a wash as that's the color of shadow on snow, but not sure how practical that is in this case.

I like what you did with the tracks, they turned out really well with what seems to be a quick process. Are these tracks Magic Track? If so I am curious as to how you successfully assemble them in such a way that they keep their shape after you remove them from the wheels for painting...

Looking forward to that tidalwave of pics master jedi