I am trying to figure out how to weather my tiger tank. It is my first armor painting, so I have never done this before. I know what my paint scheme will be, but I haven't really figured out how to do the city dust, rust, and dirt.

So far, I have gathered that with pigments and pastel chalks, you can either apply it straight to the model, or you can use a technique which includes turpentine or thinner. I am planning on using the method of applying it straight. The problem is, I'm still not sure what the difference is between pastel chalks, and pigments. I don't really want to spend money on a tamiya weathering kit, if I can go to an art store, and buy some pastel chalks that are cheaper, and will work just as well. Could I get a little help here? Please? Thanks,

matthew

Gday Matthew
From what I can gather, pigments are a much more pure form, which adheres better and goes further. That said, I've only used pastels but to good effect though.
Pigments should be used lastly, as they cannot be sealed with a clear coat without the loss of the intended shade...
Cheers
Brad

First, IMHO the Tamiya weathering kits are anemic and overpriced. I've looked at them and put them back.
Long before there were pigments and weathering powders for sale, we all used pastels. It's still the most economical way to go, and a good starting point. Go to an art store, and look at the chalk pastels (NOT oil pastels!). Pick out some good earth, soot, and rust colors. Take them home, get a sheet of 200, 360, or 400 grit sandpaper, and rub the pastel back and forth. This is the best way to make lots of fine powder. Then grab a brush and start slowly till you get the hang of how much pastel looks like what. Build slowly so you don't obliterate your paint job. Mix colors for different shades. Practice on a test model first! But, if you do mess up your latest masterpiece, don't have a meltdown - rinse it all off with cool water and start over.

I also use crushed up pastels: my way
1) Buy pastels, the set that has all the earth tones
2) Put pastels (1 color at a time) into a freezer zip loc bag.
3) Hit it w/ a hammer, just hard enough to crush it to as much of a powder as you can.
4) Rolling pin the bag w/ pastel powder inside.
5) When satisfied w/ result cut a hole in a corner of the bag and pour into a film canister (preferably a clear 1, I hope you know why).
6) Repeat steps 1-5 w/ a different color pastel and bag.
I did this about a year ago and still have enough for tons of models, I also crushed up 2 pastels per bag. If the chalk is too thick just sift w/ a sifter and crush the rest again.

Hope I helped,


Z.

I only recently started modelling armor myself. My last build was an M151 TOW and I weathered it with chalk pastels. I have some earth tones that I ground up with sandpaper and applied with a soft brush. After applying the pastels I sprayed a coat (not light enough) of matt coat. Unfortunately, it obliterated some of the pastels. I added more pastels and gave it another very light coat (sprayed from about a 12 inches away).

I am currently building Dragon's 1/72 AAV with EAAK. I have already used Tamiya Weathering Kit A (light sand, sand, and mud). It worked great for the suspension area as it is semi-wet and spreads with a sponge applicator. I am not going to be using it to weather the rest of the model. I have just acquired a couple of MIG Pigments; so, I will be using those and my chalk pastels.

After I have used the MIG Pigments I will post what I think of them.

As with almost every art supply, it is very much a case of 'try it out, and find what works for you'.
Pastels tend to be harder than Pigments and are sold in sticks, and are cheaper than pigments. They don't adhere (stick ) to the model as easy as pigments. They need to be ground down (with sandpaper or the back of an exacto knife), whilst the pigments are already ground.
Pigments need very careful application, as they stain. Everything, including those parts of your model you don't want to. And the bench.

I would be very wary of Tamiya's weathering kits, Mig's pigments are the only way to go! - Go to his website (www.migproductions.com) or look through this site to see how to use them. There is good reason why they are the top selling brand by far.

Cheers,
Matthew

Hi

Here is an article which you may find useful.

Alan

http://www.missing-lynx.com/rare_world/rw05.htm

Thanks for the article. That will come in handy when I start to weather my current project (1/72 AAV).

Actually, the Tamiya weathering sets are excellent! You should try them. I used to do pastel weathering, but switched to the TAMIYA weathering set, after I bought one.

Henk is right, I find pastels more forgiving and not as expensive, as this is your first I would suggest pastels.

Hey everyone, I finished painting my tiger, and I went out and got some pastels. I did a coat of clear spray stuff from krylon, I think. I then ground up some pastels, and tried to apply them. It worked ok on the treads and on the gears, but they would not stick to other parts of the tank. I think it may be because I used sandpaper that was to rough, but I'm not sure. I was going to leave it the way it is, but it doesn't look dirty. Any suggestions?

Was the Krylon claer coat a gloss? Pastels powders don't stick very well to a gloss coat, ya need to use them on a matte finish for best results.