Thanks to all on this board who give such helpful instruction.

What is the typical order that you use for finishes on your armor models-I am sure not all are done the same, but what order (paint, seal with Future, wash, filter, pigments,ect.) would you use on a regular basis?

Thanks

Ed

Youll probally get a hundred different ways to do it. Go to features and look around on armor/afvs. Theres a lot of builds and technigues to look at. Lot of good info. Try some that you feel comfortable with. Basically i tried alot of different things on a cheap model before using them on a expensive model first.

Hi Ed, welcome to Armorama! Here's my 12 step program to happiness:
1) Acrylic camo paint
2) Acrylic clear gloss
3) Decals or dry transfers
4) Acrylic clear flat
5) Overall washes
6) Panel washes (filters)
7) Pin washes
8) Drybrushing
9) Staining (dot method)
10) Chipping and scuffing
11) Pigments
12) Put it on a base so nobody touches the pigments!

Hey Ed,
Mine is more or less the same as Tom's -

- except I don't do #5 and the remainder are done in any order necessary ( and often repeated).

Rick

Keep it Simple Silly KiSS

paint it, decal it, wash it, powder it, dry brush it.... repeat as needed.

I like to keep them in a clear case so folks don't touch them. I have little luck sealing pastels without loosing hte effect I was trying for.

As a general rule, paint before weathering, or it may not produce the results you're looking for ...

Matt, thanks for sharing your ordering. Makes a lot of sense.

But a few questions:

1. Why do chipping last? It seems like dust/dirt/mud/grime happens far more often than major events that cause a chip, and so therefore chipping would go "under" the dirt/dust/grime, right? Sure this is chicken/egg, depending on the story you're telling, but generally....?

2. You have washes after a flat coat... but I thought washes are best on glossy surface vs. flat? So should an order be:

a. ...stuff that comes before
b. gloss coat
c. decals
d. gloss again over decals
e. washes
f. dull coat
g. ... the rest of the stuff that comes after

?

Jake, check out this thread. Has the proper order and you are correct.

https://armorama.kitmaker.net/forums/140764&page=1

Thanks for the link. And yeah! Maybe I'm learning after all!

Did you see my question about the chipping order? Would love your thoughts!

Tom, I have a few questions about your method. 1st is why you don't seal your decals with gloss? Flat isn't a very good sealer as you really want to blend in the decals to the paint. Gloss does that best as that's what is under the decals.

2nd, you don't seal the finish any more throughout your weathering process. Wouldn't a wash remove any filter that's it's being applied over it? Same for the Dot method removing the weathering coats under it, since all of them are most likely enamel/oil based, and you use a fair amount of thinners during their application.

3rd, you don't seal the model when done. Pigments can easily be permanently glued to the model after they'r dusted on so that a sealer won't wash them away.

Joel

Jake;
I might be the anomaly but I usually do two stages of "chipping". The first is going over the corners and angled edges and areas that would naturally pick up more wear and tear with an under colour, like for modern US stuff a dark od green or something to that effect. I will also do an initial run of metal colour in these same areas, usually first, this way these can be toned down with a wash and then toned down or beefed up during the final stages and prior to pigments. Does that make sense? Cheers