Here goes Hobbes...

I like to use the polyvinyl tracks supplied in the model kit. I also use Tamiya acrylics exclusively. Here's a set of photos and two ways I finish tracks to help you out:

Pastel washes & Oil Drybrushes

All begin with a base coat (primer if you will) of Tamiya XF-1 Flat Black. This provides the shadow that you'd want without having to resort to a oil wash. Some modelers run into trouble when they use a caustic carrier (Turpentine or other type of mineral spirit) for the oil wash - and it attacks the polyvinyl track underneath the paint.

For the steel color - I mix up a coat made by 90% Tamiya XF-56 Metallic Grey to 10% Tamiya XF-1 Flat Black. I make up perhaps 1 to 1.5oz of the paint and then add an equal amount of Lacquer Thinner to thin it. I do this to make the steel overcoat thin and to break up the thick Tamiya paint pigment. I overspray this onto the track run.



Above photo - after the steel overspray has setup (as fast as an hour - though I wait overnight) I wash the track runs with pastels and water. In the T-55A tracks shown above, I ground down brown and small amounts of orange pastels and made a paste. Then I dipped the brush to get a tiny amount of the pastel paste - dipped it into plain tap water - and then washed the tracks. I went back and dipped the brush into the tap water again and applied it to the area to spread out and thin the pastel chalk application. You have control of how little or how much you apply and can create some wonderful effects with the colors you opt to apply in this manner.



Above photo - you can work as fast as the time it takes for the water to evaporate away in the pastel wash - though I never rush it. I wait a minimum of an hour up to overnight in most cases. Weathering this basic application in the T-55A was done with oil paints. I make a 50/50 mix of Silver to Burnt (or Raw) Sienna oil paint and apply it with traditional drybrushing techniques. Again, the degree of weathering is under your control. I do not recommend using straight Silver as it is too brilliant for 1:35th scale - in my eyes. Below photo - the pastels allow you an easy way to control the color and degree of color transition between components on your model tank's running gear. There is mud, some rusting, and some clay-colored tinting on the T-55A below - and all are complimentary. Hard transitions between the colors confuse the eye, but you can soften them with pastel washes. All terrain types and weather conditions can be mimicked with pastels as well, helping you create an air of "realism" with your polyvinyl track runs.



Same colors and steps as mentioned above, but no oil paints are used for my M41A3 Walker BullDog polyvinyl tracks here. The acrylic paint coats are weathered with pastel chalk washes. Because this tank is modeled as moving over frozen ground, the oil paint silvering is kept to a precious minimum - and concentrated in areas where the Sprocket Teeth came into contact with the track itself. Painting this polyvinyl run was more involved than the T-55A above because of the sophisticated integration of rubber shoes with the steel track sections. I recommend picking these details out - paint the track like it was brand new - before weathering it. With these techniques, the attention to detail still shows. It might take longer, but is a relaxing process. Below, the pastel washing was done in stages - one side at a time until all were done - before moving on.





In the end, you can make the polyvinyl tracks as convincing as any aftermarket set. The same techniques apply to them too - so your result is predictable. There are many variations on this theme with different paint mediums, but I think you wanted to see examples of using acrylics like you like to use. Don't dread the kit supplied tracks - just make them work for you.

Gunnie

Nice job guys, thanks for explaining!!
(maybe a dumb question;
but how do you guys keep them tracks like that in the picture... #:-) )
Jurgen

Yes! Not wavy...