Hi guys

After a 7 year absence I'm getting back into the hobby, and after reading hundreds of online articles and tips pages I have a few questions.

- I know that when using an airbrush you have to thin the paint down. But do you also do this when using only brushes? I'm asking this because say I put on a base coat using humbrol enamels and then on top of that I paint a camo pattern using brushes and enamels...without thinning the paint then its not possible to see the base coat because the paint layer is thick enough to cover all. ( OMG after reading this I see how badly it is worded, if you cant make sense of it dont worry I'll repost it later when I have more time )

- Since I'm getting into armour, I want to know how to recreate small arms hits on the tanks.

- Also how do you make small indentations in the plastic?

- I have heard of another technique called stretching sprue. How is this done?

- I just got the Tamiya Stug 3 Ausf G kit. As with any armour model what colour should be used to paint the glass areas, such as on the commander copula.

- What is the simplest way to do chipped paint ?

- And olast but not least how do you do a wash without using an airbrush (can't afford one at this point in time) ?

I'll thank you all in advance just for reading this post and I really look forward to rejoining this hobby.

Thanks

First of all, welcome to the site and back to the hobby. With the wealth of information and professionals at this site, your sure to get your answers to all your questions. Let me try and answer a couple for you.

1. Stretching sprue is easily done but does take a little practice. From one of your used part tree's, cut off a straight section of sprue about 4 or 5 inches long. Over a candle, slowly rotate the piece of sprue between your fingers while also pulling slightly outward with both hands. As the plastic begins to melt the sprue will start to stretch. The slower you stretch the thicker the stretched piece and the faster you pull the thinner it will be. With practice you can make pieces of varying thickness for use on your models.

2. The simplest method I've found to do chipped paint is one of two ways. After you've painted your model its base coat and done some weathering, use a small brush, dipped in a steel or aluminum color, and lightly touch the brush to the surface you want 'chipped'. Or you could substitute the brush and paint with a silver colored pencil. I've found that either method works good.

Welcome aboard leader!

To do a base coat, you may want to try using spray cans since you can't get an airbrush yet. Buy a couple of cans of the color you want and spray lightly. You may not even need a primer if you are painting tan colored plastic a sand color or a green colored plastic green. If you are painting a dark colored kit a lighter color or a light colored kit dark, then I recommend using a flat gray primer.

Let this base coat (or base coat+primer) dry for a few days (more than just overnight!) and then you can attempt to paint the camouflage color on by hand. You will not need to thin the paint that you are using to brush paint with, just make sure you stir it good. The handle of a brush or a cut piece of sprue will suffice as a stirrer. You may want to pencil in the pattern lightly with an ordinary pencil.

To make small indentations, you can use a moto-tool, but since you are new, you may not have one nor want to go to the expense of getting one. You can heat a sharp pointed object such as a nail or pin and prick the surface. Let the metal cool slightly before you do this, you don't want to melt the plastic. Practice on a scrap piece of plastic first.

To stretch sprue, just heat a section, making sure not to let it get too close to the flame. Then pull and stretch it. With practice you can vary the thickness and taper of the sprue. Some people save long, straight stretches of sprue that come with almost every model.

Glass areas on tanks can be painted a variety of colors, I tend to do mine in a gloss sea blue, sometimes I will replace the glass area with clear plastic.

A simple way to do chipped paint is by using a pencil. Just rub the pencil where you want to show wear down to bare metal. Sometimes you can use a fine brush and paint chips on in aluminum or light gray paint.

A wash can be done using a soft bristled paint brush and some very thinned black, dark gray or dark brown paint (depending on the vehicle base color). When testing the procedure, start at the underside of the hull, that way if you mess up, then the spot is not noticeable. Make sure that the paint has fully cured before you attempt a wash.

Again, welcome back to the hobby.

Tin Can and Sabot thanks for the great replies.

I look forward to returning to model making, and am excited to learn and try some new techniques I never knew about before. Just another quick question... I'm interested in creating my own diorama and have read that with all figures the heads should be replaced with Verliden heads. Why is this and where do you get these.

Once again thanks for all your help!

Welcome back to the hobby Leader and to this great site For Verlinden heads check out this great webstore www.militaryhobbies.com .Dave Scheel who owns the store has a load of Verlinden stuff on the site including figs.Mil hobbies is a great place to deal with and Dave is #1.
Have a good one

Welcome! I can't add much more than others have but wanted to say hello and welcome back. You will find the poeple here very friendly and that they are a ton of help. I recently got back into modeling after a break about twice as long as yours and I am having more fun than ever before. Don't be affraid to ask questions, like I said there are a ton of friendly smart people to help you out here.

Mark thanks for the link.

I was browsing the figures section at that website and was amazed to find so many manufacturers made 1:35 figures. What I have absorbed in my massive intake of information is that the Dragon figure sets are the best ones for plastic kits compared to the more expensive resin kits. So would Dragon figures suffice for a Diorama and with these figures do the heads lack details so you have to replace them with Verlinden heads?

Once again thanks for all the help

Just a quick addition to what Sabot said about washes. I use Windsor & Newton ivory black and burnt umber artists oil paints and Turpenoid for my washes. I Fill up an empt paint jar with Turpenoid and then take a tooth pick coated with whichever color of the Windsor & Newton oil paint that I am using and stir it into the Turpenoid until it dissolves. I do this a couple of times until the wash is opaque and then apply it liberally with a brush with very soft bristles. This method has always worked well for me.

HTH

Howdy there, Leader!
If you're looking for more info on chipped paint, there's was a discussion on this a little while ago that van be found here: Chipped Paint Discussion Hope that helps!!!

YodaMan

Welcome aboard Leader! :-)

Not too much to add. I just wanted to say that I have never replaced any of the figure heads. It's entirely up to the modeler. Some look pretty darn good as is. I would'nt worry myself over changing heads that much.

Again, welcome aboard and ask as many questions as you need. :-)

Hi Leader

I don't like Verlinden stuff much. I find there are better figures and heads on the market.
Recent DML/Dragon figures are almost all fine out of the box. They don't need new heads except for variety, since the figures tend to look like relatives otherwise. Ultracast out of Guelph make AWESOME heads. And you don't have to worry about exchange rates!
Wolf/Hornet heads are very nice also.

Verlinden heads can be crude.
If you look at my figures in the diorama & figure sections, the German snipers have a Verlinden head (hidden by binoculars) and the standing figure uses the DML head.
In my Schwimmwagen vignette, the heads are Tamiya (the seated driver), and Warriors on Verlinden figures. Verlinden figures are way too tall most of the time (they are not 1/35 scale, unless a lot of the WW2 troops were 6'0 to 6'4!!).

The figures in my Flakpanzer dio are a mix. Most of them are Tamiya with original or Hornet heads, Warriors with original heads and there's a Royal Models figure. The latter company make very nice figs too.

If you are interested in getting some resin figures, wait a couple of weeks! I'm moving soon, and at the end of May I will be listing a bunch of stuff for sale here, including some Warriors figures.

Enjoy your new addiction!

I have really liked the few Warriors figures I have. I also like the Dragon figures.

Welcome leader

I cant add much to what has been said. I often make a wash out of artist water colors
and apply it with a brush. The wash needs to be almost clear were you would have
to apply 5-6 coats. If you do mess up,it will wash off with some minor scrubing.
You do have seal it after its complete. again welcome to this crazy hobby

ponysoldier

The Horse The Gun The Man

Yes welcome back I just returned myself after about 7 years gone. A lot of things have changed. The models have gotten better there are more detail parts at less cost. When only Verlinden was the thing back in the day. Check out Eduard and Fruilmodel and modelkasten and do a Google search of the web you will be impressed at what is out their now. Well enough chatter got to find out who has that lattest Panther A,oh yes Great Models has it,one on the way.
Jeff

Hi Leader - Welcome aboard Amorama and back to the hobby.
I just want to say that I kindly disagree with two things said.

1) You will find with brushing paints, that some are thicker than others
and they will need to be thinned. The thicker the paint, the more surface build up you
will have, and this will tend to cover up detail. Better with 2 or 3 thinned
coats, than one thick one. Not all paints need to be thinned, but some do, and
you will find the one's that need to, flow & spread better off the brush.
ALWAYS TRY TO USE THE HOBBY PAINTS OWN RECOMMENDED BRAND
OF THINNER.

2) What figures and heads you use is a matter of your own personal preference.
There is a large variety out on the market, and many manufactures. The good one's as far as resin goes are:
Verlinden, Warrior, Hornet, Jaguar, Wolf, and even Adzimut
Ok, when we talk 1:35, some might be a bit smaller or bigger than others, but every
human soldier was not the same height either ! I would not worry about this, for it is far better in a large diorama to have a variety of figures who are a bit different in size.
In my opinion, it gives a far better effect and illusion of there true to life human counter-parts.

- ralph