I have returned to armor after a long hiatus, checking on the many web sites/blogs I see color modulation / pigment. Forgive me I am old school, but black primer? What gives a new fad? It seems counter intuitive. Any help would be nice. Thanks

Hi

If you are as you say "old school" then just do it the way you know. Nobody is forcing anybody to model in a particular way....your model, your money, your time. Do it as you've always done and enjoy.

Alan

Alan wraps it up nicely.
Personally,black primer has made no difference in the end,but some guys make it work very well for them.

Tom

Thanks Guys, I have these kits in my closet for years and now that I am retired, I going to try out all these things I see on the web and check out the options they have for you now

If you really want info,try Google,there should be lots of articles and videos.I say this,because I don't think I can explain it as clearly myself.

Because he is an old gezzer like myself who just likes some of that old fashion friendly conversation that is so plentiful these days on the web.

I say give things a try. You could pick up some real cheapie kits to experiment on, or even a braille kit. Just somethings to try out stuff on ....

As for modulation, I use it in a limited way, have done from way before it was popular and had a special name. It's just a fancy name for highlighting the base colour on the top faces of the vehicle to give a forced shading effect.

Basically a lot of todays techniques using modulation take it to extremes by using a black primer, highlighting the tops with white and then building up the main colours in thin layers. That's why a lot of paint sets designed for modulation get people complaining about them being too thin and not covering, they don't understand the thought process behind them.

The effect can be a little too extreme for my taste, often resulting in a lime or yellow green look to the upper surfaces which to me doesn't look anything like a Sherman or Soviet/Russian 4BO for example.

It is a very arty look however and very striking. Very popular with show judges and modelling magazines. It's highly unusual now-days for 'award" winning models not to be heavily modulated.

Anyway, give it and some of the other techniques a try, they all have some value and run with the things you like ....

cheers
Brent

Come on,I'm not that old

I have a couple of Tamaya old half track kits,plus build T-34 that's painted, putting together diorama ideas.What I have seen so far this is a cool place I will be spending sometime with

Hi 69mudbone,

Welcome back to modeling!

No need to go to the other sites, there are many "how-to" features here at KitMaker, many by the same big names found on other sites.

F'instance, Adam Wilder wrote a short feature about modulation back in 2008:
Colour Modulation

Here's a thread by the AMMO manager in the USA that starts out with a modulated Panther: Color Modulation + Weathering

Lots of good resources here at Armorama/KitMaker, as well as other sites.

Oh, and here is Wilder's feature about Effective Pigments

The previous posters have given you excellent counsel. Modulation and pigments are "arty" and make models interesting, although not necessarily realistic. All a matter of taste. I use some filters and pigments and really like how they work, yet my aesthetic tastes run towards the "old school" methods.

So try these ideas and see if you like them, yet don't let the modeling mafia tell you that you must use them if you don't like it.

Concur!

Everyone

Thanks, I really am going to enjoy my retirement, plenty of free time. I still will have the "LIST" however being married as long as I have, I know how to navigate those Shoals.