Ok im about to start my first sherman tank model, ive read a few tips pages on here and its all too confusing for me.

What confuses me the most is the whole weathering thing, Could anyone please explain to me in more detail on how i apply some of these techniques (and when).

Rosco (with any luck a budding modeller)

First, welcome to Armorama!!!
Second, start here:

Weathering Heresies


Then here:

Bringing Out the Details

Welcome aboard Rosco! :-)

Lets see...there are several methods and several techiniques for weathering. I'll try to tell you the easiest.
First you'll paint your tank with it's base color. Since it's a Sherman I'll assume you'll be using Olive Drab. Let the base coat dry. About a day or two or three depending if you used enamels or acrylics. Enamels take longer.
Now for a little washing. A wash is used to bring out the "depth" of the model by darkening the rescesses, i.e. panel lines, weld lines...etc. Make a very thin mixture of a dark color. Blacks or dark greys or dark browns work best. Just place a drop or two of the color you wish to use into a mixing dish that already has a puddle of thinner. (Use the type of thinner recommended for the paint) Mix it so it looks like dirty water. With a small tipped paint brush apply it to the panel lines and or weld seams on the model. The wash will travel down and around these panel lines without having to paint it. (It's called capillary action). Keep a Q-Tip or pieces of tissue next to you in case you put too much on. Soak up the excess. Do a little section at a time. Soon you'll see the "depth" come out.
Next we'll do a little drybrushing. Basically drybrushing is used to bring out the raised points of the model and add a little more dimension. Now take some of the base color and put it in a mixing dish, just a few drops. Add a drop (or two) of white to the base color and mix together. You want a light color of the base. Use a stiff brush and get a little of the paint on it. Wipe the brush (with a scrubbing action) onto an old rag. You only want to have a tiny bit of paint on the brush. Now, very lightly, brush over the raised points of the model. Picking out things like rivets, hard edges, brush guards, bolts...etc. You can do this in a couple of steps with each time using light shades of the base color. Just add a another drop of white. Soon you'll see another effect of "depth" in the model.
Take your time and you can even practice on an old model. If you don't have an old one sitting around you can use the underside of the model.
Hope this helps a bit.

Hi Rosco. I am a new modeller as well. And i have also been blown away by the tips and different techniques by all the masters. My tip to you is to be patient. I try and incorparate maybe one or two new techniques with every model i build. That way you can still have fun while you sharpen your skills. Even if you don't put any weathering on that sherman who cares?? It could be directly off the assembly line, brand new!! And i think you have to put some sort of sealant ontop of your paint before u use washes. I might be wrong but that ishow i have done them in the past (they never work for me though...hmmmmmmm??) Good luck and don't get discouraged, my favorite model is always the one I am going to build next!

Hey... thanks a lot, Kencelot!

I'm a beginner too, and I have tried washing a model two or three times. But i messed it up every time
I was told to wash the entire model, and so I did... It didn't look nice...

But now I finally got it... thanks to your advice to use a small brush...

I remember well some of my first tank washes! The good thing about a bad wash is that you can hide much of the problem as you dry brush. About the only non-fixable problem is if your wash has lifted your base coat completely. Other than that, again the drybrushing will hide a lot. If you use pastel to dusty it up, even more mistakes disappear. Finally, adding stowage judiciously will hide even more, and finally, if you have to, there's always the option of using some foliage or netting as camoflage to hide the errors.
Building armor turns you into as good a magician as Kreskin! :-)

Thanks a lot everyone, i have an old model of a paladin tank someone gave me so i think ill try some of the theniques on that first, im still waiting for my sherman to arrive so i have plenty of time to practice on this old model.

Ill post a pic when its finished then i expect lots of contructive critisising from you all

Rosco

Guys - I've been seriously modeling for a while and don't think I can hold a match to 'The Big Dogs' here. When I started it took me at least a year and easily 4 kits to feel like I was making progress. I still have a lot to learn and perfect.
Remember, as long as you improve over your last kit then you are getting better. Measure your progress against yourself first then against others. You'll feel a lot better about the hobby and you'll stay with it longer.

One thing to keep in mind with washes is if the base coat is acrylic then your wash should be with turpenoid (or something similar) and enamels or oil paints. If the base coat is enamel then the wash should be with acrylic paints and a thinner such as alcohol, Windex, Polly S Acrylic thinner (what I use), etc. Also, before I do a wash or dry-brushing I apply Testors Dull-Cote (in a spray can) to the model to help protect the base coat. If you don't use this you seriously run the risk of lifting your base coat.




Slodder has definately hit the nail on the head here. I started to get really frustrated with my kits because I was comparing them to the masters, but when I started looking back over my collection from my first model to my latest model I realized that my skills have grown by leaps and bounds and will only get better as time goes on.

Good Luck!

Rosco,
Welcome to the obsession.

The tank you describe is a sherman - excellent first project. If its a Tamiya so much the better because they are fairly easy to build.

First, paint everything! Nothing looks more fake than raw plastic. Tamiya's spray paint is a good start. It's cheaper and easier to use than an airbrush. OD Green for the tank and gun metal for the tracks. With this, if you do nothing more than glue it together it looks like a scale model and not a toy. Add the decals, remember to prep the decal site with clear gloss, Future Floor Wax, before the decals go on. Use a good setting solution like Solvaset and wait for them to dry. once they dry, go over the decal with clear flat.

To go beyond this there are washes. I use slightly tinted rubbing alcohol and acrylic paints. Burnt Umber thinned with the alcohol and "washed" over the model works well. Then there is dry brushing - a little paint goes a long way.

Detail, stowage, battle damage, rust, mud and gunk should be added in moderation - The rule of thumb is LESS IS MORE.

One last thought. Don't be too hard on yourself if this first project isn't a showpiece. There is a lot to learn in this hobby and even after 30 years of modeling I learn new techniques all the time. Hang in there, have fun, ask questions.

GSP

"Also, before I do a wash or dry-brushing I apply Testors Dull-Cote (in a spray can) to the model to help protect the base coat. If you don't use this you seriously run the risk of lifting your base coat."

I've found that a good gloss coat works better than a flat coat before a wash. Capillary action seems more efficient on the smoother surface. You're prepping the vehicle with gloss anyway for your decals, so gloss it, apply decals, let these sit and dry completely and then do your wash and further weathering. You want your markings to look as weary as the rest of the vehicle.