hey all, i have done a few armour kits now, and i have established all aspects to weathering but i was wondering how do i make the tank look metal, by this i mean, that glossy metal look, im not talking about glossy as in you can see yourself, i am talking about that kind of gloss just noticable which makes the model look like its actually steel, how do i do this?

thnx

matt

Matt, do a google search for a product called Neolube. Sounds funnuy I know, but the stuff works great. Also, as far as large chips and flaking that exposes metal, a #2 pencil does the trick here as well. Even works well for the faces of steel road wheels and sprockets ala, King TIger. HTH "Q"

Matt:
Check out craft stores for something called Rub-N-Buff. It comes in small tubes in many colors, including silver, gold, bronze, etc. and is used for antiquing. You can apply it either by rubbing a light coating between your fingers and then to the spots you want to metalize, or by dry brushing. It gives you a "flat" metal look and is great for tracks, etc. If you're looking to do a whole vehicle in bare metal, try Flat Aluminum paint (I don't know brand names right off hand).

Art

I usually grind up a small pile of graphite from a #2 pencil and apply it with my finger to raised areas on a vehicle that are prone to wear from use: around hatches, grab handles, etc.

HTH,

Shaun

Dry brushing a mix of Model Master Roof Brown, and any silver acrylic paint gives a nice worn metal look. Experiment with the mix of the two paints to get the effect you are looking for. Good luck.

Steve

Metal that isn't constantly polished is going to oxidize very quickly. Steel that gets worn to a nice shine, like drive wheel sprockets won't stay shiny long. Look at the rotors on your disk brakes after the car sits for a couple days. If you must chip paint, go to a storage yard for heavy equipment, observe truck on the highway, go to an auto junkyard. You won't see a lot if shine on any expose metal.