INTRODUCTION

Doctor Ben, or Richard E. Bendever has been providing the world of model railroading innovative and superior products since the 1980’s. Continued interest in how Richard created his National Model Railroad Association award winning dioramas prompted him to make his techniques and products available to model builders. The line includes Weathering Solutions, pigments, scale building materials, tools and ‘ready to use’ products such as tree stumps and wall sections.

review

I wanted to try Dr. Ben’s Weathering Solution since I saw them on his website. I am a great admirer of model railroads and know well that many, if not all techniques used in weathering a RR layout can be applied to armor dioramas.

I received four 4oz. jars of the Weathering Solution in the set:
•Granite Ballast Grey a light grey color.
•Pond Scum which is a dark, muddy green in color.
•Grimy, Dusty Buff a brown/tan color.
•Huck’s White Wash obviously white in color.

The Weathering Solutions are an alcohol based ‘wash’.
Also included in the package was a 13 page color booklet titled “How-To #1” (The Art of Turning Toys into Models) which basically walks you through using the products, a price sheet/catalogue showing and describing all of the Doctor Ben product line.

First thing I did was apply the product straight from the jar onto some plaster blocks I had, to give an idea what they would be like if used straight to paint a plaster building. The colors are strong and hold well on raw plaster. The recesses are more concentrated in color which, of course, is what you want a wash to do. Normally, I would have applied the wash over a painted surface, but I was curious to see how the ‘solution’ would work on raw plaster.

In photo Demo 1, the ‘Granite Ballast Grey’ wash is on top, the ‘Grimy, Dusty Buff’ wash is in the middle and the green ’Pond Scum’ is on the bottom row. One coat of each color.

In photo Demo 2 I applied the washes to smoother ‘blocks’.

In photo Demo 3 I’ve used the green (Pond Scum) wash and attempted various intensities of the color. The darker blocks have two passes with the brush.

In photo Demo 4 I’ve used various intensities of the buff in conjunction with other weathering techniques on a smoke stack with a flat black base.

In photo Demo 5 I’ve used several washes including the green ‘Pond Scum’ on the deck of the ship.

I then applied the weathering solutions to some pre-painted road wheels. The base color was a grey green and, as you can see in the photos, the washes make a tremendous difference. I know, I normally wouldn’t use the “ballast grey” or “pond scum” on a dark green scheme, but this is for demonstration purposes.
I plan on using the ‘white wash’ for a winter tank scheme as it gives a perfect worn look when applied and gently wiped off.

conclusion

Over all, when compared to other “wash” products that I have used, it appears that Dr.Ben’s is more concentrated. I can use it slightly stirred for a ’lighter’ application or fully shaken and mixed for a full, almost paint like affect. The product can be wiped off the high spots while still wet or wiped with a cloth moistened in alcohol after it has dried. Many different effects can be achieved.

There are over 25 colors in the Doctor Ben’s Weathering Solution line. All can be applied to terrain, structures or vehicles depending on the weathering effect you are looking to create. Weathering Solution is sold in 4oz. jars at $6.49 each or 10oz. jars at 10.95 each. There is a #1 set of four 4 oz. jars available (reviewed set) and there will probably be future sets available.