Introduction

This weathering set has been created for Com-Art by Leslie Eaton. Leslie Eaton is a master rail road modeller and judge. The set consists of 10 translucent colours to enable the end user to age and weather their models.

Contents

• A tips and technique guide
  
• 2 106 1- Dark Rust
  
• 2 105 1- Light Rust
  
• 1 019 1- Opaque Raw Sienna
  
• 2 104 1- Old Oil
  
• 2 103 1- Blue Grey Smoke
  
• 2 002 1- Smoke
  
• 2 100 1- Light Dust
  
• 2 101 1- Soft Dirt
  
• 2 102 1- Fertile Soil
  
• 1 002 1- Opaque White

Review

This weathering kit from Com-Art consists of 10 translucent weathering colours provided in 1 ounce bottles and is acrylic based. The colours are provided in plastic bottles which have 2 seals in order to prevent the products drying out when not in use. A nice touch with this product is the inclusion of a ball bearing in each bottle to enable and increase the likelihood of equal and complete distribution of the pigments within the carrier. The colours can all be intermixed to create variations in tones of colour, and can of course be lightened by using the opaque white. The exterior cap on the bottles works similar to an eye dropper in that when you loosen the cap it is possible to control the flow to X number of drops; this is a useful feature when mixing colours prior to application as it allows duplication of effects to be achieved.

In order to test the product I spray painted a sheet of plastic with Tamiya matt white and then brush painted lines of the various colours over the white base coat. I brush painted the product as despite it stating that it is suitable for airbrushing I have not seen weathering products airbrushed, and at the very least I believe this is not a common weathering application method. The colour tones appear to be consistent with the exception of two of the colours which I believe may be down to me not shaking the bottle for long enough to insure complete mixing of the pigment. There is one other possibility for this problem occurring which is that I had not dried the brush thoroughly enough.

The paints flows very well over a glossy surface such as is achieved by using Klear (Future) floor polish or a clear gloss, this I feel also makes this product suitable for use as a wash on your models. Should a mistake be made or you are not happy about where you have placed some of one of the colours it can be removed completely with tap water, and all tools used to apply one of these can also be completely cleaned using water.

While this product is aimed at railroad modellers and indeed the tips and technique guide specifically utilises railroad rolling stock (armour is mentioned and some suggestions made) to show how to use these products and the results that can be achieved with them, I feel that they are more than suitable for our chosen area of the hobby. The only colour I have any doubts about is the light dust, which to my eye appears to be a light skin tone, however its suggested use for showing the bleaching effect of sunlight on surfaces is an effect I intend to try.

The last two pictures displayed are from a BergePanther I am building and I have used the light rust from this set to replicate the light rust that occurs on damaged paint surfaces and bare metal very quickly. I was very pleased with the result which in this case was achieved with a single application, and which I hope gives some indication of how easy this product is to use and the pleasing results that can be achieved.

Conclusion

I highly recommend this weathering set as it contains a good selection of colours that can be used to achieve most types of weathering. The included booklet helps those new to the hobby to start on the weathering trail, and even those who have been making models for years may learn something from this short booklet. With this set including rust tones, soil tones, and oil and soot tones I believe this line of products will become very popular.