Tiger I 1/48 Winter camo "Part 3"

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HAPPY NEW YEAR 2012 to all of you!!

The best way to start a new year is making models, so, here my contribution to this new year. This is the 3th chapter of the whole painting process of a winter Tiger I in 1/48th scale. If you haven't see the other two, please, read first the chapter I and the chapter II.
Now is time for chipping and oil paint effects.


We start using the dark bromw 70922 from vallejo. It's a good color for paint dark metal chips. Use a very fine brush, new one and sharp.



Start doing small dots, and lines...very small, and keep gorwing it as much as you want.

Treat each detail in a different way. Example, more intense chipping in some parts, while others remain more new. That contrast will help to the model to give bigger realism.

The oil paints is always a important step in each weathering. This paint is very flexible, easy to blend and colorfull. The oils can help us to give contrast, deep, shadows, and much more effects to our models. In this case, we will use few basic colors to create a contrast effect in some mudguards and some horizontal areas. Maybe, in anotehr kind of subject we can use more oils, or less. We must adapt this technique to each model and evoirement.

Use the white color to reiforce the white camo. Use a medium round brush for this task.

Apply the color only in one side of the mudguard section.

Just in the next section, apply a grey-brown color.

Clean the brush or take a new one and with a litle White Spirit stump the color.

See the result. The transition is soft, but each color, both , the white and brown, are gradually more intense to the union of both mudguards sections. It create contrast, a subtile and nice visual effect to give volume to our model. You can use this technique not only in the mudguards, but in any other part of your model, like panels, hatches, engine compartiments and much more. Just selct the apropiated color for each subject. In this case I used white because the base color is winter camo.

Another example. This time we use a dirty grey to represent the acumulated dirt over the horizontal surfaces, like around the turret ring.

One more time, paint and stump with a clean brush and a little White Spirit.

Use the white Oil color to make the highlights in the winter camo. After the washes adn streaking effects, the look of our model will be a little dark, not as white as we can expect of a winter tank. Now is time to bring to the life the white camo adding small dots of white color in some areas. Don't over do it and be RANDOM with this process. And of course, stump or blend the color to make it softer and natural.

Ok, another step is already done. Very slowly, our model is getting contrast and tonal variation. This is very important in this kind of vehicles, to avoid the monotonie and boring surfaces. Note how you can see the original camo under the winter camo, faded and damage by the envoirements and elements. The chipping is adapted to the scale. These ones must be small and not excesive. And the new shades that we have give to our model will give volume and a rich surface. Now is time to paint all small details before we made the mud and dust and the final effects.
In the next chapter, I will explain how to give the final touches to the model. We will work with the spare links around the turret, painted also in winter camo. We will add the earth, mud, oils and grease and much more. Keep tunned and thank you very much for read this. I hope you like the progress of this small example of a winter tank. It is really easy and simple if you follow these steps.

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Painting a BT7 without Pigments!

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It seems to be that lately I am looking for alternative ways for many techniques that we habitually use. In the begining I painted a model using only acrylic paints. The PzII was an example. Then the Panther II were made without oils. And now, I have painted this BT7 without pigments. It can seem simple, but at the moment all modellers use pigments regularly, and it can be complicated to make dust or mud without them. But I like to know that we can make the same effects with alternative techniques, because not all the people have the same conditions. There are people that cannot use enamel paintings because health problems. Recently I have known to a US modeller that cannot use their hands to make scale models, and he should make everything using his mouth. Can you imagine to your self in a similar situation? For this friend from Michigan, it is almost impossible to use the airbrush. It could be very interesting to develop new techniques where it is not necessary that tool. Anyway, I like to prove and to make new things. Is easy to be comfortable and to make always the same things, but that, sooner or later is boring, and it is not my style. This BT7 has been made for the Japanese magazine ARMOR MODELLING. I hope you like it. Any comment is always welcome.

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Parece ser que últimamente estoy buscando caminos alternativos para muchas técnicas que usamos habitualmente. Primero pinté una maqueta sólo usando pinturas acrílicas. EL PzII fue un ejemplo. Después el Panther II se hizo sin oleos. Y ahora, he pintado este BT7 sin pigmentos. Puede parecer sencillo, pero actualmente todos los modelistas utilizan pigmentos con regularidad, y puede ser complicado hacer polvo o barro sin ellos. Pero me gusta saber que podemos hacer los mismos efectos con tecnicas alternativas, porque no todas las personas tienen las mismas condiciones. Hay personas que por problemas de salud no pueden utilizar pinturas esmalte. Recientemente he conocido a un modelista americano que no puede usar su manos para hacer maquetas, y debe hacer todo usando la boca. ¿Podeis imaginaros a vosotros mismos en una situación similar? Para este amigo de Michigan, es casi imposible utilizar el aerógrafo. Podría ser muy interesante desarrollar nuevas técnicas en donde no sea necesario esa herramienta. De todas maneras, me gusta probar y hacer cosas nuevas. Es fácil acomodarse y hacer siempre lo mismo, pero eso, tarde o temprano es aburrido, y no es mi estilo. Este BT7 se ha realizado para la revista japonesa ARMOR MODELLING. Espero que os guste y cualquier comentario es bien recibido. Garcias.

The rear mud splashes was made mixing plaster and AK mud and dust products.

Make a mix of the two products in a small recipent, and project air with your airbrush over a brush with the mixture.

First stages of the model, just with some washes and oils.

Maybe a will make a vignette for this BT7, but not now. I must paint the DIANA Bronco.

Thanks

Mig Jimenez

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SPONGE CHIPPPING AND RUST STAINS

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I want continue adding some of the basic techniques to create a kind of librery or archive in a way to compilate the basic stuff but with a updated look. Now is time for another easy technique but which can offer us a nice result in all "old look" vehicles.
First, take a sponge, like the ones used for electronic componets packaging. Use just a piece of it to handle with your fingers, like I show in my photo:



Use a very dark brown color. Must be acrylic and if it is a bit satin, much better! Press down with your sponge over the color (withut any water added) and remove the excess of paint pressing the sponge over a paper tissue or cotton piece.





Press the sponge over all surfaces, specially hatches, details, rivets, hocks, corners... Do it in a random way.



And above, the final look. Of course, in a 1/16th scale is easier, and the look more realistic, but you can use this technique in 1/35th scale too, even in 1/48. You can combine the sponge chips with another chips painted with the same color but using afine brush.

Let's go now for rust stains, usually visible close to big chip areas. This time, we must use a red-orange oil color, like a light rust color. The contrast with the very dark chips will make it more realistic.



Using a small rounded brush, paint fine and vertical lines close to the big chipping areas. Do it again randomly. Some of the satins must be longer trhan others. Make small groups and place anothers in farest areas. Take care, don't over do it!

Now, using a plain brusgh type, stump the oil color with clean turpentine. Don't add too much turpentine to the brush or you will remove all oil stains. This process need a little practice, but afer stump 5 or 6 lines, you will find that it is not too complicated.



Some examples of the finished process. This chipping method is fast and very effective, specially if we are running out of time or if we need to cover big surfaces, as a big armored train, a militrary trailer or stuff like that.

I needed 4 days to cover all my 1/16 King Tiger.... but I was happy with the result.
Thank you for read this and more techniques coming soon.

Post your comments with questions or opinions here or even adding information to help others, please.

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