Scale modeling tips & tricks

If in need of some armor, figure or diorama modeling tips & tricks, this could
be the place to look.
If you can't find what you need, don't hesitate to drop me a line, then I'll see
what I can come up with.
Finally, I'll also be very happy to hear from you, if you have a few tricks you
would like to share with other modelers, here on this page.
Tricks on preparing parts:

Submitted by:

Preparing wheels

Webmaster

Cutting wire-mesh for turret baskets etc.

Webmaster

Glue tricks:

Submitted by:

Cementing small parts

Webmaster

How to make correct sag on AFV tracks

Zeke Gao

How to make correct sag on AFV tracks, version 2

Webmaster

Painting tricks:

Submitted by:

Holding parts like ammoboxes, jerrycans etc.

Webmaster

Stripping paint

Webmaster

Realistic looking gold

Piotr Gryz

Cheap acrylic paint thinner

Sudhesh Nair

Paint holder

Sudhesh Nair

The fine art of washes

Sudhesh Nair

Proper brush cleaning and preservation

Koenraad Cracco

Proper brush cleaning and preservation PART II

Nick Tiger

Guides and how-to-do's:

Submitted by:

Guide to figure painting (single color uniforms)

Webmaster

Making groundwork on dioramas

Webmaster

How to simulate snow on dioramas

Webmaster

How to paint and weather AFV engines (bare metal

look)

Webmaster

Scale conversion table

Terry Wall

Attaching and painting camo-netting

Webmaster

AFV weathering using washes, pastels & drybrushing

Webmaster

How to make cobblestone patterns for Dioramas?

Sudhesh Nair

Guide to painting IDF vehicles

Koenraad Cracco

Special tools:

Submitted by:

Homemade compressor

Webmaster

Artist's pastel chalk

Webmaster

The Worktop airbrush area

Webmaster

Misc. tricks:

Submitted by:

Cheap decal setting soulution

Bernard Cher

Making dried mud

Sudhesh Nair

Making straps and belts

Sudhesh Nair

Simulating dust on military vehicles

Sudhesh Nair

Controlled paint removing or soaking up decaling

solutions

Sudhesh Nair

Weekend Retreats For The Bored Model Maker

Jason Cormier

Web-sites & messagesboards:

Newsgroups & Mailing lists:

Modelers to modelers

rec.models.scale

Verlinden Productions Q & A board

alt.binaries.models.scale

S.T.O.R.M Modeling Forum

Think Tank (*

(* How to subscribe to "Think Tank"?

This list covers military vehicles and equipment and it's published once every
week.
All you need to do to get on this list is to send an e-mail to Robert Lockie
(think.tank@tesco.net), who is the listmaster, with the word "SUBSCRIBE"
in the subject line.

Preparing wheels.
Here are a couple of ways to remove mold separation lines from
wheels.
Wheels for cars and trucks:
First scrape off the mold line with a sharp knife, then finish it of by rubbing
the wheel with steelwool across the surface.

Wheels for tracked vehicles:

First assemble the wheels. Note, that if you use this method, you have to
apply glue to the "polycap" in the wheel. Leave the wheels to dry for about
24 hours. Then you need to find some sort of metal rod, that fits the hole of
the wheel. Insert the rod in the chunk on the powertool and then attach the
wheel to the other end of the rod. Sand the wheels with dry, wet and dry
sandpaper. Final finish is achieved by polishing the wheel with steelwool.
Note, that its best to use a powerdrill with adjustable speed setting. And
remember to PROTECT your self from the dust with some kind of
protection mask.

Cutting wire-mesh.
Cutting wire mesh for turret baskets, etc. First copy the cutting template
from the instructions. Cut the template out and tape it to the wire mesh with
transparent tape. Cut along the template with a pair of scissors, and ....
voila!

How to glue small parts?

Applying glue to small parts: Put a little blob of glue on to a piece of cardboard or glass. Hold the small part with a pair of tweezers and dip the part of
it, which has to be glued, in to the glue and then attach the part to your
model.

How to make a correct sag on AFV tracks?

By coincidence, I "discovered" a way to make a correct sag on 1-piece vinyl
tracks.
After your model is completely assembled, painted, weathered and fitted with
the tracks, try putting a little white glue on the top of the wheels (directly
beneath the hull), making sure that no white glue shows. Then insert
paperclips twisted in manner so they get fastend in between the hull and the
tracks. Add more paperclips at appropriate places so the tracks conforms into
a sag. leave to dry before removing the paperclips and voila! the correct sag!
You might want to do some research first as russian vehicles have heavy
sags, german ones have a lighter not so obvious sag, and when it comes to
the U.S, the tracks are often so tight that the support rollers often don't serve
their purpose.

Making correct sag on AFV tracks

version 2.
This is a method I came up with during the construction of my Tamiya 1/35
Cromwell tank. This model has tracks made from Tamiya's special material which
can be cemented with regular plastic cement. This made things a bit (lot) easier. In
other cases CA or white glue can be used.
Anyway, here's what you need besides the glue. It's nothing much, some thin wire
and shears. First apply the glue to the top of the roadwheels, then insert a fairly
long piece of wire (about 30 centimeters / 12 inches) directly over the upper part of
the track which should be in contact with the wheel. Feed the wire down behind the
wheel and then pull it out so it lays on top of the lower part of the track. Wind the
two ends of the wire together so the tracks get pulled down on top of the road
wheel. Cut off the excess wire and repeat the process for the rest of the wheels.
Leave the tracks to dry for at least 24 hours and then remove the wire.
Finally, please note that if you don't have any wire, thread can also be used but it's
not as easy to work with. Well, that's it. Have a look at the the two pictures below.
They can probably explain it much better than I can :^)
P.S. Okay guys, you can stop laughing. I know the "Normandy cowling" is on
backwards and it has been corrected! That's what happens when you use your
memory instead of the instructions......

Holding parts like figures, ammoboxes etc.

When youre painting stuff like ammoboxes, jerrycans and so on, for your
vehicles or diorams, try gluing them on to a piece of plast plate, with a very
small amount of superglue. The plates that comes along for the figures in the
military kits from Tamiya, are very good for this, and they can be used over
and over. Now you can paint, wash and drybrush all you like without having
to touch the part before it's dry.
The same thing can be done with figures. Just take care when you remove it
from the plate because if you don't, one or both feet of the figure might
break.

How to remove paint?

If you have a model with a bad paint-job, try soaking it in brakefluid. After a
while the paint will start to come off. Use an old paintbrush or toothbrush to
get the old paint off with (wear gloves, while you're removing the paint, and
work in a well ventilated area).
Then wash the model in warm water with some added detergent. Let it dry,
and its ready for a new (and hopefully better) coat of paint. DON`T DO
THIS ON RESIN MODELS! THE BRAKEFLUID TURNS THE RESIN SOFT
!!!!!!!
An alternative method, and perhaps more widely used, is to cover the model
completely with oven cleaner. Leave the model covered with this for while
and then follow the same procedure described above. I'm not sure about this
will work on resin, so be careful and do a bit of testing first before doing this
on your ultra expensive resin models.
Finally, PLEASE NOTE, that if your model has parts made of two, or
more, different kind of metals such as brass, aluminium or stainless
steel, these parts can react to each other, during the paint removal
process, and start to corrode!!!

How to paint realistic looking gold?

This little guide stems from a question Piotr Gryz, a modeler from Poland,
asked me. I came up with a suggestion, based on the method I use for
painting flesh colors, without being entirely sure wether or not it would work.
Fortunately Piotr had the guts to try it out anyway, and was so very kind to
get back to me with a fine tuned version of the guide.
Here goes:
I start out by applying a base mix of BURNT UMBER plus BURNT SIENNA
oilpaint and Humbrol gold in a 2:1 ratio. After this I drybrush parts wet-inwet with the same mix, with more and more gold added. After the oilpaint is
completely dry, I drybrush with pure Humbrol gold and for the final run I use
Testors gold (rather gold dust from the bottom & cap of the jar). Finally,
please note that "Testors gold" have a color of really old gold but it's very
transparent so you must first remove some solvent from it.

Cheap Acrylic paint thinner.

Besides the normal manufacturer's thinning solution, try Denatured Alcohol
(your pharmacy) or 91% Isopropyl Alcohol. When used in a 50/50 mix, it's
very well for "alcohol-based" acrylics like Tamiya. I don't know if it'll work
with Gunze paint as I don't use these.

Paint holder.
If you are the "lazy" type (which is an ok trait!). Use Aluminium foil (Heavey
Duty Type) as a paint holder. It's very flexible so it can be fitted over your
paint trays. Some may not like it because it can't absorb the oils or other
elements, but it sure beats cleaning your tray after a paint job.

The Fine Art of Washes.

Nearly all modellers one time or another, will use a wash. I won't go into
details of the washing method (check out a fine article by Johnny on it here).
I mainly use Winsor & Newton Oils but have ventured to others like oils like
Rembrant and Rowney. Rembrant has a fine dirty oil paint called Sepia. It's
Extra Fine #416. It's superb for AFV nuts like us. One thing you'll see the
difference with W&N, is that it very oily. Solution -> using a kitchen paper
towel (very absorbant) and soak up the excess oils.
Now the thinning element, we've all used turpentine. Forget turps, White
Spirits are better. White Spirits are a refined version of Turps. For those who
are more willing to fork out the cash, then I really RECOMMEND to use
Humbrol's Enamel Thinners. They are great for washing & it does evaporate
faster than Turps or White Spirits.
All in all, it up to each individual trials, taste (please, don't literally taste the
stuffs :) and practice.

Proper brush cleaning and preservation.

This is a tip I got from my brother in law, who is an artist and fine arts
teacher, on how to clean your expensive sable brushes for longer
preservation.
After use, rinse the brushes in white spirit very thoroughly. Do not mash the
bristles on the bottom of the container but shake your brush sideways against
the sides of the container. The best container for that reason is a simple
(small) bottle. After rinsing, clean the brush by wiping the excess paint on a
clean cloth. Repeat this process until there are no more paint residues visible
on the cloth.
After the process with the white spirits, now dip your brush into brown soap
(Web-master: known as "Green soap" in UK, I think). You know the old
fashioned gelly-like general purpose soap people used to use to scrub floors
with in the past, instead of all those new modern detergents. Do not dilute
the brown soap. Just dip the brush into it all the way so all the bristles are
covered with the brown soap. Now squeeze and roll the bristles very gently in
a clean cloth between thumb and index finger. This insures that all the
bristles will get a layer of the brown soap. After this re-create a tip on your
brush by gently squeezing the bristles from the ferrule onwards unto the tip
of the bristles.
If you want to use your brush again immediately rinse of the brown soap in
water. Same method as rinsing in the white spirit. Do not mash.
If you want to store your brush for a short period, leave the brown soap on it
and rinse later, whenever you decide to use your brush again.
If you want to store your brush for a longer period, say, more than a week:
rinse of the brown soap and cover the bristles of your brush with Vaseline
after you squeezed a fine tip on your brush.
Finally, my brother in law also agrees with what Sudesh Nair wrote in his
tips: white spirits are better than turpentine. There even seems to exist an
odorless white spirit for people who do not like the smell of those liquids.

Proper brush cleaning and preservation.

PART II
This tip is only for brushes made from real hair:
After you've cleaned your brushes, dip them in to vinegar, only the hair not
the metal part as this will rust! Leave the brush in the vinegar for 60 minutes
and then wash them with water.The vinegar protects the hair from breaking
and from becaming dry.

Guide to painting figures.

The first step is to assemble as much of the figure as possible. If you're using
injection moulded figures in a dark color plastic like green or something like
that, you must airbrush it with a sandcolor prior to any painting at all. If it's
made of resin, you can leave as it is. I'll use a resin figure for my example.
The next step is to paint the fleshtones. Make a mix of raw umber, burnt
sienna, cadmium red and cadmium yellow, in order to get a very, very dark
flesh color, on a piece of cardboard. Apply a very heavy coat of the mix to the
flesh parts. It looks awfull, but don't worry. Next step is to remove the access
with !!COMPLETELY DRY!! flat brushes, only leaving the oilpaint in the
recesses of the face and hands. Next step is to apply some flesh colored
enamel to the mix on the cardboard. The end result should be a slightly
darker version of the flesh enamel. Start drybrushing the raised areas of the
face and hands. The brush must not be as dry as with a normal drybrushing,
or you'll just remove the rest of the base mix. You'll be surpriced how easy it
is to make it look good. If things should go wrong, it can be removed with a
turpentine moisted brush, and allow you to start over. When you're happy
with the basics it time to add some details to the face. Lips can be touched in
with cadmium red. A unshaved look with raw umber, be very carefull not to
overdo this part. Hair can be painted with suitable color oilpaint. All this
should be done "wet-in-wet". Leave the figure to dry for 72 hours and finish
by painting the eyes. The white part of the eyes is best painted with a mix of
white and light blue. Gives a more real look. I hope you got a steady hand,
because this can be a real killer in 1/35 :^)
A picture of the finished face on a Verlinden Productions 120mm scale "Cuban
Cossack"

If you have some kind of liquid masking, like Humbrol Maskol you can apply it
to the finished face and hands, in order to protect it during the painting of the

uniform part of the figure, which I will turn to now. If you don't have
something like this, you must take great care not to get any paint on the face
and hands during this process, because it will be hard to remove. Perhaps a
bit of turpentine on a brush can do the trick, but I'm not sure. First paint the
entire uniform and whatever personal gear on it. When the paint has dried,
you grind up some very dark brown artists pastel chalk. You can also use a
normal oilpaint wash mixture, if you don't have any pastels. If you're using
the pastel method, do as follows: use a piece of sandpaper, glued to a piece
of wood, to grind up the pastel. Next, fill a little turpentine in a small jar and
pour the pastel powder in anbd stirr it well. This should give a very dirty
darkbrown color. Apply the wash to all the folds on the figures clothing and
leave it for about ten minuttes. Then you take a flat brush, slightly moisted,
allmost dry, with turpentine and use it for smoothing out the wash, if you
know what I mean. Same procedure, if you're using a oilpaint wash. It might
take a try or two to get it right, but don't worry, the wash is quite easy to
remove, just use a brush wetted down with turpentine and it will come right
off. Leave the figure to dry for 24 hours and then apply the drybrushing, with
the base colors used for the figure, with a flat brush size #2. Finish the figure
by applying some dry pastels to the shoes/boots and lower part of the pants
in order to get the final worn look to the uniform. A bit of experimenting is
the keyword here.
A picture of the completed "Cuban Cossack".

If you would like a more profesional figure painting guide, I can highly
recommend "The system", ordernumber 855, written by Francois Verlinden. If
you're in to on-line shopping, you should be able to get here: http://www.vlsvp.com

Guide to making groundwork.

First step is to make the base for the groundwork with some kind of plaster. Shop
around and see what you can get. Apply the plaster on an appropriate sized base
board with a table knife or spackel. The plaster can be smoothend with a large
paintbrush wetted with water.

Next sprinkle fine sand over the wet plaster, cat-litter (unused :^) can be used for
small rocks and stones and pressed down in the still wet plaster. Leave it to dry for
while, the plaster should still be a bit soft for the next step.

Now it's time to make whatever vehicle(s), figure(s) oildrums and what have you, fit
the surface of the groundwork. Gently press the item to be placed down into the still
soft plaster and then remove it right away. This will prevent the items on your
diorama looking "set-on-top" which looks quite awfull and unreal. Just imagine a
diorama with a truck, which has some of it's wheels hovering a couple of milimeters
above ground!!! Well, when the plaster has completely dried you can vacume the
whole thing in order to remove the access sand and so on.

If you want, the ground work can be washed with some diluted darkbrown acrylic
paint but be carefull because it can end up looking very dark. Espescially, the catlitter. Drybrush with various shades of earth colors.
Next thing, grass. You can obtain something called "static grass" from model
railroad supply shops. Apply undiluted white glue in uneven patches and sprinkle
the grass into the glue. Carefully blow away the access grass and leave to dry. The
grass can now be washed with a mix of very darkbrown paint (acrylic, enamel or oil,
the choise is yours) and left to dry again. Finally drybrush the grass with darkbrown,
blackgreen, light green and finally yellow enamel in this order. The final step is to
blend it all in using the ever usefull pastels.

Finally a few tips on the side: If you want to apply very small rocks and stones, you
can use crushed catlitter glued down with diluted white glue.
Tall grass can be made from the bristles of longhaired paintbrushes. The keyword
here, is like with all modeling, a bit of experimenting. Trial and error so to speak.
Just like with the figure painting you can get a large number of books about
diorama building from Verlinden Productions. Besides giving you worthfull tips, they
are also a great source for getting inspiration.

How to simulate snow on dioramas?

Snow on dioramas can be simulated by sprinkling the finished diorama with
talcum powder. This will stick perfectly without any use of glue and it won't
have to sealed with any kind of "fixative". If you don't want the vehicle(s),
various equipment and so on, on the diorama covered, it's best to attach
these items untill you're finished with applying the "snow".
A couple of pics on a little winter diorama I made a few years ago. On the
first pic, you can see how the various equipment and the two figures have
been "blended" into the snow.

How to paint and weather AFV engines?

The 1/35 Tiger engine used as an example, was painted with a very dark
matt grey enamel color and then drybrushed with various shades of gun
metal enamel paint.
The exhausts were drybrushed with redbrown and darkgrey paint. If you
would like a more rough and rusty look, you can sprinkle it with some baking
soda while the paint on the exhaust is still wet. This is mainly something
you'll see on the external part of exhausts though.
Overall weathering made with dry dark brown and redbrown pastel and finally
a few "scratches" were touched in with aluminium colored enamel paint.
3 pics of the finished MAYBACH HL-210-P45 engine which is one of the many
details in the Academy 1/35 "Full interior" Tiger 1 Early Version.

Scale Conversion Reference Chart

By Terry Wall
Scale

Figure Fractional/US Metric/US Thousandths/US Metric/Metric

relation
Linear
Linear
Linear
Linear

1-21/64" = 1
1/9th 200mm
scale foot
1/15

51/64" = 1
120mm
scale foot

33.867mm
1.3276/1000ths = 111.111mm =
= 1 scale
1 scale foot
1 scale meter
foot
20.320mm
0.7956/1000ths = 66.667mm = 1
= 1 scale
1 scale foot
scale meter
foot

90mm

5/8" = 1 scale
foot

16.042mm
0.6240/1000ths = 52.632mm = 1
= 1 scale
1 scale foot
scale meter
foot

90mm

19/32" = 1
scale foot

15.240mm
0.5928/1000ths = 50.00mm = 1
= 1 scale
1 scale foot
scale meter
foot

80mm

1/2" = 1 scale
foot

12.700mm
0.4992/1000ths = 41.667mm = 1
= 1 scale
1 scale foot
scale meter
foot

80mm

31/64" = 1
scale foot

12.192mm
0.4836/1000ths = 40.00mm = 1
= 1 scale
1 scale foot
scale meter
foot

54mm

3/8" = 1 scale
foot

9.525mm
= 1 scale
foot

0.3744/1000ths = 31.250mm = 1
1 scale foot
scale meter

54mm

11/32" = 1
scale foot

8.709mm
= 1 scale
foot

0.3432/1000ths = 28.571mm = 1
1 scale foot
scale meter

1/48

1/4" = 1 scale
foot

6.350mm
= 1 scale
foot

0.2496/1000ths = 20.833mm = 1
1scale foot
scale meter

1/76

5/32" 1 scale
foot

4.011mm
= 1 scale
foot

0.1560/1000ths = 13.158mm =
1 scale foot
scale meter

1/19

1/20

1/24

1/25

1/32

1/35

3.503mm
= 1 scale
foot

1/87

9/64" = 1
scale foot

1/144

2.117mm
5/64"= 1 scale
= 1 scale
foot
foot

0.1404/1000ths = 11.494mm = 1
1 scale foot
scale meter
0.0780/1000ths = 6.944mm = 1
1 scale foot
scale meter

[Web-master's notes:] There's also a very usefull little program which can do
scale conversion for you. It was previously located at this URL
[http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Lakes/5704/apscu32.html] but it
seems to have stopped working. So instead I've placed a copy of the program
on my own server. It's a 96,1 KB ZIP file, so it should be pretty fast to
download. Further more, the program is freeware so you'll save the $$ :^)

DOWNLOAD APSCU32.zip

How to attach camouflage netting to military vehicles?

Quite a few have asked me how to apply camouflage netting to military
vehicles, so I think it's about time with this little guide.
The first picture shows the tools I use for applying camo netting. I use precolored camo netting from Verlinden Productions, but gauze bandage from
the first aid kit box, is just as good....and more important, cheaper.
The bottle contains Scenic Cement, which I use for attaching the netting, but
plain white glue (PVA) diluted with water, works just as well. Use about 10
parts water for 1 part glue. The reason why, I use Scenic Cement is to get an
uniform result each time.
The paintbrush, round size 8, is used for applying the glue.
To round this up, please note that it's best to apply the netting BEFORE you
paint the model, or at least as I did in this case, after the FIRST coat of paint.
The diluted glue can leave smears on the model. In case you need to apply
netting to a model with a completed paintjob, any smears can be hidden by
additional drybrushing with either paint or ground up pastel chalk, or both.

The first step is to cut out a small piece of netting, with a pair of scissors. The
size can vary from 2 by 3 centimeters to 5 by 5 centimeters. No strict rules
there. No need to make the edges of the piece even, the more uneven the
better. Finally, position the netting on your model, first without using glue.

Next, apply the glue with the paintbrush. Be carefull not to use too much
glue, or it'll run uncontrolled all over your model. Use tissuepaper to "catch"
any run-away glue.

Keep on applying pieces of netting untill you're happy with the result.

A picture of the final result. I used 6 pieces of netting on this model.

Modern camo netting is fitted with simulated foliage. This can be simulated by
sprinkling the netting on your model, with colored sawdust, awailable in
either hobby or model railroad shops. The color of the sawdust isn't
important, because the netting will be painted over.

The sawdust should be applied when the glue is still wet. Cover the netting
completely and then gently blow away the excess. The sawdust can finally be
secured by applying more glue to the netting.
At this stage the netting looks very unrealistic, so finally a few words about
how to make it look like the real thing. If you're airbrushing your models, the
netting will of course be covered with the basecolor and various dustcolors of
your model, which is quite fine if your model is an US Army vehicle painted
olivedrab, or a vehicle painted sand and used in the desert. On panzergrey,
dark yellow or camouflage colored German WW II vehicles, you'll probably
need to repaint the netting with a dark green. When the paint is dry, the
netting can be washed with the same wash you use for the rest of the model.
Finally drybrush the netting with various shades of green, brown, redbrown
(mainly used on WWII netting). The final run with the "drybrush" should be a
very light green or sandcolor, in order to get the structure really stand out.
Any simulated foliage on the netting can be made to stand out by
drybrushing it with dark grey or black.

How to weather military vehicles, using washes, pastel chalk and

drybrushing?
Military vehicles are made to move through many kinds of rough terrain, so they'll quickly end up
with a messy and grimy appearence, especially in combat situations where every day exterior
manitenance is a litterally unknown luxury. This little guide is hopefuly able to give you a few
hints and pointers about how to achive that particular look on your military vehicle models, using
washes, pastel chalk and drybrushing.
The first picture shows the basic ingredients of the wash, which is the first step to undertake in
the weathering process. I use a mix of Burnt Umber oilpaint, matt black Humbrol enamel and
finally the magic ingredience, some ground up dark brown pastel chalk which will ensure, the
wash dries up dead flat and reduce the drying time quite a bit. It's perfectly okay to leave out
the pastel, only differences will be that the drying time for the wash will be prolonged and the
model will look a bit more shiny.
First you mix the oilpaint and black enamel in a suitable container, then you dilute it with
turpentine (also known as white spirit, in some parts of the World, I think). Finally, you mix the
ground up pastel into the wash and stir well.
You'll probably need to experiment a bit in order to get the correct consistence of the wash, but
just remember it's best to make the wash too light in color, and then apply more than one wash,
instead of making it too dark.

A picture of the ready wash mix. I've used an empty varnish bottle with a screw cap, this way

I'm able to make a fairly large portion at once instead of having to make a new wash mix for
each model. Just remember to stir it well before each use. It's also a good idea to check it on a
scrapped model, because a wash mix wont live forever. It will eventually turn grainy and thereby
useless.

The wash is best applied with a fairly large round paintbrush. I normally cover an entire section
of the model at once. Make sure not to apply a too heavy coat, in order to prevent it from
flowing uncontrolled. Think of the wash as another coat of paint.

When the model is completely covered with the wash, it's time to "reduce" it a bit. You do this by
wipeing the surface of the model, before the wash dries, with flat paintbrushes. This will remove
the wash from the raised details on the model, and thereby allow the basecolor to show through.
Another advantage is that this method also reduces the drying time for the wash.

A picture of the model after the wash has dried up. This picture is taken about 30 minuttes after
I started applying the wash.

Next step in the weathering process is to apply ground up pastel chalk in all recesses and round
rasied details on the model. A very dark brown colored pastel is very good for this use. You apply
it with a small round or flat paintbrush. This is very hard on your brushes, so make sure to keep
your expensive sables well out the way. Applying pastels is not an exact science, if you end up
covering the entire model, no problem because the drybrushing will remove some of the pastel
and make the final look very realistic. There's also no need for sealing the pastel chalk by
applying any kind of fixative to the model. Just be a bit carefull and perhaps wear cotton gloves
when handling the model after the pastel chalk has been applied, in order to prevent finger
prints.
On the picture below, you can see the effect pastels have on the look of the model. If you
compare it to the picture above, you should be able to see quite a big difference.

Final step in the weathering process, is the drybrushing. The drybrushing will make the raisied
details stand out even more on your model. It's also very easy to get carried away in this
process, so subtlety is the keyword here.
Mix 50% of the basecolor of the model with 50% white, on a piece of glass. This mix will serve
as the first run with the drybrush. Dip a fairly large flat paintbrush (size #6 to 16, depending on
the size of the model) in the mix, and then wipe it on a clean white cloth untill it only leaves an
almost invisible trace of paint. Start brushing the model with a combination of brushing and
stabbing motions. Keep repeating the process, untill you've done the entire model. At this point,
the pastel chalk you applied earlier, should now be an almost integrated part of the paintwork.
Apply a bit more white to the drybrush mix, and repeat the procress again. 4 to 5 runs with
increasing lighter shades of the drybrush mix, should just about do it. Only really major "no-no"
here is to make the final drybrush run with pure white, as it can give the model a chalky look.
If the drybrushing at this point should have removed too much of the pastel, just apply some
more and repeat the drybrushing in the affected areas. If you've never worked with pastel chalk
before, you'll be surprised when you discover how easy and forgiving it is to work with.
The picture below shows a finished Tamiya 1/35 Schwimmwagen, which I've weathered using the
above techniques. If you would like to see more pictures of the Schwimmwagen or other of my
models, and perhaps pick up a few more tricks, then feel free to check out the "Projects" sector
of "What's On The Worktop?".

How to make cobblestone patterns for Dioramas?

This is not as difficult as it sounds.
1. Take a cardboard, matt board or artist mounting boards.
2. Cut to required size (you can paste it onto your dio base or later if you
like), but IMHO it's better to paste it on now.
3. Use a 2B pencil & ruler, and pencil in your pattern (use a reference
picture)
4. Then, get some plaster or better Plaster of Paris, and spread a thin layer
of the plaster as a first coat. Let dry!
5. Then, apply 2nd or even 3rd coat, if necessary. As long as you can see
through to that penciled pattern masterpiece you created. Let dry
thoroughly overnight.
6. Then use a needle, or even better, a pointed tool with a handle (for
comfort) & scribe in your pattern. Do use the reference picture again &
make relevant damages too.
7. After you are satisfied with the result, overspray a coat of flat varnish or
dullcoat, to seal the porous surface from the paint. Let dry again, this
time for 3 to 4 hours.
8. Finally, use your favourite hobby paints and either paint your street or
paint it together with the rest of your diorama for blending purposes.

Guide to painting IDF vehicles.

The little request I placed in one of my Worktop Diary entries, regarding
painting of IDF (Israeli Defence Force) vehicles, has paid of :^) Koenraad
Cracco, from Belgium, has been so kind to send me this little but highly
useful guide:
Just read your diary on the IDF M113. Four years ago IMI (Israel Military
Industries) invited me to spend some time in Israel to give some advice on
their new products. I had the chance to visit the IDF museum in Jaffa. It was
a guided tour with a retired IDF tank Colonel. The guy was in the two major
wars: the six days war as a platoon commander and the Yom Kippur as a
batallion commander, both in tank units.
Well on the colour of the AFVs I saw in Jaffa. I was also amazed. Most of the
tanks were green. I mean something in between olive drab and French
Artillery Green (Humbrol speaking). I personaly would give the model a
medium green base colour. Wash it with raw umber oil paints mixed with
dark earth (M29) and raw umber pastels. I would drybrush with M26
(Humbrol Khaki) , Khaki Drab pure and finish it off with a Khaki Drab/Khaki
Drill 50-50 mixture. Weathering as you like: different shades of sand colour.
When I asked why the tanks were green they told me that Israel was a green
country, which of what I saw about it is quite correct. There is an amazing lot
of green in Israel due to the constant drip irrigation. Oh, and the legend is
true. The Merkava tank has airconditioning. I know it because I actually was
allowed to enter one ;-)
[Further notes added by the Web-master on Thursday, April 13,
2000:]
Since the above was posted, Koenraad has submitted at link to a site named
"The IDF Steel Panthers Web Site", which is located at this URL:
http://members.tripod.com/idf-sp/frameset.htm. The pictures I saw on this
site, shows that everything goes (almost) when it comes to IDF paintjobs; all
from what appears to be a dark grey, to green and over to the more
commonly known greyish sand, AKA Sinai Grey. And all in various stages of
weathering, from factory new to extremely heavy wear and tear.
A final note on weathering; from what I've been told, there are absolutely no
chipping of the paint on IDF vehicles!! Sounds incredible when keeping in
mind, the rough terrain these vehicle are moving around in, but after a closer
look at various pictures, it appears to be true. So keep the aluminium paint,
or 2B pencil, stowed away when weathering your IDF models.

Homemade compressor.
If you're using an airbrush you'll of course be needing some kind of airsupply to
get it working, right :^) Sure, you can spend a fortune on aerosol cans with
compressed air or a hobbysize compressor. Forget all that and make a
compressor your self for a fraction of the price of the above.
[ADDITIONAL INFO added on Friday, July 28, 2000] It would seem that my
homemade compressor has turned out to be a big hit. If I were to set up a FAQ
file, this would be the #1 question: "How is your compressor built?" :^)
Well, first off I have to admit that I actually haven't built it myself, but I bought it
from a friend at work, for 100 Kroner (approx. 13 US$)!! So it don't come any
cheaper than that.
The easiest would by far be to get hold of used "normal" compressor and replace
the motor on it with fridge compressors. The major advantage with the latter, is
that they are much more silent!! Secondly, you would be sure to have a tank
which is made for handling high pressures, much higher than the fridge
compressors can produce. The tank on mine has been fitted with a bleeder valve
though, located on the side facing the floor. This is to constantly release
pressure, so the tank won't blow up. Normally, I let it run for about 15 - 20
minutes and then I turn it off, so this is not really a problem though. This will
normally provide me with plenty of air for airbrushing a single model. If the
pressure becomes too low, I just turn it on again for a while.
You don't have to worry too much about the pipe stubs for oil refill, because with
normal use, the compressors should be more or less maintenance free! I've only
had to refill the compressors once and that was because it tilted for me, so most
of the oil ran out.
Besides these few pointers, I can't really give you any strict measurements or a
step by step instruction of how to build one, so I'll suggest you study the pictures
carefully and then build something that looks like it. Good luck and have fun :^)

Pastel chalk.
What the heck is this pastel chalk he's always talking about??? :^) The
easiest way to explain this is by taking a picture of the set I'm using. You can
get it at an artists supply shop or at Micro Mark, a land of milk and honey for
modelers in need of hard-to-find modeling tools.

As you can see, it's a very usable item for me. You use it be grinding it up on
a piece of sandpaper, and then you apply it to your model with a CHEAP
paintbrush. This process tends to wear the brushes pretty fast so don't use
your expensive sables for this. You apply it around raised items and in
recesses on your model. Don't be affraid to overdo it, because you can tone it
down by dry-brushing with the color of the model you're working on.

The Worktop airbrush area.

One of the problems with airbrushing models, are the fumes from both the paint
been sprayed and the various solvents used to thin down the paint. Wether it's
celloluse thinner, white spirits or even water it's a very good idea to protect your
self, by either doing your airbrushing outdoors, using a spraybooth and/or a proper
mask. By proper mask, I don't mean those cheap dust masks made from a white
paper-like material. Instead of repelling the fumes they will actually suck them in
and make things much worse!! The worst case scenario is unconsciousness and
even death.
Wrong mask!

Correct mask!

As airbrushing outdoors are somewhat problematic due to problems with dust (and
the weather here in Denmark :), I've constructed a spraybooth. Constructing a
spraybooth can be done quite easy and cheap. All you need is a large cardboard box
and a cooker hood (AKA range hood in the U.S.) with a carbon filter. I used the box
the monitor (15 inch) for my computer, came in. I folded down 3 of the "top flaps"
of the box, in order to make it more stable and then cut a rectangular hole in one of
the sides. The hole in the side should be opposite to the side where you left the top
flap folded up. Place the cooker hood on top of the box, seal any gaps between it
and the box with additional cardboard, plug it into an AC outlet and you're actually
ready to go. I've taken my spraybooth a bit further, so I'll suggest you study the
following pictures.
A look at the lower part of the spraybooth. I've placed it in a cabinet made from
parts from an old wardrobe in order to get some storageroom for the various
airbrush accessory parts.
The small platforms at the bottom of the cardboard box have been made from

blocks of styrofoam glued to the box with white glue and then covered with selfadhesive plastic wallpaper. To finish it all of, I've placed a sheet of glass on top of
the platforms. A piece of wood or thick cardboard can also be used but the glass is
easier to keep clean.

An overall look at the spraybooth. The Badger Overspray Cleaning Chamber, seen in
the right side of the picture, is great for keeping in fumes when you're cleaning your
airbrush. This very useful item can be bought at ModelExpo for a very reasonable
price.

A look at the front of the cooker hood. I got mine for about 300 Danish Kroner
(approx. 45 US$). A "real" factorymade spraybooth can easily cost you more than
300 US$, so compared I think that's a pretty good price.

A look at the inside of the spraybooth. It's very important that there are as few gaps
as possible, between the cooker hood and the box. The cooker hood is meant to
replace the air in the spraybooth and not the air in the hobbyroom.

Good lighting is very important when you're airbrushing. This is obtained by using 2
spotlights fitted with 25 watt bulbs plus the built-in light in the cooker hood.

Finally a few words about security. The cooker hood is fitted with an electrical
motor, which can produce sparks. If the paint you're using is diluted with a
flammble liquid, fires can occour so it's a very good idea to have a fire extinguisher
near by. Mind you, I've been using my booth for more than 3 years now, and I
always use enamel paint diluted with celloluse thinner which indeed is flammable
and I haven't had any problems with fires, but just in case.
In order to get the correct air pressure for my airbrush, I've placed an air-regulator
with a moisture trap, between my compressor (you can read more about this here)
and my airbrush. It's indispensable if you're airbrushing a model with an intricate
camouflage paintjob. It's not recommended that you get a regulator from either
Badger or Tamiya. Go to your local hardware store instead, and you'll easily save 30
to 50% on the price.

Now we've reached the most important point here....the airbrush itself. Here there
are no cheap options, it's gotta be high end quality. The only way you can save
some $$$$ here, is to shop around and, with a bit of luck, find a good bargain on a
quality airbrush. Before you purchase an airbrush, it's a good idea to consider what
you're going to use it for. If it's single color models like U.S. WW II military vehicles
and so on, a good single action is suitable. If you're planning to undertake
camouflage paintjobs, you might consider getting the double action type.
It might be a good idea to explain the difference between the two kinds of airbushes
at this point. On a single action, you can only control the amount of paint being
sprayed by adjusting the needle or the nozzle on the airbrush.
On a double action, you can control both the amount of paint and air by using the
trigger. The more you push it down, the more you air you let through and the more
you pull it back, the more paint you let through. It takes a lot of practice getting
used to a double action but when you get the hang of it, it's darn hard to go back to
a single action.
Personally, I use a Badger Crescendo 175T double action (the larger of the two

airbrushes seen on the pic) . A great airbrush, which can be used both for covering
large areas with a single color and for those close-to-the-subject camouflage
paintjobs. The set comes with three nozzle/needle sets, fine, medium and large.
Also included is a braided airhose, a must if you're using a compressor. You have
the choice from using either the paintjar (currently fitted) or a small stainless steel
colorcup. The latter is ideal if you're using very small amounts of paint.
My second airbrush is a cheap (too cheap) copy of a Badger single action airbrush.
It can be used for painting models with a one color paintjob, but that's about it. The
main difference between the two airbrushes (besides about 120 $ :) is that, while
the Crescendo gently applies the paint in a steady flow, the cheaper one "spits" the
paint out in small dots, making it harder to cover the model with a uniform coat.

Finally a few words to those who are just about to get their first airbrush. The large
number of different airbrushes on the market can make the first purchase a bit
hard. Brands like Badger, Aztek, Paasche and Tamiya produce high end airbrushes
and accesories. Badger has some great beginners airbrushes but the problems is
that you need to get an air-supply on the side. Tamiya has on the other hand
produced sets which contains both a high quality airbrush and a compressor, for
several years now. And for a reasonable price too.
So I would like to introduce the first "real" airbrush I started out with about 12
years ago, the Tamiya Spray-Work Airbrush System Set (Seen on the picture
below). The add, which is scanned from the '99 Catalogue, should give you a pretty
good idea about this airbrush, but there is one feature not mentioned. It's the little
red button seen behind the colorcup, on the airbrush itself. It's in fact a very usefull

phased triggerstop. By moving the triggerstop forward you reduce the amount of
paint being spraying, once again a must if you're working at a close distance of your
model. Besides this, the set comes with 3 nozzle sets, fine, medium and large.
Opposed to other airbrushs, you use the same needle for all 3 kinds of nozzles, a
feature which makes setting the airbrush up for different kinds of paintjobs, a bit
easier.
All in all, it's a great all round single action airbrush which I, despite the need of
getting a NiCad battery and a charger, can highly recommend as your first airbrush.

Cheap decal setting solution.

Try using vinegar diluted with water. First gloss up the surface on the model
with some kind of clear varnish and leave to dry. Soak the decal in water,
place it on the model and apply the diluted vinegar with a paintbrush. After
all the decals are apllied and dry, you can then airbrush the model with matt
varnish, in order to retrieve a more realistic look.
Finally, please note that decals may react very differently to the vinegar,
from one model company to another. So it's a very good idea to test this
method, with a spare decal from the sheet, on a scrapped model, before you
start decaling your actual project.

Making dried mud.

Besides, the usual method of paint+sand+glue, try using Wood Filler + Fine
Sand + Static Grass + White Glue. Wood Filler comes in many colours like
Walnut, Oak etc. Some of these colours produces that Cool Dried Mud for
your AFVs.

Straps & Belts.

Try lead foil. If you know someone who drinks wines, tell them to keep the
lead foil cap for you. For the various scales, you may need to thin the foil
down with sandpaper or scraping it with your knife.
Web-masters notes: Please remember that lead is very poisonous, so don't
forget to wash your hands after use, and to wear a dust mask during any
sanding or scraping. Ok, I'll lower my index finger again :^)
I also use the lead foil method but if you for some reason can't get hold of it
or you just don't want to work with this material, then there are a few other
things which can be used.
Thin aluminium foil is quite fine, less hazardous and almost just as easy to
work with. In certain cases, e.g. straps around bedrolls, tarps etc., Tamiya
masking tape can also be used with great succes.

Simulating dust on military vehicles.

I've tried the airbrushing methods, but I'm always looking for better ways.
Powdered Wall Putty stuff! Just sprinkle onto your tank and dust it off as you
like it. Finally apply a flat varnish overspray to seal it in. This is much cheaper
than your Pastel Chalks and requires NO grinding 9-). Always test first
though!

Controlled method of removing Paints or soaking up Decaling

Solutions.
Use good quality cotton guds or Q-tips. Either dip it into your thinning
solution or just soak off excess.

Weekend Retreats For The Bored Model Maker.

Okay, it's Saturday and you don't know what to do. The lawn is mowed, the
trash has been put out, you got the paper and read it, twice. You're bored.
Here are some weekend "back to the hobby" activities that any model maker
can do when he wants to take a break from his current project or he doesn't
have one. Combine activities for double or triple the fun!
Spares Bin Spa
If you have started a spares bin, I know you have, and you have been
collecting for some time, how about building something with what you can
find? Dig out the spares bin and rummage through, looking for anything that
might be of use. I have a small army's worth of leftover German figures, so I
find some heads,helmets, a few torsos, arms, legs, equipment and weaponry.
I toss this all onto the kitchen table and seperate the various parts to form
one figure. You may need more parts, or less. Mix and match the parts until
you get some neat, non manufactured poses. Assemble the ones you like
most, and get out the paint pot. Paint them like you usually would. Once you
have finished this (that would take you at least two days for more than two)
Go back to your spares box and find some accesories, ie parts of plaster or
resin buildings, bricks and stones, bits of balsa, parts of armour and vehicles,
etc... And make a little vignette on the kitchen table. Perhaps you have
German soldiers trudging through rubble in Russia or France, maybe some
Allied soldiers firing at some unseen assailant from behind a shattered brick
wall, with parts of wrecked tanks strewn about near them. Now, go down into
the basement (if you have one) and find a solid piece of plywood or leftover
melamine board. Cut it to a desired shape, usually a small square, and head
back up. For those of you not fortunate enough to have a dank basement
filled with board and power tools, head on down to your local base shop, such
as bases and things. Before you leave, measure how large the base will have
to be to accomodate the scene. Buy a nice one that suits the need, and go
back home.Glue the various parts on the base, minus the figures. Now, mask
off the trim and fire up the compressor, cause' you're gonna' do some
airbrushin'! Put down a base coat of black, or if you don't like to preshade, try
a brick red coulour. Only use flat paints. Once this is dry, load up the airbrush
with some tan if you used brick red, brick red if you used black. Spritz the tan
over some areas, such as a brick wall, to lighten it in a mottled pattern.
Spritz it over piles of rubble and loose bricks, too. For the pre shaders, spray
the red in the same manner over the desired areas to get the black in the
crevices effect. Repeat with shades of gray and earth, and voila! A scenic

base. Let the paint dry. Now, for the basecoaters, add a fairly thick wash of
flat black to the entire scene, every square millimeter. For the preshaders,
drybrush the whole scene with various oils and enamels to round out the
scene. Now the basecoaters do the same. Paint the wreckage and accesories
by hand, as well as wood planks if you included them. Give the whole a spray
of strong hairspray, and let it dry. Glue the figure in the desired spots, do a
few dry runs to determine the best placement. Un mask the trim and lo and
behold, you have created a vignette in a weekend!
Worktop Cleansing
If you don't feel like taking up a project, why not clean up your work shop or
worktop? It is gratifying and soothing to have a clean workspace, so you are
ready for the next project when it comes. Toss all those bits of paper and
plastic. Put away the loose sprues. Replace the old x-acto blades with fresh
ones. Clean and arrange your brushes. Strip down and clean the airbrush. Set
up the paints so you can see all the labels. Empty the trash can, and anything
else you can think of. This will take you a good few hours to do, and before
you know it, you will have worked through that lazy afternoon.
Kit-A-Thon
Don't have a project to work on but want a challenge? Head on down to the
local hobby shop and pick up two or three 10$ kits. Go home and seal your
self in your workshop and build like you have never built before! Only take
breaks for the restroom and nourishment. Assemble the kits, according to the
instructions, or make additions if you see fit. See how long it takes you to
build one and try to brak that record. Once you have built them all set them
aside and take a nice, looong break. Watch the bird smack into the big
window. Watch the cars pass. Read a good book.Once you are thoroughly
relaxed, go back to the workshop and start painting the kits, one by one.
Take your time on this one. Once you have finished them all sit back and take
them in, admire their beauty, and ponder how you kept your sanity
throughout the ordeal.
Back To College
Get out all your modeling how-to books, and start reading them, one by one.
Re discover lost techniques. Try to improve on basic ones. Find things you
never found before. Scrutinize the photographs of the models and ponder
how the author did that. Learn different modeling mediums, and overall have
a good time doing so.

Figures?! We don't need no stinkin' figures!

Try this one time, and see if it changes your attitude. Go to the hobby shop
and buy a kit of a different medium, if you build aircraft, buy an armour kit. If
you build armour, a naval kit. If you build naval, a figure kit. Whatever you
haven't tried. Go home and make the model, do some research on
techniques, look through the old model magazine for article which you
ignored completely. When you are done, look at your model. Perhaps you
made a complete mess of it, but you may want to try it again, get it better
next time. Maybe you had made a lovely replica and had a great time doing
so, in both cases you will want to continue building these kits. I used to only
make armour, but now I make figures, aircraft, softskins and even a few
naval kits. You will be surprized how much fun it can be.
Scratchbuild
Get out your sheet styrene and other materials, and build something. It
doesn't matter what, be it a tank or a box, whatever you can build. Try
building some ammo crates for your next diorama? Or if you have more
experience, why not a 1/72 scale tank or vehicle? It is loads of fun to try and
build something from some bits and pieces you find in your workshop!
Now you have gone back to the roots of the hobby, having fun and learning
new things. And you spent that lazy weekend away! These activities are fun
for any type of modeler, any time of the year. Now, I'm going to go cleanse
my workshop!