Make your tanks look like they have been through hell and back with OPN’s classic painting tutorial on extreme weathering and using chipping fluid!
This painting tutorial on weathering and how to use chipping fluid is part one in the tutorial series.
To start, prime the model! Then thin down Lifecolor Dirty Black UA731 with Lifecolor Acrylic Thinner until it’s easily sprayed through the airbrush. Now hit with this color for anywhere we want chipping to take place. This is done in a very random fashion, avoiding an even coverage. Trying for as much variety in density and make sure to hit the sharp edges where most chipping would occur.
Now we are going to start adding some rust patches using Vallejo Model Air Burnt Umber anywhere we left clear of the Dirty Black we just sprayed. Just like before, make it look as random as possible so that some areas are much lighter than others. Be very strategic with the Burnt Umber color and pick out exactly where you want the rust colors to come through. By controlling the amount of paint that is coming through, the airbrush allows for many different tonal values when only using one color.
Put down a very liberal coat of AK Interactive Heavy Chipping Fluid. A second coat can be added if you feel you haven’t applied enough on the first coat. The most important thing is to make sure you have good coverage.
After the chipping fluid has fully dried we spray a thin layer of Vallejo Model Air White over the entire surface.
Now we are going to start chipping away the white paint on the tank with a tooth brush and some water. Do not saturate the tank in water because you will strip too much and ruin the effect you are going for. Take your time at this stage because rushing will ruin the effect.
After you have the chipping effect done it is very important to coat the entire model in a satin varnish. If we don’t seal the model at this stage, it will lead to all sorts of problems in the future.
After the varnish has fully dried, mask off an area on the tank and then apply more of the Heavy Chipping Fluid between the masking tape and then apply some Vallejo Model Air Russian Green to the area.
After the green has dried we remove the masking tape and go back to the toothbrush to start chipping the green paint.
Then a decal is added to the back hatch.
Check out the full video of part one of this tutorial!
