PAINTING A CIVIL VEHICLE

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Just today I got an email from a friend (Jon Greenwood) asking me about how to paint a yellow vehicle, because he is making a diorama. He was asking me about my Wheel Loader, the one which I painted a couple years ago for my ex-company Mig productions. I made a nice Step by step of this original vehicle, longer than the one that I show here, but it never was published in any magazine. I expeted to make a cool diorama than Jenny (Aussine famous girl :-) suggested me long time ago. Even she sent me a lot of stuff to make it, but finally....that project was impossible to me. Fortunatly I still storing the pictures, so...I can make a small article for Jon and for all who can be useful, of course.

To paint a civil vehcile is not too different than to paint a tank. Except if the base color is GLOSSY, we can apply the rest of techniques in the same way than in amilitary vehicle. It also works with RED cranes or trucks, blue cars or vans, and much more...specially if the vehicle color is FLAT, like with a faded or very worn look. This is the case of this civil wheel loader.

It supposed to be in Iraq or any Middle east scenary, so I painted like with dry mud:



I painted the base color with HUMBROL ENAMELS, because this kind of paint is stronger than acrylic when you need to cover a big surface with a light color, like white or yellow. But you can use acrylics too. Try to paint the different components and panels with different shades of colors. This is very important!!:

Start the weathering adding some filters with enamels, like a kind of dark brown. Apply 2 or 3 coats of different shaes of brown or even a kind of grey brown to avoid a over-exposure to the brown look.

Now is time for washes. Try to be precise adding pin washes. Use a dark color for it. Clean the excess of wash color with a clean brush with a little turpentine:

Look here how I cleaned the excess of washes. Compare the upper picture with the picture right under this lines:

CHIPPING: Use a fine rbush to paint the frist chips, using an Acrylic light yellow:

Then, add over the preview chips, another ones in dark brown color using the same method:

Paint the ruber wheels with a dark grey color. Add a kind of "ring" around the hub using a light color mix of different tamiya colors as you can see in the picture. Also, paint with the same color some lower areas in your vehicle body. It will be a kind of pre-dust coat.

With a little pigment and FLAT varnish (vallejo model air), we can make some rian marks in a radial way, trying to make soft lines.

To paint the special look of the surface of the tire, we will do something different. Put a little matt varnish in a soft surface, like rubber or polyfoam.

Now, add different colors of pigments over the preview coat of varnish.

Before it is dry, handle the wheel and move it rolling over the foam impregned of pigment and varnish:

It will create a realistic and random effect like in real tires.

Use the same colors to make mud effects, appling directly the pigments or mixing it with varnish and splashing it over the hull. Finally you can add some drops of oil or fuel.

And...this is the final look. Is a very easy process, and not too different than paint tanks.

Of course, write your comments if you wish add more information or you have doubts. I hope you like it.

See you in the next one!!

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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HAIRSPRAY TECHNIQUE, Vol.1

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Yes, one more time we must talk about hairspray technique, developed by Philip Stutcinskas long time ago and now pushed by Mike Rinaldi in his last models. In fact I was in touch with Mike long time ago in a way to improve my weak style with such technique. In the begining is not easy, and is hard to understand the whole concept. And even he still improving this method, testing and thinking about new aplications. But waht Mike say in few words is that the 3 basic points where we must base this technique is:

• hair spray quantity
• opacity of top layer of paint
• drying time of hair spray & paint

Now that I have a little more time, I want to go for this great technique and let me share with you some step by steps. Some months ago, I tried the basic way, that is Hairpray over an acrylic base color, like Tamiya or similar, and the second coat also acrylic, but using Life Color for that purpouse. My Sdkfz 222 was painted in that way. But, reciently I am trying with a hard and strong base color with humbrol enamels or Gaianotes laquer paints. My 1/16 King Tiger used this method:

To make this effect is so easy in 1/16, almost a natural and real way for chipping. The base color is Gaianotes, representing the Red Primer. The Gren color and Dark Yellow is Life color, and it represent the poor quality camo applied very fast in the last days in WWII.

Now, let's go to see the step by step in my "MIA" Sdkfz 222, painted with Tamiya and life color:

We can put the Hairspray liquid into a small jar for a easy use of it, applied with an airbrush. This is good in small scales.

When it is dry, we can apply the life color coat. Don't make it too thick, specially in very worn and faded vehciles, like Africa or Winter camos.

Then, we can apply a little water on the surface and start removing the last coat of dark yellow. We can use a fine brush for this task.

We must control very well in a way to avoid ugly chips or too big or too regular. They must be random and logical.

I recomend you combine this technqiiue with teh classic ones, because the Hairspray technique is good for a kind of chips , but not for faded effects. Use dry brush and a old brush to make this effect.

Finally, apply a varnish coat to the whole vehicle to protect the fragil base color. I used a soft coat of Tamiya Glossy varnish.


And finally the decals, transfers or wet transfers. FOX offer wet transfers, in my opinion the best way, because hve the good things from transfers and decals.

Well, this is just a frist aproach to this technique, but I will continue with it in the next months, specially in winter vehicles. I must practice more by my self, specially after my long stage without modelling, but you can follow the works from the two excellent modellers mentioned above.

To be continued...

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THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT

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Uf...is amazing see how many of you have sent me your emails or messages with your support and good words. I have recived more than 200 emails from many of you helping me with all kind of comments and motivation, and trush me, it really help me to continue with this. Also...thanks to all people who posted messages in Missing-Lynx, Armorama, Panzernet or my ex-Mig forum (where I cannot post any reply or message ¿?¿?¿?...) for the nice words and comments.

This was not a Good bye to the modelling, but just a change of path. And after see the reaction of many of you (I recovered the contact with many of you since 5 or 6 years ago), I think that I am in the right way. I was the last tow days reading all your emails, and repling some of them, and I was shocked with all that you guys said. I feel lucky because I am sourronded of great modellers and good persons and this is all motivation that I needed.

I will continue repling your emails during the next days, and I can tell you that I am really happy to be in touch with many of you again.

Thank you very much...muchas gracias.

Mig Jimenez

221 SCRATCH, RIP

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A history of his short life...

Long time ago I decided to paint and finish a Sdkfz 221 made by Jens Fredericksen in Scratch. I was so happy painting it, because I found many pictures of this model under DAK service. But....unfortunatly, I never will be able to finish this model, and is a pity. This model was destroyed (and accident?). I keep several pictures of the step by step that I took when I was painting it, and I will publish here in the incoming weeks.

Of course, it was much better than the actual plastic kits.

I feel very sad....

RIP

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TAMIYA KV II, 1/16th scale

This is the second 1/16 monster that I am currently building and painting. I will show more pictures of this new kit, but...by now, just note the size of the turret. Seems small?? Check my hand size close to the turret!! I think that I will need more than one tamiya jar to paint this surface. But is really cool to build this tank in such scale. I cannot wait to finish it.

I must explain that I was forced to build the turret without instructions sheet because it was a pre-production kit, but after the bad time dicovering where I must place each rivet, screw and metals parts, finally it's done!!

To be continue....