FAQ 2

Original idea, text and photos: Mig Jiménez

Collaborators: Carlos Cuesta and David Martí
Publisher: AK Interactive S.L.
Executive producer: Fernando Vallejo
Design and layout: PER
Cover design: Mig Jiménez
Design assistant: Enrique Royo & Chema Pellejero
English traslation: Angus Matthews
English corrections: Iain Hamilton
f.a.Q. 2
“It’s not uncommon for artists to remark that it was years after completing a poem, or
musical composition, or sculpture, that they begin to recognize fully what the thing was all
about. Looking back over the past two decades of modelling, I think we can see something
similar at work. Since the first modelling books & magazines were published, we have been
approaching a deeper understanding of painting and weathering. But it has taken time for
these concepts to become evident.

Our focus on painting and weathering has been constant, as has our focus on their
application in modelling genre that have only recently adopted them. This will remain the focus.

But it is clear now that the underlying force all along has been the building of a modelling
community and culture, something larger than the sum of its parts - a context and a conversation
of painting & weathering. A more conscious effort to help build and deepen this context is an
undertaking that we at AK Interactive welcome with enthusiasm!”

Iain Hamilton, President of AK Interactive USA

Epilogue
It never ceases to amaze me that when I started to write this
book in Paris, 5 years later I had written one of the best-selling
books about modeling. The FAQ practically sold out within the
first year on sale and to this day, many modellers seek in vain to
get hold of a copy. The reality of all this though, is that my life has
not changed at all. Perhaps you the reader may think I have moved
to a beautiful house in the outskirts of Paris, sorry to disappoint
you. The reality is that I have been making the most of the dead
hours, between the flights I take, to write F.A.Q. 2. Once again, I
am on the road to a new destination for me: Novegro, near Milan
(Italy). Once again I am in a modelling show, using this time to
enjoy the fantastic models, soak up the atmosphere, and gain new
ideas. I learn so much just doing my day to day work, listening to
the concerns of modelers, and making lots of models. This is why I
have returned to the heart of modelling, the competitions and ex-
hibitions where the most forward thinking artists show their work.
A few days ago I found myself coming home from Folkestone,
England, and still probably the most prestigious competition in the
world today.
In 5 years things haven’t changed too much, but new tech-
niques have been invented and the modelling trends have also
gone in different directions. For the first time these techniques
are no longer anonymous. We can give names to their owners,
ideologists, and creators. For the first time, we can write the history
of modelling and give expression to some of the most important
artists of our day. This new concept has obliged me to change the
structure of this new F.A.Q., removing some things and adding
others. I will explain the changes later.
…and yet, in this gigantic airport, nothing changes. My box
of models sits at my side, having once again passed through the
carelessly rough hands of the police with their explosive tests,
destroying parts of my Panther II, as they tried to manipulate the
dangerous 88 mm shells it was carrying. One even tells me “they
could be the real thing and they could be shot from the aluminum
gun!” And meanwhile a uniformed blonde police officer finishes
inserting her fingers through the hatch of my Tasca Panzer II. I give
my goodbyes, offering my best cynical smile, and give thanks that
they at least managed to leave a few parts in their proper place.
Airplanes and models really don’t mix. Having said that, the waiting
lounge in any airport is a great place to sit and write.
1
1. INDEX
8 2. INTRODUCTION
9 3. THE EVOLUTION
10 4. CHANGES IN FAQ2
11 5. CONTENTS (TECHNICAL GUIDE)

12 5.1. MATERIALS

Index
. The importance of the materials.
. Primers.
. Acrylic paints.
. Enamel paints.
. Lacquer type paints
. Oils.
. Specific products for weathering.
. Brushes and airbrushes.
. Dilutants and solvents thinners.
. Auxiliary products.

19 5.2. PAINTING TECHNIQUES

21 5.2.1 PRIMING
. Acrylic primers.
. Sprays.

27 5.2.2 BASE COLOUR

. Enamel and lacquer bases.
. Acrylic bases.

33 5.2.3 COLOUR MODULATION

. Basic modulation.
. Complete modulation.
. Advanced modulation.
. The effects of modulation.

51 5.2.4 PANELLING AND OUTLINES

. Panelling with masks.
. Outlining.

55 5.2.5 WASHES
. General washes.
. Pin washes.

63 5.2.6 FILTERS
. Generic filters.

67 5.2.7 STREAKING EFFECTS

. Streaking grime.
. Rust streaks.
 75 5.2.8 TECHNIQUES USING OILS 197 5.2.17 SPECIAL EFFECTS
. Shading and depth. . Metal using graphite.
. Decoloration and fading. . Metal using pigments.
. Dirt. . Metal using other products.
. Highlights and brightness. . Fallen leaves.
. How to place dry transfers.
. Headlights.
83 5.2.9 RAIN MARKS . Licence plates.
. Rain marks using enamel.
. Quick Wheel masks
. Streaking water.

89 5.2.10 HAIRSPRAY TECHNIQUE 210 5.3. PAINT FOR ACCESSORIES

. Techniques secrets.
. The differences between hairspray
and acrylic chipping fluid.
. Preparation.
. Chipping for a complex camouflage.
. Winter chipping.
. Complete chipping effects.
. Chipping effects for an engine.
119 5.2.11 CHIPPING
. The principles of chipping.
. Classic chipping using a brush.
. Chipping using a sponge.
. Chipping using hairspray.
. Chipping using salt.
210 5.3.1 THE IMPORTANCE OF THE ACCESSORIES
.Vehicles own accessories.
. External and ambient accessories.
214 5.3.2 PAINTING ACCESSORIES
. How to paint oil drums.
. How to paint jerry cans.
. How to paint a toolbox
. How to paint wooden boxes.
. How to paint helmets.
. How to paint a bucket.
. How to paint a MG34.
. How to paint stowage.

139 5.2.12 RUST 232 5.4. SIMPLE DIORAMAS

. The colours of rust.
. Streaking rust.
. Accumulated rust. 232 5.4.1 BASIC COMPOSITION
. Large areas of rust. . Concepts.
. Composition of vignettes.
149 5.2.13 DUST EFFECTS . Composition in dioramas.
. Basic principles of dust. . Groups of figures.
. Dust on vertical surface.
. Dust effects in the desert. 248 5.4.2 CREATING TERRAIN
. Dust effects on horizontal surfaces. . Modelling the terrain.
. Paint, vegetation and the environment.
161 5.2.14 MUD EFFECTS . Painting a building.
. Dry mud. . Diorama as a base for a vehicle.
. Wet mud.
. Splashed mud.
271 6. MODELS GALLERY
177 5.2.15 OIL AND FUEL
. Theory of oil.
. How to apply oil. 311 7. CONCLUSION
. Spilt fuel.

187 5.2.16 HOW TO PAINT TRACKS

. With acrylics.
. Mixed method: acrylic, enamel and pigments.
. Using “Black n’ It”.
. Painting links.

2
Introduction
Who was it that said that modelling is dead? As the years go by,
modelling is evolving and becoming even stronger! Many of the
painting techniques explained years ago, have been assimilated
and are understood by new modellers and these modellers have
been able to take modelling one more step up the ladder. What
is also true is that in the last few years some new techniques have
been designed. These new techniques are more advanced and so-
phisticated, and they are giving this hobby of ours a whole new
dimension. A few of these new advances have been designed by
some of the best modellers around today and I wanted to gather
together all of this new information in my new book. Because
things have evolved so quickly, there are many modellers that find
they come up against all kinds of different obstacles. These obsta-
cles are not necessarily how to apply these new techniques, as much
as the number of different products that are now available on the
market and how they are used. All these factors mean that military
modelling has been converted into something much more complex
than before. If before modelling was exclusively for those who were
good with their hands, precise painting, as well as being able to
use all the tools and photo etch available, it has now changed into
something much more difficult. As well as having the foresaid skills,
it is now necessary to have an understanding of art, colour theory
8 FAQ 2
and much more. To simplify, we can say that if before modelling
was in High school it is now in University. So, new modellers that
are just discovering the hobby will find things very difficult and
complicated.
If you are a beginner, and by mistake you have bought this book
or have been given it as a present, it is possible that you will find it
very complex. However, you will still find numerous things that will
be of help to you. You will discover small tricks and techniques that
you will be able to put into practice straight away. But what you will
find difficult is to have a general idea of how to paint great models
just by reading this book. The reason being that this book is like
a technical manual used by a car mechanic. You take for granted
that the mechanic already has the skills to do the job, the manual
only helps to solve more difficult technical problems. However, the
manual on its own will not turn you into a mechanic. If on the other
hand, you are an experienced modeller, with plenty of finished
models under your belt or have even won some contests, then
you have found the perfect book that will help you take the next
step on your journey. Now making great models is not only about
being able to paint well, position decals in the right place, or being
able to achieve an attractive and realistic finish. In the world today
there are thousands of great modellers, but not all of them are
able to rise above the rest. And this is the problem and the key to
modelling today. Everybody now makes great models, everybody
can paint really well, but not everybody is able to put all of these
skills together to produce outstanding models and this is because
it is now very difficult to make and paint something extraordinary
and original. This is exactly what the modern modeller is looking
for, recognition for making exceptional models that stand out from
the crowd. It must be mentioned, that even with the help of this
book, it will be impossible to achieve these kinds of results. As well
as having to be an exceptional painter, you also need talent. You
need to have that special something inside which makes you stand
out from the rest and this is something you can’t learn from a book.
In any case, there are many ways to make your models stand out. It
is not necessary be a genius or something similar. For example, the
best way to do something different is to do something that nobody
has ever done before. It sounds a bit obvious and pointless to men-
tion this, but a lot of modellers make this error. In today’s climate
you need to find original themes, not just historically unique, but
also with the use of colours, decorations and any other aspects that
will give your model an edge. However, even if it does sound con-
tradictory, it is still great to copy, if only to practice and understand
new ideas and techniques.
On many occasions, I have been asked my feelings about modellers
who copy another modeller’s work, sometimes making nearly iden-
tical models. I have always said it is a great thing to copy. Firstly, the
modeller making the copy will, by using a finished example, have
something to help him improve his technique and his own evolu-
tion. Secondly, because it should be taken as a great honour that
another modeller would want to copy something that you have
created. It means that your model has been seen as an excellent
example and good enough to provide inspiration to others.
During the XIX and XX centuries, many artists who were in their
learning phase, would go to the Louvre in Paris to copy the great
works of great masters to understand the basics of classical paint-
ing. These experiences were then used to go deeper and explore
something more modern, and contemporary. Because of this, the
modeller who copies another to understand should not feel embar-
rassed, they should feel proud and happy to show off his work to
others as this “copy” has enabled him to evolve and improve his
skills. On the flip side of this is the modeller who is just too lazy
and idle to take the time to read books or look at photographs in
the search for original ideas, and instead just copies other people’s
ideas, these are the modellers that should feel embarrassed. The
greatest treasure that we have is our imagination. We must nur-
ture it and protect it. However, we must also share this richness of
knowledge and experience with others that need it. But, it is one
thing to voluntarily share this with someone, it is quite another
to have an idea copied and used by someone else. You must be
creative, because all the techniques are available to everyone. Don’t
think that you will become the best modeller simply because you
have bought this book; many other modellers will also have it and

3
will have the same fountain of knowledge as you. Use this book
so that you don’t have to waste time investigating and trying out
different products and instead can use your time thinking of mar-
vellous ideas and original ways to surprise everyone else. Ideas are
the base of the future of modelling, the creativity is the means of
expressing these ideas and the originality is the result of the best
combination of the two.

Not long ago, I saw in the mall in front of the White House in
Washington D.C., a group of fanatics that where predicting that
the end of the world would be in the spring of 2011. I can re-
member that at this moment in time, I was slightly pre-occupied
because I hadn’t finished this book yet and at the time it was the
most important thing in my life. However, when this prediction did
not come true and life went on as normal, I started to realize that
we are all very lucky to be on this Earth and we are able to do what
it is that makes us happy. Although for many people modelling is
only a small hobby, a past time or just a way of killing time, for us
modelling is a way of life that makes us very happy. This is what is
important to us, to disconnect from reality and a way to feel good
about what we are doing. It is because of this that I can say with
complete confidence that modelling is not dead, nor will it be for
many years to come. It is possible to say that in certain parts of the
world today, modelling is not a common hobby for young people
who now like to spend their time on the PlayStation. Rather it is
the older generation that continues to make models. Having said
that, I have been able to see how in other parts of the world such
as Russia, China, Poland, and many other countries, modelling is
just starting to lay its roots. Now Europe and the United States
are not at the centre of the modelling world, it has moved further
away………. to countries where modelling is just starting to grow.
In ten or twenty years the best modellers in the world will come
from these new countries and, like everything else in the world,
the cycle will start again. Now is the time to continue opening new
doors, to continue with all our strength to make models and diora-
mas that will be remembered forever. In our hands is the strength
to make modelling something historical and more important, so
that it is considered an art. Possibly in the near future we will see
the greatest works from around the world shown in a museum,
perhaps in Moscow or Shanghai.
The evolution
More than 5 years have passed since I wrote the book FAQ and
during this time it has become a worldwide best seller and an im-
portant reference guide for many modelers. It is a pity that I have
never received any royalties from the sales of the book and that I
must be happy with a quantity of money that in today’s climate,
seems ridiculous. My greatest reward though has been to see how,
year after year, thousands of modellers have been able to use this
book to improve their modelling. I have also received thousands of
letters and emails congratulating me, words of gratitude and lots
of encouragement to do a second volume. Personally, I had never
thought that the book would be so successful and I can assure you
that I was more surprised than anybody. This demonstrated one
thing very clearly: modellers need and want to know how to be able
to finish their models using all the techniques available. Nothing is
gained looking at finished models from the best modellers, if later
you do not know how to do something similar.
I am very proud of my first book because I am sure that it has
helped a lot of modellers improve their models and I can see that
today many of them are now authentic idols, great miniature artists
that are now leading the way in the modelling world. It’s possible
to say that many of the modellers that used my book as a guide
have now surpassed my level of work.

FAQ 2 9

4
Changes in FAQ2
Experience is the building block of progress. After finishing FAQ
1, I started to receive numerous emails from readers offering me
ideas and recommendations on how I could improve the contents
of a future FAQ 2. In all of my publications and works that I have
done, I have always intended to try to help and assist the modeller
and it has never been my aim to show off and extol my own work.
In this way, I have tried to be honest and listen to my readers and it
is for this reason that I decided to make some changes to my new
book. First, I wanted to improve the quality of the images as well as
the basic design. I have never been completely satisfied with FAQ
published by Andrea Press. The first thing you notice with the new
book is how all the photographs, printing, and the general layout
has been improved.
10 FAQ 2
Many readers recommended that I include more information in the
written text and better descriptions with the photographs and for
this reason I have gone in to more detail in these sections. These
new larger texts are based on the experiences I have had on my
many journeys around the world over these last few years. I have
been able to understand the different concerns and complica-
tions that arise and now have more knowledge of the true prob-
lems faced by modellers today. I have a better understanding of
what they need, where they get stuck, and where they go wrong.
Because of this, I have been able to be more precise in my explana-
tions of the techniques and how they should be used.
Another change that I have made to the new book is in the way
that it is structured. In FAQ 1, I made a list of frequently asked ques-
tions common to most modellers. This was a good system if you
needed a concrete answer to a specific problem, but the answer
was not accompanied by a context and it was difficult to apply the
knowledge in a practical way. It was for this reason that instead of
having a never-ending list of questions and answers, I have now
written larger more generalized texts based on different block
themes. Using these larger more in-depth texts, a modeller with
a certain problem will not only be able to find a specific answer
to the problem, but also find other related explanations based on
the whole theme in question. For example, if you are unsure as to
which product you should use for creating a mud effect, you will
discover that there is one whole section in the book dedicated to
mud. Within this section you will find that in addition to telling us
which product to use, it also tells us how to use it, how to apply it,
how long it takes to dry, etc. I feel that this new structure will help
the modeller much more than the previous format. It should give a
more complete answer as to what a certain technique is and how it
is applied, from beginning to final result.
This new FAQ 2 also touches on some new, interesting, and very
different themes that will be very useful for the modern modeller.
Some fascinating sections such special effects, how to paint
buildings, and other interesting guides on how to paint accessories
for your models and dioramas. This is not an FAQ on dioramas, but
I thought it was important to take the opportunity to give some
basic notions on the composition and the use of different terrains
and in this way, explain some of the small tricks that will help to
create the perfect base for displaying your models.
5
Contents
(technical guide)
As I said before, many things have changed in the last few years;
however other things have stayed the same. This is the case with
many of the techniques that we will be studying in the following
chapters. In this new FAQ, I wanted to change a few things. Some
of the more classical techniques have been explained more clearly
and extensively and have been updated to include many of the
new materials that are available today. These classic techniques
continue to be the fundamental base of modelling and they should
not be left out of this compilation. Washes, chipping, and some
dust effects, are just some examples of these techniques. Other
techniques have been permanently discarded from this volume be-
cause they are now obsolete or just simply due to the fact that they
have been explained so many times that it would be too repetitive
to include them again and let them take up space to be utilized for
more interesting themes. Over the following pages I have given
an in-depth guide to other techniques, the modulation, streaking
effects, and complex chipping techniques have all been included.
These techniques are some of the newest and most advanced of
our day and they are unfamiliar to many modellers around the
world. Another change I have made is to the way things have been
explained, the first FAQ was broken down into a lot of questions
and answers. But now you will find many aspects of the same tech-
nique have been globalized in a block. I feel that now you will be
able to find all the relative information on a technique together and
explained from start to finish, helping you understand the whole
process much better. All the technical details are included in the
explanations and you will be able to apply all the tricks explained in
this book to your models quickly and easily.

FAQ 2 11
5.1
Materials
The importance of materials
(photo: (1) )
A modeller must have good materials to be able to make good
models. We can’t paint fine chipping or do quality washes without
having the adequate material. We must also take into account
other factors such as our workbench, the lighting we use, and
many other aspects of the painting process to achieve a well
finished model. It is also important to understand the paints we
use, their composition and thinners, the air pressure you need
when working with an airbrush, and the drying time for each of the
products we use. Recently, many new products have come onto the
market designed for doing specific effects and the modeller must
discover and understand how to use each of these products. It is
also important to state that “NOT EVERYTHING WORKS”, and that
not just any product will do when doing effects on models. Some
products that have not been specifically designed for modelling can
cause us many problems and on some occasions even destroy our
model. These products can be very strong and when applied, can
12 FAQ 2
1
have disastrous effects on the paint or the plastic of our model just
because they are not design to be use on a plastic kit. On occasion,
a modeller may look for a similar product on the market that is
cheaper in order to save a little money. You must remember that
these cheaper generic products have never been tested on models
and anything could happen. Sometimes we spend a fortune on
a model from DML, some tracks from Friulmodel, photo etch set
from Voyager and many other products. But then we want to save
a few Euros on a bottle of solvent that may last us a couple of years.
We must understand the importance of using specialized modelling
products, much more so, if we wish to achieve great results in a safe
manner. It is important to choose the appropriate product for the
work you are going to do, for example, use a resin primer for a resin
model and a plastic primer for a plastic model. In any case, having
good materials doesn’t’ make us better modellers, but it does help
us to work efficient and more confidently. (photo: (2))
Primers
Recently, primers have become more important with in modelling.
This is because it has been demonstrated that using a good primer
will help to avoid many problems during the painting process.
Apart from that, a primer also helps when applying a base colour,
especially when using light colours. It is also essential when painting
a complete modulation of a vehicle. There are two types of primer:
those you apply using a brush or airbrush and those that come
in a spray can, both types can be found in lacquer and in acrylic.
Lacquer primers that come in a spray can tend to be fairly toxic and
irritating and must be used in an open space with good ventilation.
The advantage is that they can be applied quickly, they cover very 1

well and you don’t have to worry about using an airbrush and
having to clean it afterwards. (photo: (1))

The acrylic primers to be used with an airbrush like those offered

from AK Interactive, are clean and non-toxic. These primers offer
much more control. This means that they can be used on interiors
and can also offer a cost savings by being able to cut back and
use smaller quantities of the product. (photo: (2)) I personally
recommend using acrylic airbrushable primer for the majority of
our models, unless you are working on larger 1/16 scale models.
The spray primer is also a useful tool when doing dioramas and
rough terrain.

Acrylic paints
At this time, acrylic paints are probably the most popular and uti-
lized paints in most of the western world. In other countries such 2
as Japan, the dominate products are lacquer paints. Of course this
is not just for its aesthetic factors but also economic ones. In Spain
and Italy, the use of acrylic paint is widespread. The reason being
is that two of the largest manufactures of acrylic paint are in these
two countries. Evidently, the products produced here are cheaper
than the products produced in the USA or Japan and vice versa. In
Japan it is much cheaper to buy Mr Hobby or Tamiya than it is to
buy Vallejo or Life Colour. In any case, the type of paint you use is
not as important as the differences between them. Here we will
learn when to use acrylics and when to use lacquers.

Within the range of acrylic paints there are many different types
and varieties, even more if we use acrylic concept for paint that can
be diluted with water. In this range we can find watercolours, inks
and the acrylic colours.

Watercolours and inks have more or less stopped being used due
to their fragility and limited use they have for creating effects or to 1
fully cover surfaces. It is also difficult to find an adequate colour
range due to the fact that there are no watercolours or inks spe-
cifically designed for modelling. I don’t recommend using these
products, unless it is only for experimentation. (Photo: (1))

The other type is the classic acrylic paints used by artists, school
children and of course modellers for many years. Due to its neutral
toxicity, it has been converted into a popular product for every-
body. Another quality of the acrylic paint is that it dries quickly,
although this can be counterproductive when using an airbrush.
(Photo: (2))
2

FAQ 2 13
 and many other applications. Due to its great covering capacity,
enamels continue to be an important tool on the modeller’s desk.
The manufactures of enamels have also made advances and have
redefined the enamel paint; it is now less toxic and dries much
better and faster. (photo: (1))

Lacquer type paints

For many years now many people have had the idea that the
paints from Tamiya were acrylic, the truth is, they are not. The
3 Tamiya paints, like those from Mr Hobby, are in fact lacquer paints.
Although due to their diffusion and sales in the infantile market,
Finally, I must give a mention to the acrylic paints from AK that’s to say for the sake of public schools, they were promoted
Interactive. These products are a little bit special due to the use
of a glutiner, an acrylic resin which makes the paint more resistant
and gives it better covering capacity. The modeller will find many
differences between the fore mentioned paints and the ones from
AK Interactive. It is also important to know that these paints are as
good as the others when using the hairspray technique. (photo: (3))

Enamel paints
For many years there were few alternatives to enamel paints. Only 1
Tamiya was able to compete with HUMBROL, who produced the
best enamel paints for modelling. Other brands such as MOLAK
also had their place in the market, but HUMBROL’s products domi-
nated the shelves of modelling shops all over the world for many
years. Over time however, certain aspects of the enamel paint
such as its bad smell, slow drying time, toxicity, and its instability
when diluted, meant that it moved into second place in the mar-
ket. With the appearance of acrylic paints, enamel paints stopped
being of such importance to modellers. Year’s later modellers are
still using enamels, but in specialized products such as those used
to do weathering effects. In any case, I must say that enamels are a
great alternative to acrylics and provide a great base on larger 1/16
scale RC vehicles, as a base when doing the hairspray technique,
2

in Japan as being acrylic paints. This type of paint can be diluted

with water, alcohol, or with lacquer thinners. But in reality, for the
Tamiya paints to work correctly they should be diluted with a lacquer
thinner only. It is because of this that I didn’t include these paints
with the acrylic types. (photo: (1)) In addition to Tamiya and Mr
Hobby, there are also other paints on the market. These are much
more aggressive and toxic, such as the ones from AKAN (Russia)
that cannot be sold in Europe due their high toxicity. Under no
circumstance would I recommend using lacquers from AKAN due
to the danger it poses to your health. The paints from Gaianotes are
magnificent, although they too are fairly toxic. However, they are
great, especially for use as a resistant base to support some of the
more aggressive techniques. These paints dry fairly quickly, are very
resistant and work better when diluted. (photo: (2))
1

14 FAQ 2
Oils
One type of paint that is becoming more important in modelling by
the minute is oil. Oils have been used for centuries and in modelling
have always been used when painting figures and for doing a lot of
effects on vehicles and dioramas. The use of this product is nothing
new, but it is something you will need close at hand for many of the
techniques in the following pages. The principle characteristic of
oils is the time you need for drying. To accelerate the drying process
it is convenient to place the paint on an absorbent material such as
paper or cardboard. This helps to remove the excess oil and notably
speeds up the drying time. There is also a product called “cobalt
drier” that speeds up the drying, but for most of the effects that
we do on our models this is not necessary. That said, whatever we
do when using oils, they should always be given at least 48 hours to
dry. It is very helpful to have a good range of oil colours from white,
greens, blues, browns, earth colours, etc…

Specific products for weathering

In the last few years these new products have been a true revolu-
tion when it comes to painting models. Never before have there
been such specific products on the market to help you when you
are doing certain specific effects. Even though technically most of
these products are enamel, I preferred to group these products on
their own because these products are a lot softer and less aggres-
sive than pure enamel paints. Additionally some of the products
you can find on the market to do effects are simply pigments and 1
others acrylic. What really characterizes these products is that they
are specially designed for doing washes, filters, rust, fading, and
many other effects. The fact is that all the other products on the
market serve only as a base colour. It is these specific weathering
products that will give real life to your models.

Perhaps the most basic and fundamental are the washes. Due to
the balanced dilution, they are perfect for doing these effects and
the colour range available provides the perfect solution for many
specific vehicles. I must emphasize that these products dry much
faster than conventional enamels; in a few minutes, the wash is dry
and ready for you to continue working. Although for it to dry com-
pletely you need to leave it for 12 to 24 hours. (photo: (1))

2
For another example, we have the products used to do streaking
effects. The colours are designed to creat effects such as streaking
grime, the vertical dirty lines so characteristic on the sides of many
vehicles. The streaking effects are the irregular vertical lines that
have been made by the rain collecting dirt as it runs down the sides
of the vehicle. Also, rain marks and streaking rust effects enter in
the same category. The drying and application characteristics are
similar to that of the products used for washes. (photo: (2))

Another important group of products are the ones designed to

create effects of mud, dust and earth. This range is more dense
than the ones mentioned before and some of them have a satin or
a gloss finish. The gloss finishes especially need more time to dry.
All the different tones of mud you might need can be achieved
with these products and by adding plaster you can give much more 3

FAQ 2 15
volume to the end product without having to add an acrylic resin
or any other product. These products are perhaps one of the most
important advances in modelling in the last few years, because
the mud and dust effects have always been very important ele-
ment in modelling. Now with these products the process has been
made much simpler and any modeller can achieve realistic mud
effects on their models. The drying times vary with these products
depending on how we apply them, naturally or mixed with plaster.
But in general they dry quickly. They have also been designed to
4
be applied with an airbrush to achieve some very interesting and
subtle results of accumulated dust or just for preparing the area to
later apply mud. (photo: (3))

Some other interesting products for our models are the ones spe-
cifically for engines, oils and fuels. This range is indispensable for
the modeller who makes models with visible engines, in a garage,
a factory, or simply for vehicles like bulldozers and excavators
where on many occasions the engines are uncovered. Two of these
products are very glossy because they are used to create the effects
of grease or fuel spillages, due to this they must be left for at least
24 hours to dry. They can also be applied using an airbrush where 5
necessary, but only if you are sure the final result is very realistic.
(photo: (4))

We also now have new products available to simulate the effects

made by rain. These are products that simulate the effects of rain
marks and others that represent the dirt left by the rain when it
has dried. This type of product saves the modeller a lot of time in
experimentation and above all the mistakes. To use for example any
given gloss varnish to do effects of streaking water is suicide, as it
can ruin all of the previous work done on our model. (photo: (5))

I must mention some classic products that are well known to all
6
modellers such as pigments & filters. Even though the use of pig-
ments is widespread and popular around the world it must be said
that many of the techniques that are done using pigments have
become old fashioned and obsolete. With many of the effects done
using these products being exclusively mud and dust, it is much
better these days to use the specific products mentioned before.
They are much more efficient, controllable, and a lot faster. As you
will see later, the new way of creating mud effects permits much
more precision and the final result is much more realistic. Even with
these new innovations, the pigments are still useful for doing cer-
tain smaller effects like smoke, metal, touches of rust and small fi-
nal touches to a model. The finest and purest pigments designed to
this day are the ones from AK Interactive. But I also recommend the
7
ones from Artbox, they are slightly different and their characteris-
tics make them great for creating different effects. These pigments
are much thicker and are great for creating accumulated mud. In become a popular product all over the world and has become one
any case I am not going to go into too much detail about the things of the most utilized techniques by lots of modellers. This product
you can do with pigments, because these techniques have been gives a great attractive finish with little effort. More than anything,
discussed all over the world. It is not necessary to explain them giving depth to a base colour or unifying camouflages. The filters
again, especially when there are better alternatives on the market are enamel with a high dilution ratio to avoid getting the surface
to do the same effects. (photo: (6)) of the model dirty. The drying time can vary between 1 hour to
half a day depending on the circumstances and they should always
To finish, I would like to touch on a technique which I started using be applied using a brush. This technique has been mentioned a lot
in 1995. It was thanks to my friend Jindra from the Czech Republic, in the last few years and I have briefly mentioned it to clarify cer-
that the filter designed as a product in 2003. The filter has quickly tain concepts which still worry many modellers. (photo: (7))

16 FAQ 2
Brushes and airbrushes
Brushes and air brushes are the basic and fundamental tools when
the time comes to paint our models. Basically you only need a few
brushes and of good quality where possible. Lower quality brushes
tend to break easily and can cause many problems if we are doing
some fine chipping or effects using oils. We should have 3 or 4
brushes with a sharp round point such as numbers 6, 4, 2 or 1,
and one very fine 3/0 brush. Also for doing other techniques you
should have a couple of flat brushes, numbers 2 and 6 are great.
With these two brushes you can do all the effects of streaking, rain
marks or streaking rust.
The brushes should be washed using soap and water after use,
especially if you have been using enamel paints. All brushes must
be stored with the hairs pointing up. In a jar is perfect.
When talking about airbrushes, I always recommend models
that are easy to use, robust, and always with the double action
so that you can regulate both air pressure and quantity of paint.
An Airbrush with a nozzle of 0’3 is sufficient to do everything,
including very fine camouflage. It is not recommended to use
smaller nozzles as they tend to block very easily. Also, you do not
need to spend all of your money on the most expensive model.
Even though they insist they are the best on the market and will
help you do effects better and easier, it’s not true. An expensive
airbrush does exactly the same as a cheaper one especially when
in the hands of a non profesional. Also many of these expensive
airbrushes have been designed for only one specific type of paint,
such as inks. For this reason, save your money to spend on models
and paints and buy a normal airbrush with double action, robust
and durable. The airbrushes made by Sparmax of Taiwan, are one
of the best options being cheap and reliable. Another that contin-
ues to do well is the excellent HF Superfine from Tamiya. It is an
economic airbrush that will last a life time. Lastly, two of the best
options are the American made Grex and Badger. Although slightly
more expensive than the others, these brands offers great value for
the money and have a wide range of accessories, compressors, and
connectors. If you don’t want to make your life complicated then
these can be your airbrushes.
To work properly with the airbrush it is necessary to work with a
constant air pressure of 1.5 kgs. The higher the pressure used, the
higher the probability that the end result will look like orange peel
or cobwebs.
2 1
Dilutants and solvent thinners
Even though many don’t believe it, dilutents are the most impor-
tant part of making your paints work well. If you use the wrong di-
lutent in paint, the result can be catastrophic. On many occasions,
modellers turn to cheaper alternative products thinking that they
can save a few Euros or Dollars. This is the biggest error a modeller
can make, because an inadequate product can ruin all of the paint-
work. Especially when doing effects, because we work with many
superimposed layers and subject the base colour to many hours of
humidity with washes, filters, fading etc. Some people believe that
a dilutent that has been specially designed for plastic modelling,
and for our paints, is the same as what you might find in a super-
market. The reality is quite different. It is the same as comparing a
Mercedes or a BMW with a Fiat or a Skoda. Yes, they are all cars
and you can use them all in a race, but they are not of the same
quality and do not have the same specifications. It goes without
saying that I always recommend using products that have been
specifically designed for modelling and never try to save a few coins
on something as important as the paint. Especially after spending
50 Euros on a plastic model, 20 Euros on photo etch, 15 Euros on
an aluminium gun barrel, and 25 Euros on some metal tracks.
When diluting enamels and oils, you should always use a good
quality product to avoid damaging the plastic of your models and
also avoid problems during the drying process. The white spirit
from AK Interactive is ideal to work with when doing streaking
effects. This is because it is slightly stronger than the odourless
thinner or the odourless turpentine. This last one is very soft and
has no odour and is a great product for washes and oils. The only
time I recommend using ordinary supermarket turpentine is for
cleaning your brushes. (photo: (1))
For lacquer paints, you should always use a specific dilutent. These
dilutents are fairly toxic and you should always be careful when
working with them. You should always work in a well ventilated
area and use a protective mask to avoid inhaling the vapour from
FAQ 2 17
the airbrush. The GAIANOTES dilutant is the best, especially for
the paints from Tamiya, Mr Hobby, and of course Gaianotes own
paints. However, because of its toxicity and it is very flammable, it
is difficult to buy as it cannot be carried on airplanes. To achieve
an extra fine finish, it is best to add 6 or 8 parts of the Gaianotes
for each part of paint, especially when painting airplanes or civilian
vehicles. Of course we must be patient when using this product
and paint numerous layers until we get the paint to properly cover
the surface. (photo: (2))
Acrylic paints are much easier to use and of course a lot less toxic.
We can use them safely at home in the middle of winter with the
windows closed and in the presence of children. Some acrylics like
the watercolours, inks, and the paints from Life Colour can be di-
luted with normal water. The paints from Model Air by Vallejo are
a special case and for the paints to work correctly they need to be
diluted with their own dilutent. The varnishes from Model Air can
also be diluted with this dilutent if it is necessary, although theo-
retically these paints are designed to use directly from the bottle,
without the need to dilute. (photo: (3))
18 FAQ 2
Auxiliary products
There are also other products on the market that, although less
important, can help us to keep our tools clean and in perfect con-
dition. Some of the paints we use can be very damaging to our
brushes and airbrush. Because of this, it is essential to use spe-
cific products to remove any leftover paint. The cleaners can be for
brushes and there are various types, one for each type of paint we
use. It is very important to use the correct product as for example
an acrylic cleaner will not remove enamel paint. (photo: (1), (2))
There are also other products with distinct purposes, although I am
not going to detail all of them as they are for very specific themes.
That said, one of the more important ones is the liquid we can use
to help position the decals. There are many different formulas from
different companies from around the world. Always follow the
instructions carefully to avoid difficulties. These products help to
eliminate the plastic finish that all decals have. The latest one I have
tried was from Vallejo, it is very easy to use and the result is very
acceptable. They are not toxic and can be dissolved and cleaned
using just water. (photo: (3))
5.2
Painting
techniques
A lot has been said about the techniques we use. For many years
and decades, numerous modellers have published articles and writ-
ten books explaining some of the techniques that we still use to-
day. Perhaps Verlinden in the 80’s and 90’s was the most detailed,
their articles and books establishing a “universal” way to paint. But
until my first book was published, the FAQ1, never before had the
techniques of modelling been taken so seriously, specifically those
addressed to painting. The concept of FAQ changed many things
in modelling and for the first time, all the modellers in the world
had a basic guide that covered nearly all of the effects, tricks, and
techniques, as well as additional information about other aspects
of modelling. The present book is not exactly the second part of the
book I published over 5 years ago, as much as an update of that
book. It is possible to say that the FAQ1 is now obsolete, because
things have changed so much. New techniques and new products
have appeared. I also want to put right some of the problems and
errors I made in the first book. Readers asked me for more in-depth
texts, better quality photographs… and all of this has been im-
proved in this new volume. I feel that this book is the definitive
collection of the techniques because they are better explained, in-
cluding more examples and with more variety. I have tried to elimi-
nate the better known techniques and the unnecessary things to
leave more space for the new. I hope you will find everything you
need within these pages, or at least the most important.
FAQ 2 19
20 FAQ 2
5.2.1 Priming

FAQ 2 21
 Acrylic primers
The acrylic primer that can be used with an airbrush is perhaps one
of the best products designed in the last few years. Its clean, does
1
not smell bad, easy to use, it is acrylic, and you have great control
when applied with the airbrush. It can be diluted with a few drops
of water if necessary to be applied with the airbrush and its ability
to cover surfaces is fantastic. There is also a large range of colours
for all types of themes. The primer is necessary so that we can
apply other colours over the top and we should always prime our
models. For one layer of primer to dry, we only need to wait for 10
to 15 minutes. (photo: (1) & (2))

When working with lighter colours, it is important to apply a primer

as it will help the base colours we paint later cover better. Acrylic
paints do not grip too well to plastic surfaces; they tend to be oily
due to the fabrication process. The acrylic paints also have difficulty
to cover dark surfaces, like you might find on some of our plastic
models, because of this the primer is fundamental. (photo: (3) , (4),
(5) & (6))

3 4

5 6

22 FAQ 2
 7 8

When painting the interior of a vehicle it is best to first paint the
interior and mask it off from the exterior. Once closed, we can apply
primer to the exterior. This primer is also very important when we
need to use some of the more aggressive techniques, such as the
hairspray technique, were we have to rub the surface vigorously with
a brush. In this case, the primer is great for stopping the base colour
coming off the plastic surface below. (photo: (7), (8), (9), (10) & (11))
The acrylic primers come in different colours which can be great for
different types of projects, the terrain on a diorama for example.
(photo: (12))

9 10

11 12

FAQ 2 23
Sprays
In some cases the spray primer can be very useful, especially
when we have to work quickly or when we have to prime a
larger surface. All we have to do is shake the can well and
apply it to all the pieces of the model at a distance of about
20cms, covering the pieces with various passes of the spray 1

trying not to let the primer accumulate on the model. The

accumulation is probably the most common problem when
using a spray can. Spray primers take much longer to dry than
a primer applied with an airbrush. On occasions it may need a
few hours to dry completely.

When we wish to use a spray primer to prime a large number

of pieces it is best to use a support and spray each piece so as
not to get our hands dirty and so that we can move and rotate
each piece easily. We can apply various successive coats leav-
ing each coat for 30 to 60 minutes to dry. (photo: (1), (2) & (3))

24 FAQ 2
The use of the spray primer is very suitable
for doing large scale models, especially those
that are radio controlled. Due to the extreme
wear suffered on the outdoor, good priming
is fundamental. A black primer can be very
useful for this type of vehicle if it suffer chip-
ping when being used on natural terrain. If
the paint or camouflage gets chipped, you
can see the black primer through the layers of
paint and not the grey, like in static models.
The primer made by Citadel is exceptionally
good for these finishes; however I must men-
tion that it should only be used in well venti-
lated work areas. (photo: (4) & (5))

FAQ 2 25
26 FAQ 2
5.2.2 Base
colour

FAQ 2 27
Enamel and
Lacquer
bases
This type of paint should be used when we
do the more aggressive types of techniques,
that is to say when the base colour will suffer 1
some wear and tear during the process, like
with the hairspray technique. But, it is also
advisable for larger scale models and when
we have to do techniques using alcohol, such
as when we want to do effects of erosion
or streaking etc. using acrylic colours faded
with alcohol. If we are using enamel paints,
like the ones from Humbrol, we should use
white spirit to dilute them. The exact propor-
tion can vary from colour to colour within
the same brand, because they do not all
have the same density. However in most
cases we can add 50% paint to 50% White
Spirit. To apply these colours with a brush is
slightly more complicated, but we can apply
various coats, leaving each coat to dry for at
least 12 hours. (photo: (1), (2) & (3))

28 FAQ 2
 On other occasions we need to use lacquer type paints, like the
ones from Tamiya or Mr Hobby, because we need to use very spe-
cial or exact colours. For example, Mr Hobby offers a great range
of interesting colours for different armies. The colours for the
Luftwaffe in the Second World War are magnificent and it will be
4
very difficult to obtain some of these tones in enamel or acrylic.
To paint the following Leopard, with a hypothetical camouflage
from 1945 using the Luftwaffe colours, we have used the specific
colours from Mr Hobby. As a reference we have used a photograph
of a Russian 2S3 with a similar camouflage. To use these paints it is
necessary to have first applied a primer. Remember, these types of
paint should be diluted using a lacquer thinner, like the one from
Gaianotes. Add 60% or more of the Gaianotes for 40% of paint for
it to work correctly with an airbrush. These types of paints dry very
quickly and are very resistant. As these paint should be thinned
using a lacquer thinner, it is not recommended that we use a brush
except for the odd small detail because laquer thinner is very strong
and aggressive. (photo: (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9) & (10))

10

FAQ 2 29
Some lighter colours can be very interesting when applied using
enamel paints, due to their great covering capacity. With enamel
paint we can cover any surface very quickly, even a yellow colour
like the following example. (photo: (11))

30 FAQ 2
 Acrylic Bases
Applying an acrylic base colour requires some additional precau-
tions. Of course, before the base color we must apply a primer.
With this type of paint the primer is essential, the acrylics don’t
cover as well as enamel or lacquer paints and because of this we
must use a primer. Also, the acrylic paints are much more fragile,
and deteriorate very quickly with a turpentine wash. Once primed,
we should apply various coats of the acrylic, leaving each coat to
dry for at least 10 minutes before applying the next. At the begin-
ning we can see how the first few coats are very transparent, but
this is normal. After 4 or 5 soft coats we will achieve the ideal finish.
Some paints like the Model Air line from Vallejo do not need to be
diluted as they are sold ready to use in an airbrush. However, if you
do need to dilute them, then you must use their specific thinner.
For the paints from Model Color you can use their own thinner or
water, approximately 20 to 30%. It can also be very useful to add
a small amount of gloss varnish, from the same company, to give
a slightly satin finish; this will help when we apply the washes or
other painting effects. (photo: (1))

11 1

FAQ 2 31
32 FAQ 2
5.2.3 Colour
modulation

FAQ 2 33
The modulation came to life in 2009 in the studios of Mig
Productions where we had developed numerous techniques that
are today popular all over the world, like the filters, the pigments
etc. From that moment we tried to go deeper into a style of
painting were light or the illumination of the volume of the models
had more importance, with the idea to bring the attention of the
observer to certain parts of the model. Initially, the modulation
technique was inspired by works from the great artists, more than
any others Caravaggio and Rembrandt. These great classic painters
took a great interest in the theme of light. It quickly became clear
that this type of illumination, exclusively from one point of light,
was not easy to see and of course very difficult to understand. The
word MODULATION is an art term that is used to describe the tran-
sition from one colour to another by means of colour shifts. That’s
to say from a brown to a green, we use intermediate colours to
blend the brown to the green. This transition is called modulation.
But, the modulation took a different direction and was inspired by
the “renders” of 3D objects designed on computers. Today video-
games have a great influence over all of us and more than anything
is a language that most of us understand, especially the younger
modellers. This was the road to follow, to have the aesthetics and
an aspect that was close to the concept of objects created on a
computer. Where on some occasions the objects are randomly lit
from different points of light, where the objects acquire volume
without having a specific point of lighting. The reason for trying to
do this in modelling is simply to grab the attention of the observer,
so that we can bring their focus to certain parts of the model that
we wish to show off and point out. It is a way of interacting with
the observer and can make a three-dimensional object entertaining
and fun.
34 FAQ 2
But by doing this we are also distorting reality. That is to say, we
reinterpret it. Many people have asked me over the last few years
if the modulation is realistic or not and I always answer NO. The
modulation is not realistic, but neither is painting a piece of plas-
tic in green and thinking that it is a metal tank. We paint some
chipping with a brush over a base colour and attempt to trick the
whole world into thinking that it is chipped metal, when it is only
some metal coloured paint. Modelling in general is a trick! There is
only one reality, and what we do is interpret that reality. Sometimes
better, sometimes worse… It is because of this that there are so many
debates between modellers. The essence of modelling is the inter-
pretation of reality, and each one of us interprets this their own way.
The modulation is another way of enjoying our hobby. We can
paint more mud or less, more dust or less, we can do chipping
and rusting or leave a tank completely clean without any dirt at
all… we can also do a modulation if we want. Many of the models
in this book are painted with a modulation, others are not. The
modulation is not always the best way of painting our models and
expressing our ideas. A modulation can be great when we want to
enter a contest with a vehicle painted in just one or two colours or
when we want to include a vehicle in a diorama. But it is not appro-
priate for winter or complex camouflages or for modern vehicles.
We can also do various grades of modulation, more complete with
a deep contrast or a softer effect. In any case, the modulation is
gaining more fans every day and whether we like it or not, now it
is part of our history.
One last thing: a well applied modulation is one thing that is very
difficult to notice on a model (Once the model is weathered).
Basic modulation
An easy way to start with the modulation is with an easy or ba-
sic one, practically just using highlights. This option can be very
interesting to understand the basic concepts and achieve an attrac-
tive finish to our model with out to much risk. (photo: (1))
You must start by applying a simple base colour, plain, with an in-
termediate colour such as Dark Yellow. Afterwards we progressively
lighten this colour with white or similar lighter colours. The way to ap-
ply these highlights is to lighten the panels towards one of the edges,
with the idea that it will provide a contrast against the other surround-
ing panels. On vehicles that have polygon shapes like this PzII this is
easy and straightforward. However it is not as easy to do on vehicles
with a rounded form. You can use a piece of paper to help you achieve
a greater precision when applying the gradients on the panels.
Start by lightening the base colour slightly giving 2 or 3 coats, each
time slightly lighter and covering less space. This will be enough.
Afterwards we can do a simple camoflage, just using one colour
and not to dense. With this modulation we do not run the risk of
going too far and it can be great when we need to do a fine camo-
flage on top or if we just want a subtle aspect to the modulation.
(photo: (2), (3), (4) & (5))

2 3

4 5

FAQ 2 35
Complete
modulation
In truth this is the original and complete technique. With this
method we can succeed in creating a very high contrast, with the
shadows as well as the highlights. Although initially it can seem
exaggerated and extreme, we must remember that all the other
effects done afterwards will help to smooth out the modulation.
Because of this we need to be slightly exaggerated at this point.
We should not feel scared and be confident in the final result. You
can now look at the chapter about the effects of the modulation, a
little bit further on, to understand what happens with each process
and technique. You will see that although it can seem exaggerated,
once we have finished doing the rusting, dust, mud, washes and
the rest, the end result will seem much more natural. The concept is
very simple, you start by darkening each panel and then you lighten
the appropriate areas of the panel so that they appear to be illumi-
nated from different angles.
36 FAQ 2
We can find that in some points we may have achieved a very light
colour, nearly white and in others nearly black. Observe that the
illumination does not always have to be on higher areas, going up.
It can also be done on a diagonal, from front to back and vice versa.
(photo: (1))
On this Panther II from Adam Wilder, we can see that the final
result is fairly soft and faint and how all the effects done later have
smoothed out the original contrast. (photo: (2), (3), (4))
Another great example is this model by Carlos Cuesta; you can
clearly see how the original exaggeration between the colours has
been smoothed out by the weathering process. Observe the con-
trast between the rear armour and the mudguards or the grey en-
gine protectors. (photo: (5), (6))
 2

FAQ 2 37
6
With this Jagdtiger by A.Wilder, we can see the process more or
less from the start. You can see how he has done the shading with
an airbrush from the darker colours to the lighter ones. In this case
they have been done diagonally, from the back to the front. You can
see that the base colour is very dark ochre and under the gun barrel
you can see the shadows, nearly black. Once we have applied all
the illuminations the whole thing becomes much clearer. You must
also paint each component separately, each detail or hatch to give
a much sharper finish to the model. The initial chromatic richness
is vivid and is the base for all the techniques that we will do later.
(photo: (7), (8), (9), (10), (11), (12), (13), (14) & (15))

7 8

9 10

11 12

38 FAQ 2
 AK Interactive have a large range of modulation color sets. It
make easy the modulation process. The 6 colors provide you the
shadows, intermedium colors as well as highlights.

13 14

15

FAQ 2 39
Now we will see a complete modulation. Of course we must start
by applying a good primer. I recommend using a grey colour as it
allows us to see the progress we are making as we paint. We always
start by using a very dark colour, this will produce the shadows. You
must be careful and not confuse this with the PRESHADING. In the
modulation we must darken the areas that will be in shade, un-
der the mudguards, in deep recessed areas, behind certain details,
however, with the PRESHADING the parts that we darken are the
panelling, edges, and details. You can see that the roof of the turret 16

has NO dark colour on it at all. If it was a PRESHADED, all the edges

of the turret would be edged with a black line. Once you have un-
derstood this, we can start adding colours, one by one, each time
getting lighter, try to contrast each panel to provide volume.

By using a paper mask, we can protect areas that we do not want

to paint and it also gives us better precision. Slowly the model will
start to gain volume thanks to the paint. Once finished, we can
paint each detail in lighter tones to give each type of material its
own distinct finish. The remaining painting processes smoothes out
the whole model, but the chromatic richness of the modulation
technique gives a dynamic finish.
(photo: (16), (17), (18), (19), (20), (21), (22), (23), (24), (25), (26), (27),
(28), (29))

17

18 19

20 21

40 FAQ 2
22 23

24 25

26 27

28 29

FAQ 2 41
 Advanced
Modulation
The biggest complication that we can come up against when doing
a modulation is when we want to paint a camouflage finish, but
1 especially when we want to add chipping to this camouflage using
the hairspray technique. The technique of modulation is slow and
painstaking and you must be patient. We start by doing a complete
modulation, like in the last chapter. Always start with the darkest
colours over a grey primer, progressively adding lighter colours to
achieve the lighter, illuminated and brighter tones. Remember, you
can use a paper mask to help bring out certain parts and panels.
Lastly, we paint some of the details using a brush with a lighter
colour. (photo: (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9))

4 6

42 FAQ 2
7 8

FAQ 2 43
Now it is time to start doing the camouflage. If we wish to do some
chipping, we should apply one or two coats of a chipping product
and after a few minutes paint the first colour of the camouflage.
Check out the chapter about the hairspray techniques to get more
information before starting. It can be very interesting to do each 13
side of the tank separately, this way we can reduce the risk that the
chipping fluid will dry out to much and it is also much easier to do this
way. Once we have applied the chipping fluid, we can start to paint
the first (see below) marks of the camouflage. We must be careful
and make sure that illumination of each mark is the same as the
base colour, this way it will all match together. (photo: (10), (11), (12))

Once the mask has been removed; we can start the chipping pro-
cess on the first colour/layer. We dampen the surface slightly and
then start to lightly chip away at the surface using a brush or a fine
tool. (photo: (13), (14), (15), (16), (17))

14

10 15

11

16

12 17

44 FAQ 2
Once we have finished this first layer we need to varnish, preferably
with a satin varnish. We can also use an acrylic varnish. Once dry
we can apply the transfers and markings. (photo: (18), (19))
20

21

18

22

19

Afterwards we apply the 3rd colour of the camouflage. Once

again, we must first apply the chipping fluid, after we can paint the
camouflage with modulation and lastly remove the masks, dampen
with water, and chip using a brush or fine point tool. Finally, we
apply a varnish using a satin acrylic and our model is ready for the
next processes. You can go to the gallery section to see the final
result of this Panther II. (photo: (20), (21), (22) & (23))
23
Another example of what we can do using a complete modulation
is on vehicles with a two colour camoflage. It is not recommended
to use the modulation technique on complex camouflages or
camouflages with small intricate patterns. (photo: (24))

24

FAQ 2 45
Effects of the
modulation
There are many modellers who are scared to apply modulation be-
1
cause when they have tried they have got stuck in the first few
stages and dared not continue with the contrasting. Especially
the first time, when the modeller does not really know what will
happen next and how the other effects will look over the top. Also,
many don’t know where to add the illumination, or where they
should darken. This is probably the main reason why modellers
dare not apply modulation. The next example will show us how the
modulation works and what happens after applying all the rest of
the effects. (photo: (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9))

10

46 FAQ 2
For example, with the modulation we can darken the rear of a tank
where later we will put some dry mud. It can be especially useful
on a tank painted in a sand colour or dark yellow, because the dried
mud is a similar colour to these paints. By darkening the rear part
of the tank, we can achieve a nice contrast with the dried mud.
We can also lighten certain specific areas such as the turret area or
the front of the tank. Observe the sides of the turret where there is 11

green camouflage. In the front area we can see lighter more lumi-
nous tones, and at the rear we can see darker and neutral colours.
This is not an effect caused by the lighting in the photography stu-
dio but an effect of the paint. (photo: (10), (11), (12), (13), (14))

12

13

14

3 4

FAQ 2 47
 19

48 FAQ 2
On other occasions, the modulation is vital if we are doing vehicles or
even objects for a diorama. Here we can see an example of two King
Tiger hulls done in two different ways, normal and with modulation. If we
had decided to do a normal style, the final result in the diorama would
be very dull and boring. Because we chose to use colour modulation, the
final result in the diorama is much deeper and with more volume. We can
see a nice example in the photograph were we can see the rear parts of
the three hulls. The shadows you see are not due to the lighting but a
direct result of the colour modulation technique. (photo: (15), (16), (17),
(18), (19))

15

16 17

18

FAQ 2 49
50 FAQ 2
5.2.4 Panelling
and
outlines

FAQ 2 51
 Panelling
with masks
For many years, this method to bring out distinct panels and hatches
of the vehicles, was the most commonly used by modellers. It is
also known as Post-Shading, that’s to say, applying tones after you
have painted the base colour. These tones are always darker so that
1
they help with the contrast of the distinct lines and panels of the
model. But this type of effect is becoming obsolete, because the
final aspect is not very real. In reality we can not find these types
of effects on real vehicles. This technique was developed mainly by
American modellers, especially within aviation, but Verlinden also
helped to popularize it during the 80’s. The technique, in essence,
is very simple and in fact it is just the use of a mask to help bring
out the distinct lines that our model has. We use a dark colour and
an airbrush to do it. This means that we should do it straight after
painting the base colour and should not be done in combination
with a modulation. (photo: (1), (2), (3), (4))

A more current from of achieving the same effect, at least some-

thing similar, is to paint each panel in a distinct tone. Instead of just
emphasizing the lines of the panels, we can change the tone of
the whole panel. In this way we can achieve a much more realistic
and natural finish, like you can find on real vehicles. We can do this
with an airbrush and masks or directly with a brush by means of
applying distinct filters. (photo: (5))

4 5

52 FAQ 2
Outlining
We can achieve vividness and darker lines between panels using
dark washes. This method is much more efficient and realistic if
we want to add contrast to our model. To do this well and so that
the wash does not expand in all directions; the base colour should
be a satin paint, so that the dark wash flows with in the grooves
and lines of the panel. First apply the wash, leave it to dry for a
few minutes and lastly clean away the excess wash using a clean
brush and White Spirit. In this way you can bring out each line and
each panel in a much simpler and quicker way than the previous
method. (photo: (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6))

1 2

3 4

5 6

FAQ 2 53
54 FAQ 2
5.2.5 Washes

FAQ 2 55
General washes
Washes are one of the oldest techniques used in modelling. For
many years, this technique along with the dry brush, were more
or less the only techniques used to paint models. Years later many
new methods of painting have been discovered and the dry brush
technique is now obsolete. The wash however is still used to this
day and is gaining popularity all the time. The wash is now one of
the most important techniques for every style of modelling. The
wash technique, in essence, is simple and easy to do. However, it is
also easy to spoil the end result by exaggerating the process. If you
do not control the intensity of the colour that you apply you can
end up with an overly dark finish to your model. The wash is used 2
to give contrast to the whole model. This can be seen best in the
nooks and crannies where the wash collects and darkens the areas
around the details. (photo: (1))

With this we can give our model and all its forms a clear vivid finish.
The wash is easy to do with enamel paints. The easiest washes to
use are the ones that have been especially designed for modelling,
you just need to shake them well and they are ready to use. There
are also different coloured washes for different themes; you can
not use the same wash for a white tank and a dark green one. We
need to adjust the wash depending on the theme, but of course
the modeller may mix their own. Personally, I find it much easier
to open a tin and use a paint that is ready to apply. I save time 4
and feel safe that the product is not going to produce any strange
effects or damage my model. It was for this reason that I started
making my own washes. In any case, if you use ready made washes
from AK Interactive or use your own mixes they work in the same
way. We need to pool the wash in certain places on the model and
then spread it over the whole surface trying to make it stick and
accumulate evenly. Use a thick soft brush number 6 or 8. During
the drying process we need to keep a keen eye on the model to
make sure that the wash does not form unwanted marks while it is
drying. A general wash is great for large surfaces full of details such
as rivets and screws. This saves us a lot of time and gives a great
finish with very little effort. Once the wash is applied it should be
left to dry for at least 12 hours. We can apply it in the evening and
the next morning our model is ready for the next stage. (photo:
(2), (3), (4), (5)) 5

56 FAQ 2
 One important aspect that you need to take into consideration be-
fore applying a wash is the texture of the surface. It should have
a satin finish so that the wash accumulates around the details and
doesn’t spread over the whole surface regularly. If the surface has
a matt finish the wash will darken the whole model and the result
6
is terrible.

Because of this it is very important to apply washes over satin bases.

Always use an acrylic varnish to later apply enamel washes over the
top. The more glossy or satin the surface, the more vivid the wash
will be. We can also dilute the wash to make it much softer and
faint. Especially good for surfaces that have very little relief on the
details, the smaller the relief the lighter the wash, that’s to say a lot
more transparent. (photo: (6), (7), (8), (9), (10))

8 9

10

FAQ 2 57
Pin Washes
A very different way to apply a wash is by means of a controlled
wash or pin wash. What we do is apply a small amount of the paint
only on the details we want to bring out, with out touching the
rest of the surface. After leaving it to dry for a couple of minutes,
we then clean away any unwanted wash using a clean brush
dampened with white spirit to leave a nicely blended smooth finish.
(photo: (1), (2), (3), (4), (5))
1

2 3

4 5

58 FAQ 2
 Maybe the most important part of detailed wash, apart from having
a satin surface, is that once we have applied the wash around all
the nooks and crannies we need to let it dry for a few minutes. It is
sufficiently dry when we can pass our finger over the surface and it
does not get marked. At this time, we need to take a clean brush,
liberally dampened with White Spirit and we can start to remove
and clean away the excess wash. Just by doing this we can achieve
a perfect finish. I don’t recommend using a cotton cloth to remove
the excesses, as some modellers may advise, a brush is the best tool
for this. (photo: (6), (7), (8), (9), (10))
6

7 8

9 10

FAQ 2 59
 11 12

Depending on the surface and the details that our model has we
can also clean the excess wash with a wide flat brush. (photo: (11),
(12), (13))

60 FAQ 2 13
 14 15

These types of washes are great when we want to do small washes

with very specific colours, for example, a rust coloured wash
around a hinge. (photo: (14), (15), (16), (17))

16

17

FAQ 2 61
62 FAQ 2
5.2.6 Filters

FAQ 2 63
Generic Filters 1

This is one of the techniques that have been explained over and
over again a thousand times. As I explained in the introduction,
since this technique was designed in 1995, thousands of modellers
have been using it on their models to this day. And although it is
a simple technique there are some aspects that need to be under-
stood to avoid any problems. Even though it can feel the same, a
filter is not a wash; in reality it does the complete opposite to a
wash. While a wash has to be applied using dark colours on the
details, nooks and crannies, the filters can be any colour. Filters are
fairly transparent and subtle and they need to be applied uniformly
over the whole surface. Even though both products are enamel
they have very different applications. (photo: (7))

Initially, filters were made by diluting any enamel or oil paint with
White Spirit. If you want to do it this way you need to make a mix
of 90% white spirit to the paint that you want. Although, there is
the risk that the mix will separate and will not uniformally cover the
surface. (photo: (1), (2), (3), (4))
3

64 FAQ 2
The best surface on which to apply a filter is a matt one, although
you can apply it to a satin surface aswell. We should apply the
filter in a uniform way covering the whole surface equally, trying
to avoid it accumulating in the gaps. Because of this, we need to
avoid drenching our brush with to much liquid. We should cover
the surface quickly with the filter using a soft round brush, number
8 or 10. Once applied, we need to leave each coat to dry for at least
a couple of hours. We can apply various filters until we achieve the
wanted tone for our model. The filter can change the tone of the
base colour, for example if the green on our Sherman is too greyish
and dull, we can add yellow or ochre filters. The amount of coats
and the colours that we use depends on the aspect we want to
achieve on each individual model. We can also use filters to unify
complex camouflages, to vary the tone of a base we have painted,
and to enrich the surface giving it more depth and realism. It is a
subtle technique and we can avoid using it if we work over/on top
with fading using oils. The filter will not damage our model, espe-
cially when it has been applied correctly. We can see in the next
example, how the original colour of this PzIV has changed after
applying an ochre filter. (photo: (5), (6), (7)) 5

6 7

FAQ 2 65
66 FAQ 2
5.2.7 Streaking
effects

FAQ 2 67
Streaking grime
One of the newest most recent techniques is the one used for
5
doing streaking effects of mud, dirt and rust. Until recently, there
was no clear way of doing these effects, but now, there is a simple
technique based on the new products from AK Interactive. This
technique can simplify many stages, saving us lots of time, and as
long as we use the correct colour the final result is always realistic.
These effects of streaking mud need to have an appropriate colour
for each type of base. That’s to say it needs to be the right one for
a green colour, or a sand colour, or a winter white colour. We can
not use the same colour for all these cases or the result would be
very strange. The streaking effects in principle represent the mud
that you can see dragged down the sides of vehicles. (photo: (1),
(2), (3), (4))
6

1 2
4 3

To do a good streaking effect it is best to apply the effect on an

acrylic base or an enamel base with a coat of acrylic satin varnish
on top. To do a streaking effect using acrylic paints is very difficult,
because they dry very quickly and do not give us time to stump and
blend the paint. The streaks can be fat and exaggerated; this will
9
help to provide a bigger contrast on large plain surfaces such as this
KVII. Paint some thick lines on the sides, paint randomly but also in
specific areas. Afterwards, stump the marks with a thick flat brush,
number 6 or 8, dampened with White Spirit. Slowly drag the paint
using vertical movements, from top to bottom, until the mark has
been smoothed out and softened. (photo: (5), (6), (7), (8), (9), (10))

68 FAQ 2

10
 When we want to work on smaller surfaces, it is recomendable to
use the specific streaking products. We also need to keep strict
control over the drying times so that we do not lose the effects
of the lines and at the same time the effect ends up nice and soft.
11

We start by painting irregular lines along the sides of the model,

some long and others shorter. After painting these lines in a small
area, we need to leave them to dry for a minute or two until we can
see that the paint looses it freshness. Now is the time to stump the
lines using a flat, number 6 brush. Dampen the brush slightly with
White Spirit and with soft movements drag the paint downwards.
Don’t just stump the line once, first dampen and slowly pass the
brush over the line until you can see it starts to softly blend. Once
the whole thing is dry, you can repeat the process if you wish to
achieve a more intense finish. (photo: (11), (12), (13), (14), (15), (16))

12

14

13

15

16

FAQ 2 69
 In this other example, we can see how the vertical lines have been
slowly stumped. On this tank we have used a colour that does not
correspond: Winter Streaking grime, a colour for winter vehicles.
The reason being, that the camoflage has both light and dark
tones and because of this we have opted for a more greyish neutral
colour. (photo: (17), (18), (19), (20), (21), (22), (23))
17

18 19

20 21

22

23

70 FAQ 2
For desert vehicles painted in lighter colours, we also need to
use an appropriate colour. In this case the “Streaking Grime for
DAK vehicles” is the best, however we can vary our own mixes
depending on the base colour that we have. (photo: (24), (25), (26),
(27), (28), (29), (30))

24

25 26

27 28

29

Darker coloured vehicles such as green or

grey also need their specific colours. Use the
appropriate colour for these types of base
colours so you can see the contrast. If we use
a lighter colour the effect gives an aspect of
dust and not grime. (photo: (31), (32), (33)) 30

31

32 33

FAQ 2 71
Rust streaks
There is one type of streaking that needs special attention, the
streaking effects for rust. This type of streaking is done with much
more control and of course using rust colours. This type of effect
is used when the paint on the vehicle has been chipped and you
can see the metal underneath. The metal rusts very quickly turning
dark brown and with the rain and humidity it starts to oxidise. The
colours used for streaking rust can be varied and depend a lot on
the colour of the tank. If the tank is light or dark it can change the
colour of the rust making it look different. It is best to look in the
real world to find examples of different rust types to enable you to
find the appropriate colour. (photo: (1), (2), (3), (4), (5))

2 3

4 5

72 FAQ 2
To do streaking rust, we start by doing some chipping with a brush
and a dark brown acrylic paint. It is very important that it is an
acrylic paint, if it is an enamel paint it will later merge with the
colour of the streaking. Once the chipping has been done we can
paint some vertical lines on some of the chips, but not on all of
them! The line should start at the base of the chip. After letting
them dry for a few minutes, we stump the lines using a flat number
2 or 4 brush. We should only stump the edges of the lines and not
pass the brush over the whole line. (photo: (6), (7), (8))

We can also use streaking rust on some moving parts of the vehi-
cles such as the hinges. (photo: (9))

6 7

8 9

FAQ 2 73
74 FAQ 2
5.2.8 Techniques
using oils

Lately, the use of oils has increased a lot within the world of mili-
tary modelling. Until now it was used for painting figures, but in
the last few years it has been applied to military vehicles as well.
The flexibility of the oils has converted it into the ideal product for
doing effects of bleaching, shadows, brightness/highlights etc. We
can echieve both transparencies and marks of intense colour. The
slow drying time of oils enables us to work with them over a long
period of time, correcting and mixing until we achieve the desired
effect. (photo: oil (1))

FAQ 2 75
 Shading and
depth
We can more or less use any colour we want when working with
oils, but for the shadows we should always use cold colours like
1 blue and green. These are the colours to use to create depth. Use
a little intense blue around some hatches or elevated parts of our
model to create shadow effects. With a round number 6 brush,
we paint the deeper areas where we want to create the contrast
with the darker areas. Afterwards, using the brush now clean and
dampened with a little White Spirit, we can stump the oil softly
and little by little the marks start to blend and soften. (photo: (1),
(2), (3), (4))

3 4

As I explained before, we can also use a green colour to accentuate

the shadows. In this case we are going to darken the two panels
that are next to the hatch, making the hatch stand out more. Like
before, paint with the brush and then stump with a little White
Spirit. (photo: (5), (6))

5 6

76 FAQ 2
 We can do more complex shadows and dark areas that can
represent the decolouration of a surface. We can use more colours;
including ochre’s and browns, although we leave the blue colours
to do the deeper areas and to show off the different levels. First we
give a general covering over the area and afterwards we mix the
colours and softly stump the effects. Observe how we have used
the blue to give the horizontal panels a nice contrast. (photo: (7),
(8), (9), (10), (11), (12))
7

8 9

10 11

12

FAQ 2 77
Decoloration
and fadings 3

One of the techniques, that was made popular more than 10 years
ago, is the oil dot technique, which serves to do effects of de-
colouration and fading on a surface. It is one of the easiest tech-
niques to do and gives very acceptable results, but it is actually
much simpler to do streaking effects and the end result is slightly
more realistic. The technique consists of doing a series of different
coloured dots with oil paint and then blending them together with
a brush until you achieve a smooth surface with a range of different
colours. (photo: (1), (2))

6
It is recommendable that our model has a satin base and is also
painted with acrylic colours. An Acrylic base is much more resistant
to the oil paints and White Spirit.

We should start by applying the lighter colour first, which could be

white. Progressively we start adding the darker colours. We could
add a dark blue if our model is green or has a green camoflage.
Add the brown tones around the details and rivets. Once all the
dots have been applied we can then use a flat brush, number 6 or 8
depending on the size of the surface, dampened with a little White
Spirit to blend and mix all the colours slowly using vertical move-
ments of the brush. The final result should have a smooth finish and
you should not be able to see the different points of colour. (photo:
(3), (4), (5), (6), (7)) 7

78 FAQ 2
Dirt
Another effect that we can do with oils is that of accumulated
grime in different areas of the vehicles. These types of marks give a
lot of richness to our models, especially on plain coloured vehicles
with no camoflage. (photo: (1), (2))

1 2

FAQ 2 79
Highlights In this way we can create some interesting contrast, like in this
example of a BT7. Observe how certain parts and panels of the

and brightness
tank have been illuminated and then smoothed out using a brush
and White Spirit. (photo: (4), (5))

Once we understand how to creat shadows using cold tones, we

can also do the opposite. That’s to say, create overexposed areas
and highlights. With this we can give much more volume to our
model, making it more attractive, especially when seeing the model
in real life although this effect does not show up so well in a photo-
graph. Highlights help to produce a contrast against other effects
that we might do, such as chipping. To do this, we apply darker
tones in the deep areas and lighter tones, including white, in the
areas that are more exposed to the light. (photo: (1), (2), (3))

We can also illuminate specific parts of a model at the end of the

weathering process, especially if some areas look too dark or dull.
(photo: (6))

3 6

80 FAQ 2
This technique can also be used to whiten certain winter camou- On occasions we can also do effects of illumination and decoloura-
flages that have become too dark. In this case, we have used a tion at the same time, like in this example were we have used a light
white paint from Humbrol but we can also use oil paint. However, ochre colour as well as the white.
the white Humbrol paint covers much better. With this technique (photo: (11), (12))
we can paint the areas that have a more intense white, and after,
in the same way as before, we stump the paint with a brush and
White Spirit. (photo: (7), (8), (9), (10))

7 11

12

10 13

FAQ 2 81
82 FAQ 2
5.2.9 Rain
marks

FAQ 2 83
Rain marks On the other hand, the enamel products maintain the same colour when they are
fresh or dry and are easy to stump and correct.

using enamel To paint this effect, first paint some vertical lines on the sides of your tank. After
leaving it to dry for a few minutes, use a flat clean brush lightly dampened with
White Spirit to stump the lines using vertical movements until they have been
The rain can create some very special effects when smoothed out. You can repeat the process one or two times but try to make sure
it falls on to vehicles, especially if they are covered that the new lines are not painted over the previous ones, without superimposing,
in a layer of dust beforehand. When vehicles travel like bricks. (photo: (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9), (10), (11), (12))
along dusty roads, the dust is lifted up and falls
onto the vehicle in a more or less regular form. As
time passes, rain can start to drag this dust down-
wards creating some vertical lines, so typical that
we can see these types of effects on any modern
vehicle in the street. These vertical lines are formed
when the water, which has run over the sides, dries
leaving this curious aspect. To paint these effects
there are a number of important aspects to take
into consideration. The first is that the lines must be
very irregular, some thicker and others finer. Also,
the colour and the intensity used needs to be the
appropriate for each different base colour. A very
light colour on a dark green vehicle can end up be-
ing fairly ugly and in the same way a dark colour
painted over a sand coloured vehicle.

Lowering the intensity of the lines of dust is the most

efficient way of working on dark coloured vehicles. 2

For vehicles with a lighter base color, we should

work with the maximum intensity and also lighter
colours.(photo: (1)). 12 years ago, I wrote for the first
time various articles referring to this technique and
I explained how to use acrylic paints to do the ef-
fects. But as time has gone by, it has been discov-
ered that it is much better to use enamel products
because they are easier to control. The problem with
the acrylic paints is that once they are dry they can
not be corrected. Also, when you paint the lines they
always look much more transparent than they are
once they are dry. The acrylic products are definitely
not recommended for doing these effects.

1 4

84 FAQ 2
5 6

7 8

9 10

11 12

FAQ 2 85
86 FAQ 2
Streaking water
We can also depict our tanks at the exact time that rain is falling.
This phenomenon can be created on some examples, especially if
we are making a diorama. However, this option can be used on
any model to represent spilt water. We can see this effect in many
photographs and it is easy to mistake this for oil when looking at
black and white pictures.
Use the product from AK Interactive to paint some irregular lines on
the sides of your model. Don’t over do this effect, at least when you
want to do the effect of falling rain. It is also not recommendable
to use a gloss varnish, because in reality it is too bright, the shine of
the water does not reflect the light like the gloss varnish. We must
be aware of the scale with this effect. (photo: (1), (2), (3), (4))

1 2

3 4

FAQ 2 87
88 FAQ 2
5.2.10 Hairspray
technique

FAQ 2 89
Technique secrets
A few years ago a new technique emerged in Europe that revo-
lutionised modelling as we know it: the hairspray technique. This
technique enables the modeller to create very realistic chipping in
a fairly simple way. I say this because although the method seems
simple it does have its difficulties. Although the technique is now
very popular and everybody wants to have fashionable hairspray
chipping, it must be said that the technique does have its problems
and it is very difficult to achieve an attractive finish on the first at-
tempt. The final result is surprisingly good and can produce very
realistic effects when doing large damaged areas and chipping.
(photo: (1), (2))

90 FAQ 2
This is one of the few techniques that I advise using an old model to
practice on before doing the real thing. In any case, although it is a
new and difficult technique, it has evolved very quickly and some
basic points have been established that really help the modeller
get to grips with it. Besides, AK Interactive has designed a product
that is stable and reliable to replace the hairspray. This permits the
modeller to have much more control over the product and helps
to achieve much more precise studied effects of chipping on our
model. For this reason from now on we refer to this medium as
“chipping fluid“.
Basically, what the chipping fluid does is create a soluble layer be-
tween two coats of paint. The first coat needs to be as resistant
as possible, use enamel or lacquer paint for example. Afterwards,
we apply the chipping fluid and lastly and nearly immediately we
apply the last coat of paint, preferably an acrylic paint. This last
coat represents the outer colour and the first coat (the enamel)
represents the colour underneath. The chipping fluid has no colour
and is very thin. Also this layer is diluted with water and humidity.
Once all three coats have been applied, we start by dampening the
surface and begin the chipping process on the outer layer. When
the surface is damp, it is much easier to lift off the paint. We must
be very careful when doing this not to remove too much paint.
(photo: (3), (4), (5), (6), (7))

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FAQ 2 91
To use this technique correctly it is necessary to understand three
important points:

1- The amount of chipping fluid that we apply on our model. The

more product that we apply, the easier it is to chip the paint that is
on top. If we only apply a little, it is difficult to remove the paint that 9
is on the top and we do much finer isolated chipping.

2- The drying time of the chipping fluid and the paint on top of
it. The longer it dries the higher the probability that the chipping
fluid will lose its effectiveness and the paint on the top will not
chip. Also, the longer it dries the smaller the size of the resulting
chipping.

3- The thickness of the last coat of paint. If the external coat, that’s
to say the last one that we applied is very thick, the chipping that
is produced is much larger. If the layer of paint is thinner then the
chipping is much finer and controllable.

10
If the modeller controls these three aspects, they will be able to cre-
ate some very good chipping effects on their model, but again, it is
recomendable to practice and do tests on an old model first. Here
we can see a real example of the process. Over a dark base colour,
in this case grey, we apply a generous coat of the chipping fluid.
We can apply 2 or 3 coats if we wish to achieve a more exaggerated
effect. Afterwards, we apply a coat of acrylic paint. In this case
LIFECOLOR paint has been used, which in my opinion is one of the
best paints to use with this technique. This layer should be applied
a few minutes after applying the chipping fluid. Immediately af-
terwards, we can start to dampen certain parts of the model and
commence with the chipping process. The rubbing action of the
brush over the details on the model will create the chipping; we 11
can also use a tooth brush, for example, if we wish to produce
finer scratches. The last phase of this process is to always add a
varnish. A good coat of satin varnish will help to avoid any of the
later processes chipping away at the paint. (photo: (8), (9), (10), (11),
(12), (13), (14, (15))

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92 FAQ 2
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FAQ 2 93
Now we will see three different examples where we can see the
some of the most common applications of this technique. The first
is simple chipping on a single colour. We will use lacquer paints
from GAIANOTES. I recommend these paints as a base colour,
however, they are very toxic and can be difficult to find. The dark
brown colour will represent the rusting iron that is underneath the
paint. Immediately afterwards, we apply the chipping fluid using
an airbrush, like it was a normal paint. The acrylic chipping fluid
has a fairly thick aspect when it is applied but as it dries it becomes
completely flat and uniform. Hairspray, on the other hand, is much 18
finer and is much more difficult to control. You can read the next
chapter on the differences between hairspray and the acrylic chip-
ping fluid. Once we have applied the acrylic chipping fluid, we paint
the definitive colour over the top, in this case green. A few minutes
later we can start to slowly dampen the surface with water and
a soft brush. We can see how the paint slowly starts to be lifted
up producing the chipping. Use different types of tools to achieve
different effects. (photo: (16), (17), (18), (19), (20), (21), (22))

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94 FAQ 2
 In the next example we will see how to chip some strips of a
camouflage. On occasions, some camouflages need to be applied
on the battlefield and they tend to chip very easily due to the
poor quality of the paint used. To create these effects we start by
painting the base colour of the vehicle. On this occasion we have
used paints from Tamiya. This way you can see that almost any
paint is good enough to do all the different stages, although it is al-
ways better to use the recommended ones. Once the base colour is
applied we can add the chipping fluid. A few minutes later we can
add the strips of camouflage. We just need to wait a few minutes
and we can start to dampen the surface with a clean brush and
water. Don’t flood the surface to much, it is better to go slowly. We
should remove the overruns of the paint quickly to avoid it drying
in an unwanted place. (photo: (23), (24), (25), (26), (27), (28), (29))

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FAQ 2 95
Lastly we have the most complex example; here the two colours
of the camouflage have been independently chipped and we have
also done a crackled sand colour. To do this effect we just need to
dilute our paint slightly more than normal. The more diluted the
paint, the more crackled the paint when it dries. Remember, this
only happens when it is painted over the chipping fluid.

In the same way as before, we first apply the lower layer, that’s
to say, a dark brown that will represent rusting metal. Afterwards
we apply the chipping fluid and immediately afterwards the sand
colour. Dampen and chip as much as we want to. Leave it dry and
then add a satin or acrylic varnish, in this case it is not important
which one we use. Now we apply another coat of the chipping
fluid and once this is dry we can paint the camouflage over the top. 30
After 10 or 15 minutes we can carefully start to dampen the edges
of the camouflage, observe how the borders chip must faster than
the main body of the camouflage. Rule number 3 that I explained
earlier, the thinner the paint, the quicker it chips. Lastly we use a
satin varnish to protect the base colour from all the following paint-
ing processes. (photo: (30), (31), (32), (33), (34), (35), (36), (37),
(38), (39))

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96 FAQ 2
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36 37

Now I suggest that you go and try out these techniques a few times
before starting to paint your model. With these simple examples
you can understand the secrets of this technique with out the risk
of damaging your models. You will also discover for yourself how
the drying time can affect the end result and will discover different
chipping effects that can be produced by giving the chipping fluid
more or less time to dry. (photo: (40))

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FAQ 2 97
The differences
between
hairspray
and acrylic
chipping fluid
For many years, hairspray has been the home grown remedy for
this technique. To use it, the modeller needs to extract the contents
and place it in a container so that it could then be used with an
airbrush. Apart from this, and many other problems… Modellers
from all over the world have the same question: Which hairspray do
I buy? The principle problem is that there is not a specific maker of
hairspray that you find in a modelling shop. Each modeller in each
country is obliged to experiment by buying different hairsprays in
cosmetic shops. The problem is however, that each hairspray has
different properties. Some hairsprays dry better, others evaporate
quickly, some are anti humidity, some are extra strong… anyway
it’s completely crazy, there are too many options. I cannot recom-
mend any specific maker of hairspray, because you are obliged to
buy what ever you find in your respective countries. Due to the
huge variety of hairsprays, many modellers are fearful of this tech-
nique and in most cases can feel defrauded by it. Also, aswell as the
hairspray being very sticky, the smell it gives off can be unpleasant.
Due to all of this, the hairspray is a peripheral product that is not
hugely valued in modelling. On the other hand, we have the acrylic
odourless chipping fluid. This product from AK Interactive is the
only product that has been designed that produces chipping in
the same way as hairspray. But with the big differences that it can
be found in modelling shops, doesn’t smell, does not stain, is not
sticky and is very stable. It can also be found in two different in-
tensities, to produce larger chipping or more subtle wear and tear.
The chipping fluid is cleaned using water and does not need to be
diluted. We can place it directly into our airbrush or simply use it
with a brush.
We can use hairspray for experimenting but when the time comes
to paint, it is not recomendable to risk using it on our model.
98 FAQ 2
Preparation
When we want to use this technique on our model, we need to
prepare all the necessary elements. Don’t forget that achieving a
good result with this technique is closely related to the drying time
we give it. If we leave the paint or chipping fluid to dry for to long
we will face some serious problems. You must prepare everything
before getting started and you must take into consideration the
time it will take to dampen the surface and later do the chipping
before to much time has past. To help avoid this problem, I recom-
mend chipping, individually, each part of our model. We can use
adhesive masks to protect the rest of the model and just concen-
trate on one area one at a time.
Also try to get a nice collection of different types of utensils such as
toothpicks, pointed objects and sharp objects, as well as different
types of brushes of different thicknesses and hardness. Also re-
member that the base colour that we apply needs to be very re-
sistant and a good dark coloured primer applied before starting is
always recommended.
Chipping
for a complex
camouflage
In the majority of cases, the modeller only wants to do chipping
effects on models with camouflage. This gives a very attractive
aspect to our model with out the necessity of applying extreme
chipping where you can see the metal of the vehicle underneath.
Here we have painted the base colour using enamels from Humbrol
and afterwards we have applied hairspray on to the model directly
from the can. Because this tank is 1/16 scale, by doing it this way
the process is much quicker. Afterwards we can paint the pattern
of the camouflage using acrylic paints. In this case we have also
added some highlights to give a little more volume. Once all this
has been done, we can start to do the chipping on the camouflage.
It is also a good idea to have a small container of alcohol nearby
in case certain areas of the tank resist the process and do not chip
so easily. This could happen, especially when we are painting the
whole tank in one sitting. In any case, we need to make sure that
our base colour was painted with enamel. When we start to do the
chipping process and pick away at the paint to produce the chips,
it’s possible that we can chip away at the enamel base colour as-
well. If this is this case don’t be worried. Once we have finished the
chipping process, we can touch up specific areas that have been
damaged using a brush. Lastly, like always, we need to varnish the
whole thing once we have finished the process. (photo: (1), (2), (3),
(4), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9), (10), (11), (12), (13), (14), (15), (16), (17), (18),
(19), (20), (21))
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FAQ 2 99
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100 FAQ 2
Winter chipping
This technique is excellent for doing extremely damaged winter
camouflage. The extreme wear that these types of camouflages
suffer can only be achieved using certain techniques, this is one of
them. Like always, after applying a dark primer, we paint the base
colour. In this case the base color is a green colour from Humbrol.
After a few minutes we can start to apply the hairspray. Once
again, our model is 1/16 scale, and applying the hairspray straight 1

from the can is the best option. We apply 2 or 3 coats of hairspray,

leaving each one the minimum amount of time to dry so that the
product does not flood and pool on the surface. If we are trying
to achieve an effect of subtle chipping, then we apply fewer coats.
We can paint the model in sections so that the hairspray does not
dry out too much. A reasonable length of time is 1 to 2 hours, any
longer and we face the risk that the hairspray will lose its effective-
ness and the white paint becomes too dry. On this occasion we will
be using a white paint from Tamiya. The paints from Tamiya tend to
give a much finer finish than other acrylic paints, such as those from
Life Color. The acrylic paints tend to produce large chipping marks,
but the paints from Tamiya will allow us do to small chips and much
smoother marks of wear and tear. We cover the whole surface, al-
though it is not necessary to leave the model completely white. We
can leave certain areas more transparent and others more dense
to give a better contrast, this also helps later when doing other
effects. With a stiff haired brush we start to slowly dampen and
2
rub away at the surface. With a little bit of patience, we will start
to see how the white paint starts to disappear and the green paint
underneath starts to show. We can work on different parts of the
tank with different intensity, the sides can have a slightly newer
feel to them, were as the top parts can be more damaged due to
the use by the crew. Once we have finished the whole process, we
need to varnish the model using an acrylic satin varnish and then
we can start to create the other corresponding effects such as the
streaking effects, rust, chipping, washes etc.
(photo: (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9), (10), (11), (12), (13), (14),
(15), (16), (17), (18), (19), (20))

FAQ 2 101
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102 FAQ 2
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FAQ 2 103
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104 FAQ 2
FAQ 2 105
 Complete
chipping effect
1
On many occasions the modeller wants to do a very damaged vehi-
cle, with lots of chipping due to the destruction and abandonment
of the vehicle. These vehicles have a large part of their painted
surface chipped, but do not suffer from the same extreme wear as
winter camouflages.

To do this type of chipping it is best NOT to use Tamiya paints, but it

is necessary to the use the acrylic chipping fluid. We start by paint-
ing the base colour of our vehicle using a dark brown. This colour
will represent the rusted iron and steel that is underneath the paint.
Immediately afterwards we apply the chipping fluid using an airbrush,
just as if it was a normal paint. Once this is finished we paint the de-
sired colour of a vehicle. For this type of precision work it is recomend-
able to use adhesive masks so that we can work on individual parts of
2
the model while protecting the rest. In this way we have better control
over the drying times and can do the work over a couple of days. On
this model, unlike the winter camouflage, the green colour completely
covers the surface. (photo: (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7))

5 7

106 FAQ 2
We can also use this technique to give different intensities to the
chipping. This is achieved by applying more or less of the chip-
ping fluid in different parts of the model. By using masks, we can
work on each part of our model independently and can produce
different effects. This can be very useful when doing abandoned
vehicles. (photo: (8), (9), (10), (11), (12), (13), (14), (15), (16), (17), (18),
(19), (20), (21), (22), (23), (24), (25), (26), (27), (28), (29), (30))

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FAQ 2 107
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108 FAQ 2
 25 26

27 28

Some vehicles have a much more extreme erosion and complex

chipping. Some vehicles in the North of Africa suffer from severe
chipping and their camouflage is repainted over and over again. We
can do an extreme chipping effect in two layers to create a super
realistic finish. Over the base colour, we apply various coats of the
chipping fluid; this creates the first extremely damaged layer. We
should leave each coat of chipping fluid to dry for a few minutes
and after applying the last coat we can add a very thin, nearly trans-
parent layer of sand coloured paint. Here we use Lifecolor paints.
Once we have applied this first light coat, we can do the chipping
with a brush and some water. Because we have applied many lay-
ers of chipping fluid as well as the thin layer of Lifecolor, in some
areas we can chip away at nearly 90% of the surface of our model.
29

30

FAQ 2 109
 31
Once we have finished this phase, we can add some more chip-
ping fluid, although this time slightly less, 1 or 2 layers for example.
Afterwards we apply the same sand coloured paint from Lifecolor
and do some more chipping with a brush and water. This time we
will see that it is more difficult to remove the paint. In some areas
you can see the previous layer of chipping has created an effect of
depth and realism. Although this multi layer technique looks com-
plicated it is actually fairly easy to do. Once we have finished this
33
35
37
110 FAQ 2
32
process we can apply a satin varnish from Vallejo or Lifecolor and
can continue to work over the top, maybe painting a white stripe
on the hood with the chipping fluid underneath to do some chips.
Finally we can use the same paint as we used for the base colour
to do some final chips and to correct any parts that we do not like.
(photo: (31), (32), (33), (34), (35), (36), (37), (38), (39), (40), (41), (42),
(43), (44), (45), (46), (47), (48), (49), (50), (51), (52), (53), (54), (55),
(56), (57), (58), (59), (60), (61), (62), (63), (64), (65), (66), (67), (68))
34
36
38
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FAQ 2 111
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112 FAQ 2
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FAQ 2 113
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114 FAQ 2
Chipping effects 2

for an engine
On many occasions, the modeller must paint engines or other me-
chanical parts of trucks and tanks. Engines tend to chip easily due
to their continuous use, the heat, and the maintenance that they
need. (photo: (1))

4
1

A quick way of producing these types of effects on an engine is

by using this technique. On occasions engines can be painted in
striking colours such as green, blue or in this case yellow because it
comes from a bulldozer. Like always, we start by painting the colour
that is underneath. Here we use a dark brown colour although a
dark grey would work just as well. If the engine has any aluminium
parts, now is the time to paint them. Afterwards we apply the chip-
ping fluid. The more layers we apply the easier it is to do the chip-
ping and the bigger the chips will be. After applying 2 or 3 coats,
quickly apply the next layer in this case a yellow. Afterwards we
5
use a brush to slowly dampen the surface. Be careful not to flood
the whole surface. You can use a pointed tool to produce scratch-
es and scrapes. There is a danger that when we apply a coat of
dense paint, in our case yellow, over the top it can produce larger
chips, perhaps to large. Because of this we can use the pointed
tools to have more control over the chipping process. Once we have
finished, we need to varnish using an acrylic satin varnish and can
then start on the other effects. We can apply some washes, some
streaking rust effects and finally some accumulated dirt and engine
oil. (photo: (2), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9), (10), (11), (12), (13),
(14), (15), (16), (17), (18), (19), (20), (21), (22), (23), (24), (25), (26))

FAQ 2 115
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116 FAQ 2
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FAQ 2 117
118 FAQ 2
5.2.11 Chipping

FAQ 2 119
The principles
of chipping
Chipping is the most used and desired effect for all modellers, but
why? Chipping is, along with mud, one of the hardest effects to
perfect. This is because we are trying to replicate a natural random
effect, which on many occasions doesn’t seem logical. The main
problem is that there is no rule or explanation as to why a chip ap-
pears in a specific location. In most cases we can understand the
3
4 like in this example. (photo: (4))
120 FAQ 2
reason why a chip has been made in a certain place, because the
area has previously been struck by an object or because of extreme
prolonged use. Sometimes however, on a different part of a vehicle
it is difficult to understand why a chip appears. This is why it is so
difficult to do; we don’t know why the chip is there or how it was
made. The exception to the rule is when we are basing a model on
a real photograph, in this case it is much easier, and we just have to
copy what we see. The problem is that in most cases we don’t have
this reference to go by and this is when we start to make errors.
Chips are extremely varied and diverse. They come in every shape
and size imaginable. Each type of chip you find corresponds to a
particular specific type of cause. This is a classic chipping caused by
vibration and the use of poor quality paint. (photo: (1))
This type of chipping can be found on old and abandoned vehicles
when the paint gets chipped, showing the metal underneath. Once
this happens, the metal quickly rusts. (photo: (2))
This circular scratch is formed by the continual use of a door handle.
We can use this effect on many of our models and it is great for
giving a used aspect to the finished article. (photo: (3))
On some occasions, we come across the rare phenomenon where
we find rusted chipping next to other chipping with clean shinny
metal underneath. There is a simple reason for this, the parts where
you find the shinny metals are the welding lines that are made of a
material that never rusts. When working on our tank, all the chip-
ping that has been made on these lines should be free from rust,
The most common and typical type of chipping that we can do
5
on our models can be seen in this example. The vehicle hits an
object and the paint gets chipped showing the metal underneath.
It doesn’t take long for the metal to rust, even in the hot African
desert. (photo: (5))

It is also very important to know what type of material each com-

ponent and each part of our vehicle is made of. On some occa-
sions, different parts of a vehicle are made from different types
of materials that don’t rust the same way as iron. In this example
we can see that the frontal box of this tank has been made out of
aluminium, the chips that it has have not rusted because the alu-
minium does not rust the same way as iron. Many modern vehicles
are constructed with aluminium like the M113, LVTPs, BMPs and
many others. However, during WWII aluminium was widely used to
6
produce many of the parts found on tanks and other vehicles. For
example the bolt tap covers of the frontal PzIII Wheel was made
from aluminium and never rusted. (photo: (6))

Sometimes you can find longitudinal chipping that look like stripes
running down the sides of a vehicle, in reality these stripes are
actually scratches produced when the tank, in movement, scrapes
along an object such as a tree. We can produce these subtle
scratches using a slightly lighter base colour. (photo: (7))

When a vehicle collides with an object at a higher speed there is

much more damage, the paint gets chipped much more randomly
and on occasions you can see the distinct layers of old paint under-
neath, like in this example. (photo: (8))

There are other types of chipping with different types of

characteristics; these are produced because the surface that has
been painted is much finer and softer, such as these mudguards. The
paint has more possibility of chipping on these types of surfaces than
when it is on other harder thick materials, such as the front amour
of a tank. We can intensify the chipping in these areas were we find 8

finer, weaker materials such as wood, in the case of a cargo bed on

a truck or a rubber dust cover from a desert tank ,etc. (photo: (9))

When the time comes for us to do some chipping there are many
different techniques that we can use to do them, we will explain
these techniques further on. However, when doing chipping it is
always better to use a photograph as a reference. This way we can
copy a real example and it is the best way to give a realistic finish
to our models. 9

FAQ 2 121
Classic chipping
using a brush
The most classic method of doing chipping is using a brush, it is 2
also the hardest. Until recently this was one of the only ways to
produce chipping. For many years modellers have been using their
finest brushes to do their chipping with, more or less, good re-
sults. But for the chipping to look adequately realistic, there are
a few rules to follow. Firstly, they need to have an irregular and
crooked form, similar to looking at the edges of a continent on
Google map. The chipping should have the same forms as the is-
lands or larger pieces of land. Some modellers paint chipping using
a smooth rounded form, like clouds, this is incorrect and a classi-
cal error. Making chipping with rounded forms is an inappropriate
way of using your brushes or paint. So that you have more control
over the forms of the chipping: use a fine brush, only use a little
paint that is NOT too diluted. If you are painting over an oily sur-
3
face, after applying a wash or oil paints for example, use an acrylic
paint to paint the chipping and the end result is much more realis-
tic and rough. Another important aspect of chipping is where to
apply them. Many modellers cover their whole model with them,
spreading the chipping evenly and homogeneously over the surface
without coherence or logic. If we distribute the chipping, this artifi-
cial way over our model, it will become boring and does not give an
attractive finish. All the areas of our tank will look the same and the
spectator will not be surprised by all the different zones and effects
on our model. On the contrary, the chipping needs to be placed
and designed using logic; we apply them with irregular forms and
sometimes completely randomly over our model. On this BT7 we
have applied some chipping around the hatches, on the edges of
the mudguards, on the edges and corners of the armour plating… 4

that’s to say in the areas that are more likely to be damaged and
chipped. We should also leave some areas of our model completely
free of chipping, by doing this we give the other areas more im-
portance and it creates a much better contrast. (photo: (1), (2), (3),
(4), (5), (6))

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122 FAQ 2
 7 8

The crew hatches and the engine access are great places for doing
chipping. Use a fine brush with soft hairs, number 1 or the 2/0. We
can use a very dark acrylic paint to do the effects. Don’t paint chips
all over the hatch, be specific and only do them in certain places,
this helps to give that random feel to the chipping. (photo: (7), (8))
This Toyota is a great example of how we can also do chipping with
moderation. Another problem when doing chipping is that instead
of making sure that the chipping is done in the right colour and
with a good design, the modeller makes the mistake of to much
chipping and the final result becomes a farce. We must always
take into consideration the state of the vehicle, be it abandoned,
rusting, or in combat. Using this logic, we can decide to do more
or less chipping depending on the situation. We must also take into
account the size of the chipping on the object that we are painting.
It is not the same thing to paint the front mudguards on a tank as
it is to paint smaller objects that have less wear and tear. On this
vehicle we have done the chipping according to size, fineness, and
placed in the areas where they should be such as the engine hood
and around the extremities of the doors. We have used two paints
from Lifecolour to apply the chips, light sand and a darker colour.
Black or brown both work just as well. First we paint the chips using
the lighter colour over the green camouflage; afterwards we paint
the darker chipping. (photo: (9), (10), (11), (12), (13), (14))

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FAQ 2 123
Now we are going to do some chipping with streaking rust. We
use a Lifecolour paint to do the chipping, any type of brown will
do. Using a fine brush we start by painting the chips, one by
one. We must be careful not to cover the whole surface with
chips, just place a few in strategic areas. We now start to do the
streaking rust effects using enamel paint; however we can also
use AK Interactive’s specific weathering products to do these ef-
fects. Paint lines under some of the chips and let them dry for a
few minutes. Then stump the lines using a clean brush dampened
with white spirit. To see how to do this effect correctly, consult
the chapter on “streaking”. (photo: (15), (16), (17), (18), (19), (20),
(21), (22))

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124 FAQ 2
We can use a white acrylic paint to do the remains of paint on a
winter camouflage. That’s to say, the chips are not put on the base
paint or other paints underneath, but on the last coat of paint that
has been chipped around the edges. These small touches can make
a winter vehicle much more attractive. (photo: (23))

24

23 25

Now we will see a combination of all of the previous examples paint-

ed on an Opel Blitz with a winter camouflage. Once we have painted
the base colour and then airbrushed over the top with a white colour
we can start to do the chipping. The paints from Vallejo Model Color
are great for doing all types of chipping. From now on we will only
use paints from Vallejo. First we paint some chips on the base colour;
this will represent the chipping on the white paint. Like always we
must use a fine brush to paint these effects. Remember, don’t paint
the chipping in a homogenous way and group the chipping in and
around areas that can be easily damaged. Leave some areas free of
chips and others with more intensive chipping. Afterwards using a
white paint, we can finish the remaining winter camouflage. In es-
sence we paint them as if they were normal chipping, however, we 26
must paint them in the more protected areas or between the chip-
ping on the base colour and the winter camouflage. This will help to
give the chipping much more volume.

The paint 70822 from Vallejo is in my opinion the best colour for
doing chipping on rusted metal. It is a very dark brown and nearly
perfectly represents the colour of exposed metal you find on many
different types of tanks. Using this colour we are now going to
paint the chipped metal. Lastly, using a mix of colours from Panzer
Aces for wood, we paint the chipping on the wood. The final result 21

gives a nice variety to the chipping, well balanced and at the same
time very interesting, because each area of our truck is different.
(photo: (24), (25), (26), (27), (28))
27

FAQ 2 125
28
Using highlights to give volume to the chipping is another classic
resource used by many modellers. An easy way of doing them is to
paint small lines or dots/points on the edges of the chips between
the chip and the paint, but only in the area where, theoretically, the
light is shinning. This way we can achieve a nice sensation of depth
and volume. (photo: (29), (30), (31))
29
30
31
126 FAQ 2
Another useful way of doing this is by combining chipping with a
brush and the sponge method, which is explained later. First we
paint the chipping using a brush and afterwards, using the same
colour, we use the sponge. We can also do it the other way around.
After the washes and filter have been applied the chipping gets
smoothed out and look as if they are in the background and then
we can go onto doing the chipped metal, much more intense and
contrasting because they have not been affected by the washes
and filters. (photo: (32), (33), (34), (35), (36), (37), (38), (39))
32
33
34
35
 Here we can see another example of how to do an area with a
high intensity of chipping, but spread out irregularly, leaving some
areas chip free and others with a higher concentration. We can also
see how we have given the front mudguards much more intensity,
changing the layout of the chipping and giving them a much more
random feel. Also observe how we have concentrated the chipping
36 on and around the edges of certain details. By doing this we always
create a nice contrast. (photo: (40), (41), (42))

37 38

39 40

41 42

FAQ 2 127
Scratches are one element that can be found on any type of vehi-
cle. These are produced when the vehicle is in motion at it scrapes
against a solid object. They tend to have the aspect of irregular lon-
gitudinal lines. Another characteristic of this phenomenon is that in
most cases the scratch is just superficial and doesn’t manage to go
through all the layers of paint to the metal. This leaves a mark that is
the same tone as the camouflage but of a lighter colour. That’s to say
that if the tank is green the scratch will be a lighter green and if the
tank is brown the scratch produced will be a lighter brown colour. In
this way we now know what colour to paint the marks and scratches
on our vehicles. However, on some occasions these types of marks
will be deep enough and will have damaged the paint sufficiently to
enable us to see the dark brown metal underneath. Using the same
colour we used for the scratches we can paint some chipping around
them, then we can paint some darker rust chips inside. First paint
some chips using the light colour and afterwards paint the darker
brown chipping inside the lighter chips leaving a small space or line
between the two. We can also add some streaking rust effects on
some of the chips, but not all of them. (photo: (43), (44), (45), (46),
(47), (48), (49), (49), (50), (51), (52), (53), (54))

43 44 45

46 47 48

49 50 51

52 53 54

128 FAQ 2
On some occasions it is sufficient to use just one colour and other
times it is much more effective and stunning to try to do chipping
using various colours, relief and other effects. This is a great exam-
ple of simplicity; we have just used one colour for the chipping. The 55
chipped camouflage was done using the chipping fluid technique.
This type of chipping gives a nice contrast and dramatic feel to our
models. (photo: (55), (56))

57 56

On some vehicles we can combine some of the previous techniques.
On this next example we will combine the light colour chipping
with some chipped and streaking rust. These effects are perfect for
vehicles from desert environments, although we can also use them
for other scenes as well. We start be painting the lighter coloured
chipping, it should always be slightly larger than the darker chip-
ping we will paint inside. Afterwards we paint the rust coloured
chipping inside the first one and lastly we do the streaking rust
effect. (photo: (57), (58), (59), (60))

58 59

60

FAQ 2 129
Chipping using
a sponge
Sometimes we can come across some very special types of chip-
ping effects formed by lots of small points or dots. These small and
abundant points can be very difficult to achieve, using the sponge
technique is the perfect way of doing this type of chipping effect.
(photo: (1), (2))

When 8 or 10 years ago, a Spanish modeller named Sergio de-

signed this technique, many of us were left speechless. Never be-
fore had we seen a technique like this being used, but in just a few
years it had spread around the whole planet. It was easy to do and
represented perfectly these small points that are so difficult to do
with a brush. Today, the use of this technique is widespread and
nearly always used in combination with chipping painted with a
brush. The technique basically consists of using a piece of sponge
and by means of varying the pressure of the sponge on the surface
of our model we produce these small points. To do this the sponge
needs to be slightly dampened with a thick paint.

130 FAQ 2
3

You can compile together a collection of different types of sponges,

some thicker, some finer, and practice with these to see all the
different types of finishes that they offer. It is also a good idea to
use larger harder sponges when working on larger scale models.
Personally I really like the sponges you find in computer packaging
used to protect all the different parts of the computer. Once you
have decided on which sponge to use, break a small piece off and
break little bits of the surface to give it a more irregular aspect.
Afterwards, using a dark brown paint we can do the oxidized chip-
4 ping on the metal surface of the vehicle. You can use paints from
Lifecolor or the famous Vallejo chipping paint, the 70822. Slightly
dampen the sponge and afterwards, using a piece of absorbent
paper press down with your fingers to clean away any excess paint.
If the sponge has too much paint on it you can end up flooding
the surface. It is best to start with only a small amount of paint and
even start off by using this method on areas of the model that will
be less visible. You can use the sponge to apply the paint on the
details of your model, on the edges of the armour plating, around
the hatches, or on the front machinegun armour plating where the
crew can stand. (photo: (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9), (10), (11))

6 9

7 10

8 11
FAQ 2 131
The sponge also has another interesting application. Using the for the base colour. Apply the paint in the areas more likely to
sponge we can achieve some very good chipping effects on show the deterioration and wear. Of course, always apply with
different camouflages, such as the winter or the desert. For a combination of brush painted chipping. (photo: (12), (13), (14),
this it is necessary to use the same coloured paint as we used (15), (16))

12 13

14 15

16

132 FAQ 2
17

Finally, another use of the sponge technique is for weathering ex- other area of the vehicle. Use acrylics to paint the base colour using
haust pipes. The aspect of the small points of rust so characteristic a colour that is darker than the colour you want to end up with.
of exhaust pipes can easily be achieved using this method. Protect Afterwards, use the sponge to apply chipping of a lighter colour.
the rest of the model with a paper mask so we do not damage any (photo: (17), (18), (19))

18 19

FAQ 2 133
Chipping using
hairspray
1
Even though I have talked sufficiently about this technique in its cor-
responding chapter, it is also important that it is included here aswell.
However, if you wish to understand how to do this technique well,
I suggest you go back and read everything specifically about hair-
spray. The effects you can achieve with this technique are endless,
but it is very interesting when we want to do rusting effects or ef-
fects of deep chipping through various layers of paint. (photo: (1), (2))

One technique is to apply chipping on the different layers of

camouflage. As we are working, we should apply a coat of the
chipping fluid between each layer of paint and before continuing,
varnish each layer. Using small tools we can start to produce some
small fine scratches. (photo: chipHAIR (3), (4), (5)) 2

3 4

134 FAQ 2
 Rust chipping on much damaged vehicles is easy to do using this
technique. We can start be doing something fairly simple to practice
6
using this technique. Apply a dark brown base colour that will repre-
sent the rusting metal. Remember to use resistant paints. The paints
from Gaianotes are some of the best for this purpose and have very
realistic, high quality colours. However, these paints are very toxic
and are difficult to get hold of. A few minutes after we have applied
the Gaianotes base colour we can apply the chipping fluid from AK
Interactive. We could also use hairspray, but I don’t recommend it as
it can produce a number of problems and is not as effective, we may
also find that it removes too much paint ruining all of our previous
work. We can apply one, two and up to three coats of the product,
7 depending how much chipping we want. The more coats of chip-
ping fluid we apply, the more chips we have and the bigger they
are. When applying the chipping fluid, don’t be scared if it looks to
thick. When the product dries, the acrylic dilutent evaporates leaving
an incredibly fine finish. As soon as you see that the first coat is dry
you can apply the second or the third. Immediately afterwards we
can apply the base colour, the camouflage and then we can start the
chipping dampening the base with a brush and a little water.

Finally, varnish the whole thing and we can now apply the decals and
start the weathering. (photo: (6), (7), (8), (9), (10), (11), (12), (13), (14), (15))
8

9 13

10 14

11

12

15

FAQ 2 135
Chipping
using salt
This is an old technique that, for a long time now, has been used by 3

many modellers around the world. But it is a technique that, until

now, I have never talked about. The technique consists of using
different sized salt grains as a mask to create the chipping. Even
though the style of chipping that is produced is very similar to that
achieved using the sponge technique, we will find that we have
much more control over the size and positioning of the chipping,
even being able to do multilayer effects. We can find many exam-
ples of this technique on many present day models. (photo: (1), (2))

To do chipping with this technique, first we need to apply the base

colour, a dark brown colour that will represent the rusting metal.
Afterwards we dampen the surface with a little water, it is best to
use a spray bottle like you might find in a garden store to do this.
Before the water can dry on the surface, we need to carefully place
the small salt grains in areas where we want the chipping to appear.
Once the water dries completely the salt is stuck to the surface of
the model, we can now apply the next layer of paint, in this case
a “Panzer” grey colour. We let it dry for a few minutes and repeat
6
the salt process. Softly dampening the surface and placing the salt
grains. This time we can use larger grains to give depth and realism
to the final aspect. You can use tweezers to place some grains in
specific areas where you want to produce a better intense chip-
ping. Once this next layer of salt is dried and stuck, we can paint
the camouflage over the top. Finally, we wet the whole surface and
using a thick brush clean away all of the salt grains. We need to rub
hard and persistently, because the grains of salt are protected by
the different layers of acrylic paint and they do not dissolve easily.
Because of this it is once again recomendable to apply a durable
primer and base colour. (photo: (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9), (10), (11),
(12), (13), (14), (15), (16), (17)) 7

136 FAQ 2
8 9

10 11

12 13

14 15

16 17

FAQ 2 137
138 FAQ 2
5.2.12 Rust

FAQ 2 139
The colours Streaking rust
of rust One of the most classic ways of finding rust is when it has started
to run or streak. This is very common on old and neglected vehicles.
When a vehicle gets chipped and the metal is left out in the open, it
On many occasions I have been asked “What colour is rust? “, which starts to rust very quickly due to the oxygen in the air. A little while
is the equivalent of asking what colour is earth. There is as much after it starts to rain, the rain water then drags the rust downwards
variety in the colours of natural rust as there are in our imagination. provoking the characteristic stumped lines of rust. (photo: (1), (2))
The fact is, that with in the same material we can find a multitude
of distinct tones which, when seen together, looks like one colour.
Due to this, it is a bit of a naïve question. But, we can establish an
aesthetic criterion for our models. For example, on vehicles painted
in darker colours like green or “Panzer” grey, use lighter, orangey
tones for the rust to create contrast. We use the opposite for lighter
coloured vehicles such as German yellow or Africa colours. We can
use darker rust colour browns and deep reds. Anyway, the best
thing to do is look to reality, our environment. There we will find
numerous examples which we can photograph and later use as a
reference for our models.

When applying streaking rust effect it is best to use a specific

product designed for the job. AK offers a range of specific paints
for green and another for lighter coloured vehicles, which help us
considerably to save time and avoid problems. Draw some irregular
vertical lines underneath some chips or in areas that you want to
rust. After leaving them to dry for a few minutes, start to stump
them using a flat brush and a little White Spirit until they have been
smoothed out. If they don’t have a sufficiently intense finish, you
can repeat the process after a couple of hours.
(photo: (3), (4), (5), (6))

140 FAQ 2
 3
4

5 6

Depending on our model and our idea behind that model, we can
vary the type of streaking that we apply, long or short, intense or
soft. A longer streak represents a much longer period of abandon-
ment. (photo: (7), (8), (9), (10), (11), (12), (13))

8 9 10

11 12 13

FAQ 2 141
Accumulated rust
On many occasions rust also accumulates on and around the details
of a vehicle, creating an interesting contrast between the different
components. This contrast can be very useful for bringing out cer- 4
tain details that we consider interesting or for making a plain, uni-
formly coloured tank much more enjoyable to look at.
(photo: (1), (2), (3))

1 5

2 6

3 7

One way of creating this effect is by using a Light Rust Wash. We

apply the enamel product with a soft brush around the desired
details and after letting it dry for a few minutes we can start to
stump the lines with a clean brush dampened with White Spirit.
The result is a soft subtle effect of accumulated rust, perfect for
small details or even for newer vehicles that only have a small
amount of damage. (photo: (4), (5), (6), (7), (8) 8

142 FAQ 2
 Another way of doing this is by using a much thicker paint like oils
or enamels. The colour 62 from Humbrol is great for this. Using a
clean brush, paint around the details and the areas that you want
9
to highlight, after leaving it to dry for a few minutes, use a soft
rounded number 4 or 6 brush to stump the mark with a little White
Spirit. (photo: (9), (10), (11), (12), (13), (14))

There is also another way of doing this with acrylic paints, but to do
so we must use a special product: Retarder medium. Add a small
drop to our acrylic paint and we can then use the paint as if it was
an enamel. This will give us a few extra minutes to stump the lines
we have drawn with a little water and a brush. If we practice this
technique enough the results we can achieve are very acceptable.
(photo: (15), (16), (17), (18))

10

11 12

13 14

15 16

17 18

FAQ 2 143
Large areas
of rust
The only time you will find all these different types of effects to-
gether are on vehicles that have been destroyed or abandoned.
These effects can only be achieved using the correct combination
of the various techniques available. We can not do all of these dif-
ferent types of effects using just one mode of application, but we
can hardly explain all the numerous combinations available either.
Destroyed and abandoned vehicles need all of our creativity and
imagination and we will discover for ourselves all of the different
effects that can be achieved. In fact, the next example is just a mix
1
of some of the techniques described earlier. Streaks of dirt and
rust have been applied, the sponge technique has been used, work
has been done using oils and pigments and many other styles. The
final result is a complex model with lots of variety in the effects
and tones. You must remember that this book has been written to
explain all of the different types of techniques that exist, but not to
explain how we can combine them or the endless effects that can
be achieved. Each modeller must to find out and understand how
to combine the techniques depending on the type of project they
are working on. It would be impossible for somebody to explain the
millions of possible combinations in one book. In any case, it is a big
part of our hobby, that when each modeller makes a model, they
try to use their own creativity to give it some originality and that
personal touch. Don’t be scared of tying out new combinations, of
making mistakes. The worst that could happen is that you need to
start again. However by making a mistake you may actually find a
new effect, making mistakes is part of the learning process. Even
though we can explain all the different types of techniques and the
tricks that go with them, afterwards, it is the “magician” who must
know how to use them. This destroyed PzIV is just one example of 2
the many different things you can do by mixing techniques, but
many other modellers may have reached the same point using dif-
ferent methods. (photo: (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9), (10), (11),
(12), (13), (14), (15), (16), (17), (18))

144 FAQ 2
4 5

6 7

8 9

10 11

12 13

FAQ 2 145
 18

15

146 FAQ 2
 14

16 17

FAQ 2 147
148 FAQ 2
5.2.13 Dust
effects

Basic principals
of dust
The dust effects are very important if we want to give a credi-
ble finish to our models. The dust is the first thing that appears
in any place, including our own car after we have left it parked
in the street for a couple of days. We can say that dust is nearly
omnipresent, and can be found everywhere. Even inside our own
home, we can find dust accumulating in any corner. Due to this,
it is logical to think that we can put dust effects on our models,
especially on military vehicles. It is important to know that dust
does not cover the whole of a surface in the same way. Dust sticks
much more on rough surfaces, over matt colours, and sticks easily
to liquids such as grease or oil from engines. Dust also has a lot of
colours. It can have orangey tones like in some areas of the Middle
East, it can have reddish tones like in Vietnam, or grey in urban
areas. It is very important to study all the aspects of the environ-
ment of our idea so we can understand what colour of dust to use
in each different case. Also, we can find that there are areas of
vehicles that are nearly always free from dust, mainly due to the
movement of the crew, rain, and other factors. We must under-
stand how to contrast the distinct volumes with the dust so as not
to create a monotonous boring finish. We should accumulate the
dust on the horizontal areas and leave the vertical areas and the
areas used by the crew free. The dust is the first environmental ef-
fect that we will paint on our model… of course before the mud,
oil and fresh water effects.

FAQ 2 149
Dust on vertical the vertical areas of the vehicle. But what happens to the dust? The
dust also sticks to the sides, although as I said before in less quantity.

surfaces
Like I explained before, the vertical areas of vehicles are the areas
that tend to have less dust, due to the fact that the dust can not ad-
here to these areas like it does on horizontal surfaces. Because of this
we, need to be aware of this effect when we are painting our model.
However, the dust on these vertical areas is very important when we
will later apply fresh or dry mud on top. The sides of the vehicles tend
to have fresh or dry mud on them due to the splashes from puddles
and ground mud which is thrown up from the tyres and tracks on
to the sides of the vehicle. Almost always this mud sticks strongly to
However, when a tank is moving on a dirt road in summer, the dust
that is lifted up also sticks to the sides, especially near the ground.
On many occasions we can see a combination of mud and dust. In
this case, we should always apply the dust first and then the mud.
One of the easiest ways of painting lateral dust is with an airbrush
and a couple of colours from Tamiya such as BUFF and FLAT EARTH
mixed to 50%. Apply the dust softly, giving more intensity to the
rear areas. One subtle coat is sufficient. (photo: (1), (2))
To give more randomness, we can apply pigment colours sticking
them with a pigment fixer. All of this is done with a brush. (photo:
(3), (4), (5), (6))

1 2

3 4

150 FAQ 2
 5 6

On other occasions we can do vertical dust so that it serves as a Observe on the finished model the differences between the dust
support or base to the mud. We can do this the same way as be- around the turret and the much more subtle dust on the vertical
fore, using colours from Tamiya. We paint the mud over the top. parts. (photo: (7), (8), (9), (10))

7 8

9 10

FAQ 2 151
Dust effects
in the desert
1
Although the essence of this type of dust is a combination of verti-
cal and horizontal dust, the way in which we apply it on desert
vehicles is somewhat different to the other types of vehicles. For
this reason, I thought it would be appropriate to do a specific sec-
tion just for this type of theme. The dust on the desert vehicles
is one of the most important aspects of this theme, because it is
practically the only type of environmental effect that we can do.
Only on rare occasions can we do mud effects, due to this we need
to know how to apply it in the best possible way. We will now see
a completely different way of applying dust, this time using enamel
products especially designed for this purpose. In the last chapter
the dust is practically a base or support for later applying mud, but
in this case the protagonist is the dust.
2
To do this we will use the colour Ak022 for African dust. We can
airbrush it, using it directly from the jar without diluting. We apply
a soft coat that covers the whole surface of the model. Previously
we will have done the chipping effects the washes and other ef-
fects. After a minute or two, we use a thick flat brush with soft
hairs, dampened with a little White Sprit. With this we can start to
clean certain areas of the model, leaving the colour to accumulate
in the nooks and crannies, details and grooves. You can work on
your model part by part and very slowly. The dust by AK Interactive,
although it looks as if it is dry, can be worked and modified with
white Spirit over a couple of hours. (photo: (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6),
(7), (8), (9), (10))

152 FAQ 2
5 6

7 8

9 10

FAQ 2 153
 11 12

13 14

15 16

On the vertical areas we work the dust a different way. With the airbrush, we
should work more in the lower areas to make the dust denser. Afterwards,
with a flat brush, we drag the dust downwards creating irregular vertical
marks. Pass the brush softly over the top and don’t soak the brush with too
much White Spirit. When working on vertical surfaces the dust should always
have more density on the lower parts than in the higher areas. (photo: (11),
(12), (13), (14), (15), (16), (17))

To dust the wheels, we also use the airbrush to apply the product. Afterwards,
we remove the excess dust using a brush, this time with a circular movement,
from the inside out. Once completely dry we can use a drybrush with black
acrylic paint to bring out the details. (photo: (18), (19))
17

18 19

154 FAQ 2
Dust
on horizontal
surfaces 1

The horizontal dust is more important than we can imagine. In con-

trast to the dust on vertical surfaces, the horizontal dust can be the
deciding factor to give contrast and an attractive finish to certain
models. On models painted with just one colour, the horizontal
dust helps to give chromatic richness and variety to the surface.
Meanwhile, on a vehicle painted with a camouflage with various
colours, the horizontal dust helps to unify the variety of colours
and give realism to the model. This type of effect needs to be con-
trolled and used with caution because it should be placed in strate-
gic areas to create dynamism and to avoid the monotony. We need
to leave certain areas free from dust and concentrate in determined
points such as the mudguards and around the turrets. We need to
plan well the colours that we are going to use, where and with how
much intensity we will apply them. We should use the horizontal
dust in an irregular way and on occasions randomly. We should try
to make one side of the tank different to the other. (photo: (1), (2)) 2

One of the simplest and cleanest ways of doing horizontal dust is dampened with White Spirit. We can also add distinct tones to
with the enamel products from AK Interactive. We can apply them make the surface less monotonous. We can add a little plaster to
directly to the surface with a brush and after leaving it to dry for the dust to make effects of fine accumulated earth. Also, we can
a couple of minutes we can start to stump it with a clean brush achieve much more random effects. (photo: (3), (4), (5), (6))

3 4

5 6

FAQ 2 155
 7 8

9 10

11 12

Another classic method is to do a dusting using an airbrush with

the colours BUFF and FLAT EARTH from Tamiya, afterwards we can
randomly apply a pigment colours on the surface. Then us-
ing a thick brush, we wet the surface with White Spirit

13

lightly moving the pigment, dragging it to the de-

sired areas. Finally we clean away the excess
pigment with a cotton bud leaving
certain areas free to increase the
contrast on the distinct
components on the tank.
It is important to do this
with White Spirit and not
with a fixer, because once it is
dry, if the result is not the best
we can always dampen the sur-
face again and correct the areas
that we don’t like. (photo: (7), (8),
14 (9), (10), (11), (12), (13), (14))

156 FAQ 2
As I explained before, one of the purposes of using dust is to create
contrast between the different elements and on occasions to unify
and smooth out complex camouflages or serve as a base for other
effects. After applying a coat of dust using Tamiya like we have
done in the last example, we apply some light coloured pigments.
Use a darker pigment if your tank is set in a damp area or in winter.
15
17
19
Afterwards, dampen the surface with White Spirit. When you
dampen it you will see how everything gets darker, this is normal.
Once it is dry, it will return to the original tone. By placing the
turret on top again, we can see the contrast produced between the
hull and this last piece, creating a very real and interesting effect.
(photo: (15), (16), (17), (18), (19), (20))
16
18
20
FAQ 2 157
 21 22

23

These types of accumulated dust effects can be the perfect base

for later painting some oil effects. You can skip to the chapter on
Oil and Fuel if you wish to see how we have got to this point.
Observe how the small marks of oil are placed strategically under-
neath the turret to increase the contrast and to bring the spectators
attention to this area. (photo: (21), (22), (23), (24), (25))

24

158 FAQ 2
25

FAQ 2 159
160 FAQ 2
5.2.14 Mud
effects

FAQ 2 161
Dry Mud
Mud is an optional element that we can apply when we are painting
vehicles. Many modellers chose not to apply it for many different
reasons. Some think that it is not necessary; others think that it is
an unsightly effect and others think that applying it can hide the
forms and details of a vehicle. In some ways they are right, the mud
can hide much of the previous work we have done. Because of
this it very important to know from the start what it is we want to
achieve with our model. From the moment that we come up with
the idea for our project we need to decide if our tank will have mud
or not, if it will have chipping, dust or engine oil. In this way we
can avoid doing difficult processes in the areas where we will later
apply the mud. In fact the modellers, who avoid doing the mud
until the end of the painting process, tend to be the ones who do
not have a clear idea of what they are doing. Or they simply work
with painting processes that are more or less good, and when they
reach this final stage of applying the mud, they freeze in fear of
ruining all the previous work they have done. How foolish! The
work should be planned from the beginning and the mud should
be part of the model just like the details, wheels and camouflage. If
a vehicle needs to have mud, then we need to apply it to be faithful
to reality. In the same way as when we apply rust, metal effects, or
chipping. (photo: (1), (2), (3), (4))
1 2
3 4
162 FAQ 2
We can do dry mud very easily with a couple of colours and some
plaster of paris to give thickness to the mud. First we apply a
dusting like I explained in the chapter on dust. We can combine
a first dusting with colours from Tamiya, another with the colours
from AK for dust AK015 and AK017. Afterwards, we mix these two
colours (we can vary the proportion or even add other tones from
the range) with a little plaster to make a homogenous paste. We
can add this mud directly to our model using a brush or alterna-
tively by projecting air over a brush loaded with this mix to give an
effect of splashed mud. We must take into account that by adding
the plaster the mud will become lighter in colour, because of this
we need to choose the colours that we are going to use very care-
fully, depending on the geographical environment. We can also use
different types of natural earth and sand to give thickness to the
mud if we apply it directly with a brush. Nevertheless, the plaster
provides a very realistic texture if it applied with either a brush or
airbrush. Always use lighter colours for doing dry mud, and always
use matt paint. (photo: (5), (6), (7), (8), (9), (10), (11))
 5 6

7 8

9 10

11

FAQ 2 163
 Wet mud
The fundamental difference between wet mud and dry mud is in
the colour and on occasions the shine it can have. Wet mud tends
to be a darker colour, sometimes being nearly black. Of course,
the geographical situation is fundamental to know what colour the
wet mud should be. In Mediterranean countries the wet mud tends
to be lighter with ochre’s and reddish colours and in some areas
1 of Germany and Russia it can be nearly black. AK Interactive also
offers a large variety of dark mud colours and some of these with
a lighter satin finish.

An easy way of doing this is by applying washes over the dry mud
already done. This is an easy way doing it, especially for countries
with hotter climates such as France, Italy and North Africa etc… use
the effects of the wet mud from AK Interactive to these washes,
using a brush. You will see that the final aspect has a much lighter
finish than the colour you have used, this is because the dry mud
that is underneath has been mixed with plaster of Paris and this
absorbs the colour and lightens it. You can paint irregular vertical
lines to simulate the wet streaks. (photo: (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7),
(8), (9), (10))

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164 FAQ 2
 Another way of doing wet mud is by mixing the corresponding
colour with plaster or garden earth. This gives a good thick realistic
texture. To produce an aspect of very wet mud we also need to add
gloss varnish. Any type of enamel gloss varnish is sufficient. You
can vary the amount of varnish, adding more or less depending on
the situation of your vehicle, that’s to say if it is based on a rainy
day, if it is in a Russian thaw, etc… After applying the wet mud
with a brush and leaving it to dry for 24 hours, we can then use
the efects of wet rain and using a brush, produce the effects of
7 streaking wet mud made by the rain. First paint some vertical lines
with the mud colour and then stump the lines with White Spirit
until they have been made softer. We can also use this method to
reinforce the areas of wet mud that don’t have a good finish after
the last process. (photo: (11), (12), (13), (14), (15), (16), (17))

11

9 12

10 13

FAQ 2 165
 14 15

16 17

However we can also paint these lines of mud, some that have been
more diluted with White Spirit (if we want them to more subtle) or
gloss varnish (if we want to make them fresher). In this way we can
achieve much more irregular and attractive effects. (photo: (18))

18

166 FAQ 2
Splashed mud
Splashed mud is the most common way of finding mud on a ve-
hicle. In most occasions a tank or lorry is driving on muddy roads
that have been soaked with rain. When the vehicle passes over
this mud, the mud is projected onto the hull due to the movement
of the wheels or tracks. Afterwards this splashed mud dries, but
when the vehicle moves again, it passes once more through this
mud and water producing an accumulation of layers with different
colours and levels of wetness. This is the most spectacular effect of
all that we can do on our models, but this can also frighten many
modellers who think that this effect can ruin all of the previous
work. Because of this it is easy to see many models that do not have
this type of mud. (photo: (1))

I have talked for many years about the different forms and ways of
painting mud. But in the last few years I have designed the defini-
tive way of doing it easily and that always produces a nice finish.
Until now the most efficient way was using pigments, but they re-
quire an acrylic resin to unsure that the mix with the plaster is com-
pact and firm. Now the mud can be produced using the enamel
products from AK Interactive specifically for painting mud. We can
use one or various colours combined together. We can use a plastic
container to make the mixes, using an old thick brush to stir the
mix. Add the plaster little by little until you achieve a slightly dense
milky texture, like liquid cream. You must take into account that the
more liquid you add to the mix, the finer the effect of the splashed
mud. If the mix is too thick, the splashed mud will also be too thick
and out of scale. In reality a good proportion, but not the only one,
can be 60 or 70% of colour and the rest plaster. (photo: (2), (3), (4))

3 4

FAQ 2 167
 5 6

Using an old brush, we collect a small amount of the mix and hold lightest colour. It is best to first test the mix on a piece of paper and
the brush over the area that we want to cover. Next, we project after ensuring that the splashing is at its optimum we can move
air from an airbrush over the brush and this splashes the mix onto onto splashing the model. Lastly we paint the darker tones of the
our model in a very realistic way. You must always start with the splashes. (photo: (5), (6), (7), (8), (9), (10), (11), (12), (13), (14), (15))

7 8

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168 FAQ 2
11 12

13 14

15

FAQ 2 169
 When we do splashed mud, it is quite possible that not all of the
effects end up how we want them. It is very difficult to control all of
the small drops that are projected onto our model and it is possible
18 that many of these marks do not have the form or the size that we
want. It is at this point that painting mud with enamel products has
its advantages. Because the enamel takes a little while to dry com-
pletely, we can use a brush to correct, soften, or eliminate the marks
until we achieve the finish that we like. The difference with doing the
mud with acrylic paints is that once the mud has been applied it can
not be corrected or changed. And it is also different from doing mud
with pigments, because these need a glutiner to harden.

Once the dried mud has been applied we leave it to dry for 24
hours. After, we can repeat the process with the darker mud, the
wet, or fresh mud, and go back to correct the small drops that look
out of place Do this with a clean brush dampened with White Spirit.
(photo: (16), (17), (18), (19), (20), (21), (22), (23), (24), (25), (26), (27))

19

16 17

20 21

170 FAQ 2
 22 23

27

25 26

24

FAQ 2 171
 When we are doing mud on the side of vehicles, we need to make
the rear areas larger and more intense as this is where the mud
can accumulate. Don’t make the mud regular and homogenous
along the whole side. Observe how on this Panther II the splashed
mud has accumulated principally on the rear part. Also the wet
mud should always cover less space than the dried mud that is
underneath. This can be easily seen in photographs of real vehicles.
(photo: (28), (29), (30), (31))

28

29 30

31

172 FAQ 2
 We should also treat the mud from a Russian winter differently
from mud produced from a road in Iraq or Afghanistan as not all
terrains act in the same way. There are hard terrains and others
that are softer. In many areas of Afghanistan, the earth is more
32
compact and stonier than the earth we find in the north of Europe.
For a vehicle in these conditions, we can make the splashed mud
more irregular, and in this case, the larger drops can be acceptable.
Observe how in this case three different colours have been used to
create a new colour that is adapted to the colours that we can see
in photographs of Afghanistan. The mix has been made with less
plaster, only approximately 20% has been added. (photo: (32), (33),
(34), (35), (36))

33

34 35

36

FAQ 2 173
 To produce the effect of splashed mud on wheels, we need to paint
it in a slightly different way. If when doing the lateral mud, we need
to place the brush and the airbrush at an angle to produce the
effect of the mud being splashed in movement, when doing the
wheels we need to do it perpendicular to the central axle.

On vehicles with various rows of wheels, we need to paint the in-

ternal wheels first; afterwards, we position the external wheels and
paint the interior part of the wheel, using a mask so as not to dirty
the wheels that are behind. (photo: (37), (38), (39), (40), (41), (42),
(43), (44), (45), (46))

In this other example observe how each wheel has been painted
in a different colour, with different intensities and with different
37 effects on each one. (photo: (47))

38 39

40 41

42 43

174 FAQ 2
44

45

46

47

FAQ 2 175
176 FAQ 2
5.2.15 Oil
and fuel

FAQ 2 177
Theory of oil
The effects of oil & grease are very important to give a realistic and
definitive finish to a model. These small effects should be done at
the end of the whole painting process and if done well, can give 3
great realism to a model. However, if they are done badly, in the
wrong place or in excess, they can also totally destroy the aspect of
our model. This is why it is difficult to do these effects. (photo: (1))

The grease and oil behave in a changeable, unpredictable way

and can expand in any direction. It is a living element that flows,
spreads, and it dries and then comes back to life. On many occasions
we can come across many superimposed layers of oil. Some layers
are older, some drier, and others more recent. Normally the oldest
layers of oil and grease are the ones that have the larger expanse
of surface and have a matt colour that is slightly transparent. On
the contrary, the most recent grease has a much darker aspect, it
is much shinier and occupies less space. (photo: (2), (3), (4), (5), (6))

2 6

178 FAQ 2
Also, the most recently formed and fresher oil has a much more
rounded form, as if they were small clouds. The older drier oil tends
to have a more irregular form because it has expanded through
capillary action over the surface of the vehicle. In any case, it is
recomendable to observe real examples in our own town. For
example, when we are waiting for a train or the metro we can look
at the ground and the different mechanisms. On the city floor, on
the floor of garages and workshops, on construction machinery, on
lorries, etc. (photo: (7), (8), (9))

How to apply oil

It is much more important to know where to place the oil than it
is know how to do it. The placement is nearly always the biggest
problem. And even if it seems logical that you can find it in the area
in and around the engine, you can also find it in many other places,
around the turret for example and in other less logical positions.
(photo: (1))

8 1

To make these special marks,

I designed a specific prod-
uct that simplifies the whole
process. Instead of having to
make mixes of colours and
adding varnishes that later we
don’t know how it will look,
this product can be used
straight from the tin onto our
model. The colour of oil is not
black, more of a dark colour
with a light brown touch.
9 2 (photo: (2))

FAQ 2 179
We start by painting the oldest oil marks, that’s to say, the ones
that have been on the vehicle the longest. This oil is not as bright
and is more transparent. To create motor oil, we can dilute our
product from AK Interactive with White Spirit, approximately 50%.
Afterwards, with a fine brush, we can start to paint small irregular
marks around the hatches and the details in the engine area. We
can also paint marks around the turret and some other areas of the
tank. (photo: (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8))

3 4

5 8

180 FAQ 2
 6

FAQ 2 181
To do the more recent fresher oil, we apply the product directly,
with out diluting. First we need to make sure that the last coat is
dry, 2 or 3 hours of drying time should be enough. After, we can
paint the fresh oil with less quantity and less coverage than the last
coat. Try not to make the marks concentric, that’s to say that they
don’t end up looking like fried eggs. It is better that they look like
different marks superimposed. (photo: (9), (10))
9 10
11
13
182 FAQ 2
Observe on this example how the marks have been distributed.
They have been placed randomly and irregularly to try to avoid
symmetry. (photo: (11), (12))
On the lower part of the hull we can apply a different form of
streaking oil. We paint irregular vertical lines asymmetrically. If
there is lots of mud on the surface, the oil is absorbed and has a
matt finish, if we wish to achieve a satin aspect we will need to
apply various coats. (photo: (13))
12
 All in all, oil can be found in nearly any place. But we need to con-
centrate more quantity in the more usual areas, such as the engine
compartment, and less in the more unusual areas like the front of a
tank. If we look in detail at photographs of real tanks we can find
small oil marks spread over many parts of them. (photo: (14), (15),
(16), (17), (18), (19))

14

15 16

17 18

19 20

FAQ 2 183
Spilt fuel
On many occasions the modeller confuses the spilt fuel with oil
marks, but the fuel is usually more transparent than the oil and has
a reddish tone. (photo: (1))

Also, it can be found near the fuel intakes. Never use the same
colour for the fuel as you have for the oil. Use the specific product
to paint it. (photo: (2))

You can work the spilt fuel in a similar way to the oil, but try to
paint more vertical marks. Paint the streaked liquid on the sides of
the vehicle and the fuel tanks. In the same as with the oil, dilute the
product with a little White Spirit to achieve different layers of dry
2 and fresh fuel. (photo: (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9), (10), (11))

184 FAQ 2
4 5

6 7

8 9

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FAQ 2 185
186 FAQ 2
5.2.16 How
to paint
tracks
FAQ 2 187
With acrylics
On some occasions it can be very interesting to paint the tracks
with acrylic paints. For example, the tracks made by Modelkasten
are plastic and are very fragile to work with using enamels. Because
of this it is recommendable to always paint them using acrylics. Of
course we can paint all the different types of tracks this way. First we
apply an acrylic primer. Then we paint the whole track with a steel
coloured paint. We need to use a mask to cover the areas that are in
contact with the wheels, using an adhesive tape mask. Afterwards,
we paint the track with a colour that best represents the environ-
ment that the tank will be placed. Never paint a track with a rust
colour, unless the tank has been abandoned or is in a workshop or
factory. The products from Vallejo to apply washes are perfect for
darkening the tracks a little. After we can do a soft drybrush with a
dark brown colour and lastly, also with a dry brush, we can paint a
polished steel aspect to the outsides of the tracks. We can apply vari-
ous tones of pigment to give a more realistic finish. (photo: (1), (2),
(3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9), (10), (11), (12), (13), (14), (15), (16))

1 2

3 4

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188 FAQ 2
7 8

9 10

11 12

13 14

15 16

FAQ 2 189
 Mixed method:
Acrylic, Enamel,
1
Pigments
Today the majority of modellers use metal tracks from Friulmodel.
These are, without doubt, the most realistic option for our tanks.
This type of track does not have the inconvenience of the plastic
track that are affected by White Spirit and turpentine. To paint this
type of track is simple. Paint the base colour using earth colours
from Tamiya, the most matt possible. Always use the colours from
the environment where the tank is travelling. Apply a darker tone
to the central outside area of the tracks. Apply a wash to the whole
surface and leave it to dry for at least 12 hours. Use the sponge
technique to do small fine chipping with a dark brown acrylic
paint. You can look at the chapter on chipping to find out more on
this technique. Lastly we can apply some dust and earth coloured
washes, mixed with a little plaster if we want to give more volume.
The metal effect is achieved using a graphite pencil and the outer
part with sandpaper. (photo: (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9), (10),
2 (11), (12), (13), (14))

When we paint tracks on desert ve-

hicle, we can paint the metal a rusty
orangey colour. The pieces of rubber
on the tracks can be painted black or
a very dark grey. If the plastic is suf-
ficiently resistant, we can apply some
washes using the Africa Dust Effects
paints. Afterwards, we can do the
chipping using the sponge technique
and lastly we do the metal effect with
a little graphite applied with a small
sponge. With just a few small steps we
can achieve very realistic tracks.
3
4

5 6

190 FAQ 2
7 8

9 10

11 12

13 14

FAQ 2 191
 Using Blank n’ it
Metal tracks have the advantage that they can be treated with
acidic products that naturally corrode the metal. Introduce lengths
or individual links into a glass container
with the rusting liquid. Leave for a few
minutes and once you can see that the
links are starting to darken you can re-
move them. Leave them to dry and they
are ready to be used. Leave some links a
longer time in the liquid and others less
to achieve a variety of different tones.
Change the liquid when it gets dirty as
it quickly loses its effectiveness. (photo:
(1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8))

2 3

4 5

192 FAQ 2
6

7 8

FAQ 2 193
 1 2

Painting links
To give importance and realism to the spare links, we should paint
each link with a different rust tone. After, we can use the sponge
method to paint chips with a lighter rust colour. Use the same
colour and apply a wash, with a more diluted colour, on all of the
links. With some lighter colours like green or sand we can paint
chips from the camouflage paint onto some links. This gives va-
3
riety to the links and stops them looking the same. Afterwards,
add some rust tones irregularly on the links, like yellows, ochre’s,
oranges, etc… and fix them with a little White Spirit. Use enamel
paints from Humbrol to darken some links and once dry, go
back and apply pigments, but this time predominantly dust and
earth colours. Of course, again we need to fix them, dampening
the surface a little with White Spirit. Finally, using the sponge
method again, we paint the last chips with a very dark brown.
(photo: (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9), (10), (11), (12), (13), (14),
(15), (16), (17))

5 6

7 8

194 FAQ 2
9 10

11 12

13 14

15

16 17

FAQ 2 195
196 FAQ 2
5.2.17 Special
effects

FAQ 2 197
 Metal using
graphite
An easy way of producing metal effects on the edges of tanks
is by using an artist’s graphite pencil. You just need to pass the
pencil a few times lightly across the edges until you achieve a very
natural realistic aspect. You can use a sharpened pencil to do the
effects of metal in the nooks and crannies of some hatches. It is
recomendable not to do this effect in all the areas of our tank,
only apply it where there is more chance of erosion or wear from
the use of the crew.

You can use different types of graphite pencils to achieve different

shinny metals. (photo: (1), (2), (3), (4), (5))

2 3

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198 FAQ 2
Metal using
pigments
The pigment continues to be a great way to achieve metal effects You can apply the metallic pigment directly with your finger, rub-
on large surfaces like tracks, on the edges of the armour plating of bing on the details that you want to have a steel aspect. You can
tanks, as well as some types of weapons. You need to remember also use a cotton bud to apply it with more precision on some de-
that not all types of pigments are the same. Try to find one that is tails. (photo: (3), (4))
very fine. The ones that I made before had a thick grain size and the
effect they produced was not very realistic. The new metallic pig-
ment from AK Interactive is extremely fine and has a more realistic
colour. (photo: (1), (2))

1 2

3 4

FAQ 2 199
Metal using
other products
We can also do metal effects with many other products such as the
enamel paints and acrylics with metal colours like steel, aluminium,
etc. are perfect for painting small details and accessories with a
brush. On the other hand, the Czech brand AGAMA has a special
product to create metal effects by means of rubbing. With a piece
of cloth or a cotton bud, we apply a small amount of the product
on the surface, and then rub until we achieve a shine and it dries.
(photo: (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6))

1 2

3 4

5 6

200 FAQ 2
Fallen leaves
One of the final details that can give a great realistic fin-
ish to our model is with the addition of small natural ele-
ments dropped over our model, like small tree branches,
leaves, vegetation and earth. These elements make it onto
a tank as a result of explosions nearby or even when the ve-
hicle passes through the vegetation of a forest. These ele-
ments, although they are nearly invisible in black and white
photographs, are very common and are easy to see on mod-
ern vehicles were there is more information and documenta-
tion. (photo: (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9), (10), (11), (12))

1 2 3

4 5 6

7 8 9

10 11 12

FAQ 2 201
 The brands FIBA and PLUS MODEL offer a great variety of leaves,
in all scales and with many colours. Although these products are
very expensive, it is worth buying them for the level of realism that
it gives to our models. You can apply them leaf by leaf using a small
amount of acrylic matt varnish to stick them down. After, position
the leaf with tweezers and leave it to dry. To glue a bunch of small
branches, apply a coat of matt varnish slightly diluted with water
and position the vegetation, earth or bunch of leaves that you want
on top. Once dry, remove with a soft thick brush the excess mate-
rial that hasn’t been glued correctly. If there are any marks left of
the matt varnish when it is dry, you can soften this by applying
small touches of earth and dust coloured pigments. (photo: (13),
(14), (15), (16), (17), (18))

13

14 15

16 17

202 FAQ 2
18

FAQ 2 203
How to place
dry transfers
The positioning of dry transfers and decals is something that has
been explained extensively in all types of publications and even in
the instructions that come with the products themselves. It is no
longer a mystery like it was 10 years ago. Nowadays practically
the whole world knows the procedure. But in spite of all this I will
explain the method one more time just in case there is a modeller
who is just starting out and doesn’t know how to use them. Of
course, I always recommend using dry transfers rather than decals.
The decals are difficult to apply and you need a lot of ability to
make them look perfect. On the other hand, the dry transfers near-
ly always look good and they are very easy to apply. (Photo: (1), (2))
To apply the dry transfers, you must be sure that the surface of your
model is clean and has a satin or shiny finish. After cutting the part
that you want to put on the model, hold it from the outside with
a small amount of adhesive tape. Position it in the area on your
model and afterwards, using a tool with the rounded end or a pen,
push the drawing onto the surface. Then remove the tape and the
backing very carefully and varnish over the top with acrylic satin
varnish to protect it. (photo: (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9))

1 2

204 FAQ 2 4 5
 If you want to later add any type of camouflage, you can protect
the dry transfers with a bit of Blue tac, a special clay like plasticine
that is possible to stick on and take off. Paint the camouflage on
top and after remove the Blue Tac that you have used as a mask.
(photo: (10), (11), (12))

7 8

9 10

11 12

FAQ 2 205
Headlights
The easiest most realistic way of doing our vehicle’s lights is with
the use of lenses specifically designed for modelling. AK Interactive
offers a large catalogue of lenses in various colours and diameters
for all types of vehicles. You just need to take the lens with some
tweezers and position them with a small amount of white glue or
Clear varnish from Tamiya to stick it in place. Once it is dry, we must
not forget to lightly dust the lenses to unify the whole model.

If you use lenses made from transparent plastic that can be found
in many commercial kits, after sticking them down, use a brush
to varnish them using the Clear Varnish from Tamiya to give them
a glassy finish. If on the other hand your model’s lights are made
from an opaque plastic or resin, then you first need to paint the
light with a silver colour. Then, use the colours of the “clear” paints
from Tamiya to get the desired colour, such as red, orange, etc…
(photo: (1), (2), (3), (4), (5))

1 3

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206 FAQ 2
 Licence Plates
The brand EDUARD from the Czech Republic produce some very
realistic, pre painted, metal licence plates that are ready to be
applied. You just need to cut the desired plate and stick it to your
model with Super Glue. It is very important to weather and dirty
it so that it blends in with the rest of the vehicle. (photo: (1), (2),
(3), (4), (5))

4 5

FAQ 2 207
Quick Wheel
masks
One of the latest and greatest inventions that I have seen for model-
ling are the templates/masks to paint the wheels from Quick Wheel,
devised by Greg Rossa. This simple tool permits us to paint the tires
on many wheels at the same time, with out effort and with precision.
It consists of a mask with two different thicknesses that the wheels
can be placed in so that they can be painted afterwards. (photo: (1))
3

1 4

First we paint the wheels with a dark grey colour or black, that will
be the colour of the tire. Paint the entire wheel. Afterwards, posi-
tion the mask from Quick Wheel in all of the wheels. Now paint the
colour of the vehicle and then remove the mask. That’s it! Quick
and easy. On occasions, painting the wheels of a tank can take a
whole day and the end result can be unsatisfactory. But in this way,
we can paint all the wheels in a couple of minutes. It is worth it.
(photo: (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9), (10), (11), (12))

208 FAQ 2
 6 7

8 9

10 12

11

FAQ 2 209
 1 2

5.3
Painting
accessories
5.3.1
3

The importance of the accessories

Vehicles own accessories
Many vehicles sometimes carry with them a multitude of small
accessories and tools, in the majority of cases for repairing the vehi-
cle. These type of accessories can very be extremely varied, you can
even find many differences within the same army, and there can
also be many differences depending on the era or year they were
installed. However these vehicle accessories can also have different
aspects depending on whether they have just left the factory or
have been on the battlefield for a couple of months. For example, a
shovel on a German tank can be painted completely in Panzer Grey
when it is new, but as time passes it can rust and the wood handle
can also start to deteriorate after months in combat. Because of
this it is very important to determine in which era your tank will be
set and in this way you can decide on how much damage & wear 4
and tear the vehicles accessories will have. Other cases exist such
as on modern vehicles, where the tools and accessories are painted
in the same colour as the tank and it is difficult to see the damage.
Other times you can see the tools painted in bright colours or even
taken from other vehicles. Basically, the diversity of how we can
paint and decorate the accessories is nearly endless. Due to this, it
is recommended to study well the vehicle that we are going paint.
Find out the colours of the accessories and then decide how we
want to paint them, damaged or newer. In any case, the majority
of these accessories can be painted in the same way as the rest of
our vehicles, using the same techniques, washes, chipping, fading,
etc… (photo: (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9), (10))
5

210 FAQ 2
 6 7

8 9

FAQ 2 211
External and ambient accessories
The external accessories that we can add to our vehicle are the 1

most important, because they can change the whole aspect of

our model. These types of accessories can be etremely varied and
because of this, can make our model more classical or original de-
pending on what we add. We can find in photographs vehicles
that carry incredible accessories that can make our tank completely
different from the rest. Once, I remember seeing a photograph
of a Russian BTR80 in Chechnya that carried on its front an old
Mercedes Benz radiator, or an African T55 with some skulls on
its Dushka. But these are rarities and in the majority of cases the
modeller will try to find classical accessories that help to improve
their model. These types of accessories tend to be boxes of ammu-
nition made from metal or wood, buckets, helmets, shell casings,
or small equipment for the soldiers and crew. Jerry cans and oil
cans are another classic and always help to improve our model in a
simple and easy way. These types of accessories are very common
to many vehicles and because of this, we will go on to explain some
of them. One last thing, when you place them on your vehicle, it
can be very interesting to think how you can adapt them correctly
and how to bind them. (photo: (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9)) 3

212 FAQ 2
6 5

4 8 7

FAQ 2 213
5.3.2
Painting accessories
Yellow oil drum
We paint the drum with a base tone of a mix of white, buff and
dark yellow from Tamiya. With a sponge and Vallejo 822 we can
do the small chipping in the form of dots. Next we do some other
chipping using the same colour but this time with a brush. Apply
a dark wash in the detail. Paint some irregular vertical lines with
AK015 Dust Effect in the lower area and fade with White Spirit.
Afterwards we can do some streaking dirt with AK014 Winter
Streaking Grime in the higher areas. Now, its time for the rust.
Paint some irregular vertical lines and then stump using a clean
brush. Now we apply some petrol stains with AK025. For these first
medium sized marks we do, we use a paint very diluted with White
Spirit. With AK025 we now do some other stains, smaller and less
dissolved, over the top of the previous ones. (photo: (1), (2), (3), (4),
(5), (6), (7), (8), (9), (10), (11), (12), (13), (14), (15), (16))

16

1 2 3

4 5 6

214 FAQ 2
7 8 9

10 11 12

13 14 15

FAQ 2 215
Grey oil drum
We paint the barrel with a grey colour. Apply small dots of oil in
different tones, the lighter ones in the higher area and the darker
ones in the shadowy area. With a brush, dampened with White
Spirit, we stump the oils. Next we apply a dark wash in the deeper
areas. With the Vallejo acrylics 822, 818, and 981 mixed in different
proportions, we can create small chipping using a brush. The
product AK015 Rust Streaks is ideal for simulating streaking rust
produced by rain. Finally we apply a small amount of pigment, a
light dust colour, in the higher area, where dust forms in a natural
way. With a dry old brush we can remove the excess pigment in
some areas. To finish we can paint some small oil stains. (photo: (1),
(2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9), (10), (11), (12), (13), (14), (15))

1 2 3

4 5 6

7 8 9

216 FAQ 2
10 11 12

13

14 15

FAQ 2 217
US jerry can
We paint the base colour with the H-304 from Gunze. We apply a
precise dark wash in all the nooks and cranies. With an old brush,
we apply some dry pigments in the lower areas and on the hori-
zontals. Afterwards we wet and blend with a soft brush dampened
in White Spirit. Once it is dry the final aspect is irregular and dusty.

To do the effect of spilt fuel, we apply some irregular lines of AK025

and after leaving them to dry for a while we can then paint new
superimposed lines with the same AK025 repeating the process
until we achieve a realistic intense finish. (photo: (1), (2), (3), (4),
(5), (6), (7), (8), (9), (10))
10

1 2 3

4 5 6

7 8 9

218 FAQ 2
DAK jerry can
We paint the base colour with Panzer Grey. Using an airbrush we
apply a coat of hairspray, and then apply a fine coat of slightly
transparent desert yellow. With a needle we can do some scratches
on the surface. Beforehand the surface should be dampened with
water. With a brush dampened in water we can extend the previous
scratches and make the general wear and tear on the jerry can. It
is important to do this process in the shortest amount of time pos-
sible. After adding a varnish, we can repeat the process of applying
the hairspray and a fine coat of desert yellow. Repeat the process
with the needle. With a brush and Panzer Grey paint we extend the
chipping on the edges and in the areas that interest us. Finally we
define the forms with a dark wash. The last thing we do is to add
a small amount of graphite with a pencil on the handle and edges.
(photo: (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9), (10), (11), (12), (13), (14))

1 2 3

4 5 6

7 8 9

10 11

12 13 14

FAQ 2 219
DAK water jerry can
We start by painting the base colour in a German Yellow. Next we
place some adhesive masks in the form of a cross, which signi-
fies that it carries water. We paint over the mask with white. We
remove the mask and using a brush and the base colour we paint
some small chips on the white cross. With a dark colour we apply
a wash in the nooks and crannies. With the Vallejo 822 we paint
some chipping. We use the AK 013 to do a little streaking rust.
With AK 015 and AK 022 we paint some irregular marks in the
lower area. After stumping the marks with a little White Spirit we
achieve a dusty aspect. (photo: (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9),
(10), (11), (12), (13), (14)) 13 14

1 2 3

4 5 6

7 8 9

10 11 12

220 FAQ 2
Tool box
Paint the metallic parts in a dark grey colour and afterwards apply
some small touches with silver enamel paint. Stump the silver paint
with a brush. You can paint the wood with a sand colour and then
paint some wood lines with a mix of light and dark colours. Apply
some washes on the wood and some washes or touches of pig-
ments in a rust tone for the metal areas. (photo: (1), (2), (3), (4), (5),
(6), (7), (8), (9), (10), (11), (12), (13), (14))

13 14

1 2 3

4 5 6

7 8 9

10 11 12

FAQ 2 221
Wooden box
Paint the base colour with the colour 913 from Vallejo. Afterwards
paint the grains and lines of the wood, with the colours 913 and
860, use a fine brush and dilute the paint a little. Paint darker grains
with a mix of the 913 and 874 again slightly diluted. Finally paint
the lighter grains with the colour 819 and a little white, concentrate
these in the exposed areas and around the edges. Afterwards apply
a dark wash with enamel paint in the deeper areas, removing any
excess. Intensify the wash in the deeper details.

Finally we can apply a little dust with any of the products for dust
from AK Interactive. (photo: (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9),
(10), (11))

1 2 3

4 5 6

7 8 9

10 11

222 FAQ 2
Green wooden box
Paint the base colour with a mix of Xf-52 and Xf-57. With a diverse
range of colours from Vallejo, we paint all the lines of the grains,
each time getting lighter. Apply a couple of layers of hairspray or
chipping fluid from AK Interactive and then paint another coat of
the colour Xf-65 lightly translucent. Wet the surface with a brush
and a little water and with a pointed object make some longitudi-
nal scratches on the sides. After, reinforce these chips with a brush
dampened with water, always in a longitudinal direction. Lastly
apply a dark coloured wash to give contrast to the box. (photo: (1),
(2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9), (10), (11))

1 2 3

4 5 6

7 8 9

10 11

FAQ 2 223
Metal ammo box
We paint the base coat with Tamiya Xf-65 and then we make some
chipping with Vallejo 830 and 951. Over the previous larger chip-
ping we can now paint some smaller chips with Vallejo 822. In the
details and relieves we apply a wash. Lastly we add a few unmixed
pigments in different tones. We can then dampen them with a
little drop of White Spirit and leave it to dry, once dry we can then
remove the excess pigment. (photo: (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6))

1 2

3 4

5 6

224 FAQ 2
Grey winter helmet
We start by painting the helmet in Panzer Grey. After applying a coat
of lacquer, we paint the helmet in a white colour. With out waiting
too long, start to remove the white paint with a brush dampened
with water. Use the brush to take off as much paint as we want,
trying to make them irregular. With a brush we start to thin out the
chipping, applying white in the upper areas of the larger chips and
Panzer grey where we want to have the chipping more vivid. We
also do some chips of rust with Vallejo 822. With the colours from
AK for dust and earth effects, we make some irregular marks in the
areas where the dust accumulates. We blend the previous marks
with a little White Spirit so that the marks are more subtle and real.
7
(photo: (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7))

1 2

3 4

5 6

FAQ 2 225
Metal bucket
We paint the base colour in aluminium, for example, with the
colour 103 dark aluminium from Alcald. To remove the shine and
to simulate the patina of the objects made from tin and aluminium,
we apply a grey general wash and leave it to dry for 12 hours. The
result is not shiny but it does stay metallic. Next we apply a dark
wash in the nooks and crannies and remove the excess. Once it
is dry we paint some irregular vertical lines with AK 014. We can
then stump the previous lines with a clean brush and leave it to dry
completely. (photo: (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8))

1 2

3 4

5 6

7 8

226 FAQ 2
Oil can
We paint the can in exactly the same was as we painted the bucket
before, but after applying the grey wash we make some spilt oil
stains using the colour AK084. (photo: (1), (2), (3), (4), (5))

1 2

4 5

FAQ 2 227
MG 34
The MG34 is from a “Smart kit” by DML where the gun barrel has
been changed to a metallic one by RB models. First we need to
apply a primer. Then we use an airbrush to paint the metal parts in
a very dark grey. We apply the 213 by “Mr. Metal Color (Gunze)”
using Dry brush. Next we polish with a little metal paint paper by
Gunze. We apply a general wash with black enamel and leave it
to dry. This removes the shine of the polished metal paint. Finally
we paint the breech and handle in dark brown and reddish paint
to simulate the bakelite. (photo: (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9))
9

1 2

3 4

5 6

7 8

228 FAQ 2
Stowage
We paint the base colour using Xf-65 from Tamiya. With the air-
brush inclined we paint the piece from the top with the base colour
lightened with Xf-57 and white. From the opposite angle, that’s
to say, from the bottom, we paint using the base colour darkened
with black. Once we have applied highlights and shadows the kit
bag has a lot more volume. Now we can apply AK015, AK022,
AK017 and AK023 producing irregular marks. To help us with the
highlights and shadows achieved with the airbrush, we use the
darker tones in the areas of shadow and the lighter colours in the
light. Blend the previous with a brush dampened with White Spirit.
(photo: (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8))

1 2

3 4

5 6

7 8

FAQ 2 229
Vertical stowage
We can use the same methods as before to paint other similar
accessories. It’s not important in what position they are in we just
need to apply the paints using the same procedure, highlighting
and darkening with the airbrush and then working with the brush.
As you go you can change the colours so that they are all different.
(photo: (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9))

1 2

3 4

230 FAQ 2
 9

5 6

7 8

FAQ 2 231
5.4
Simple dioramas
5.4.1
Basic composition
Concepts
The basic idea of any diorama or vignette has always been to repre-
sent a small story within the terrain and on occasions with vehicles
and figures. However, on most occasions it is not necessary to have
large and complex idea. A small well planned out terrain or a small
area of natural terrain can be enough to send the message to the
spectator. For example, in this small vignettte we can give a lot 2

of information to compliment the tank. The terrain can be dry or

muddy with vegetation or in an arid desert. These minimal terrains
can help to explain the situation of our tank, without having to
resort to large super productions more suitable to a Hollywood
backdrop. (photo: (1), (2))

The worst part about making a small scene is having to dominate

the art of producing the atmosphere, the environment and the ma-
terials. It helps us little to have a good idea if then we do not know
how to paint the earth, vegetation or a stone or brick wall. This is
the most difficult part of all, because each idea that we have should
be different from the rest and each time we should try for new
things. Also, a great composition is fundamental for the scene to
have strength and meaning. This is not done just by a combination
of different volumes but also with the help of different colours that
draw the sight to one area or another. (photo: (3))

In any case, if you are new to dioramas I recommend that you start
out with something simple, a small terrain, a simple scene including
trying out one of the vignettes from DARIUS, which are of a good
quality and are ready to paint and add figures. With time and prac-
tice, you will start to make more complex scenes. But to start with,
go with a simple idea.

1 3

232 FAQ 2
 1 2

Composition of vignettes
A lot of times the same base can be used for many
different ideas. This can happen when we have de-
cided on a terrain for a vehicle or concrete idea. We
then discover that the same terrain can be perfect
for other totally different ideas. Before starting to
construct the terrain, we should “play’ around with
the elements that make up the scene. Due to this
it is important to have the elements prepared be-
fore starting the terrain. I recommend that you try
out different ideas to see if your original idea has
strength. (photo: (1), (2), (3))

FAQ 2 233
So that we can adapt the elements that we have previously planned
out, we apply putty, like the Das pronto putty, sticking it to the
surface with some white glue. We can use different tools as we
work and can also soften parts with water. Before it dries, we posi-
tion a plastic sheet, like “Clingfilm” to cover food, over the base.
Afterwards we can then position all of the elements in the putty so
that the shapes fit together perfectly. The transparent plastic stops
the elements getting marked and dirty from the putty. Then, we
can remove the plastic and start working on the terrain. (photo:
(4), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9), (10), (11))

4 5

6 7

8 9

10 11

234 FAQ 2
 Before the putty dries, use a thick brush to apply white glue slightly
diluted with water over the surface. Add the stones and the sand
and then press them down softly onto the putty. Once it is dry,
remove the excess earth and stones that have not stuck and apply
a black primer. (photo: (12), (13), (14), (15))

Paint the terrain with an airbrush, successively adding lighter

colours and when we have finished add a matt varnish. You
do not need to spend too much time on this process, because
once we have added the elements we will continue to paint.
(photo: (16), (17), (18), (19), (20))
12

13 14

15 16

17 18

19 20

FAQ 2 235
 21 22

23 24

Now is the time to glue the turret and some of the other elements.
To adapt it to the terrain add a little more putty and earth, gluing
it all down with white glue. Afterwards, paint it like the rest of the
terrain but this time with a brush. (photo: (21), (22), (23), (24), (25),
(26), (27), (28), (29), (30))

25

26

27 29

28 30

236 FAQ 2
Finally we add the rest of the details, the figures and a little vegeta-
tion. Observe how the initial idea for the composition has changed
with the addition of the figures to improve the dynamism of the
scene. (photo: (31), (32), (33), (34))

32

31

33 34

FAQ 2 237
Composition in dioramas
When we make up a complex group of elements, like in a diorama, see different thicknesses and lengths of each arrow. The arrows are
everything is much more complicated. Some modellers think that smaller or stretched depending on other secondary forces, that’s
to make up a diorama is simply finding the right place for a vehicle, to say, if red arrows are acting against them. It is like they are the
that’s not true. In fact, absolutely everything that that we include ropes that are used to keep the sails tense on a boat. So that eve-
in our diorama helps to make up the scene. Nothing should be rything is well composed, the arrows should be balanced, some in
added on a whim or at random. We need to understand that the one direction and the others in the opposite. They compensate and
importance of elements such as a telegraph pole, a house, a bridge, balance each other.
a group of figures, a fence or a gun barrel are fundamental for the
composition. Each of the elements adds its own strength in one
way or another, which helps to attract the attention of the spec-
tator, a volume that can upset or balance, and a combination of
colours that can give different meanings to a scene.

The composition of dioramas also includes the base of the diorama,

which on many occasions is left in the background. However, the
base is fundamental to give a more attractive aspect to the scene.
For example, a diorama based in the North of Africa, a plain with
a small tank, should be on an elevated base to compensate for the
flat aspect of the terrain. Or, as in this case, a diorama with a king
Tiger Hull next to a railway. You can see how the elevated base has
been made from wood. (photo: (1), (2))

But the main elements, that’s to say, those that are not simply
for decoration, should also have a well thought out and studied
position in our diorama. It is for this reason that these elements
should be prepared before starting to construct our diorama. 1
Trying different combinations with the definitive vehicles helps
us to decide what the best option is. It is not the same thing to
have an idea in our head as it is to try things out with definitive
elements. (photo: (3))

We will now see an example of different compositions using two

tanks on a clearly defined diorama. The diorama has three levels….
The river, the road in the middle and the house in the higher area. It
is a layered diorama that helps to show a story or scene with various
vehicles. In this case, you must understand that the dioramas with
different levels have a hierarchy, that’s to say; the higher our tank
is placed the more important it is. In this case, the Panther has de-
stroyed the Sherman which has fallen into the river. The message is
simple and the story aswell. However the complexity comes when
it is time to position correctly each tank and also …their turrets.
Each small change that we make can be the difference between a
mediocre diorama and a great one. Perhaps initially this does not
seem important, but in “art”, the composition is the fundamental
2
pillar of practically everything. It is in its own way an objective and
technical language. It is what takes us to each corner of our crea- 3
tion. We can create tension, imbalance, tranquillity, harmony and
many other things depending on how we position each element
in our scene.

To better understand what happens with the composition, I have

used red arrows to represent the distinct tension and direction
each element generates. The green arrows are the directions of
the principle element or protagonist, that’s to say where we want
to concentrate the principle attention. The red arrows are the
stresses or forces that are generated by the secondary elements,
compensating and balancing out the green arrows. You can also

238 FAQ 2
We will now see some examples to see where we
usually go wrong with our dioramas.

An image of the original idea. The Panther is coming

closer from the right hand side and the destroyed
Sherman is in the river. Observe how the turret of the
panther is turned but the body of the tank is moving
in a different direction. This creates a spreading ef-
fect and it loses strength. This small subtlety gives the
4
diorama the wrong feeling. (photo: (4))

Here the scene is unbalanced. The Panther is to near

the centre and leaves an empty area behind it. This
excessive force to the left of the diorama means that
the whole thing is unbalanced. (photo: (5)) 5

Now the Panther is coming in from the right and the

Sherman is pointing to the opposite side. This leaves
a terrible hole in the centre and the principal atten-
tion is drawn to both sides instead of concentrating
in the middle. Another very bad disaster in the com-
position. (photo: (6)) 6

FAQ 2 239
Here I tried putting both tanks, one in front of the other, on the
same level. The strength lines on both are nearly exactly the same
and collide in the middle, leaving a space underneath. This unsettles
the spectator and these cases, they look away quickly. It is an un-
comfortable composition. The story does not flow and everything
7
is stuck in the middle with no sense to it. (photo: (7))

In this example the two tanks are on the same side, looking to the
left, although they are both on different levels. The red arrow does
not compensate the green arrow and the spectators view quickly
escapes to the left, possible to the next diorama. This option can be
8
terrible for a contest. (photo: (8))

This extreme composition can represent “speed”. Although the

Sherman does not reinforce the direction of the Panther, the two
arrows take the spectator very quickly to the left corner. This com-
9
position is not nice to look at. (photo: (9))

This example shows the clear way how we can destroy a good
composition when we don’t know where to place a telegraph pole.
The Sherman and the Panther are well positioned, but to position
the pole on the right and above all in front of the Panther, it is
converted into a very potent element and blocks the view of the
spectator. You can not block the action with such a large element.
(photo: (10)) 10

240 FAQ 2
In this case we have improved the composition slightly moving the
pole to the left, yet everything still has a lot of weight and the force
is directed downwards. Although we do not block the action, the
11
pole is still unbalanced. (photo: (11))

Now the post is at the rear and although it does not block the scene
and everything is in harmony it is still projecting to much force on
to the Sherman and this increases the strength of its red arrow
towards the lower part of the diorama. We need to remember that
the strength arrows accumulate. Use this trick when doing your
12
diorama. (photo: (12))

Here the composition is nearly perfect, but the turret is turned and
the gun barrel is positioned upwards. This blocks slightly the action
in the scene. Also, the feeling that is produced is that the Sherman is
continuing to defend itself. If we want to give the sensation that the
Sherman is destroyed, we need to change this aspect. (photo: (13))
13

At last the perfect composition. We have produced a triangular

structure by positioning the pole in the middle, and this gives a little
stability to the backward position of the Panther. The Panther is on
the far right and has the sensation that it is advancing slowly…and
nothing is blocking its path. To compensate this line of advance of
the Panther, the Sherman is positioned in the river. Pointing slightly
towards the area where the Panther is to compensate its direc-
tional force. The figures and other small elements of the diorama
continue to help the composition but do not change the basic idea.
(photo: (14)) 14

FAQ 2 241
Next we will see a different more complex example. In this case, the
diorama only has one level, that’s to say, it’s flat. On the flat surface
we are going to position different elements, a house, a tank and
a group of figures. These are the most emphasized elements and
have the most force with in the diorama. (photo: (15))

15
In the previous example we just played with two elements, but now
we are going to play with all of them and the results can be very big
and different. We will see how small changes in the composition
can ruin our idea. The precise idea is that a small advance party of
the T34 has forced the withdrawing Germans to abandon the AT
guns that they have hidden in a small Russian village. The T34’s
have stopped their advance to decide what the following step to
take is. The whole composition must help to give that sensation,
the advance… although momentarily paused.

In the first example we have positioned the house on the left, but
parallel to the edge of the base. In this position there is not much
room left for all the other accessories and we have been forced
to remove the gun. The scene is unbalanced with too much visual
weight to the left and the scene is unattractive. We should remem-
ber that in the western world the visual reading style is from left to
right, and it is in this way that nearly all of the spectators will look
at our diorama. If we place visual obstacles on the left, like in this
16
example, the spectator feels uncomfortable. (photo: (16))

We have turned the house to have more space in the diorama. Now
we can position the gun. Remember that the green line is the direc-
tion of the most important element in the diorama; meanwhile the
red arrows are the secondary elements that reinforce the principal
story. In this case, the action of the figures is not supported by
any other element; the red arrows of the tank and the gun do not
17
reinforce the principal story. (photo: (17))

Here we have changed the position of the tank to see what

happens. All the elements positioned on the right acquire much
more importance than if they were on the left. This means that the
T34 has much more force than the figures and the diorama is over
compensated. (photo: (18))
18

242 FAQ 2
Two large volumes behind the principal scene completely unbalance
the scene and there is no other force to balance the green arrow.
(photo: (19))

19

A typical composition in an “X”, the red and green forces are equal
and we lose the effectiveness, they do not interact together. There
is no relation between the elements. (photo: (20)) 20

In this flat composition and near the edge of the base, there is a
claustrophobic sensation. Although the tanks turret helps to rein-
force the action of the figures, the whole diorama is under com-
pensated and unbalanced. (photo: (21)) 21

FAQ 2 243
Another composition in “X” with the volumes well situated, with
the house on the right and the small volume of the T34 on the
left. But in this case, the action of the figures and the T34 flow in
different directions and the scene has no strength or visual impact.
(photo: (22)) 22

This composition is better planned out. The gun and the house
are well positioned and compensate the force of the figures and
the T34. But, the turret of the T34 does not directly support the
direction of the figures and the scene ends up being unbalanced.
23
(photo: (23))

Here the diagonal composition is the best, everything is balanced

but the turret of the T34 is permanently pointing away from the
action of the figures. (photo: (24))
24

Another diagonal composition very well balanced with all the large
elements on the right. Yet the figures are around the T34, which
is pointing, like the gun, in the opposite direction unbalancing the
scene. Once more, remember that the objects positioned on the
right have more visual strength. (photo: (25)) 25

244 FAQ 2
This horizontal composition is heavily unbalanced, the house is on
the left and we have given it to much importance. Although the
T34 compensates slightly the direction of the figures, the scene is
monotonous and boring. (photo: (26)) 26

This example shows us a fairly acceptable composition, balanced

but hardly dynamic due to the fact that the T34 is parallel to the
base and gives off a static sensation. The forces are fairly balanced
but the T34 is too much of the protagonist. (photo: (27)) 27

Finally the correct composition. We have slightly inclined the T34

to remove a little of its importance and to help the action of the
figures. One figure has been positioned on the tank to improve the
interaction. The composition is clearly on the diagonal and the gun
acts as a counter weight to balance the forces of the tank and the
figures. The house serves as the background and although it is on
28
the left, the scene is not unbalanced for this reason. (photo: (28))

FAQ 2 245
Groups of figures
The composition with figures is similar to the com-
position with the other elements, but between
them there is more interaction. The direction of the
hands and arms, the angle of the head or legs act
as lines of force and draw the attention of the spec-
tator with more efficiency than any other element.
For this reason we need to pay special attention to
the figures, although here I am only going to give a
small example because the composition of figures
and their theory need their own complete book.
We will use 3 figures to see the distinct composi-
tions that we can produce with them.
1

In this first example, the two figures inside the

green circle are combined well and both form part
of a story. However, the figure on the left hand side
is left in the background and is really not needed
for the scene. (photo: (1))

This is the typical example of when there is no con-

nection between the figures. The figures just serve
to fill in holes but are not united in the story. A clas-
sic error. (photo: (2)) 2

In this other option the three figures continue to be

unconnected and although one of them is higher,
there is still no unity. The figures are not inert ac-
cessories and they should always be interacting
between themselves and the surrounding scene.
(photo: (3)) 3

246 FAQ 2
The classic pyramid composition can be very aes-
thetically pleasing and can transmit order and tran-
quillity, but does not work very well with figures in
a diorama where we want to give a sensation of
advance. (photo: (4)) 4

Having the three figures together can be a great

option in most cases, like in this example. Two of
the figures are listening to the third one explaining
something. Although it can be correct, it is still a bit
static. (photo: (5)) 5

Finally the option to choose to help improve the

action. Two figures are talking while the other is on
the top of the T34 resting against the gun barrel.
(photo: (6)) 6

FAQ 2 247
5.4.2
Creating terrains
Modelling the terrain
Once we have all of the vehicles, figures, and other elements for
our diorama, we can start to create the terrain. Of course there are
many different ways of creating terrain, and here we can only see
a couple of examples, but we can still understand many tricks by 3
reading some of the existing books on the market. László Adóba
is an excellent modeller who has written a couple of magnificent
books on how to create dioramas. They are books exclusively dedi-
cated to dioramas and there you can learn how to create all types
of elements, from trees to plants and distinct types of terrains and
buildings. (photo: (1), (2))

2 5

But I also encourage you to use your imagination to create objects
and different terrain that make your models unique and something
special. We will start by looking for a good wooden base and posi-
tion the elements on the top. Because the terrain is going to be flat,
we can start working straight away with acrylic putty like the DAS
Pronto. So that this type of putty grips well to a smooth varnished
base we need to scratch the surface so that it sticks. Protect the
sides with some adhesive tape so they don’t get marked. (photo:
(3), (4), (5))
We need to have previously collected distinct types of stones, earth
and gravel that will later from part of the groundwork. (photo: (6))
We need to find the position of the elements with precision. The
house is raised a couple of millimetres to avoid it getting buried in
the putty later. (photo: (7), (8), (9))
With white glue we stick the putty to the surface, and with our
fingers we spread it until it fits nicely over the surface. Use a cutter
to trim the excess putty from the sides.(photo: (10), (11), (12). (13))

248 FAQ 2
6 7

8 9

10 11

12 13

FAQ 2 249
 14 15 16

17 18 19

Before the putty dries and hardens, we apply white glue with a that it will set well. Leave it to dry and then with a brush we can
brush and we spread it over the whole surface. Afterwards we remove the excess stones and earth that have not stuck down.
can place the large stones, then the medium ones and lastly the (photo: (14), (15), (16). (17), (18), (19))
finer earth. We apply pressure to the surface with our hand so

An easy way of doing a flat terrain is by using plastic putty that is

used in D.I.Y. (Do it yourself) to fill in holes in walls. This putty is
much more liquid and is very easy to apply with a spatula. First ap-
ply the putty and continue with the same process as in the previous
example. Once it is dry it can be painted using either enamels or
acrylics. (photo: (20), (21), (22), (23), (24), (25), (26))

20 21

22 23

250 FAQ 2
The dioramas that have distinct volumes
and levels require a different method of
construction. The micro expanded Polyfoam
is a hard and resistant material but easy to
cut with a cutter. It is also very light and can
be sanded down with out problems. It can be
glued with white glue and in this way we can
construct very elevated and very light terrain.
The sides can be covered with a thin wood
glued or with white glue. Once it is all dry, we
can start to do the terrain the same way as
before, using Das pronto, earth and stones.
Leave a small overlap of wood to cut away
27 28
once we have finished the terrain. (photo:
(27), (28), (29), (39), (31), (32), (33), (34))

29 30

24

31 32

25

26

33 34

FAQ 2 251
Paint, vegetation and the environment
Painting a terrain is very easy, well, at least easier than painting a
tank. We can use either enamel or acrylic paints applied with both
a brush and airbrush. We start with a brush so that the colour is
introduced really well into all the nooks and crannies. Afterwards
we can add other tones with the airbrush. Once it is dry, we can
add some highlights with drybrush. This technique, although it is
rather obsolete, is perfect for terrains. Lastly we can apply a very
soft dark wash to give more contrast and depth. (photo: (1), (2), (3),
(4), (5), (6), (7))

Now we need to prepare the wooden fence that divides the scene
into two. We can darken the area where we will position the fence
with dark coloured pigments, representing the damper earth which 1
is there. (photo: (8), (9))

2 3 4

5 6 8

252 FAQ 2
 Now is the moment to construct the vegetation. To do this we need
to gather together a large number of accessories and materials that
are available in the stores. There are various brands dedicated to the
world of model railways that produce some excellent products that
imitate nature. Choose the adequate colours for your terrain, cut
them and stick the vegetation with white glue. You can adapt the
vegetation of the xerography terrain with a light green colour using
an airbrush. (photo: (10), (11), (12). (13), (14), (15), (16). (17), (18))

10

11 12 14

15 16 17

18

13

FAQ 2 253
Lastly, we can add the small details with branches or fallen tree
leaves. Stick the details down with white glue. The diorama is
now ready to position the figures and vehicles. Of course I always
recommend looking at photographs of nature, villages, and towns,
before starting on your diorama. These are the best references.
(photo: (19), (20), (21), (22), (23), (24), (25))
22

19

20

21 25

254 FAQ 2
23 24

FAQ 2 255
Now we will see a much wetter terrain, with mud and a little bit
of snow. For this we need to use much darker colours, in some
cases nearly black. We can add a little gloss varnish from the start.
(photo: (26))

The colour of the selected vegetation should be adapted to the

colour of the terrain and the corresponding season, in this case
winter. You can glue some parts down with loctite. Finally, we can
unify the distinct colours of the vegetation, airbrushing some earth
and dust coloured tones over the top of them. (photo: (27), (28),
(29), (30))

Over the painted terrain, we are going to add the first layer of
fresh mud. We mix a good quantity of plaster with colours from
AK Interactive. Mix enough plaster as is necessary to achieve a very
dense putty of mud. Apply this mud in various areas using a metal
spatula to help us. Afterwards we can add, on top of the mud, more
dry grasses or remains of vegetation mixed with the mud so that it
remains integrated. (photo: (31), (32), (33), (34), (35), (36), (37))

The snow needs to be applied over the top of the first layer of mud.
The product by Snow Coat is the best I have tried but it is difficult
to get hold of. I managed to buy it at www.cammett.co.uk. We
mix the white dust with white glue and a little water, mix very well.
Afterwards we apply it using a brush to the areas that interest us;
we can apply more diluted layers to achieve distinct effects. (photo:
(38), (39), (49), (41), (42))
26

27 28 29

30 31 32

256 FAQ 2
 33 34 35

36 37 38

39 40 41

42

FAQ 2 257
24 hours or so after applying the snow, we will go back and apply
another layer of mud, on this occasion to adapt some parts of the bro-
ken fence and the Sherman. We make a very thick mix and apply it very
carefully with a spatula to the areas that we want. If you want to sof-
ten certain areas, you can do it using a little White Spirit and a brush.
(photo: (43), (44), (45), (46), (47), (48), (49), (50), (51), (52), (53),
(54), (55), (56), (57), (58), (59), (60))

43 44

45 46

47 48

258 FAQ 2
49 50

51 52

53 54

FAQ 2 259
 55 56

57 58

59 60

260 FAQ 2
It is possible that the mix produced with the enamel products and
the plaster has too much of a matt finish. For this, we now apply
the same colour of mud as we applied before, but this time adding
some gloss varnish and without using any plaster. Observe the big
difference after applying the last coat with gloss varnish. (photo:
(61), (62))
To give a few final touches of humidity and the moss, using a brush
we paint some sections of the house with the colour Slimy Grime
Dark. Afterwards you can stump it with a little White Spirit and a
clean brush. (photo: (63), (64))

61 62

63 64

FAQ 2 261
 Painting a building
Buildings are a very important part of dioramas because they can
provide us with a lot of information about the geographic area,
climate, etc… They are more than just a simple background of a
scene. Because of this, we should treat them with the same respect
1 as all the other elements in our diorama. Although the material that
they are made out of is different than that of the tanks, we can use
the same techniques applied in a different way.

First we apply a base colour with distinct tones, darker in the lower
areas and lighter in the higher ones. (photo: (1), (2))

Afterwards we apply a white coloured wash to bring out each

stone of the wall and then we paint the details. (photo: (3), (4))

Using the airbrush with a dark brown colour we darken the cor-
ners and the nooks and crannies of the house to give more depth.
(photo: (5))

3 4

5 6

7 8

262 FAQ 2
The walls should be very irregular in colour and effects. To repre-
sent this, we will apply distinct marks using oils to different areas to
increase the contrast with the white. First we paint and then we re-
move the excess with a piece of cotton cloth soaked in White Spirit.
(photo: (6), (7), (8)). We also use an airbrush to paint the doors in
various tones of brown and grey. (photo: (9)) 9

On one side of the house we can place an old advertising poster.

We can search the internet for different images and choose an
adequate one for the geographical area that we are making. Print
the image onto high quality or photographic paper. Afterwards you
cut it out and glue it to the wall. Later you can apply some streaking
dirt, some white chipping that represents the colour of the wall un-
derneath and lastly we can age it a little using sandpaper. (photo:
(10), (11), (12). (13), (14), (15), (16))

A little snow on the roof gives the final touch to the house, al-
though, when we position it in the diorama we will definitely have
to adapt it slightly more. (photo: (17), (18), (19))

10

11 12 13

14 15 16

17 18 19

FAQ 2 263
Diorama as a base for a vehicle
In most cases, the modeller just wants to make a small base for
their tank and does not want to get involved with making compli-
cated dioramas, houses and lots of figures. A small base with one
figure can be sufficient to create an interesting story and display
our model. Also a small terrain or atmospheric base can give lots of
information to the spectator, such as if it is in a muddy area, a dry
area, the desert, a city, or the jungle. If all we look to do is paint
vehicles, these types of small bases are the best option and in the
majority of cases are very recomendable.
1 2
4 5
7 8
264 FAQ 2
A base for a tank can be very simple, as easy as a rectangular wood-
en base. The majority of modellers present their models on a rec-
tangular wooden base, but with out terrain. In this example, we can
see how the same wooden base has been used to construct a small
terrain with a figure; we can convert our tank into a small vignette
with out having to complicate ourselves with a large diorama. The
terrain is made using the same procedure that I explained in the
previous chapters. In this case it represents a desert terrain in the
North of Africa, where a PzIV was destroyed along with part of
its crew. Here, the base is very important, because we can place a
multitude of small debris and components that were projected out
by the explosion. (photo: (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9), (10), (11))
3
6
9
10

11

FAQ 2 265
But a small base doesn’t have to be flat. In this new example, the
base is made with distinct volumes to bring out the vehicle more.
In this way we can draw the spectator to the areas that are more
interesting, like the horizontal surfaces of this T34. The base is still
small, but we can position a figure and some other element. We
can use Microexpanded Polyfoam to construct the volume, exactly
the same way as we did for the vignettes. Remember to use a plas-
tic protector before marking the tracks of the tank, so that this
does not get dirty. (photo: (12), (13), (14), (15), (16), (17), (18), (19),
(20), (21), (22), (23), (24), (25), (26), (27), (28), (29))

12

13 14 15

16 17 18

19 20 21

266 FAQ 2
22 23 24

25 26 27

28

21

29

FAQ 2 267
 30 31

Lastly, we can see an example of a combination of the previous

two. A flat base, but elevated with various volumes and diverse ele-
ments to give elevation to the scene. It is constructed with the same
materials as the dioramas that we saw previously and is painted
with both a brush and airbrush. A good final finish is fundamental
to give a model context, using a fine wood to decorate the base
and the corresponding gloss varnish. (photo: (30), (31), (32), (33),
(34), (35), (36), (37), (38), (39), (40), (41))

32

33 34

35 36

37 38

268 FAQ 2
40 41

39

FAQ 2 269
270 FAQ 2
6 Models Gallery

FAQ 2 271
BT 7
Tamiya 1/35
2010

272 FAQ 2
Sdkfz 222
Hobby Boss 1/35
2010

FAQ 2 273
274 FAQ 2
DIANA
Bronco 1/35
2010

FAQ 2 275
 LOCOMOTIVE
Roco 1/87
2008

276 FAQ 2
FAQ 2 277
 PANTHER G
Tamiya 1/48
2009

278 FAQ 2
FAQ 2 279
280 FAQ 2
KING TIGER
Tamiya 1/16
2009

FAQ 2 281
282 FAQ 2
OPEL BLITZ
Tamiya 1/35
2010

FAQ 2 283
TIGER I
Darius 1/35
2010

284 FAQ 2
TOYOTA BJ 45
MIG P. 1/35
2006

FAQ 2 285
LEOPARD VK 1602
Hobby Boss 1/35
2011

286 FAQ 2
nun nun
MIG P. 1/35
2007

FAQ 2 287
 tiger i late
AFV Club 1/48
2012

288 FAQ 2
FAQ 2 289
290 FAQ 2
PANTHER II
Cyberhobby 1/35
2010

FAQ 2 291
292 FAQ 2
Pz IV G
MIG P. 1/35
2008

FAQ 2 293
294 FAQ 2
UKRANIA 1944
1/48
2007

FAQ 2 295
 GERMAN T-34
Dragón 1/35
2006

296 FAQ 2
FRONT LOADER
MIG P. 1/35
2006

FAQ 2 297
298 FAQ 2
SYRIAN UNIMOG
Perfect Scale 1/35
2007

FAQ 2 299
 type 69 ii C
Tamiya/Verlinden 1/35
2012

300 FAQ 2
FAQ 2 301
302 FAQ 2
 KV II
Tamiya 1/16
2010

FAQ 2 303
 Pz II
Tasca 1/24
2009

304 FAQ 2
FAQ 2 305
 VK4502
Hobby Boss 1/35
2012

306 FAQ 2
FAQ 2 307
 Pz IV F1
Tamiya 1/35
2007

308 FAQ 2
FAQ 2 309
310 FAQ 2
7 Conclusion
Once again, its time to start working on your own models. This
collection of techniques should serve to help you start your pro-
jects. Use this book when you need to, above all to motivate you
and to discover that painting a model is not as difficult as you may
think. During the last few years I have had the opportunity to meet
lots of modelers from all corners of the world, that have read my
first book F.A.Q. Many of them have said that the book made them
start painting again or just start painting for the first time thanks to
the fact that they discovered numerous new techniques that above
all else are easy to use. I have also learn a lot from these modelers,
especially the most difficult points of modelling and the many
areas where many modelers get stuck and stop. These days, for
me, modelling has a different meaning. Before, I used to devote all
my energy in designing and discovering new techniques that where
effective and easy, but now, after seeing the result of my first book
F.A.Q., my main objective is to explain and divulge all of these tech-
niques and with a small push help the modelers finish their models
with acceptable results. Seeing others being able to finishing excel-
lent models using techniques that I have developed over the last
20 years in my best reward. Because of this, I want to focus this
conclusion in, precisely these modelers that I have had the luck and
pleasure in meeting and getting to know in all the countries that I
have visited. For me it has been very important to talk with many of
you, because without meaning to, you have shown me much more
than I could ever show you. I want to thank all of you for spending
a few minutes of your time talking with me. If any of you are one
of those people, I hope that you will find many more answers than
I was able to give you in those brief encounters. If on the other
hand, we have never met, you need to know that part of this book
is down to these people, normal modelers, on some occasions even
beginners, that have awoken my imagination with questions and
problems that I had never had before.

This new book has 75% more contents than the previous book.
And although I haven’t included many of the old techniques, be-
cause sincerely, I believe that they are already known, I hope that
this does not prove to be an obstacle for you. In any case, over that
last few years I have seen a great evolution in many modelers. We
can say that now, the large majority of modelers are good and very
few manage to achieve something extraordinary that stands out
from the rest, precisely because the this large majority has really
raised the level of modelling. On one hand this is a good thing,
but on the other it is a little negative because these days it is very
difficult to stand out in something. And now comes the most im-
portant question of them all. If we have learn how to paint, and all
of us now paint well… What is the next stage in modelling?

THE DIORAMAS.

Thank you very much to all of you.

FAQ 2 311
312 FAQ 2
FAQ 2 313
314 FAQ 2
FAQ 2 315
316 FAQ 2
FAQ 2 317
318 FAQ 2
Acknowledgements

Although you may think that this book should have been easier to do than the first F.A.Q., it has been com-
pletely the opposite. It has been very complicated to write and the planning complex. Also, I started to write
this book after the worst period of my life, after leaving my former business and had started my life again, with
nothing, not even brushes to paint or tools, absolutely nothing. I believe that this cleaning I did with my life,
leaving everything behind, meant that I have been able to give value to other more important things in life.
Many of my friends helped my start over again and I fell that I should mention them all. Although my editor
does not agree with me in adding another 200 pages of names. And even though I know I will make the error
of not mentioning many of the friends that have helped me, I prefer to try and mention as some of them. Of
course, first I need to thank Fernando Vallejo for his infinite confidence in me and all the support he gave me in
starting my new life and this book. Carlos Cuesta and David Marti are my right and left hands and have been
at my side all along helping me in everything and collaborating in this book. Other people have helped me from
afar, giving me advice, ideas or simply giving me inspiration: Jindřich Šterbácek from the Czech Republic,
Alessandro Bruschi and Vincenzo Lanna from Italy. To Ian Hamilton for working on this book as if it was his
own. To all the team of translators from all the different countries that, as well as having translated the book
into their languages, are for extraordinary people, Gunnar Bäumer, Edi Eberl, Sven Frisch, Markus Lack,
Mario Eens, Fabio Chao, Blanca Ramon Allue and Matteo Ferri and Dmitry Kalashnikov.

And of course to all those that have helped me with small things for the book, with material, with photographs
or the odd step by step, thank you to all of you.

However this book will always be in the heart of two very special people how have accompanied me every day
that I spent writing this book. Elizabeth Wiese that has been at my side every day making sure that each day
was shorter, doing everything possible so that I could write and work on this project and to my 6 year old son
Yuri Jimenez, who, even though he doesn’t like tanks is very happy that I dedicated the first book to him when
he was only a year old. I give him a special thanks, because while I wrote, he would play at my side in silence,
so as not to disturb me. However, he has told me, that when he is older, I will have to help him write his own
book, that will be based on civilian vehicles. Virgil Suarez will have a competitor!

FAQ 2 319