How to on completing tracks?

[Zack]

Hi,

I am trying to complete my first ever Trumpeter KV-1 and am struggling with the finish.

The hull is painted in Tamiya XF-58 Olive Green and the tracks are done in X-10 Gun Metal.

All in all it looks dull and boring.

How should I best break up the monotone look?

Does anyone have a how to on completing tracks?

Zack

Edited June 21, 2014 by Zack

[FrancieT]

You could give the tracks a wash of dark brown, and use some graphite from a pencil on the raised part of the track to simulate wear from the track meets the ground, also if you use a small bit of sponge and dab on brown paint randomly on the hull, especially where the crew climb on and off and around hatches to simulate rust, If you add some yellow to your base coat and dry brush to the center of any panels or turret for the effect of the paint fading.

[Sgt.Squarehead]

Is your model 1/35 or 1/72.....The techniques differ slightly.

[Zack]

Thank you for your response FrancieT!
This is how the KV-1 looks right now;

The quality of the picture is crap - I am learning this in paralell

I tried using white mineral oil and oil colors to see if I could replicate mud.
But it turned out glossy - not sure if that is how it is supposed to be?
So I went back to the Artist shop and got some pastel chalks, but now I am not sure if it is OK to grind the pastels from a health perspective.
Is the dust dangerous?

Thank you for your response Sgt Squarehead, it is 1/35

This is good fun


Happy Modelling!
Zack

Edited June 21, 2014 by Zack

[FrancieT]

Oil paints dry a bit glossy, if you make a wash with brown enamel or acrylic for the tracks, brush it on liberally, let it dry then you can use use you pastels to simulate rust dirt or whatever, rub your pencil on some fine sandpaper, and apply with your fingertip to the highlights of the track, and also to the teeth on the drive sprocket and guide horns. If applying a wash to the hull and turret I suggest to give in a coat of gloss varnish first, this will protect your base coat.

[Zack]

Thank you once again for your time &effort FrancieT!
Have been playing around with this for some time now;
Artist Ink turned out glossy.
Water colors did not want to bite.

Finally decided to do a wash with Tamiya XF-64 Red Brown heavily diluted with Tamiya X-20A.

This looks better but I still do not get the dried mud effect I am looking for.
So next is Humbrol Enamels with White Spirit and/or pastels with White Spirit. Or should I use X-20A with the pastels?
Water color with X-20A? LOL I am feeling like the little Chemist playing around with this…

Happy Modelling!
Zack

PS. Please get your input back in the post OZ?, I only had the chance to have a glance at it before it was gone.

Edited June 23, 2014 by Zack

[Sgt.Squarehead]

If you want a properly textured mud effect check out the MIG pigments range: http://migproductions.com/

To be honest when I want muddy dusty tracks (in 1/72) I go about things the exact opposite way to what you are doing.....I first paint the tracks a dirty muddy brown shade (humbrol dark earth with a good few drops of black) and give them a vaguely reddish dark brown oil wash (a mix of lamp black, burnt umber and maybe a dot of burnt sienna), then I dry-brush or otherwise pick out the track details pads etc. in various shades of brownish grey, if I'm using pigments (I'm fairly new to them myself) they go on next, before finishing off with a rub of graphite to give a metallic sheen to the raised detail where appropriate.

[Zack]

Hi Sgt. Squarehead,
Makes sense, I wanted to have a starting point like Friul Metal Tracks would give you.
They are out of my budget so I thought one option would be to paint the plastic in a metal color.
And now I am trying to do my best to take out the metal.
Sysifos would have had a big laugh at me

So what is the trick with pigments?
All hobby-colors are pigments mixed with something right? Just trying to get my head around if we are diluting readily available paint or mixing our own.
And if the later why?

Could I use pigments in a wash?
Do I attach them with water, White Spirit or Alcohol?
If it is Alcohol would Vodka do?
The price / liter for Tamiya X-20A is the same as for Stolichnaya Elite!

I need to get some decaf, spinning to fast atm
Thank You for taking your time!

Happy Modelling
Zack

Edited June 25, 2014 by Zack

[Sgt.Squarehead]

With MIG pigments at least, AFAIK the answer is yes to all of the above, you can also flick, dust or blow them onto the model.....I'm experimenting with them myself, no idea what they're made of, but it's not like working with paint of any kind.

[Zack]

Thanks Sgt.
Since the weekend is coming up shortly I will get more Artists Pigments and a bottle of Stoly, the experiment might turn out nasty from a modelling perspective but I will have enough left in the bottle to laugh about it

Happy Modelling
Zack

Edited June 26, 2014 by Zack