The battle of weathering pigments : MIG vs CMK vs Tamiya vs DIY pigments

[mkhulu]

Gents ,

Last major procurement before I start to whiff <insert nervous giggle>. I need to get myself some weathering pigments.

See that the Big Red H have CMK and Tamiya pigments. HLJ have Tamiya and the MIG pigments.

Now I don't intend to build competition winners , but just to have fun. And to do so , I would like to go the extra mile in weathering my whiffs.

Your recommendation(s) ?? Mostly going to airbrush with Tamiya Acrylics.

Going to whiff 1/35 AFV kits and the odd 1/48 aircraft kit.

With regards to DIY pigments , thoughts of watercolour paints and chalk (the ones used by Teachers & Uni lecturers) became possible candidates. And I think that these will be more fun , as I need to do it myself (colour mixing etc..)

I appreciate your comments - greatly appreciated and looking forward to building my 1st whiff.



PS - I always enjoyed scratching my finger nails against the chalk board  

[rickshaw]

I'd suggest going down to the local art supply shop and purchasing some coloured pastels.   They are effectively what they have in those specialist "pigments" ranges and are substantially cheaper.  All you need to do is rub the pastel on some sandpaper, use a dry brush to collect the dust and apply it to your model.  If you want wet effects, such as dripping rust or mud, use a wet brush and apply.  Once you've finished, you can either give it a light spray with matt varnish or simply leave (after a few years it looks even more effective as the colours combine).

[RotorheadTX]

Agreed! I use some cheapo pastel chalks that I bought at an art-supply store.
They work great, have a good range of colors, and will last ages.

Like these:
http://shop.hobbylobby.com/products/gallery-artist-drawing-pastels-682757/

Just make sure you get the pastel chalks, not 'soft pastels' which are more like crayons in consistency.

[scooter]

Although, if you're going for rust, steel wool and a spray bottle full of salt water I hear works wonders.

[PR19_Kit]

I got into LOTS of hot water, and was subjected to various 'comments' as a result of the following suggestion when I raised the subject in the model railway fraternity some years ago..........

Don't spend ANY money at all on weathering pigments, just ensure you're in a friendly relationship with your wife, girl friend, mother or other female Significant Other. Second, when she's about to sling out her part used powder eye shadows make sure she slings them in your direction, or at least in the direction of your model room!

These powders make magnificent weathering pigments, they come in a mind blowing range of colours (avoid the glittery ones....) and best of all, they're bound with a slightly oily bindng agent that ensures they stay on the model and won't get blown off with the first blast of your airbrush when you're varsnishing the finished product. Apply them with a small brush, or a cotton bud for larger areas, and then thin them out with a second brush before you varnish them. You can also use other makeup products too, if your SO can bear to part with them. Various shades of blusher make great rust stains etc., I've used those on large scale ship models and after varnishing they will survive being soaked in water while sailing the model.

There is one probem, when you've run out of one colour and you need an exact match, your SO will have changed her ideas of 'fashion' and won't have any left for you to purloin, so the only answer is to buy some......

Now that requires considerable chutzpa on the part of most of us, those brightly coloured areas at the front of many large stores are 'female only' zones and you'll be looked at with considerable curiosity when you're delving through the various products looking for 'US Air Force hydraulic oil stain'........ 

[mkhulu]

Gents ,

Wow , many thanks for the valuable input !


   

[Mossie]

I like that make up idea kit, I might well use that.  The missus tends to get lots of these sets for Christmas, but she only uses certain ones so a lot end up in the back of a drawer.  I'll have to dig them out, see what she's got.  When I first started out modelling as a teenager, I used to get into trouble for nicking my Mums eyeliner pencils, make very good detail brushes, the soft blusher brushes are also good for cleaning down your models.  My Mum went spare, I'd nick her make up stuff & my Dad would claim any good kitchen knives for his fishing!

I've used Pro Modellers washes.  They're okay for some things but not the wonderstuff they were hailed as when they first came out.  As a general wash they are oaky, but they give an uneven finish in panel lines, wheel wells etc.  They're good for creating a grubby used look for armour & aircraft.

One other I've used is Games Workshop's Citadel washes.  If you're highlighting panel lines & recesses they're great, the only thing is the colour palette is geared up towards their fantasy range so it's a little limited for more sobre stuff.  Some of the colours are a little bright, but add a bit of their black to make it more suitable.

Here's an example of what can be done with the Pro Modeller Washes:

[frank2056]

The Tamiya powders are great, but as Kit said, a recon mission down the women's eye shadow section of the local drug store will provide a wider range of colors at a much lower price. Radish probably has a good collection, too.

[beowulf]

i like the citadel washes too............tend to use the black and sepia ones the most.....i use them for alsorts of stuff............especially good for panel lines on car models cos they are subtle and not so strong they stand out like a sore thumb
for proper mud weathering i love MiG stuff......think ive used them in half a dozen ways....very versatile
im not struck on the tamiya 3 in a set kits........ive used the oil stain but thats about it............but their mud in a stick thingys are pretty good
ive also started playing around with the dot filter method recently using oils and thinners

[mkhulu]

http://www.ipmsstockholm.org/magazine/2003/01/stuff_eng_tech_afv_weathering.htm

to quote from ^

To simulate dust I use a mix of Yellow Ochre and Titanium White pigment powder with Humbrol Thinner as the medium. Here's how to do it:

Writer used Tamiya Acrylics to paint kit. In place of the enamel thinner one could use distilled water , smudge mixture before it's dry. Dunno if this will work , but I will try it. Have to order a decent earthtone chalk pastel set from the US .

Or a quick recce to the Beauty Dept might be in order  

[PR19_Kit]

Or a quick recce to the Beauty Dept might be in order  

I must admit I actually did do that in Gloucester once, when trying to match some stains on an American N gauge hopper car. I'd done one side using a particularly good shade of Mrs PR19's marroonish blusher, but it was the last dregs and there wasn't enough to do both sides. Taking my courage in both hands I approached one of the mega-glam looking girls in Debenhams and told her my problem. She didn't turn a hair, and took me to a VAST rack of various colours and we matched the stuff exactly!

Later on I took the model in to show her and she was SERIOUSLY impressed! We joked about them setting up a modelling department....

[scooter]

Goes to show you never know what to expect.