Tips On Weathering Your Model Truck

Imagine having just finished putting together your newest model truck. A beautiful forties model truck it looks great and was fun assembling but something doesn't feel right about it. With it looking cherry just like it rolled off the assembly line it seems quite out of place. You have thought about it and decided that you really want to make it look as if it has been sitting in a field somewhere as cows have grazed around it. Is this level of realism really within reach? Well, either you could drop it in the middle of a cow pasture somewhere and see how it does or you can weather it yourself. Think about which one would be easier.

If you want to attempt weathering your truck you will be in for a nice surprise. It is rather easy to do and requires very little in the way of time or supplies. You will only need a selection of earth tone paints, some water, and a paintbrush or two. The first thing you will need to do is to paint your model truck. Make sure not to give it a thorough coating. You will want to miss a few spots a bit or leave them a little thin. By doing so your rust spots will stand out much better. While your truck is drying you will have time to prepare your rust ink.

The best way to prepare this ink is to find the color you will want to use and mix it with water in a 1:1 ratio. You will then have what is known as a wash. The way that a wash works is that it leaves the water behind as a very light residue but it will not cover up the paint underneath. You should make sure that the ink and water is thoroughly mixed so that it does not become separated. If it does you can have thick spots left over on your paint job that can ruin the look of it.

After you have properly prepared the wash you can then begin to apply it. Dip the tip of your brush only in the wash and allow it to draw in some it. If you overload your brush you can end up losing control of the amount of ink left behind. By using only the tip you will be able to maintain control of the wash that you are laying down. You will next need to touch the brush to the truck. Make sure that it is in the center of where you would like the rust to start out.

Very carefully draw your brush out and away from the place that you want the rust to originate from. This can help you to make it seem much more real. It can also make the paint job look fake if it is not applied properly. Make sure that each coating of rust has ample time to dry so that it will look the best possible.

If you want to make a bigger impact with the rust effect then you need to repeat your steps several times. The more layers that you add will increase the aging effect. This will highly increase the aging effect of a wash. Something you should consider is making several different colors of washes so that you can more closely simulate true rust which is not uniform in color at all. Just think, soon you will be making your own vintage model trucks in no time.

If you want to make the rust stand out even more then you can repeat the previous steps. Each time you do this it will add a layer to the model car that it did not have before making it look older and older. The more you add the more weathered it will appear. Make sure to mix different washes each time. Rust is not uniform in color so neither should your wash. With a bit of practice you will be creating vintage model cars in no time at all.