How do you fade rolling stock-WITHOUT an airbrush

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I heard the same advice for learning how to use an airbrush, but would never waste even a cheap car for learning. If you have lots of cheap cars, learn how to make them into better ones.

That can be done by weathering, of course, but it can also be done by upgrading their performance, or by adding free-standing details to replace cast-on ones. I’d still suggest acquiring and learning to use an airbrush, though. Why be more afraid of it than you would be of anything else you’ve not yet tried?

I was doing brush-painted diesels for a nearby hobbyshop after I had shown a couple that I had done for myself. They were for a somewhat local prototype, but at that time, there was no model paint available for the proper colours, no lettering that was even close to prototypical, and no kits or r-t-r examples.

After hand painting several dozen (they were selling faster than I could produce them), the shop owner suggested that I buy an airbrush, and offered me a Paasche double-action brush at a good price.

The first thing I learned was that airbrushing paint schemes in multiple colours requires masking. My second lesson was that masking requires lots of time to do it properly.
Up until then, I had needed to do only minor masking, as I had very steady hands and very good brushing techniques.

Rather than give up, or try my hand on cheap rolling stock, I opted to first read the instructions which came with the airbrush. (Many people don’t read instructions, and then complain about what a crummy product they bought when they don’t get the results they wanted.)

The first suggestion was on disassembling and re-assembling the airbrush - pretty easy when you have an exploded view in the instruction book.

The second lesson was on basic use of an airbrush - make a dot

Years ago, I practiced on old Tyco cars, including the famous Purina car that I got for Christmas when I was a kid. I regret that now. Sure, I can probably find another one - but not the one I got from my parents some 45 years ago.

Simon

A white or black wash isn’t always the “cure all” for fading. Sometimes using white, either through an airbrush or hand brush, leaves a “frosted flake” appearance. A mix of the car’s base color with a lighter color is sometimes necessary, or some other complimentary colors are needed, depends on the prototype or look you are trying to achieve. It may take several passes with a thinned solution to build up the desired fade. Green sometimes fades to a yellow, orange sometimes gives a brown appearance.

Practice, Practice, Practice…yep, we all got old cars just dying to be the next lab experiment. If not, plastic picnic plates or plastic “for sale” signs (or other inexpensive signs) from your local store makes great practice pieces.

Terry

Terry, this goes along with something I heard a while ago, where you mix paint into the color you want the car to turn, and then apply it in several coats until you achive the desired affect. This can work especially well for cars that fade differently, such as old BN green cars fading into light green or brown cars becoming more of an orange-brown color.

The April 2020 RMC has an article by George Dutka titled “Simple Options for Fading Paint”. He talks about spraying Proto Paint “Flat Haze” as one method, and hand brushing PanPastel “Colorless Blender”. The colorless blender is usually used for mixing with other PanPastel colors to lighten them, but he notes it works well to lighten/fade the color of model engines and cars by just brushing on a light coat over them. “Of the two techniques, PanPastel colorless blender is by far the easiest to work with and the quickest.”

I hasten to add I haven’t tried either, but both sound interesting.

I’m a fan of working with 91% Alcohol. A wet Qtip rubbed vertically along the entire car wiorks pretty well. Produces some natural weathering streaking too in variable places. Also, as the color builds onto the qtip, it can rest onto the lettering, making it appear that the lettering is faded/wearing off and the body color is showing through.

Might sound scary, because straight 91% alcohol is used for stripping.

But the stuff isn’t acid.

It takes a lot of rubbing to wear off the paint. Like anything, it takes practice but even the first couple of swipes has visible results, IMO.

Fade paint and lettering with the qtip and alcohol. Then a fine point aritsts brush to add rust or grime along some seems and rivets. Then dry brush dab a light cover of mud along the sill and some rust color along the roof, and that’s pretty much my weathering technique.