I have known almost from the minute I started in this hobby that in order for things to look “real”, they need to be weathered. Having said that, the fear of ruining one of my models, has always kept me from attempting a weathering job. [sigh] But alas, I decided today would be the day I would try! I got out the 'ol airbrush, some Polly Scale “Dirt” and “Dust” paint that I picked up yesterday, and went to town on one of my Athearn Gunderson Husky Stacks. I only wanted a light weathering on it, but what I ended up with looks more in the “heavy” range to me ( guess I used too much color [] ). Well, anyway, here are some pics of the results. Any feedback would be appreciated!
to my eye the weathering looks very natural! sometimes we stare at our own work so long we lose our ability to see it as others do. weathering amounts can vary so much on the prototype…that as long as nothing ‘jars’ the eye…i.e. looks fake…then its a success…yours is very good
I think it looks really good for a first try. And you used a fairly expensive car to try it on (Gutsy!). You might want to get some pastel chalks and try them because if you go over board you can always clean some of befor you seal it. Looks better than my first attempt.
loathar
Looks realistic… Im thinking about taking the plunge myself and have the same fears. If I could get my flatbeds to look like that I would crack open a Michelob Light and pat myself on the back
Hey…the flat car looks great!!! All you need now is to extend your natural abilities and weather the containers. They look like they need a bit of wear and tear on them.
Like you, I’m going to have to bite the weathering bullet and try my luck…also on a flat car and load, but mine will be a military load. I just received my 12 color pack of weathering powders from Bragdon and can’t wait to do something with them. I hope my results are as good as yours. A nice job on your Husky Stack!!
Looks a lot better than my first try was at getting dirty, and from the pics, it doesn’t seem excessively heavy, Kevin… that’s probably the hardest lesson for a rookie weatherer to learn, is that less is more, and when to say “when”. Good Job!
Nice work for your first shot! The only input I would give is:
1- Keep weathering more rolling stock, practice makes perfect
2- Weathering is a modelers discretion, meaning I would say add more rust but that’s cuz I like rust buckets, others would say “just a lite coat” which is fine also.
3- Experiment with other mediums on old rolling stock (chalks, dry brush, washings)
You will eventually find that you can mix and match the different techniques to get different effects.
4- Have fun
Looks good Kevin. I love the scenery aspect of modeling and yet I have
been hesitant about weathering. I have gotton some excellent advice
from Aggrojones(look at some of his photos), but I still have a fear of
destroying a model. I guess I just need to get my feet wet once. Keep
up the good work, Dave
Great Job!!! [tup] The weathering you did, greatly improved your model. I do feel sometimes like I might ruin an expensive rolling stock car if I don’t weather it right, but when I get started, my railroad instinct takes over. So far I’ve been lucky, I use alot of dark pastel chauk. I agree with dave9999, take a look at Aggrojones rolling stock pictures, very impressive! Keep up the great work!![^]
That certainly looks fantastic for a first attempt!
loathar–those Bragdon Enterprise powders are magical. They work like ULTRA strong chalk, but sealing them isn’t totally nessesary. Some of the stuff I do requires individual layers of BE powders and Dullcote.
Try spending a few hours with a camera near a real track and getting a good look at some real rolling stock. Like a couple of the members have said, it varies in degree from car to car. I’ve seen cars that look brand new mixed in with cars that are so dirty that you can’t tell what color they are…
The container car looks great for a first attempt. I finally “bit the bullet” yesterday, and lightly weathered a locomotive I’ve been assembling off and on. I’ve practiced on some of my old cheap Tyco like stuff. So far so good. I’m not done yet weathering it. I’m doing it in stages in light coats to determine when to say “when”.
] ). Well, anyway, here are some pics of the results. Any feedback would be appreciated!
