Bandai's 1/144 Star Wars AT-AT-Walker: Weathering Step-By-Step

[@ancliuin2459]

Came here upon your recommendation in one of your AT-ST videos, having looked for inspiration for my Revell AT-AT... and to quote a certain soon-to-be jedi: "What a piece of junk!" ;) Seriously, thanks for your weathering demonstrations, everything is hands-on and shows not just the result but the way you are doing and redoing things. It's the way that you are redoing things that gives me confidence that whatever weathering "mistake" I make, I can probably either undo it, turn it into something useful, or be flexible in my way of looking at the model.

[@JonBius]

I'm glad you found them helpful! It's especially good to know that the videos encourage you to look at work in a different way - especially the Bob Ross "happy accidents". There's always a way to make it work! Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@cobusprinsloo]

Thank you, this was very helpful! You’re the first person to demonstrate in detail and explain your weathering.

[@JonBius]

Thanks so much! I'm so glad the video was useful. Happy day to you, and have fun with your modeling!

[@jhoodfysh]

Very nice Jon, I like the narration where you discuss your thought process as you develop the model. Good Job. I will be watching a lot more of your videos.

[@JonBius]

Thanks so much! I'm glad you found it helpful. And thanks for watching and commenting!

[@michaelmnmnguyen]

This is the best weathering I have seen for the AT-AT. I have seen a lot of youtube videos.

[@JonBius]

Thank you so much Michael! I am grateful. :D

[@MrBumpy2013]

Wow, thanks for the lead tip. I've been struggling with a way to make panel lines pop. This is perfect.

[@JonBius]

The first time I discovered that I was like "how did I not already know this?" So simple but so effective! Thanks so much for watching and commenting. I am grateful! 😊

[@psfanboy79]

I think this is one of the best looking at At models done on yourube

[@JonBius]

Thanks so much for your kind words! I am so glad you liked it! And thanks for watching and commenting!

[@jhoodfysh]

Jon, I learned something new again watching this video for the third time that I will be trying out later today. That was the part around 48:24 where you describe the flooded rust technique. Thank you for all the information you provide.

[@JonBius]

I'm glad you found that helpful! I hope that works well for you. Happy day to you friend. 😊

[@skrimshander]

Great job. Love your weathering techniques and reminder : ‘If you are not having fun you are doing it wrong’.

[@JonBius]

Thanks so much! It's a motto I truly believe! Happy day to you. 😊

[@NOPerative]

Who's a good At-AT? You are, yes you are! Nice work.

[@JonBius]

Thank you so very much! I am grateful. :)

[@NOPerative]

@@JonBiusDeserved praise, assuredly. Keep up the good work.

[@rustedbeetle]

Acrylic flow improver will help blend acrylic paints. Acrylic glaze medium helps to thin acrylic paint to use as a glaze/filter. Those may be helpful for Bandai's plastic. The AT-AT turned out fantastic. The weathering really brings out the "all terrain" part of the name. It is also nice to see one not modeled for snow.

[@JonBius]

Good to know! Thanks for your kind words, and thanks for watching and commenting!

[@axerxes3981]

Excellent job. I learned a lot. Thanks for sharing. Best wishes.... Ax

[@JonBius]

Thanks so much for your kind words, and thanks for watching and commenting!

[@spruetherapy]

Excellent video Jon, got a few ideas from that for my Bandai Tie Figher. Cheers! Dan

[@JonBius]

Great! I'm glad you found it useful! The TIE Fighters are so much fun. :D

[@ifeyecouldpaint]

You sir have an incredible speaking voice I've recently just found your channel I love what you do

[@JonBius]

Thank you kindly! I am grateful for your kind comments, and that you'd watch and comment. Bonus deal! 😊 Have a great day~

[@MikeSmith-th4rr]

Jon you are the master craftsman, the way that you present modelling gives individuals the confidence & belief that they can accomplish success whilst enjoying the journey of creation. The tips to correct are especially helpful. Did you produce tutorials on making bandias X wing or Y wing? WELL DONE SIR - keep up the excellent work in these terrible COVID times.

[@JonBius]

Thank you so much Mike! I really do feel like anyone can do this. It just takes a little practice. I have built both the X and Y Wing models, though it was prior to my video work. Do a search for them on my blog. I have done a series on the TIE Fighter - be sure and watch those videos. Thanks again for your kind and uplifting comment! 😊

[@rustedbeetle]

I've been watching some of your Bandai Star Wars model videos and I'm looking to see if you added any after market PE kits like from Green Strawberry to the kits. I've looked at Green's offerings, but I'd like to see some more examples of them in use before pulling that somewhat expensive trigger.

[@JonBius]

I've not tried any of their products. I generally avoid using photoetch. Years of using it with aircraft models made me grumpy about using photoetch. 😂 Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@StarWars_Pla]

Hello✨Great work👍

[@JonBius]

Thank you very much! I am grateful for your kind words. 😊

[@stevenvaughan1572]

I have always wanted a detailed AT-AT. It is my favorite vehicle. I'm going to get a Bandai kit, but unfortunately I have very shakey hands, no tools or expierence. Would you be willing to do this for me? I would pay you of course. You do EXCELLENT work! I would love an AT-AT on my work desk.

[@JonBius]

Thank you so much for your kind words! I am grateful! I no longer do commission work, but thank you for the kind offer and trust. Happy day to you!

[@JonBius]

I forgot to mention - I do sell many of the kits I build on Ebay, so check there from time to time. (You can link to it from my website.)

[@veronicalagomascetti5883]

Hi Jon, very inspiring video as usual. I wonder if you can go filtering right over acrylic paint (let’s say Tamiya) and if it’s then necessary to put a varnish over the filtering work before doing paneling and weathering, assuming to use oil paints with enamel odourless thinner. Thanks!

[@JonBius]

Thanks so much - I am grateful. The best answer I can give you is "it depends". I have done it just as you describe. The oils/enamels will "bleed" more on the acrylic surface, so that has to be accounted for. However, it can be an effect that we can use to our advantage for a very grimy model. The same applies with applying later weathering right over the top of an unvarnished filter effect. There will be some blending and mixing, especially if you go heavier with thinners. It's not so much a "bad" thing as it is simply a thing... something to be accounted for. My general rule of thumb is that I varnish when I want more precise control over each step/layer, but if I am willing to work it all "as a whole", then going sans varnish works. I generally recommend using a test model to try some of these things out, and see how various application and varnish methods work for you. Hope that helps! Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@veronicalagomascetti5883]

Thank you so much for such a detailed and precise answer.

[@Grifftrogg]

Your idea of a heavy wash with Nuln oil is very different to mine... Maybe I more slosh than apply it.

[@JonBius]

Yeah, it's interesting how people's methods differ like that! I'm sure you've seen folks even dipping a whole mini in a can of wash! :) I've done that though - just blast away with it too. "Slosh" is a great word. :)

[@Grifftrogg]

@@JonBius Yeah I've seen the dipper crew, mostly the Nepoleonic folks. Where doing huge displays that weight of numbers is what impresses, not the individual man. It's why video's like this matter so much as one persons heavy wash is another's light tint. It's often easy to forget things like that are up for a huge amount of interpretation.

[@felixezra16]

Besides citadel nuln oil, are there any other types of washes or acrylic paints that are safe for Bandai plastic? I've used Tamiya panel liners before with some Gundam wing kits and it always seems to crack the plastic. Makes me a bit nervous about panel lining kits.

[@JonBius]

Vallejo makes acrylic washes also in a wide variety of colors. An "old school" aircraft method is thinning acrylic paint down with water to the consistency of a wash, and then adding a touch of dish soap to it. Over a gloss finish you can clean it up with a cotton bud! Experiment with that one a bit before using it on a "production" model. Hope that helps! Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@felixezra16]

@@JonBius Thank you

[@rascalbear2322]

Excellent work Jon! Can you tell me what base color did you use when painting At-at walker? I have tamiya sky grey but i'm not if it's the fight one!

[@JonBius]

Thanks so much! I'm grateful! I used that, but I did quite a bit of mottling and streaking wit the airbrush. So it's a combination of XF-19, XF-80, XF-63, XF-2, and I may have even thrown in some XF-55 for warm tones. So it's a very mottled surface using all of those. Still, if you started with a base of Tamiya Sky Gray (SF-19) and added weathering over that, it would work quite well. Have fun with it! :D Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@ojiva1]

Hi Jon! Great video! One Question: Can I apply the dot filter without having used airbrush before? I mean, directly on plastic? Thank you very much. Sorry my english

[@JonBius]

Hey! Thanks so much! I'm glad you enjoyed it. I've never tried it over bare plastic, actually. I'm thinking it might not have enough "grip" for the oil paint to hold on. I'd recommend trying it on a small open surface, and see how it looks. If it didn't work, you could wipe it away. Hope that helps!

[@ifeyecouldpaint]

Sorry I just can't help myself as an old far we feel the needs to chip in pardon the pun but you can make acrylics last longer and be able to work with them longer if you add a flow AID or micellar water

[@JonBius]

Thanks! And yes, I do use those - have for years. Sometimes i make use of them, sometimes not. :)

[@grant575mixmaster]

why not base coat with a surfacer then no problems, apply lacquer the enamel and last acrylic yeah

[@JonBius]

That works! Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@christopherwhitford831]

Your a good sci fi builder but is this walker a hoth or endor walker

[@JonBius]

Thanks so much! I am grateful! The box art shows the Hoth scene, and I built it out of the box, so I'll loosely call it "Hoth". But the basic principles will work for any Big Stompy locale! :D Thanks again for watching and commenting!

[@alecstirner2412]

great job! I really like how you made such flat surfaces interesting. About the panel lining what kind of pencil do you use? a soft one or a hard one (e.g. HB, B, F )?

[@JonBius]

Thanks so much! I am grateful! I'm not exactly sure what the precise type it is, but it is definitely soft. I find that the softer it is, the better it works. Hope that helps!

[@alecstirner2412]

@@JonBius thanks, I'll try to imitate your tecniques on the HG Gustav Karl i'm planning to build ;)

[@JonBius]

@@alecstirner2412 Cool! Have fun with it!

[@RMZFILMS59]

🙌👌

[@JonBius]

Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@tewzaku2535]

Has anyone used the word Guru to describe you ?? That’s the word !!

[@JonBius]

You are too kind my friend. Far too kind. At best I do a good job of copying people far more skilled than I am, and simply relating what I've learned. But I am so grateful for your kind and encouraging words! Thank you for so consistently watching and commenting! :D

[@jorgecastro6078]

Is it just me or do I hear a train on the background?

[@JonBius]

It may have been! I do most of my video work early in the morning, and there is a train that runs through about that time. So you may have heard it! :)