Dust Effects (Without Convenience Products) for Scale Models -- Panzer III N Tunisia

Let's look at three techniques for making dust effects: abraded acrylics, oil paint blending, and speckling effects. And, let's do it without relying on pre-made "convenience products"!
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DISCLAIMER: I am not paid to promote any specific products or brands; I just use the products I find work best for me through my experiences. There is no reason for me to promote a bad product, as then I would not enjoy using it, not like the result on my model, and not be proud of publicizing it in a video. There's also no point in me doing this to keep up relations with a company if the only benefit would be getting more of the same products that I didn't like. I have not used every product out there, but from what I have used, I keep using the products I like, and that's why I use them in my videos. You can use whatever other products you would like to and you can feel that they are better - that is your opinion, and is perfectly fine by me, thus I hope that feeling is reciprocated.

[@Panzermeister36]

I know I'm saying that this is a video on techniques "without convenience products", and then the first thing I show is AK Heavy Chipping Fluid 😅 but, like I said, cheap hairspray from the convenience store works for the exact same effect! I have videos on using the hairspray equivalent. At least AK Heavy Chipping Fluid is reliable, unlike pigments and enamel washes.

[@mexicanboy8]

Yea, weather it is chipping fluid or hair spray, the process is the same. With the other effects, the process is different.

[@harrybrown5645]

Glad you added this comment as I thought exactly the same thing 😂😂😂 99pence/cents hairspray works just as wel land one can will lady a lifetime

[@jxvolker]

I really enjoy how-to videos that actually show me how-to. This is an excellent teaching video. Well done!

[@Panzermeister36]

Thank you very much!

[@sparky694]

Another awesome tutorial. My Armour models have improved significantly thanks to your videos, thank you

[@Panzermeister36]

Great to hear you find my videos helpful! I appreciate the kind words.

[@georgewelch2366]

I like the emphasis on using what you may already have. That, and your easy conversational style, sets your videos apart.

[@Panzermeister36]

Thank you so much George! Much appreciated

[@Vmssupplies]

A great tutorial. Cheers Evan!

[@Panzermeister36]

Thank you so much!

[@user-cq2so7uo6i]

Great technique wish you was on KZbin more

[@Panzermeister36]

Thank you! I am aiming for one video per month at least this year. It takes a long time to edit these videos and I have a full-time job.

[@intensiveintensives4887]

Leaning more into usage of paints and oils for everything really turns our Panzers into canvases and us into artists!

[@yattaran1484]

Thank you for posting your outstanding technique of dust effect !. I believe that will help all of us tremendously ! 👍

[@Panzermeister36]

Thank you very much for your comments as always. They are much appreciated!

[@zaiemo7125]

Love the pick-axe hanging on the spare tracks!!!🤩

[@Panzermeister36]

Thank you! Matching the reference photos 😁

[@workbenchhobbies4316]

Great vid mate - Chipping the dust effects is a bit of a game changer - works a treat

[@Panzermeister36]

Cheers Clayton!

[@gordon8753]

Awesome video again! Very cool technique.

[@mrcarlo1966]

Thank you Panzer.This series has been very helpful with the Africa Korps Kubelwagen I’m working on.

[@Panzermeister36]

I'm glad my video is helpful! Best of luck on the kubel.

[@tylerleversage1933]

Great video Evan! Thanks again!

[@Panzermeister36]

Glad you liked it!

[@danreed7889]

Looks great. Really love these sandbags.

[@Panzermeister36]

Thank you Dan! The sandbags are iconic for this unit 😁

[@ArmourEmpire]

Excellent demo. Very well articulated and demonstrated

[@Panzermeister36]

Thank you as always Mark!

[@adamjackson7629]

Thank you for this video - very helpful.

[@stephenbridges2791]

Excellent technique. Very convincing dust. Well done.

[@Panzermeister36]

Thank you Stephen!

[@KHModelWorks]

Awesome demonstration. I really wondered how to get this effect, and you demonstrated it perfectly.

[@Panzermeister36]

Glad it was helpful!

[@kananchan7995]

Straight forwards and gets to the point. Very good vid on how to use oil

[@Panzermeister36]

Thank you! Oils are the most versatile tool 👍

[@jerryvolpini7987]

Excellent tutorial! A shortcut to speed up things is always welcome 👍 I'm always experimenting to find different ways to create a myriad of effects.

[@Panzermeister36]

Glad it was helpful Jerry!

[@IPMSOC]

great tutorial video - thanks for posting

[@Panzermeister36]

Thanks for watching!

[@goforitpainting]

Really cool paint job. 👍

[@Panzermeister36]

Thank you!

[@detlevwalter7495]

Very interesting topic. Well done 👍

[@Panzermeister36]

Thank you!

[@bpmodels]

Great video Evan! Thank you mate

[@Panzermeister36]

My pleasure!

[@michaeldean1289]

Hi Evan Great techniques, and really nice looking results ❤😊

[@Panzermeister36]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@nadrazakcz7858]

Excellent how-to, very informative and useful for others 👍 I prefer this approach at most, having only about 3 bottles of acryl products...and doing most of the work by pre-shading, oils and partially with different pigment-oil combinations. The variety posibillities are just endless 👌

[@Panzermeister36]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you

[@johntaylor1435]

Very interesting video, I am going to give it a try. Can you remember the Deck Tank to Thinner ratio, it would be of help. Thank you.

[@THROTTLEPOWER]

Nice video Evan 🤜🤛

[@user-ws1tf1in3o]

Your videos are awesome....At 65yo I have only just got back into modelling after 50 years. The stuff you can buy these days was never available back then, To camo paint we had to use cotton wool and brush around it. Vallego environment paints are out of this world....thick mud paint....who would have imagined

[@Panzermeister36]

Cheers Mike! Glad to hear you're getting back into the hobby. I remember, the first kit I ever built (11 or 12 years ago!) recommended to use cotton wool to mask the camouflage. It was a 1970s-era Tamiya kit. 50 years old and it was still a great kit to build!

[@rossomachin]

Michael Rinaldi should be proud of you 😊

[@Panzermeister36]

I'd hope so; his old tankart books and weathering style was very influential to me when I started getting serious on weathering years ago.

[@jamesmcansh6393]

Thanks for sharing great tip ✌🏻🇨🇦✌🏻🇨🇦

[@KGmodels]

Firstly,perfect timing Evan as I am just about to pick what I’m going to do next.A DAK vehicle is definitely on my consideration list.And secondly, Looks great for not only vehicles in Africa,but maybe for other battles such as Kursk.Great work

[@Panzermeister36]

Best of luck! Yes, I think with just a bit of added mud texture, this would look great for the eastern front summer as well.

[@robertarnold6672]

Superb work as usual. Where did you learn all these unique & advanced techniques? Was it from experimentation through the years or trying various things on paint mules?

[@HamilkarBarkasScaleModelling]

Interesting approach and the idea behind it is not too different from what i often tend to do. Applying a crude and heavy coat first, then rework and reduce it till it looks realistic. I think i have seen people spraying on enamels as dust effects before and then going at them with thinners, you went with the Tamiya paints and oils in this case, which is an interesting variation. Great result!

[@Panzermeister36]

Thank you Michael. Honestly, my initial plan was to indeed airbrush on the enamel AK Dust Effects but then I realized they were all toast! So, instead I decided to do it without those stupid things that always dry up, and I think it paid off!

[@SPSteve]

Looks really good, Evan. You made me nervous not having the cap on your airbrush cup. 🙂

[@Panzermeister36]

I should use it more often!

[@davidknights3878]

Good video

[@Panzermeister36]

Thank you Kentucky Dave

[@piodzi112]

Great job, thank you for showing us how to do it. I have a question. Do you use protection after oil effects? Varnishes react with pigments and a white coating is created.

[@chrisdimis91]

Panzer Meister thanks my brother. That's really interesting. Now regarding pigments. I recently completed a model that i rusted up. To stabilize the pigment i used Burned Sienna oil paint as a base. And then applied medium and light rust pigments on top of it. So far the pigments are still there. Are you doing the same with pigments or something different?

[@dan8402]

I noticed you are using some good quality oil paints too! lol Well it is possible to mix up custom colors using artist oils that you get from Michael's or Hobby Lobby. Of course having pre mixed colors is nice for consistency across say several vehicles you want to have together and just time. Would love to see mud / caked on dirt effects with the same principle. I know there is a way, but haven't really researched it. Oils are great too since they are not super opaque. It is a filter over the base layer.

[@Panzermeister36]

For caked-on dust and dirt I would have to use some acrylic or enamel mud texture product. For example, the Mig AMMO enamel at the beginning of the video. And yes, the transparency of the oils is key as it means my previous chipping and pinwash are not hidden 😊

[@gruppenfuhrer45]

Wow great job and video ty so much. As I am working on a panzer 3 that’s gonna be Afrika Korps now. So what are your thoughts about using Tamiya Afrika Korps paint vs desert yellow?

[@Panzermeister36]

I tested some of the new Tamiya colours, XF-92 and -93. The XF-92 is supposed to replicate the RAL8000 base colour here but I think it is too dark.

[@VSLAModelRR]

Awesome video! I don't model Armor but I can use these techniques on my locomotives since I model SoCal. I found it interesting you used a satin coat basically for helping the oils blend or flow smoothly correct? I assume at the very end you come back with a flat coat over the whole model? Thanks!

[@Panzermeister36]

Thank you for the super chat! Yes, you are correct. I use satin for a smoother surface that allows the oils to move around easier. Some people use gloss but I find that too smooth -- the weathering doesn't really stick! A final matte coat will be applied at the end as you said.

[@Dragonfire-tn2jg]

There is a new Acrylic medium called Newsh, keeps acrylics workable for about 20 min. It's from Monument Hobbies.

[@Panzermeister36]

Thank you for the tip. I will check out this new product!

[@jcosborne631]

Evan, when you use the oilbrushers do you use the brush with it? Or do you just use it to apply to another surface and then transfer to the model surface?

[@Panzermeister36]

Hello JC. I find the built-in applicator for the oilbrushers to be way too big and messy for applying the small amount of oil paint I desire on the model. But, the applicator is useful for applying some paint on my palette like you've said. Then I apply it to the model with a fin brush.

[@johncrimmins1540]

Wow, So much in such a short video! Q. please. What did you use for thinning the Tamiya paint!😊

[@Panzermeister36]

Good question John. I used Mr Color Leveling Thinner. Since I'm only chipping at a thin coat of the paint, I'm not worried about it curing too solid. But you can thin it with X-20A or water for easier chipping.

[@tumama001]

Could you show your camera and lighting setup?

[@jonmurphy9424]

Okay but what PSI did you use to airbrush the dust ;) I love the textured look of the chipped dust. A+ work!

[@Panzermeister36]

Hehe...Around 18-20 psi...as low as I can go with Tamiya 😁

[@reconmodelsvaughn469]

Good job try lifecolor dust effects good stuff 👏

[@Panzermeister36]

I have never actually tried Lifecolour. They're just never in stores here I guess. Their dust and rust sets are popular I've heard.

[@reconmodelsvaughn469]

@Panzermeister36 yeah they are very good a little expensive but man they are very good I use them for railroad car and engines .but if you do get them please get there thinner it works the best I have tried everything and everyone keep telling me that only use lifecolor thinner. Great video keep up the great work 👍

[@gregmix1]

When adding oils for the dust effect is there any problem with the thinner activating the chipping fluid?

[@Panzermeister36]

No, the hairspray is only activated with water.

[@scottyshipbuilder]

I’m building the Tamiya Bradley M2A2 ODS and would appreciate any advice for weathering it for its sandy Iraq environment. Beautiful work btw.

[@Panzermeister36]

Thank you Scotty. I will be building a Bradley soon on the channel!

[@kevinkelly6524]

When you are spraying the Tamiya “dust” acrylics, are you thinning with water, or X-20A? I want to try this on my M-10

[@Panzermeister36]

Hey Mike! I actually thinned them with Mr.Color Lacquer Thinner, because they were a very thin coat and easy to chip even with the more durable thinner. But, X-20A would be a safer option.

[@MultiICR]

Hey, are you using water or MrH thinner with the Tamiya paint?

[@Panzermeister36]

I used Mr Color Leveling Thinner to thin the Tamiya paint for airbrushing, but you can also use water or X-20A. Water or X-20A as thinner can make the paint easier to chip, but since the airbrushed dust was not a thick coat, it was easy to chip even with Mr Color thinner.

[@shlamushaaretz5357]

Very intuitive Evan! Just curious, how long would it take you to complete a model from unboxing to completed weathering?

[@Panzermeister36]

If I seriously focused on just one project at a time? Maybe 1.5 to 3 months depending on complexity. But I'm a slow builder, overthink everything, and my projects take a while for this reason.

[@shlamushaaretz5357]

@@Panzermeister36 my biggest weakness was my impatience and wanting to rush the build.

[@Panzermeister36]

I would say mine's the opposite. Decision paralysis. I need to be more efficient! There's a happy middle ground there somewhere.

[@AxG-fe4tq]

Hi✌🏻can i use for the oil technique also white spirit? Ist white spirit the same like the products from MIG? 🤔

[@Panzermeister36]

Yes that should be the equivalent to MiG Productions enamel thinner I used.

[@AxG-fe4tq]

@@Panzermeister36 thanks for answer🙏🏻😊

[@Panzermeister36]

Cheers !

[@davidedel31]

Hi Panzermeister36, have a question. When tigers were in Africa, would they have a lot of scratches and paint chips since the desert would be more open and not a lot of trees but a lot of brush? Also their paint been very dull from the sand acting like sandpaper especially in dust storms. Know they would have some chipping where the crew would walk on tank, but most of wear would be from the sand dulling the paint or slowly wearing off the paint. Was just curious since getting to start building a tiger for the DAK. Thanks

[@Panzermeister36]

Those Tigers were painted in the same colours as my tank here. As for weathering them, it is really up to you in telling the story of the service life of your Tiger tank. It is your own model after all!

[@davidedel31]

@@Panzermeister36 Thanks for answering back

[@Snazzy_Pantz]

I usually apply my dust effects by letting the finished model sit in the shelf for a good 2 months. Opinions on that?

[@Panzermeister36]

😁😁 that can also work!

[@FleshCloud-ey5ro]

Heavy chipping fluid seems to be in the same wheel house as the products you're avoiding. I was expecting it to be more home grown solutions not picking a different one off the same shelf you were other wise avoiding.

[@Panzermeister36]

As I said in the video, you can use cheap hairspray instead. I've simply run out so as a backup I used the AK HCF. Mainly though, I'm trying to avoid convenience products that are unreliable. AK HCF doesn't dry up like those enamel dust washes. In fact, that bottle of AK HCF is probably 8 years old...

[@John_colasante]

Another great video. I love how you retain your intro from 2004 Microsoft movie maker.

[@Panzermeister36]

Thanks John! Funnily enough, as I'm typing this I am working on a new intro.

[@John_colasante]

@@Panzermeister36 noooooooooo!

[@salvadorloarca5303]

Like 333 SALUDOS.

[@Panzermeister36]

Gracias! 😊

[@scaleartsg]

when some convenience products are merely a commercial gimmick!

[@Panzermeister36]

Well I did feature the AMMO brass toothpick as a easter egg 😁

[@anleriedewet5395]

Without convenience products.... uses airbrush

[@Panzermeister36]

An airbrush is one of the most basic modeling tools one can buy. This isn't 1975 anymore.

[@panzer-meister]

Very nice tutorial. Actually, it's not so easy to copy your techniques, but we should just practice and learn. 😀

[@Panzermeister36]

You can do it, I believe in you 😊