Tutorial: Surface Weathering Effects for Model Tanks

[@andyvonhamma8374]

Awesome Video. I never did any weathering effects on my models until I discovered your videos. Now they all get a heavy dose. Thank you for sharing with us !

[@Panzermeister36]

Thank you for watching and commenting! I'm glad you've found my videos useful and inspirational :)

[@barryjohnston6964]

Amazing work! I've watched just about all of your videos. You have a real gift.

[@Panzermeister36]

+Barry Johnston Thank you Barry! :)

[@ethan5354]

That's a beautiful Panzer IV you get at the end! I just started binge watching your videos and I'm learning a crapload of new techniques.

[@Panzermeister36]

Thank you Ethan! I'm glad you're enjoying them and finding them useful :)

[@claytonmcclain182]

awesome work. glad to see you back.

[@steviegibson5847]

Great video Ivan, and the music was awesome too. Enjoyed it VERY much.

[@Panzermeister36]

Thank you Stevie :) yes awesome call of duty music as always!

[@allanstott6999]

My xmas airbrush has arrived Yay! Cannot wait to get it going and attempt to achieve that soft edge camo like your panzer 4 here. I've picked up some rust pigments too so hopefully I don't mess it up. I am relatively new to scale modelling if you count my attempts and only just learning there's more than just paint to this hobby. I was listening to you talk about filters for example and was about to ask you to explain what they were but you kind of covered that in this video. Great tutorial as always. Thanks.

[@ArmourEmpire]

Really good tutorial Evan. Thanks for sharing. BTW. Congrats mate, nearly passed 6.5k. Well deserved

[@MGB-learning]

Outstanding video and presentation.

[@Radiergummi23]

Very nice model, and very nice techniques indeed, I've already built a couple model kits, and since I do not have the proper tools, pigments and stuff, they still look like toys haha. Thanks for sharing your knowledge :)

[@DeronShank]

Very informative. Cutting job. Thanks for sharing!!!!

[@piotrklyz]

nice one Evan , another great tutorial video 👍

[@duckman5642]

Genius at work, thankyou

[@raouldippie1944]

great video thanks for sharing:) this will look great on my T90

[@ninakrettek8892]

Wie immer, ganz große Klasse !!

[@Panzermeister36]

Danke :)

[@AriesStyreneBistro]

thank you very much, always good to learn

[@non-prolific135thscalemode7]

Very good tutorial. I'm glad I subbed to your channel a while ago. Greetz from Germany. Take care. Jens

[@Panzermeister36]

+Non-Prolific 1/35th Scale Model Builder Thank you for watching and commenting, Jens! Greetings from Canada :)

[@non-prolific135thscalemode7]

:)

[@dinkleburgerz]

Fantastic video!! Learned a lot! Planning to built the WirbelWind FlakPanzer: has anyone built this vehicle? Any tips? It's one of my favorite "tank" design even though it's a self propelled anti aircraft guns.

[@Panzermeister36]

Thank you! I'm glad you're finding my videos useful :) I've never built a whirbelwind but it's something I'd sure like to do someday; I love the look of mobile AA pieces, especially the modern soviet ones, the whirbelwind and the ostwind. Someday I'll build a SPAAG...

[@dareka9425]

This is the scariest weathering video I've ever watched.

[@mcw0106]

thank you very much =] I love this video. Please do more weathering tutorial. support you

[@2411rob]

Thanks for this nice video, nice job you doing there!

[@glennwaterfield9442]

Have you ever tried a dot filter on a zimmerit model? If so, what is different about the technique vs. a dot filter on a smooth armor plated model?

[@Panzermeister36]

I would use a do filter on something like this as the zimmerit texture was not too extreme. But on my StuG III with the waffle zimmerit, I didn't use a dot filter as you can't really blend the dots down on such an uneven surface (all the paints will simply collect in the recesses like a non-uniform multicolor wash, and any dots of paint down in the crevices of the zimmerit will be hard to get as with the gentle streaking motions). I also couldn't do any streaking effects on the zimmerited areas for the same reason. On that StuG I just gave it a wash instead and focused on other things like chipping.

[@MasterTRL]

Nice video! I see you go pretty heavy on the wash there. I tried that too but with thinned down acrylic paint. It accented the recesses well enough but on some places it dried and left even coffee stain like marks. Like a faded black rim around the accented bit, which is what i wanted, but then a really black rim around that whol faded area. Is this because of the drying behaviour of the acrylics? Do thinned oils dry to a nicer gradient?

[@Panzermeister36]

Yes he call those "tide marks"... and you can get them with oils too (though it's less common), but with oils you can clean them up afterwards with a little enamel thinner. Acrylics dry too fast so you can't fix those marks.

[@woooster17]

Having just bought various oils to try.. is allowing it to soak into cardboard before application always necessary before using? Learning lots with these videos, thanks

[@Panzermeister36]

It's very helpful and I would say you should do it. Unless you bought Wilder's oils.

[@woooster17]

Thanks for the reply.. have put an all over desert paint base on the tank, going to now try some oils and practice weathering techniques after watching your vids..

[@JohnsontheAnimeFreak]

Have you tried the pencil technique on edges?

[@Panzermeister36]

Yes I have. I susually use that one on the edges of tracks too to get a metallic effect.

[@JohnsontheAnimeFreak]

What would be a great color to use under the main color(s) of a tank? I plan to use the salt trick on a Leopard A4 I have, but I'm not too sure of what color I could use. I was thinking a dark grey.

[@Panzermeister36]

JohnsontheAnimeFreak Do you mean what colour as the base for the chipping, which will be exposed once the salt has been removed? Usually I use a primer red/brown colour as tanks were primed that way, but if you're going to do just some light scratches then a darker grey works well too.

[@JohnsontheAnimeFreak]

Panzermeister36 Yes a base color. It's a 1/16 so it's quite large, but I'm not sure on how much wear is going to be put on the tank.

[@Panzermeister36]

JohnsontheAnimeFreak Reference photos of the Leo 2 should give you an idea, but I would say that realistically it should be a primer red colour. Though you can do whatever you like; I use grey sometimes and red-brown other times, depends on how I want it to look.

[@KOROBOCHKATV]

Very nice result! Perfecto!)+

[@joereen409]

For the speck-dots on top of the base camouflage, did you use the same Dunkelgelb as the base?

[@Panzermeister36]

+Joe Reen Yes I did use the same colour.

[@alexlittle5237]

What did you use for a protection coat? Did you apply a protection coat between the techniques you outlined?

[@Panzermeister36]

+Alex Little I didn't use a protective coat because I apply the products in an order in which they will not react with each other. For example, my enamel thinner will react/re-thin the oil paints I use too, but my oil thinner won't react with the enamel paints I use. So this way I always put on the enamel products before the oils, and there isn't an issue. Though in my winter whitewash tutorial I purposefully let the products react to get the desired effect. If you don't know how all your products might react, I would recommend some sealing coats in there, like between the streaks and the chipping/oil highlighting.

[@rocko112camaro]

Great Vid. I see you build and detail a lot of WWII tanks. Do you build and detail modern tanks? M1A1 Abrams in NATO or with the Gulf war color desert look? Or Israel Merkava or German Leopard tank in NATO colors? Especially M1A1 in desert camo. Thanks,

[@Panzermeister36]

+rocko112camaro Thank you for commenting! Yes, I do build mainly WWII stuff, but I do like modern vehicles as well. I definitely want to build a Merkava sometime soon as well as a Leopard 2, probably a Canadian one wince that's my home country. The Abrams TUSK also looks really awesome to me, so there's another one on my list of things to build. I also like the modern Russian stuff too. I just need more time to build these things cause I've been busy recently.

[@rocko112camaro]

OK. Just letting you know I just got done building a Merkava Mk.IV Lic by Academy. Nice detailed tank, but the tracks are plastic tracks and they don't sit right. The top & bottom are solid flat strips and the front and back wheel area are build by 10-12 single track pieces. So their is a gap around the wheels. Also the photo etch chain hanging from the turret hangs to long and keeps the turret from turning or catch on the body. The M1A1 Abrams "IRAQ 2003" by Academy has rubber tracks and it's detailed nicely.

[@ScaleJournal]

Good tutorial! +++

[@glenmhouston5085]

I'm almost done with my 1/16 scale tiger. I learned soooo much from your videos and messing up. Lol is it difficult to remove decals?

[@Panzermeister36]

+Glenm Houston Hey Glen! I'm glad my videos have been helping you out. As for decals, if would be best just to repaint over them with the base colour.

[@glenmhouston5085]

Ok thanks

[@timesup5105]

Can you spray over the pigments with a matte sealer? Will it make them fade? Also what do you use for a pigment filler?

[@Panzermeister36]

A sealing cost will most likely blow some of the pigments off so I don't use sealing coats of matte or anything. I don't know what you mean by pigment filler, do you mean pigment fixer? I don't use one either; instead I apply a coat of matte varnish after the camouflage has been applied so that the pigments have something to bite into. this works fine for me, but I have to be careful about where I touch the model afterwards.

[@timesup5105]

+Panzermeister36 yes a fixer sorry. I'm trying to learn the oil side of things. Amazing weathering :) I'm trying to intergrade these techniques with wargaming and miniatures. So they have to be handled heavily.

[@Panzermeister36]

+Golden Candle Studio Yeah then you'll have to seal them. In that case, applying the pigments "wet" would work better, like mixing them with a thinner/fixer when you apply them almost as a mud which will dry for nice dirt effects. They would be attached the the model better and you shouldn't lose as much pigment when sealing. Also, spray the sealant on from a little farther away, and at a lower pressure. Do a few light coats rather than one big one. This will help to not blow off or flood the pigments on the model/miniature. The wet method doesn't work too well for making dust effects, so I would use airbrushing for dust instead.

[@timesup5105]

+Panzermeister36 thanks so much bro! Just true mixed the light spray and it worked. Ill try the others on some other kits. Thanks you!!!! Keep making videos please.

[@Panzermeister36]

+Golden Candle Studio Glad I could help! I'll keep making videos for as long as I can; I reallu enjoy making them and helping out others like you :) Have a good one!

[@Star_cab]

Anyway to have mic come out both speakers? the mono sound is kinda strange.

[@Panzermeister36]

+Chin Pow It should be coming out both speakers....it does for me. Well, i am sitting to the right of the camera, so that may be why you're getting that issue.

[@jacksonholmes9955]

Howdy, how did u do the spots though...just with a brush?

[@Panzermeister36]

Hello :) You can see it briefly in the intro at 0:19. I used a "microbrush" which is a small disposable round-tipped brush. You can probably buy a pack or 10 or so at your local shop for a few dollars, or find them online. They're mainly meant for applying glue or something, which is why they are disposable, but I found that I could make really good circle by just dabbing the brush onto the model, as it applies the paint smoothly in a very nice circle. I could do a quick demonstration in my next MQ&A video if you'd like do see :)

[@jacksonholmes9955]

Yes pls...thanks very much

[@Panzermeister36]

I'll sort that out :D

[@artificialimpulse9713]

How do you blend the red green and yellow so its appears that there are no borders on the paint job and it sort of looks like they blends well? did you spray a very light yellow after all the paints were added?

[@artificialimpulse9713]

+ArtificialImPulse This is before you put the filter on btw

[@artificialimpulse9713]

+ArtificialImPulse And can you use enamel wash and filter for Acrylic base?

[@Panzermeister36]

+ArtificialImPulse I airbrushed the yellow, then the green, then the red. Then I airbrushed a very light coat of a very thinned-down yellow colour (a little lighter than the base yellow). Enamel paints shouldn't react with an acrylic base coat at all; that's the way I always do it anyways :)

[@Panzermeister36]

+ArtificialImPulse I airbrushed the yellow, then the green, then the red. Then I airbrushed a very light coat of a very thinned-down yellow colour (a little lighter than the base yellow). Enamel paints shouldn't react with an acrylic base coat at all; that's the way I always do it anyways :)

[@artificialimpulse9713]

Panzermeister36 Ok Thanks

[@themaplecanadain7368]

what type of oil pants and thinner do you use?

[@Panzermeister36]

+ThemapleCanadain I use standard mid-range artist's oils for canvases, really any will do but i've got 'Windsor & Newton' and 'Van Gogh' brands and they work very nicely. Expensive as hell though, but they last forever! For thinner I use a brand I get at Wallack's art supply shops. It's Solvent under the Gotrick brand, mainly meant for cleaning brushes apparently, but it works really well for oils and doesn't react with any other type of paint. Also, it has a lovely orange scent lol :D This is what it looks like, though this bottle is apparently the odorless type: healthycanadians.gc.ca/recall-alert-rappel-avis/hc-sc/2010/assets//ra-12916-04_s_fs_0_20121220-180040_15_en.jpg (And don't worry about that being a link to the photo on a government site warning of a recall, it's just that they don't have child-proof lids)

[@floob0985]

would tamiya thinner work for the streaking affects?

[@Panzermeister36]

It would attack that base layers of paint if they are acrylics. So maybe, but I don't know; it seems risky

[@floob0985]

ok thx :D

[@raymondmayo]

How did you decide where to put the oil paint bits? Great video btw, I learned a lot.

[@Panzermeister36]

I just kind of put them on in a random pattern for discolouration. if you watch my latest weathering tutorial I used darker colours in shadowed areas and lighter colours on the upper surfaces that would fade in the sun more.

[@raymondmayo]

+Panzermeister36 Okay thanks.

[@shrektheogre9149]

Thanks forthe tips can't want to try them out on my panther kit.

[@xbox7]

Can u show us you're heavy tanks. And a kit I would really recommend is timaya Tiger 1 it's a great kit I loved it. I don't know about dragon tiger 1 kits tho.

[@Panzermeister36]

+Luke Clark I have never build a heavy tank, actually.....never a Tiger, at least. I've got a Dragon one now that I might build up soon :)

[@francispare1310]

WhAt's the différence between a filter and wash ? Because when you Start applying it, it looks like a wash... Do you protect your paint work with a clear coat of some sort ? I m just starting modeling military models

[@Panzermeister36]

A wash is usually thicker and you put it over the surface and then clean it away with thinners so it remains around the details, emphasizing them by creating a simulated shadow effect. A filter is thinner and is meant to blend all the colours of the tank - usually the camouflage pattern - together and reduce contrasts. You can use it to fade the tank. It is applied over the whole surface.

[@GymbalLock]

what's the BG music?

[@francispare1310]

And for the filter, how can you make your own ? Instead of buying the products you use. Because they're kind of expansive for what they are. And a bit difficult to find where i,m from

[@Panzermeister36]

You can make your own; a filter is really just a thin wash that you apply over the whole surface rather than just around details to make shadows. I'd recommend oil paints for that.

[@timmysmith5464]

Hay I'm thinking about getting into the hobby. is there any good ww2 kits out there that are easy.

[@Panzermeister36]

Start with a Tamiya kit. They're the manufacturer that makes the best ones for new modelers. Very good kits that are well detailed but not complex at all.

[@Panzermeister36]

If you can find the good old Tamiya Panzer II F/G kit then that one is perfect! It was my first build :)

[@timmysmith5464]

Panzermeister36 thank you

[@glenmhouston5085]

I used a method making realitic mud. place fine dirt in a container, add Elmer glue and then mix in paint. it takes about 2 hours to dry. it affixed itself like a coral reef. I thought I would pass that on.

[@jacksonholmes9955]

money is kinda a priority for me. could you give ma an estimate on how much all this weathering stuff costs?

[@Panzermeister36]

+Jackson Holmes Same for me! Money is an issue. The oils are quite expensive...maybe $10-15 per tube but they will last you forever. Oil thinner is about $15, Mig filter and the AK streaking grimes were around $8 each, Mig wash was $16, Mig pigments $11 each (they last though), and the AK and Tamiya paints I used for the chipping are maybe $4 each but I got the AK in a pack of 6 or so so I don't know the individual prices. You can use any acrylic paints here. I used the AK ones because I liked the colours and had them on hand, so it was easier than mixing my own colour from my usual Tamiya. Now of course, things like the wash could be also done using oils, as could be the chipping, and even the filter. I did a tutorial video on weathering using only a few oil paints for the whole upper surfaces of the vehicle and it turned out really well (though I didn't do all of the chipping with oils; I did some choice chipping with acrylics too, and used a filter and a wash product, but you could use the oils for those too. I just didn't because I wanted to try out some of those products). Then I used two pigments and that same wash product for the mud effects. It may seem like I have a lot of products, but I use them sparingly when I can. I would recommend oils as the best and most useful medium for overall weathering. Pigments are good for mud, but you only really need a muddy tone and a lighter dusty one as you can again use oils on the dirt effects to darken them to look more muddy or wet, or to lighten so make it look more dried. So basically, a white oil paint, a dark brown one, and then a light and dark oil colour of whatever the base colour of the tank is, and then a couple of pigments as I described, and you can do a lot of really good weathering effects!

[@jacksonholmes9955]

Thanks a lot for the lengthy informative reply...most people don't reply usually. You da bomb.

[@jacksonholmes9955]

btw that tank looks awesome...great work

[@dudeboy9167]

Just WOW

[@971michele]

TOP!!!

[@christopherscott9865]

I just can't bring myself to buy these expensive Mig filters when I can make my own much cheaper. I guess for most its just the convenience. Anyway although late to the show, looks great.

[@Panzermeister36]

Thank you Chris. Yes you can make your own filters and washes and pretty much anything with a few oils or enamel paints; I just like the specific colours you can get with these products and since I bought them I figure I might as well use them up lol. I'm using oils plenty more often now.

[@christopherscott9865]

Panzermeister36 I like using oils as much as my airbrush. Oils are more forgiving IMO than the AB when it comes to achieving certain effects. I've recently started experimenting more with oils when it comes to weathering and still getting the hang of it. Oddly I do better when it comes to 3 tone camo than when I do solid Dunkelgelb. Do you have any advice for solid Dark Yellow armor when it comes to oils? Anyway good vids man and nice armor you are cranking out.

[@Panzermeister36]

I'm the same way! Not too good with the airbrush so I don't really try colour modulation or anything. As for Yellow tanks, I just finished up a StuG III that was solid yellow and I did oil effects on it. I filmed the entire weathering process and the video should be up next weekend. It's an hour long but shows everything I did on the tank, so hopefully that will help you out. But I'll tell you now that I used some special Wilder oil paints that equivalent to Naples Yellow, Yellow Ochre, and Raw Umber standard artist's oil paints. I just did some panel fading and discolouration and other modulation techniques to make small variances in the solid yellow colour and it looked great.

[@Panzermeister36]

My video "Tutorial: Oil Weathering Techniques" shows me fading a tank with yellow and green camouflage with basically the same technique I used on the all yellow StuG in the upcoming video, but where I also fade the green too.

[@bobahnert9213]

Great job on the model and your weathering techniques are well done in this video.Can't wait to see the next video on the finished project----WELL WE'RE WAITING!?!!!! Hey when you get the chance check out my latest video A quiet little Christmas

[@Panzermeister36]

+bob ahnert Thanks Bob! I'm uploading the next video right now; I've been trying to for about two days now but I was having internet troubles. Hopefully it'll be uploaded this evening or tomorrow morning. I'll check out your video :) it's finally feeling like Christmas here as we just go our first snow....usually we get it about a month earlier!

[@bobahnert9213]

Well I live in South Carolina now but use to live in New York so I know what you mean about the snow! Right now though I'm sitting in my office with the a.c. on!!!!!

[@christianhowarth4333]

Love your videos--despise the intro.

[@Panzermeister36]

That's why I have a new one

[@christianhowarth4333]

The work you did here is top shelf. I will sacrifice 25 #11 blades in the hopes that the Plastic Gods will imbue me with such talent.

[@Panzermeister36]

Thank you Christian!

[@hopisanka4430]

I use makeup powder of my GF 😁