Hi, I'm building the Wills' Goods Yard Store and wondered if anyone had any ideas on how to give it a run-down, weatherbeaten look. Any input glady welcomed as I need to buy some paints and there is no model shop nearby. My choices will probably be either acrylics or Humbrol enamels. Any ideas?
TIA, Del.
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Read up on painting and weathering, eg: Art of Weathering, Martyn Welch, Wild Swan Publications. or anything from the military diaorama modellers.
Scrub the plastic moulding in soapy water before starting. Consider painting in a matt primer (from aerosol). I often use car spray primers, though check they don't damage the plastic. Also, if using car paint make sure its just paint, and not a paint with filler to take out imperfections - that will fill the details !!
Basic rules for painting Mix blue and brown to give greys (add a little white to lighten it) - don't use black and white. Never mix more than three colours of paint at one time.
I use artists acrylics, they come in tubes, I have about a dozen. Squeeze a small amount out of a few (say four) colours on a plastic board. Dip the brush in one, drag some paint out, do the same to another. Stir around. A friend of mine does the same, but uses a flat brush, thus can have one shade at each end of the brush.
If you use acrylics, they usually dry a bit brighter than when wet. They have the advantage of being water soluble until they set.
T.J. Booth's "Model Railway Kit Building" (a Patrick Stephens publication, I think) is another good one for tips on painting buildings made from plastic kits.
David E. Belcher
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