Hi gang,

I'm working on Revell's NSU Kettenkrad 1:9, and there's this saddle in black vinyl that comes with the kit.
How can I paint this, so it will have that realistic worn leather look??

Thanks in advance, John.

The best results I get for leather is to paint as normal only using a lighter colour. Then after dull coating, paint again with oils, so you get a nice sheen. The idea is, to paint the oils and then using a clean brush, wipe them off, heavier at the corners. The lighter colour comes through leaving a worn appearance.
So for brown leather ... humbrol leather and a little yellow mixed. then oil paint with burnt sienna and burn umber (quantities) depend on the colour you want. For black leather... paint dark grey and a little yellow, then paint with black oils.
All three can be seen here .. belt, bag and boots.

Thanks, Frank...

Any other ideas how to make scratches on the leather?
These tips you gave me are really usefull!

Thanks again, John.

You could scratch the plastic before painting, then when wiping off the oils, the oil will remian in the scratches. If the opposite is wanted, when the oils is being removed by a dry brush, scratches showing the base colour can be made with a cocktail stick. as the base colour has dried/cured only the oils will be scratched. Even a combination of both could be used.

Im still a newbie in figures, and learning/experimenting as I go. Maybe this question could/should be asked in the figures section where those lads can give better answers.

:-) :-) :-)
Frank, I'd hardly call you a newbie. Your work, comments and critisism are always brilliant!

I'm gonna use this leather tip of yours for a rifle strap this weekend... provided SWMBO does have other ideas for how I should be spending my time... :-) :-) :-)

My modelling career is not much longer than the armorama-homepage lifespan. My first dio was posted here a month or two after it opened. I only started the large scale figures a little over a year ago. Compared to some ... Im a newbie. Thanks for the compliment, all the same.
My figures have improved a lot, but theres a long way to go yet!