K, this is the deal gentlemen (and women?):

Ive been painting for a few years, on and off, and I find it very enjoyable. Since Ive worked for Games Workshop I still have a basment filled with unpainted miniatures (much to my fiances dissmay) but Ive never really taken the leaps and bounds that my friends hav in developing my skills.

However, Im about to buy my first airbrush as I think that will make me enjoy the painting process alot more. But as I look at my models and at the models posted here on the site I realise that all my models miss one important thing:

Weathering
All my models are plain, and very very clean, like they are fresh of the factory line and that kind of bites. However, Ive never actually understood HOW to weather, nor what is used to do it! Are there some special paints or items? Ive failed to find a good page with lots of pics to help me out so any and all suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
Also, if someone could post links to the weathering tools needed Id be very very grateful.

My first project will be a tank in the colors of the NVA Airforce since I think it looks awesome and I would like to see what it would look like on a ground veichle. (link to the camo patter: http://www.geocities.com./alvmaia/Mig/17f/17Fviet3.gif)

So, if your reading this, THANK YOU for takin the time to see what I need help with, and if you can point me in the right direction, superb and thx, if not, thx for reading anyway!

//Chriss

There are several articles about weathering in the armor forum. Check it out here

Erik

In terms of tools to use, i'd point you to the most obvious one by Tamiya however, i know many members here (including myself) chose the cheaper option of either grinding pastel chalks or getting hold of pigment powder from the art stores or even using real mud and sand.

Check out the ones released by Tamiya.

Tamiya Weathering Master B Set - Snow, Soot, Rust

Tamiya Weathering Master A Set - Sand, Light Sand, Mud

Application of these onto your model is generally trial and error. Vinnie aka Teacher released a few good articles on weathering however i cant seem to find the ones i came across before. Look through the features section as Erik pointed out and you should find heaps of info.

Two books that come to mind are: 'Panzer Tactics' by Chris Mrosko and Tony Greenland's 'Panzer Masterclass'. The new 'F.A.Q.' by MIG also shows many, many techniques. Of course this site also has many great articles on weathering both armor and aircraft. Hope it helps!
capnjock

Lets work this one on down a bit. Weathering...You buy a new car and ater you drive it a couple of weeks, it's rained a couple o times, you've driven near a place they are doing some construction work. All of a sudden you look and your car needs a bath and wax. This is what we call weathering....making it look like it didn't just roll off the show room. As some of the guys have told you about washes and chaulks and things to make this effect. A lot of times just looking at pictures of kitis that others have built can show you lots of stuff.

The only question I have is why are you going to put an aircraft camoflage pattern on a tank? That leads to my next point. Research your subject. If you are building a World War 2 tank that fought inAfrika, paint it accordingly if you are doing a NVAF plane from the Viet Nam War the same. It is however, your model. If you want to paint it pink with yellow polka dots then do it!

I highly recommend pastel sticks. I picked up this technique from my model railroading days. Using a light grey, then light brown then a rust/red brown coating of these patels on a model give a great rust and dirt effect. You can also just scrape off the light grey on to a model in order to create a faded paint look. For someone who does not have the advantages of an airbrush, this is a great alternative. Grinding up these pastels then adding rubbing alcohol creates a great hardened mud look when applied to a hull or wheels of a model. (If you have a low budget, these pastel sticks which are apprx. 5inches long are a great alternative to Tamyia and other weather powders at a dollor per stick). Hope that was helpful, :-)

First of, THANK YOU ALL for your help! Ill probably order the Tamiya weathering tools from eBay and work from that.

To answer your question, Im not using it on a tank! I was a bit unclear on that point. Its actually a Tau Devilfish, a model I picked up a few years ago. Its a futuristik hover tank, and one of the most beautiful kits around in my opinion. (copy and paste to see a picture: http://store.us.games-workshop.com/storefront/store.us?do=List_Models&code=303287&orignav=11&ParentID=200012&GameNav=10)

Since its not a "real" model Im not sure how Im gonna research it though... :-)

Christian enjoy your weathering, but plz don't go overboard and overdo it.