Painting Panzers

Take your vehicles to the next level in a few super simple steps! I have recently bought some vehicles, sprues, and bits from a friend and member of the local Bolt Action community, and thought that his paintjobs could be enhanced with some weathering. (Plus, I had some techniques that I really wanted to try...) With more forethought than normal, and some before and  after pictures, I'll break down the process I used to take the tabletop standard models to the next level with only some super simple weathering. Panzer IV. Ausf. H Before The Panzer IV already had some decals applied and had its dunkelgelb base and camo stripes applied.  To start off, I took an old hobby knife and carefully scraped off the star wars Imperial decal. As much as I wish my Star Wars: Legion forces could have some armor support, I wanted to try out more battle damage, and thought that the decal would be distracting. After gently scraping it away, I took som e Vallejo Luftwaffe...

Triumphant Return?  I've always wanted to try my hand at American armor. The monotony of all one color presents an interesting challenge in itself, and I think I have a lot more to learn. The model is Rubicon's Easy 8/76 (W) kit. It was the first Rubicon kit I've put together, and I think it went together quite well! Not to mention all the extra parts, options, and the lower price too! This tank, named after my amazing dad was my first ever attempt at freehand. The writing came out alright. The star was an emergency repair after the decal ripped. D'oh! We're WW2 wargamers: Of course we've seen Fury, and yes we all love the dirty old tanks covered in stowage. I decided to paint this up as a veteran tank that has seen the muddy, dirty horror of Spring '45. The rear presented some challenges as to how to make this large, open area more interesting. I tried adding some washes to simulate oil & fuel stains, but it didn't come out too ...

Panzerkampfwagen V "Panther"  Ausführung A , in the (in)famous Hinterhalt Tarnung . The model was primed in Grey, then base coated in Tamiya TS-3 Dunkelgelb . Next, the stripes were applied with some Warlord Games blister packaging. They were done in (all Vallejo) Luftwaffe Camo Green, and Dark Rust. Then the dot pattern was applied in German Camo Beige WW2. Decals were then applied and left to dry, before the weathering process.            Weathering was done with Citadel Nuln Oil in the recesses, a slapped-together green wash for the green patches, and a slapped-together brown wash for the brown patches. Then a bit of edge highlighting was done on corners, and black was applied to the exhaust and gun muzzle to simulate carbon buildup. After that, a bit of chipping was done with black, and tools were painted. Next, the tracks were done in Dark Rust, and were washed down with Nuln Oil, with the road wheels being painted black, then washed in the...

Tiger I, painted in a three-tone stripe camouflage. The stripes are Luftwaffe Camo Green and Dark Rust (Vallejo). Decals were then applied, and left to dry. The tank was then given a coat of Citadel Nuln Oil wash, with the wash left to build up in the recesses. Then, a coat of black was applied around the exhaust and barrel to simulate wear and carbon buildup. Next, the tracks were painted in Hull red, and road wheels done in Black (Vallejo). Once dry, they were given a slather with Vallejo's Light Sienna pigment. I then used the leftovers, thinned down with water, to go over particularly dirty places on the tank, including the lower glacis, side skirts, etc. Finally, accessories such as the pintle Machine Gun, and shovel were painted and highlighted, before the whole model getting a coat of Testor's Matte Varnish.