All beaten up and ready for rust! (Patreon)

My friends, I spent the last few days fiddling with tiny brushes and acrylic paints. The first step was highlighting the small details all across the model (and there was a LOT of them!) with two different shades of sandy browns. They look a bit extreme in some places, but everything will get toned down to a reasonable finish with subsequent techniques.

Next I proceeded to the chipping stage, and here I used two different colors just to see what would look better. One mixture was German Grey + Rotbraun from AK, and although this had a nice rusty/metallic look, it didn't provide enough contrast, so I carried out the rest with pure Rotbraun. It's a very dark color, but it looks perfect as rusty chipping.

Here I'd also like to mention how I've been using the same brush, Vallejo Kolinsky 000 for many years, and it was my go-to brush for chipping and detail painting. The only thing I didn't like about it was the short bristles, and although I bought some bigger sizes from this range, they didn't perform so good. Mainly because their bristles were too soft and they tend to bend all over the place. You might've noticed on the Melusine project that I tried chipping the suit with the 502 Abt. Marta Kolinsky 0, and that I liked it a lot. I wouldn't be confident enough to try it out for the first time on a tank, but already knowing its properties, I gave it a go... and loved the experience! The long bristles hold a lot of paint so you spend more time on the model and less time in the palette, and the tip is pointy and strong enough to paint small, sharp chips. Definitely a nice painting experience!

I also quickly base-coated some details that will carry a heavily rusted-out finish. These were painted grey with some added chipping for texture once the rust washes are in place.

Lastly, I have to bring some attention to the Super Chrome paint from AK. You know that I always used to paint the insides of headlights with some kind of shiny silver paint, and recently I struggled with the chrome pistons on the Karl Mortar where I used my only reliable, yet very uncomfortable method using self-adhesive chrome foil. Well, this paint is very easy to apply, has a fantastic chrome finish that's not too shiny like the tape, yet not too dull like a generic metallic paint. I don't know if it's more durable than Molotow chrome, but I had to clean the brush with lacquer thinner which makes me think it'll hold in place strong enough!

My workflow over the past few days was very unorganized and chaotic, which resulted in decreased productivity. I'm gonna pace myself better, break my sessions into reasonable "chapters" and work more methodically, so the progress becomes steadier and updates more frequent! Next up - adding enamel rust washes, creating those nice large surfaces of corroded steel, and painting the remaining details on the tank, such as the electric cables, etc. Also, it's gonna be a rainy week, so plenty of bench time! :)