More Weathering Experiments

 After the oils, I wanted to try to do a layer of soot and dust using the airbrush. Having never done this, I decided to start with tinting a clear coat with a little black. The idea being that not only will I add the layer of grunge that I want, but it will also seal the oils.

It took some work, and I did test it on a couple of spare models first. It was quite challenging to not get stripes. Since the coverage is light, when you do the next pass, the overlap is darker than the areas that don't overlap. It also basically obliterated the oil weathering I had done, probably being too heavy. It's still there, but not nearly as prominent as before.

I also think that this had a slightly different effect than I was hoping, although subtle. It almost looks too even, to my eye. Overall I think it will be fine, but needs something else to make it less uniform. But I either need a lot more practice, or to find a different approach to get that overall layer of soot and dust I'm looking for.

With the oils, I was ready to get started on the actual model immediately. I'm glad I didn't as I work through further processes. I think I need to weather another scrap model (or a few) with oils for practice, but also so I can compare them side-by-side as I try other approaches layer by layer.

This is a new paint, too. Dale and I stopped at Time Machine because I wanted to get some Vallejo Model Air black. They didn't have any, but they had a new rack with Mission Models paints, which neither of us had tried. Since we were going back to work on the layout, and Dale was going to show me some airbrushing tips, it seemed like a good opportunity to try them.

They were thicker than we expected, but airbrushed very well, with or without thinning. I think we both really liked how they handled. He did another coat on the X31a underframe and the color is good, not jet black, but much darker than the Vallejo color that I thought was a match for Grimy Black.

They were out of the gray primer, but I'm quite interested in trying it. It's a two-part mix and must be "activated" with up to 1/4 of their primer. I guess it's supposed to help it adhere better. They also recommend spraying at quite a low PSI - 10-15 PSI. So far I'm quite impressed.