Dr. Cranky

Thanks for the input, amigos . . . Here are some more progress pics . . . I just have the interior tub left and the front, side and rear windshields . . . and this one will be done . . . The rust of the grill is just about right too . . . I've got to put a bit more gray on that helmet!

Again, thanks . . . All right, folks, a bit of progress tonight . . . I realized the horns didn't look right where they were so I found a better spot for them! now the horns say it all, don't they? More progress soon. Thanks for tuning in and watching!!!

Thanks, Janne--I just think weathering is fun. Part of my background in modeling cars comes from all the years of building tanks and airplanes . . .

Yes, my friend, I use Woodland Scenic rub on graphics . . . a couple of sheets will go a long ways . . .

I really like this so far, great detailing on the engine. Keep it going, please.

I'm making a bit of progress this morning before I head out to work . . . Still tinkering with the weathering . . . trying to get the right blend of rust & dust . . . and I also put on some graphics . . . Headlight bucket reflectors are watch parts, of course . . .

There might be . . . we'll see when we get there . . .

Thanks, chaps, I really appreciat the input. I should have more progress soon . . . stay tuned in.

I still have a lot of work left on this puppy . . . The engine is still missing quite a few details . . . . Don't forget to tune in for more progress . . .

Here's the way it is looking so far . . .

At this stage it also helps to visualize other details in the build, like these brake lights . . . Here's a better angle on them . . . I think they came from a Warhammer 40K tank . . .

As you can see from the way I build, I glue all the body parts, and then I start to layer in the paint and the weathering . . . this helps maintain a clean look to all the parts . . . somewhat of a clean look! The tires will receive weathering in due time . . . Here's a mock up of where I'm after . . . in terms of the look . . . I also like the stance of the out of the box build . . .

While the body paint dries, I started to work on the chassis and engine . . .

Next up is the lotions, potions, and powders to subtly weather the paint a bit more. Well, I don't know how "subtle" it all is, but these are some of the products in my arsenal . . .

Here's the look that I think I am going to go for . . . Yes!!!!!!!!!!!! This is definitely the look I like . . .

I painted and weather the leather top . . . and also mocked up some wheel and tires . . . again to test the look . . . So far so good, I think . . .

I repeated the process one more time and then added a bit more red to my mixture . . . One of the things you want to look for is a natural discoloration and fading of the paint . . . I think the salting has a lot to do with this . . . it's got to be a chemical reaction between with salt and the paint . . .

After you let the paint dry (I use a hairdryer), you can brush off the salt and this is what you begin to get . . . As I said you can repeat the process as many times as you like and to your own taste . . . Here you get not only texture, but you also get sharp edges where the paint looks chipped off . . . it's a tried and true technique, and one I never get tired of using because it always make me smile!

For the paint next, I am using an equal parts of Tamiya Hull Red and Flat Red . . . You want to have lighter areas on the upper surfaces and darker toward the edges of the lower panels . . . there's no exact science to this, so there's no way to get it wrong.

Next time you go to the market to get produce look at the packaging on onions, garlic and or oranges. There's always a new pattern on these, so it's good to have a variety of sizes and shapes . . . I cut the pattern to size and then put a little tackly glue (tape works just as well) and then you can spray whatever color you want . . . that easy. I also make these types of templates from twigs and reeds to give a background paint a little interest . . . when you use an airbrush the possibilities are endless . . . and the idea remains the same: HAVE FUN!!!

Here is what I use for the next step of the weathering process . . . different size salts, baking soda or powder, and some masking liquid . . . There is no need to use sparingly because you can manipulate how much paint and how many times you repeat the process . . . Before applying the salt and liquid mask, I shaded some of the body panels and also painted a diamond pattern on the firewall, which is very easy to do . . . (more on that in a sec.) With a water bottle, you mist the body with water, let the excess water run, and the you apply the salt . . . Of course, don't be tempted to eat this with all this salt!

All the main components are getting the same treatment, which is a combination of Floquil rust colors, browns, and a little Tamiya flat red . . . With this next picture you see the texture effect that stippling will produce . . . The idea behind this technique is to create different levels of rust . . . which will show through after the next few steps are accomplished.

LOL!!! You can do stippling (which is spattering of paint) with any airbrush, but he Iwata Micron C Plus makes it real easy to just about mist the paint on . . . I know I got lots of drops of paint on there, but it will all work out with the steps coming up . . . stay tuned in . . . and thanks for the comments and interest, my friends!

The painting process is always time consuming and a total leap of faith because I never know how it is going to go . . . this time around I am trying a bit of stippling with my Iwata Micron C Plus airbrush . . .

Of course, since I have the ROMMEL's ROD, I thought I would try out the wheels and hubcaps too . . . just to check out the look.