I tried out some new products last night on some test pieces for my Imperial Fists Legion.
I chose to practice on the spare parts you get with a Legion Vindicator. I started by applying a red/brown primer followed by a mottled effect using a few different browns. The finished base coat was then varnished. The results can be seen here
I chose to practice on the spare parts you get with a Legion Vindicator. I started by applying a red/brown primer followed by a mottled effect using a few different browns. The finished base coat was then varnished. The results can be seen here
After the varnish dried I sprayed the parts with AK Worn Effects. I found 2-3 coats worked best. I gave the parts a quick dusting of white once it dried to make the yellow pop a bit more (it came out a little dull straight on the red/brown), then mixed up some "Legion Yellow" and sprayed the items with this. You can see the difference the weathering has made comparing the inside of the door frame to the outside.
By using water applied with a brush to the prepared surface, I then used a stippling brush to chip away at the yellow. I concentrated on the edges and other high areas of wear. I then used a sculpting tool to carefully scratch away on the flat surfaces, being careful not to remove any of the primer.
Above you can see the difference between the Vallejo Chipping effects (left) and the AK Worn effects (right). The Vallejo produces a much greater worn effect than the AK product. AK also offer a heavier chipping medium however I did not have this on hand to test.
Once the water had dried off, I tried some other effects on the test parts. I used AK Interactive yellow filter to shade all the rivets and recesses on the panels. I then used AK Interactive Streaking grime and AK Interactive Rust Streaks to emphasize the worn and chipped look. By using some white spirits I moved the enamel fluids about to try and make them look more natural and blended. The AK Interactive weathering products I used are all enamel based so you need to be careful thy dont remove any of the base colour. I think I may varnish the layer first next time.
I'm fairly happy with the results so far, and found the methods a lot easier than I was anticipating. The Vallejo and AK Interactive chipping effects products are far easier and more controlled than the hairspray method once used. I did find that the AK Interactive worn effects was very hard to shift. I am not sure whether I left it to dry to long or put to little on. The resulting effect is better in my opinion unless you are after a very heavily worn look.
I will next try out some weathering powders on the above surfaces. I will be trying to achieve a dusty effect as if the vehicle had seen action on Mars, so if you have any advice or experience to improve my technique let me know!
