It’s back to maths class as TIM SHACKLETON explains how, as far as weathering is concerned, what you take off can be just as important as what you put on.
This month I’d like to take a look at two very different approaches to weathering. One involves slapping on layer after layer of filth and leaving it there, while the other entails wiping most of it off again.
Paradoxically, the two methods complement one another very well and can be used again and again on the same model – you can add paint, powder and pigment to your heart’s content and then systematically take much of it off again, until you have the effects you seek. After all, real locomotives and rolling stock see a steady build-up of road dirt, exhaust fumes, corrosion, splash marks and much else besides – even sometimes the cleaner’s rag. The idea that weathering can be done in one over-simplified airbrushed hit has no basis in reality. A really mature ‘WD’ or ‘9F’ could take years to reach such a truly wanton state of degeneracy.