Blockade Runner, Bandai 1/1000 scale - Part 4

In this final instalment, I will demonstrate some painting techniques used to profile the panel lines and weather the model. I am personally not a big fan of using pin washes to profile panel lines as I like my lines the way I like my chips - crisp. 

I therefore prefer to hand paint those lines with a fine tipped brush. For that I use the Model Wash Black(76.518) and Dark Brown (76.514) from Vallejo Acrylic(VA). The Model Wash from VA is very fluid and dries predictably matt. Unlike using a paint and water solution, there is also no worry of water marks which is common if you use water as a diluent.

To prolong the working time, I added a tiny bit of paint retarder to the wash.

A 0-sized brush was used to profile the outline. 

The wash can also be used to tone and darken the red areas.

The wash was also used to deepen the shadows in the deeper recesses and create effects of soot and grime on the model. 

The AK Weathering pencils were also used in tandem to create a more subtle effect - especially on larger areas. I used a filbert brush for added coverage. The lead was dissolved by the wet brush and applied directly onto the model the same way as toning.

Secondary tones were generated by using the chipping colour (which is a close match to Raw Umber) to balance out the harsh black tones in some areas. 

Finally, white is sparingly applied with a 0-sized brush on the high points to accentuate the highlights.

The final result.

Cheers,

Calvin