Rusty Pipes

Fun time – today I spent time priming the model and working on the exhaust. I always have had fun trying to make the exhaust muffler look rusted out. I used Mig Jimenez’s FAQ book as a reference and added a dash of other methods that I have tried in the past.

The picture below is completed part readied to be weathered:

First step is to add some texture. For this I used Mr. Surfacer 500 and being careful not to waste it since you can not find anywhere anymore. First you brush it on with an old paint brush then start to lightly tap down with the head of the brush. The more you tap the more texture you get. If you do too much texture then allow dry and lightly sand.

Next I paint the exhaust the base color, which happens to be Olive Drab. I am using Vallejo’s Air Model Olive Drab. After it dries then spray either a semi-gloss or gloss coating. This will allow better flow in the later steps.

The next step is the fun part and you have to go by pure feel and how much weathering you want. Below is the Mig Pigments and paints that I use. I begin by dry-brushing Standard Rust, Light Rust and Smoke Black. Then dab Vallejo’s Mahogany Red into the areas I want deep rust. Then I use Vallejo’s Sand Yellow (or any light tan color) and dab along the edges of the deep rust – you also can lightly dragged it to create variations in color. Then I wash the part with pure Mig’s Thinner to blend to together. This will take away a lot of the original dry-brushing.

The next step is pure helter shelter – I mix Mig’s Thinner with Standard Rust and Europe Dust and lightly paint all over. You need to remember that adding thinner to Mig’s pigments changes the color and properties, but it will stay on the model. After it dries, I take a dry brush and lightly blend the colors into each other. I use any dark grey paint to paint the edges. Lastly, I use Smoke Black and dry brush around the exhaust opening. Then I mix some Smoke Black with Thinner and paint around the pipe – once it dries then blend. This a lot work but in the end I think it is worth it. Just remember to keep blending different colors until you are happy with the results.