Hey all,
So I just started back into modeling after a very long break. I thought it was 10 but maybe more like 14 years! Don’t think I’ve done any since my son was born 
Anyway I was always into WW2 vehicles mostly axis armor. So I pulled this little AB 41 off the shelf where it’s been, painted with an oil wash sitting on it since I stopped. The wash was totally set by now so the effect is more drastic than I usually like. But I added some dry brushed oils and pigments here & there. Little detail paint and I’m calling it done, it just needs a matte clear now. Hoping to pick back up some of my old techniques and build some new ones. I don’t even know if my airbrush is still functional!
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Hey Greg great to see (a) your return to the hobby (b) the relatively rarely depicted AB41…(c)…and looking this good (d) in daylight too, bravos all round.
As we all know there’s a wide range of personal preferences & opinions especially regarding weathering…all right & all wrong! If you’re open to suggestions – I think you totally nailed the bodywork, but against it the mufflers’ rust looks a tad bright & could be dulled with a darkish wash or two, thin enough to preserve the nice variations you’ve got on them.
Also, given the weathering elsewhere & assuming it’s a dusty north African example the t*res seem too new/black. They could be moderated with a dilute sandy-toned flat wash, and/or for even more control some super-fine pastel dust scraped off a sandy-coloured stick of it & applied with a soft brush. It clings for dear life but can be just washed off if it doesn’t look right. An example I prepared earlier (6 years ago), using one very dilute wash & when dried some pastel dust too. Also used on the boots…
Some might think I went too far, maybe so, but ultimately all we have to do is please ourselves 
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Looks beautiful Greg, welcome back!
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Really great looking AB41. Well done.
Jim
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fabulous work there, wrll done indeed and welcome back to the hobby.
Klaus
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Thought the top one was areal vehicle
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Nice work. Welcome back.
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Really looks excellent. I went thru the same hiatus when my daughter was born. Kept adding to the stash as she grew up, but now I have plenty. I have used pigments mixed with acrylic thinner to brush onto tires then clean off the excess after they’re dry and leave pigment in the crevices. Pix from N.Africa seem to show little dust on the actual road surface of the tires (spares excepted). Now to wear the new tread? Sanding stick???
Thanks for sharing your work. Care to make a video of doing your oil washes??Jack
Thanks Jack!
I really was going for a relatively new vehicle when I started off. It wasn’t supposed to be so grimy. The wash process was quite lengthy since it sat on there for ~10-14 years!
I just slopped it over a clear coat of Future, meaning to clean up the excess later. When I got it back out and couldn’t take any of it off, I went back with some weathering pigments in yellow, brown and grey. Then a pin wash of burnt sienna and a touch of paynes grey - just a good brown color. Clean up the excess with attention to using some vertical motions. That gives some subtle streaks. Then finished off with two drybrushings in oils, lighter each time.
I’ll think about a video, but honestly there are probably a ton of videos on YouTube better than I could do!
I’ve bought the oils and one book, and still afraid to try them so I think the more I see different folks try them the better I will feel. That’s where I’m coming from.
I hear you. Don’t be afraid of oils! They’re actually very forgiving. Anything you don’t like can be removed with some thinner if you don’t let it dry for ten years. Just be sure to clear coat the model to protect the base colors especially if you’ve painted with enamel as you’ll be adding thinners on top. I used acrylic base paints so not a big deal but a coat of gloss clear helps the washes stay around the details better. BTW if you don’t have proper thinner, lighter fluid works too it just evaporates faster. My thinner was gone and lighter fluid is all I have right now, so I used that for the pin wash. Mix it nice and thin and go for it. Mine was a little thick/dark for such a light color base. Panzer grey or od green needs a darker wash. The lighter color drybrush later adds that nice contrast that the eye wants to see. You can always add another application of wash if it doesn’t come out dark enough.
Paint up some spare/scrap parts or an old model for practice. I bet you’ll be surprised!