Painting techniques for a weathered look?

[ThirstyBarbarian]

I’ve been rewatching a lot of Star Wars movies lately. One of the key elements to the Star Wars aesthetic is that a lot of the stuff looks really old, beat up, and weathered. Paint is often chipped, weathered, faded, worn off, or stained. Can anyone share any basic techniques for getting that kind of look? Can you share any examples of rockets with that sort of weathered look?

 

[Tech 68]

Maybe this will give you some ideas. Some of the prop department techniques actually involve physical abuse to the prop, which doesn't work for us. Look up things like "prop department distressing techniques".
Flying (recovering) on a dry lake bed in the wind also works...

https://www.studiocreations.com/howto/distressing/index.html

 

[SkyFire]

A method I use for scale RC warbirds is one using salt. Undercoat the plane with silver then wet the area to be weathered and sprinkle on salt. Paint top coat then brush off salt. Works great on leading edges of wings.

 

[David Schwantz]

Thirsty, airbrush. I use a sheet of paper to mask the forward area, spray towards the rear, with airflow, lightly. Don't over do it. You can use pastels, chalk, and rub it on. But needs clear after. Fine sandpaper, steel wool and scotchbrite pads are great for removing small amounts on paint. Pics show aluminum under paint that I exposed with scotchbrite scuffing. Cockpit shows worn areas by adding silver paint on edges and where high wear areas are at.

 

[David Schwantz]

This shows using the paper and spraying over it at a panel line or row of rivets. Spray in direction of airflow.

 

[ThirstyBarbarian]

Maybe this will give you some ideas. Some of the prop department techniques actually involve physical abuse to the prop, which doesn't work for us. Look up things like "prop department distressing techniques".
Flying (recovering) on a dry lake bed in the wind also works...

https://www.studiocreations.com/howto/distressing/index.html

Most of my rockets are distressed naturally by being dragged!

Some of these prop techniques might be something I could use.

 

[ThirstyBarbarian]

A method I use for scale RC warbirds is one using salt. Undercoat the plane with silver then wet the area to be weathered and sprinkle on salt. Paint top coat then brush off salt. Works great on leading edges of wings.

That’s an interesting one I had not heard of.

 

[ThirstyBarbarian]

Thirsty, airbrush. I use a sheet of paper to mask the forward area, spray towards the rear, with airflow, lightly. Don't over do it. You can use pastels, chalk, and rub it on. But needs clear after. Fine sandpaper, steel wool and scotchbrite pads are great for removing small amounts on paint. Pics show aluminum under paint that I exposed with scotchbrite scuffing. Cockpit shows worn areas by adding silver paint on edges and where high wear areas are at.

These and the A10 look really good!

 

[David Schwantz]

Thanks.

 

[BABAR]

perhaps what should be obvious isn’t. Whatever you try, attempt it on scrap first!

I was really happy with the weathering on my exoskell. Used a black magnum sharpie (nice oxymoron) as the “wax on” and acetone on a paper towel as the “wax off.”

however, this was directly on plastic, so I am not sure how this would work on previously painted surfaces.

https://www.rocketryforum.com/threads/exo-skell-build-thread.36956/

 

[neil_w]

I suppose you could always just paint it and then leave it outside for, like, a few years?

 

[Zeus-cat]

This topic is discussed a lot on military modelling forums. One key is a little weathering goes a long way.

 

[Lugnut56]

While I haven't built any plastic models for decades, I really enjoy listening to a podcast called "On The Bench" produced by 3 Aussie guys who are hard core model builders (and good friends). There are a couple shows where they address weathering techniques, which may crossover to what we do on rockets (you just have to get used to how they pronounce "decals").

 

[dhbarr]

Quick & Dirty, grab dollar store eyeshadow for tapping into scribed lines etc.

The scifi kitbashers and minifig painters agree it's pretty okay, practically unbeatable for cost.

 

[Pappy]

Cockpit shows worn areas by adding silver paint on edges and where high wear areas are at.

dude... did you hand paint the inside of that cockpit? using the testors' stuff as scale, this would be amazing if it were twice the size. I'm dumbfounded.

 

[David Schwantz]

Hi Pappy, yes it was all done by myself. Made out of plastic sheet and tubing. The seat is brass and features scale suspension. It is in my Yellow Aircraft P-47 " Silver Lady ".

 

[Michael L]

There are some real good model painting / airbrush artist YouTube channels out there. I'm at work so I can't take the time to dig out links. Searching airbrush weathered look will probably give you a lot of hits

 

[K'Tesh]

Youtube is full of videos of static model builders with all kinds of weathering techniques... Everything from washes for stains to pastels for rusts etc. I especially like Florymodels' channel and Nigel’s Modelling Bench.

 

[Funkworks]

This shows using the paper and spraying over it at a panel line or row of rivets. Spray in direction of airflow.

I had never zoomed in, but I always thought your avatar was a real A-10. Even now, I can hardly tell the difference.

 

[ThirstyBarbarian]

I had never zoomed in, but I always thought your avatar was a real A-10. Even now, I can hardly tell the difference.

I thought the same thing.

 

[David Schwantz]

The pic is one of four Mibo Jets A-10 that I built for customers several years ago. Thanks.

 

[boomtube-mk2]

There are books on this subject for Model Railroad enthusiasts.

Check out Kalmbach Publishing offerings.

 

[H_Rocket]

Dry brushing can achieve some weathered look. Basically dip your brush into paint and get most of it off on a piece of cardboard. Then use real light strokes to streak the new color on top of the base coat.

 

[ThirstyBarbarian]

I think the first things I might try are the dry brushing and maybe the chalk or other dry materials that i can seal up later with a clear coat. I have not built the rocket yet, but I have in mind something where it might look good if it looked like it had sat outside on Mars for a few years and had been flown under tough conditions pretty frequently.

 

[H_Rocket]

...looked like it had sat outside on Mars for a few years and had been flown under tough conditions pretty frequently.

Come to Argonia or one of the salt lakes out your way. Fly it on a good sized chute and let it get drug across the ground. Problem solved.

Bonus: put it in a tree afterwards before expected rain...

 

[caveduck]

There's some great info on Adam Savage's "tested" YouTube channel. He actually made a bunch of the original Star Wars props and shares his techniques. He's a maniacal gnome - I love watching how he works and thinks. Amazing how much he uses rattle-can paint for instant weathering.

 

[BABAR]

I thought the same thing.

me three. I figured you were a former Hawg-Driver.

 

[David Schwantz]

Guess I am, kind of. They are just a bit smaller, and they don't give me live rounds

 

[jqavins]

Take a look at what @mbeels did for hid Skunk'd. Here are a few pics, but the thread has a more information on how he did it. Largely it was to paint one color over another then selectively sand through the top color, exposing the bottom one with the edges feathered.


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