Weathering?

[darkliger124]

How do a weathered paint job on a zoid?

[Tilly]

Please don't direct link to images on Zoidspoison for your avatar. Upload pictures you want to use to photobucket or the like instead (and ask for permission, if they're someone else's).

On-topic: what sort of weathering are you wanting to do, and is it on top of an existing paint job or on top of a stock/unpainted Zoid? Bought any materials yet?

[Maethius]

Also, it depends on the overall look you are going for:

1) "Field Test" - almost completely shiny and new, but with a little dust and possibly some trace exhaust

2) "Zoid of the Line" - Been out here a while; paint gloss is dulled, edges and recesses are a bit darker and "less cleaned" by crews, exhausts have left some subtle smoke/heat discoloration, aquatic units may have "streakies" (not actual rust!) from runoff, possibly a few chips or dents around feet/toes, maybe even patched and covered minor damage.

3) "Modeler 'Realism' Finish" - This is what you often see as "realistic"... looks great, but you'll never see it in real life active artillery units... silvered edges, scrapes and scratches across parts leaving shiny metal, finishes sun-bleached away, real grime everywhere, severe smoke smudges, exhaust burns, and rust (my personal favorite), maybe some very real damage. Mind you, in a world of animalistic fighting machines, that kind of super-scraping is a real possibility, but not on modern tanks.

4) "Walking Artifact" - Completely overdone with silvering and the remaining paint in spots; it's been through sandstorms and squalls... the worst weather in history for a century! Still, the painter manages to make it look awesome.

My customs started at type 1) (didn't want to mess them up), swung all the way to 3), and now rest somewhere around 2).