First weathering attempt - Kato RDC1

[Wiredup]

I've never tried weathering anything before... and really this first attempt is just that, getting a feel for it all.

It kinda happened as an accident too, I was cleaning my brush after painting something else and was dabbing it in the thiner...which by the way is pretty dirty... and the phone rang, I reached for the phone not knowing that my brush smacked my RDC1 in the roof!

Then I'm like...hey that looks kinda neat... and thus it began. The general technique I used was taking some TrueLine Trains Warm Black on my brush and dipping it a couple of times in the thinner.. then I just sloshed it onto the loco with haphazard strokes...

my results:




Overall I'm not overly pleased with the results. I know I overdid it on the exhaust vents on the roof...and didn't put enough into the sides.... But overall I think it was a decent first attempt. I'll try my luck on an Express wooden reefer next!

[eightyeightfan1]

Not bad for a first attempt.
You should try "drybrushing" next time.
Dip your brush in the paint, then wipe off on a paper towel, so the brush is "Dry". Then apply to your project.
May take practice using scrap piece of plastic , or something that you don't paln on using.

You can apply a couple of coats this way to your liking.

The "product" running down the sides of the gon, was drybrushed by a couple of coats.

[ocalicreek]

Don't be afraid to strip it and start again if you don't like the results. It may bug you something fierce if you don't. Hey, you may get to try painting a loco for the first time too, if you've never done that before!

Plus, this is N scale, right? Close-up weathering shots of N equipment don't always look great. How does it look at a distance? Thanks for sharing your work.

Galen

[Wiredup]

yup, it's nscale alright.

how would I strip what I've done without hurting the original factory work?

What I need to do is make the dirt look more uniform, or have it as a unit that has been neglected heavily over the last few years... which in my layout probably wouldn't be plausible as I'm doing a major terminal... but yes it could start bugging me after a while.

the RDC is techinically a loco isn't it? Afterall it's a self powered unit...

I'll probably do my RS11 next. :ugeek:

[ocalicreek]

You could try this:

Start with black chalk and brush it on with a stiff bristled brush over the black washed areas. This will soften the edges and blend it a bit. Smoke & exhaust grime usually has softer edges unless it collects against a hard edge, perhaps.

Then, to tone it down, (if it needs it) try drybrushing silver paint over the areas where you don't want as much weathering. Go slow and work with very very light applications. In fact, put one on then walk away for a few minutes. Go have a snack or hit the head or something then come back and look again. Always easier to add more than take it away, but I have had success using this technique of drybrushing the base coat over the weathering to lessen the effect. This also works well to show flaking or peeling paint, by using a steely gray color to simulate that effect.

Just to be clear, it looks pretty good now and if you're happy with it then fantastic. But if you should want to change it somehow, then I offer these few suggestions. I won't be hurt in the least if you don't take them!

Galen