Rainmarks effect - accidental discovery

[Metr0Land]

I've been meaning to have a go at rainmarks effects for some time.  I have a selection of MiG streaking effects and had tried the rainmarks on a couple of test pieces which seemed to go ok after a couple of attempts. There are 'how to' videos on youtube (other products available).  The principle with all these products seems to be that you apply streaks with a small brush, then use a wider flat brush dipped in thinners to make the runs you've created a lot more realistic.

 

Needless to say when I tried it on a proper model it went pear-shaped....  I didn't take a picture of this stage as there was no way I thought I was going to retrieve the situation without a repaint.  Imagine if the depot had slopped whitwash on the smokebox and it had weathered over a few weeks and you get the idea.  My thoughts turned to painting the smokebox black, which was a fairly common occurence towards the end of steam. I didn't want this to look too crude so was expecting to have to paint 2-3 thin coats of black over a few days.

 

I had some Tamiya X18 semi gloss black and thinned this and applied with a flat brush (the rainmarks had long since dried thoroughly).  The next day I was amazed to see I'd pretty much done the job with 1 thin coat and come up with the effect I was trying to achieve in the first place!  ie streaking that's barely visible at a distance but visible closeup and to some extent withstands scrutiny of a cruel closeup lens.