sb67 Posted June 2, 2023 Share Posted June 2, 2023 Great stuff James 👍 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suffolk Dave Posted June 2, 2023 Share Posted June 2, 2023 They look great, nice work! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sb67 Posted June 5, 2023 Share Posted June 5, 2023 @James Makin Not sure if this has been mentioned before as you put various layers of paint on, do you have any trouble with the weathering sticking to the factory finish? I'm trying some weathering with oil paints and whilst the effects are great and they are easy to work with, even after a week if \i try and put another layer of weathering on the original one wipes off. I think factory finishes seem so smooth now I wonder if even a coat of Matt varnish would hold. Steve. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium James Makin Posted June 5, 2023 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted June 5, 2023 2 hours ago, sb67 said: @James Makin Not sure if this has been mentioned before as you put various layers of paint on, do you have any trouble with the weathering sticking to the factory finish? I'm trying some weathering with oil paints and whilst the effects are great and they are easy to work with, even after a week if \i try and put another layer of weathering on the original one wipes off. I think factory finishes seem so smooth now I wonder if even a coat of Matt varnish would hold. Steve. Hi Steve! Absolutely, the key to all these finishes for me is to add a layer of matt varnish to start. I'll spray either Railmatch or Humbrol matt varnish from the aerosols across the model that is to be weathered, and then wait at least 1 month for this to harden fully before doing the paint-on/wipe-off weathering stages. I've alluded to it in the writing but essentially the matt finish helps the subsequent weathering paints stick to the body otherwise they wipe straight off as you say! The only downside is the 1-month time taken to wait for the matt varnish to dry and harden, but it's based on my experience of working on a recently-applied varnish, only to have that peel off if it's not hardened enough! There are other weathering techniques out there that people do with the acrylics or powders that can be done instantly but I'm a bit old fashioned in loving the enamel paints! Cheers, James 6 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sb67 Posted June 5, 2023 Share Posted June 5, 2023 Thanks James, I did wonder that, glad you could confirm it for me. 🙂 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TT100 Diesels Posted June 20, 2023 Share Posted June 20, 2023 Truly inspirational work if I may say so. Just been having a quick dip into your thread here, totally immense weathering. I am going to have to find some time to have a proper read through. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Popular Post James Makin Posted July 29, 2023 Author RMweb Premium Popular Post Share Posted July 29, 2023 I've been working on a lot of diesel loco projects over the last few months, so the antidote to the longer projects has been working on a 'quickie' little project to makeover a couple of VAA vans. VAA Vans by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr Joining the fleet this time are VAAs 200069 and 200105, modelled using photos gleaned from Flickr of a typical duo of faded Railfreight examples. VAA Vans by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr The starting point was the Bachmann model, using a few more examples purchased from a mate a few years back and patiently waiting their turn to be given a blitzing! VAA Vans by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr The brown liveries respectively made way for the faded red and greys of the chosen prototypes... VAA Vans by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr Railtec Transfers were used for the various markings, applied over a gloss finish and then with a layer of Railmatch matt varnish applied on top and normally left for a month before the weathering would take place...except this was back during mid 2022, and I got distracted with other projects and ended up leaving it for another few months! VAA Vans by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr Eventually, armed with a soundtrack of the superb Devon Cole, layers of weathering paints were added, starting with light browns and working up to mid-brown and dark brown layers of paint-on & wipe-off weathering. VAA Vans by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr Having applied the neat brown paint, this was then wiped away downwards with kitchen towel to leave just the dry residue on the wagon sides and ends, which really clings to the layer of matt varnish applied earlier in the project. Next, the residue is then wiped away further with a cotton bud dipped in enamel thinners - VAA Vans by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr This stage is ideal for highlighting streaks on the sides of the wagon and cleaning away the more exposed parts and leaving the grime in the recesses. This was repeated for the three layers of light, medium and dark brown shades, leaving a few days between each layer for the weathering layer to dry and harden, as otherwise there is a danger for the enamel thinners to start ripping away the previous layers, which is not ideal! Next up came the rooftop fun! VAA Vans by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr In line with many other VAA vans, the roof areas of each wagon showed a lot of deterioration which was interesting to model. Firstly the panel lines were masked off and painted up, followed by spot painting with a fine 5/0 paintbrush, and adding a palette of colours from dark grey to light grey and a variety of browns, mottled on with larger brushes and smaller spots with the 5/0 brush again. VAA Vans by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr With the roof done, work then moved onto the sides where the fine detail was picked out with yet more 5/0 brushes, and using a brush with a pinpoint tip specifically, picking out each rivet with a small dot of light brown. VAA Vans by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr The wagons soon came together, with further elements picked out such as the ghosting of former explosives warning diamond stickers and various scratches and damages, following prototype pictures to get everything to match up in model form. VAA Vans by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr Moving down to the underframe, this was painted in a variety of Phoenix Paints colours, a bit of 'track dirt', some 'oil leakings' and 'brake dust', all slopped on wet together and mixed into each other in certain places to get a nice blend where needed! VAA Vans by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr VAA 200105 was interesting as it had the ghosting of the Railfreight lettering still visible, as well as the cute little Transrail branding too! Colin Craig brake discs were added on the wheel faces, being attached with PVA and given a coating of dark grey, painted on and then wiped away to leave dirt in the recesses. VAA Vans by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr The photo below shows the two contrasting rooftops nicely, the fun thing about these box vans is the wild differences between each wagon! VAA Vans by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr After all the weathering was finished, each wagon was given a final coating of Railmatch matt varnish to seal in the paint job and flatten out the odd glossy bit from where the various weathering was painted on neat from the tin! VAA Vans by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr Overall these are great fun little projects, and normally pretty quick, unless the malaise sets in and you end up leaving it for a year until finishing..! VAA Vans by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr It's great to get these over the line clear out the stack of half-finished projects ready for the next ones to take their place! There are a whole host of diesels being given the makeover, which will likely debut in the late Summer, together with a stack of 'Barbels' and some other interesting wagons to follow! Cheers, James 39 17 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
WCML100 Posted July 29, 2023 Share Posted July 29, 2023 Great work as always! Fantastic inspiration for us all watching on 😃 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TT100 Diesels Posted July 29, 2023 Share Posted July 29, 2023 VAA vans weathering is truly stunning work. Absolute gold standard attention to detail, just fantastic. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
37403 Posted July 30, 2023 Share Posted July 30, 2023 Superb weathering on the vans. It's just how I remember seeing them in the late 90s. Look forward to more updates. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoff west Posted July 30, 2023 Share Posted July 30, 2023 Think you've absolutely nailed the look of those vans James, i remember seeing them at Didcot in that condition. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
EWS60065 Posted July 30, 2023 Share Posted July 30, 2023 Some of your best vans to date, great work! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
railtec-models Posted July 30, 2023 Share Posted July 30, 2023 Just jaw dropping. 4 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickL2008 Posted July 30, 2023 Share Posted July 30, 2023 Nice work on the VAA's James, Im working on a couple Railfreight ones myself, albeit in late 80s condition. NL 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob D2 Posted July 31, 2023 Share Posted July 31, 2023 Love it, especially the roof. I’ve tried to do mine like that but it looks like a muppet has attacked it with a 6” paintbrush ! 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium James Makin Posted July 31, 2023 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted July 31, 2023 Thanks so much for all the kind words and reactions guys, that's really nice! I like modelling these mundane little vans and it is nice to give them a bit of attention, back in the day they were just part of the great spotter's backdrop and you just thought they'd always be on the rails, until they weren't! 2 hours ago, rob D2 said: Love it, especially the roof. I’ve tried to do mine like that but it looks like a muppet has attacked it with a 6” paintbrush ! Cheers Rob, mine are similar but this muppet right here has just got a smaller brush 🤣 3 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Fatadder Posted July 31, 2023 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 31, 2023 Each time you do more of these I end up thinking in need to work on my set. One day I will get them done….. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ighten Posted July 31, 2023 Share Posted July 31, 2023 Superb work.. reading through this I keep hoping just a little of these skills will eventually rub off.. alas no luck yet. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjf4375 Posted July 31, 2023 Share Posted July 31, 2023 Wow that's a stunning result - particularly like the effect you've achieved using the faded red patches, that really looks the part. And the patience required to pick out each rivet with a spot of rust is dedication indeed! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Popular Post James Makin Posted September 14, 2023 Author RMweb Premium Popular Post Share Posted September 14, 2023 A couple of years ago Accurascale brought out the JSA steel hood wagons, and I couldn't resist tackling some of the gorgeous British Steel blue versions, toning down the bright ex-works finish to represent these wagons in 1999 condition. Accurascale JSAs weathered by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr I used to love these wagons as a kid - they matched the two EWS '60's in British Steel Blue! By 1999 however, the wagons had faded considerably, and picked up some delicious damages and surface rust patches that were desperately needing to be recreated on the Accurascale model. Accurascale JSAs weathered by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr I've penned a full how-to-do-it article on the Accurascale website, but thought it would be fun to share some extra pics here! Accurascale JSAs weathered by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr As delivered, the wagons arrive in a nice satin-finished bright blue... Accurascale JSAs weathered by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr ...so the first thing was to apply a good coat of Railmatch matt varnish, and leave for a month for it to harden, before a layer of Humbrol white enamel paint could be applied neat, and wiped away, instantly toning down the bright blue to a more muted shade. The varnish layer helps the white paint to adhere to the previously-shiny wagon body. Accurascale JSAs weathered by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr The side effect of the whitening process is lots of white left in the recesses, however this does not last long, as a couple of days later, a series of brown shades were again painted on and wiped away. Accurascale JSAs weathered by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr Armed with a recommended soundtrack of superb Stornaway-based Peat and Diesel, layers of Humbrol browns No. 62 and 186 were applied and wiped away, working in vertical movements from top to bottom, leaving brown gathering in the recesses of the wagon. Accurascale JSAs weathered by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr The bulk of the remaining brown stains were removed with a cotton bud, dipped in Humbrol enamel thinners. This can also help to create selected streaking where desired, by leaving behind some of the brown stains, but cleaning all else around it. One interesting observation noted from photographs of the wagons in the late 90s is the significant 'scratching' that can be seen on the roof and angled tops - I don't know myself exactly how this was formed, whether from the doors retracting or something else at play, but it is rather weird! A big thanks at this point goes to Tim Rogers who answered my request for photos of the roof with a big album of pics online of the JSAs in the time period! Accurascale JSAs weathered by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr These scratches were replicated using a fine 5/0 paintbrush, gently painting on with 5-shades of brown paint, working from light to dark. Humbrol's 62, 186, 113, 133 and 251 were used in varying amounts, layering on over each other, with very minimal application of the darker shades at the deeper points within the scratches. After this, Colin Craig etched brake discs were added to one wheel on each axle - Accurascale JSAs weathered by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr Each brake disc is affixed with Microscale Krystal Klear PVA, and once dry, painted over with dark grey paint, and wiped away with a cotton bud, just slightly taking an edge away from the bright stainless steel finish and leaving 'dirt' in the recessed grooves on the brake disc. Each wheel and axle is also painted, to remove the bright factory finish. Accurascale JSAs weathered by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr The buffers were treated to a gentle dabbing of dark grey paint, representing the grease deposit on the buffer heads. Accurascale JSAs weathered by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr On the underframe, the bogies and underneath were painted in a blend of random browns & greys - some leftover Phoenix Paints 'Track Dirt' and 'Sleeper Grime' being supplemented by Humbrol 32 dark grey, and finally Humbrol 27004 Metalcote Gun Metal, dry-brushed on, and then polished with a cotton bud - highlighting the fine raised detail on the bogie. Accurascale JSAs weathered by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr Other touches also included painting in the axlebox covers where required, and going around with a fine paintbrush to replicate the fine dinks and damages seen in photographs of these in the late 1990s. Accurascale JSAs weathered by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr The photos here show how the gunmetal paint can bring out the lovely moulded detail and suspension. Accurascale JSAs weathered by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr The streaking was supplemented by a range of scratches and scrapes on the sides and ends, following prototype pics from 1999 to get the distribution and colouring to match the real JSAs of the time. Accurascale JSAs weathered by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr Accurascale JSAs weathered by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr By 1999, some fo the JSAs had lost their British Steel branding, so this may make an interesting addition for future JSAs yet to be tackled! Accurascale JSAs weathered by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr The bizarre scratching on the roof can be seen in more detail on this roof shot, most interesting! My wagons were based on both Tim's photos and those taken from a 1999-edition of RAIL Magazine, of a steel train being hauled by an EWS '60', a scene that I can now recreate after all these years! Accurascale JSAs weathered by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr After all the painting was completed, the final act was to give another all-over coating of Railmatch matt varnish to seal in the weathering and the wagons were good to go! Accurascale JSAs weathered by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr The JSAs made for a great fun little project and I'm looking forward to giving a few more a blast! Cheers, James 27 1 20 9 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady_Farkham Posted September 15, 2023 Share Posted September 15, 2023 Those look superb James! 👌 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob D2 Posted September 15, 2023 Share Posted September 15, 2023 Nicely done Sir ! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suffolk Dave Posted September 15, 2023 Share Posted September 15, 2023 Another inspiring Masterclass! Thanks for sharing 😃👍 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
WCML100 Posted September 15, 2023 Share Posted September 15, 2023 Top work as always! Very jealous of how these have come out!! Well done 👍🏻 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sb67 Posted September 15, 2023 Share Posted September 15, 2023 (edited) Superb looking wagons James, love the rust effects and scratches on the roof 😀 Edited September 16, 2023 by sb67 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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