I think I'm going to keep this one without a load. Super happy with how it turned out. I could feel myself gaining a dry brush skill point, and some new understanding about how it plays with the powders too. Still planning to do tie down straps and probably body mount couplers. Critiques welcomed and be mean if you want. The trucks aren't great but were what I had laying around for the picture.
View attachment 253841View attachment 253842
It looks good and NO ONE will be mean in this thread.
Constructive criticism is acceptable, meanness is not allowed! If someone doesn’t like it, fine tell us why but more importantly tell the thread viewers and poster how it can be made better. If not, keep it to yourself
Overall I like it. I think you’ll find how hard it is to find the stopping point. It’s easy to get lost in the rabbit hole of weathering. I am very heavy handed and tend towards heavy weathering. You have demonstrated you can stop. That said.
You have some bright spots
The Center Beam "Vents" The oval holes in the center partition often collect soot and grime because wind whistles through them at high speeds.
Apply a very thin black or dark brown wash just around the inner rim of those oval cutouts. Use whatever brand paints you have take say brown, thin it 10-1 with 1 being the paint and add it to the rim of the hole. If you have powders and you’ve matte clear coated the car use those. That will add depth and defines the structure of the beam
The lower 1/4th of the car usually catches a lot of dust and splatter from the track bed. Use an airbrush or a dry brush with a "Dirt" or "Light Mud" pigment or earth color paint. Focus heavily on the trucks (wheels) and the bottom side-sills. This blends the bright yellow car body into the grey ballast of your track, making the model look like it "belongs" on the rails rather than sitting on top of them.
Dry brush the floor of the car, either something dark earth color like or lightly scratch the floor and add a light rust wash.
Don’t take that wrong. I’d be proud to have your center beam run on my layout. Showing a car on a forum is scary and hopefully helpful.
As to the trucks and wheels. No one will say your right, wrong or crazy however you do these. Every rail car wheel set or truck frame can weather differently. I started out doing them with Pan Pastels, then Aryclic craft paint from Michael’s, to using my air brush.
Most important to me is start with a picture of the same type of car you have to weather. Same color is helpful but you are really looking for how the dirt gathers around the car. Where is the rust, there’s always rust but where is it?
If you go back over the previous 138 pages and I strong suggest it as there are some great ideas here. Overall though the theme is to have fun. If you don’t like it, start again. Unless it’s sealed most weathering will come off using isopropyl alcohol. Dont be afraid to find your way. Over these pages I and many others have shown or described our techniques. Use those as a guide and then develop what works for you. Based on info in these pages and CambriaArea51’s thread on locomotives I have made many adjustments to how I now weather compared to when I started this thread.
Great start!
Glad to have you along and post pictures, pictures and more pictures.
TomO
