Friday Quick Tip: Color Scheme Wheeling

There have been a lot of great new tools, ideas, and practices I've taken from the classes I've been taking over this past year.  A formal art education is full of little nuances that you don't tend to think about when self educating.  In the last week my eyes were opened to an extremely useful tool, a Color Wheel. 

I've always known about 'The Color Wheel', but never truly given it much thought.  I'd always just winged it and learned a little about how colors react with others, being sure to remember for the next time.  I went through an entire year of classes, including a painting course, without the help of, what I'm quickly learning, is a tool that can save me a lot of time! 

 The wheel I picked up has a lot of little helpful pointers all over its surface.  For canvas painting I find the above slots of color extremely helpful.  It's a small quick reminder of how colors affect each other.  This could come in very handy if you're in a pinch for a color and have to use what you have at hand instead or running out to the store for more paints. 

The thing my hobby mind went nuts over was what I found hidden on the back of the wheel.  The arrows, triangles and boxes overlapping each other made me immediately think of how much simpler color schemes can be if you use a color wheel.  The complementary color arrows are the most immediately useful, pick your main color, and opposite will be a strong color to help the army stand out.  But the others will be helpful as well in setting up other details of a models color scheme.  The back even has a other helpful bits, showing two highlight tones of the hue as well as a shade that can easily be translated into washes and stage highlights. 

You don't need to go out and purchase a color wheel, although they won't break the bank.  There are a lot of references around the net that you can find with just a quick search.  One I found with just a few seconds of looking is called the Color Scheme Designer and does a lot of what I mentioned here.  For creating army schemes I think that program is easily at the top of my bookmark list and is flexible enough for you to play with various options and see how they present with each other. 

I bemoaned having to even buy my color wheel at first, and now I'm singing its praises.  I hope to continue bringing new and cool ideas from my schooling into my hobby world and maybe someday my hobby will invade my art!

Open Discussion: Favorite Modeling Tools

Over the years you pick up a lot of miscellaneous tools for your modeling needs.  I've gone so far as to pick up most of the same tools you would need for home repair and improvement!  A fact not lost on my wife.  There are a ton of little tools as well that all have special and specific uses for each and every material you could be using on a certain project. 

The question today is all about your absolute favorite tools and equipment.  What tools would you say are a MUST HAVE for those just getting into the hobby?  What tool could you not go without?  Or just what are you constantly using? 

For me, when I'm thinking of modeling, I'm thinking of terrain.  Terrain building creates new challenges and makes you look for tools to speed things up and save you headaches.  One of the best purchases I've made in that regard was a hand held mouse sander.  When you're working with MDF board, there is nothing better than a power sander to bevel off those edges. 

So let's have it?  What is your absolute favorite modeling tool?  How about old tools you've found new uses for?  Comment, Reply, Discuss! 

Friday Quick Tip: OTT Lite Bulbs

A few months back I found myself looking to get a more true color out of my lighting situation at my hobby desk.  I had heard a few times about OTT Lite's and wanted to see about getting one of my own.  After a quick jaunt to the hobby shop I quickly realized that they were quite pricey and I wasn't quite sure that I was up for spending the extra money just to have a specialized lamp.  A little more searching and I found a nice alternative that wouldn't break the bank on me, OTT Lite Bulbs.

There are a lot of different lamps that OTT Lite offers, but for those just looking for a quick fix to a minor problem, especially those of us who might have already bought a functional lamp set up, the loose bulbs are a great compromise.  I came home after seeing them and made sure to write down the wattage of my lamp and the next trip up, I was able to find an appropriate bulb.

The first thing you notice is just how bright they really are, and how much different the light is compared to tungsten colored bulbs we've all been accustomed to over the years.  They take a little time to completely warm up, but once going, they give a steady and true lighting to your hobby desk, even with just one, I'm hard pressed to find a need outside of miniature photography that I would need a second lamp.

If you're looking to completely replace your lighting set up, they have a few different options (
Such as this Ott-Lite TrueColor Table Lamp) that might work for you, but in the end it all comes down to budget.

Tip inspiration comes at odd times!  Some days much later than others!  I hope everyone enjoys their weekend!  Happy Holidays and take some time out of your time off to get some painting done!  I know I will!

Friday Quick Tip: Brushes by Les

A lot of folks have a ton of questions when it comes to the tools of the trade. Les is doing a series of videos that should help queue people in a little more to help you along in your quest for better results from your painting sessions. First up, brushes.

Still have questions? Leave a comment! If you've got ideas for future videos, leave them in the comments section as well! All of us here at TPC are trying to ramp things back up after our short break!

Open Discussion: Palettes

Today we're going to open the floor, I want to know what everyone out there uses for their palette!  What's your current favorite?  What have you used in the past?  What are you looking to use in the future?  If you've got a question feel free to leave it in the comments as well! 

Think of this as a guided discussion!  If this is a success, I'm hoping to do more in the future!  So let's hear it!  What do you use?

Airbrush Compressors

The second in a continuing series of airbrushing articles:

Compressors and their accessories are one of the bigger concerns past the airbrush itself that many have when they're considering stepping into the world of airbrushing.  Instead of digging through each and every option and compressor out there I'll just be going over a few of the bigger options you'll want to look for and a few that you might get away without should you be on a limited budget for your set up.

Ask the Corps: Airbrush Types

The first in a series of airbrush articles that will appear throughout the week:

All around the web people in the wargaming community are getting more and more interested in adding an airbrush to their repertoire of tools.  To help aid those still in need of an airbrush decision, we're going to go over some of the options, and then opening the floor to everyone to add in their two cents on each! 

Friday Quick Tip: Durable Blastscape

This just in from the Better-Late-Than-Never Department:

If you've seen the GW Blastscape sets in person, you know what a disappointment they are.  These pieces are very thin and can easy be damaged.  Drop a metal model or drive a Land Raider over it and quickly the peaks will be crunched.  But when JWolf of War Games Con (formerly known as BoLSCon) gave me three bags of these sets I knew I couldn't turn them away.

Field Report: Plasti Dip

FichtenFoo posted this great little idea a little while back. I know I'll be looking into it.

Friday Quick Tip: Tool Time

I love hobby tools almost as much as the hobby itself. And while I love my local game store, the few things I'll shop around for are tools. Mainly because I love my favorite local tool store and never visit without finding something wonderful. Here's the result of my latest shopping trip.

I've been looking for that wheeled punch for a long time. Now I can create rivets from 2mm to 4.5mm with ease. If you are looking for such a tool, look at tools for working with leather. This third hand was just handy and I needed an extra knife (or three!), and this one was a bargain. Speaking of bargains, all three of the above cost me $11.

I also found a tool to solve another problem. For a while I've lamented my 15W foam cutter. Even though it is a great design, it just didn't have the muscle when I had to tackle a large project (like the radio tower I did for BoLSCon-- carving a cubic foot of foam).

Well now I've found a foam cutting "sledgehammer" for when I need it:

Not only does it have adjustable temperature (for more power when you need it), but it will heat up to 840 degrees F. This baby will cut insulating concrete forms, nylon rope and probably half the furniture made by IKEA. Anyone need to hack up a Baneblade?

And let me be the first to say, in tone of the recently popularized video: "My 130W foam cutter is the greatest power for evil!"

What hobby bargains have you found out there? And what are some of your favorite tools?

Friday Quick Tip: Rosemary & Co. Brushes

Today's quick tip is more of a product review. Unless you frequent the Coolminiornot Shop, live in England or are a lady named Rosemary who makes brushes, you probably have never heard of Rosemary & Co. brushes. Many people are familiar with the Winsor & Newton Series 7 Kolinsky Sable brushes, which are great. And expensive. If you are looking for a brush with similar properties and quality, but at a lower price, definitely check out the Rosemary & Co. Pure Kolinsky Sable brushes.

I recently ordered up a few of their different series in size 0 to see how they they fare and to get a handle on their variety of different shapes.

Pictured above (from left to right) are the Series 22, Series 33 and Series 44. The 22 and 33 are pretty similar in size and length, with the Series 22 have a little fuller bulb and the 33 having a sharper taper. The Series 44 is a little crazy and reminds me of those huge pin striping liners used by auto artists that are more brush than handle. I haven't found a specific use for it yet, but next time I need some pin striping on my Falcons, I know which brush to use.

The tips are excellent and have a great point and the brushes have proven to be very durable under my ham-handed painting technique. And the best part is the price: I've found they are about half the price of the Series 7. I purchased mine from the Coolminiornot Shop, who carry most of the series in sizes popular for painting miniatures.

But a size they don't offer is one that intrigues me the most is the Series 1 Mop. Now, this isn't a brush for the price conscious (size 0 goes for about £38!), but these big chunks of Kolinsky Sable are packed into big, bulby, hand made, quill-stlye ferrule with a sharp tip. I'd love to splash washes with a brush like this or try some really fine wet blending, water color-style.

Brush Poll time: What is currently gracing your painting table and how is it holding up?

Friday Quick Tip: Wet Dry Sandpaper

As many of you might know by now, I've taken some baby steps into the world of green stuff sculpting. It's a very fickle medium that takes a lot of what you might have learned in clay sculpture and turns it on it's head. The tools are the same, but different at the same time. The methods you need to employ, all the while seeming as though they are familiar, are a different beast entirely! This has led me to solicit help from my friend CMDante on the subject. In his Tutorial he has shown a lot of great tools and tips to get everyone off and running. One of those tools is Wet Dry Sandpaper!

I had a heck of a time figuring out just where I should get this essential sculpting tool. Turns out, Wet Dry Sandpaper is a common automobile painting and touch up tool! So I headed out to my local PepBoys and picked up a set of 1500 and 2000 grit sand paper for about $8. This set should last me quite a while, and gives me extra options for smoothness.


Cutting off a small square and picking out a good project to show it's worth on, I got to work. My original test was on a piece I can't tell you about just yet ( it's for my Dakka Painting Challenge entry! ), but luckily I had the test model I started working on last week!


As you can see, there is a bit of a dent in the shoulder pad. I want it to be a bit smoother with a more 'finished' look. So I got to sanding it down.


Use the sandpaper lightly as you start and press a bit more as you find the spots you need worked out more. I suggest folding it to fit the section you are working it. Be sure to pull back and see how your sanding is going every so often as you don't want to wear it down too much and damage other areas of the model!


Here you see the results of my initial sanding effort. The lighter areas are raised spots that caught the sandpaper with the darker green areas being recessed still even after a good bit of sanding. I highly suggest you start off like this before moving onto the next step as you can really get a feel for what needs to be filed down more.


Since I don't want to be here all day, I broke out a regular file and used the spotting from above as a guide as I worked the raised areas down and made the putty flush. You really need to watch what you are doing when filing down an area like this. Pull away after every two or three strokes of the file to see where you stand. Then make a decision on angle and hit it again. Do these extremely lightly as this can easily destroy all of your hard work!


To finish the putty off I hit it again with the 1500 grit sandpaper to smooth out any rough file marks that were still showing. A fast light pass over the entire area should do it, but again, it's up to you to watch your progress and pick out the areas that need more attention than others.

All in all, a super easy tool to use with amazing results. You can say bye-bye to all those seams and rough edges from here on out! And don't limit your use of the sandpaper to just putty! You can use it to get rid of mold lines on plastic and metal models too! I'm specifically reminded of a tip Lunchbox ( a golden demon winner ) shared once, that he uses wet dry sandpaper to remove those difficult and pesky mold lines on his models, like in between a Space Marines fingers.

I'd love to hear others experience in smoothing joins and lines in Green Stuff. If you've got a tip, we want to hear about it!

Sculpting Basics I

A Guest Article by CMDante

Following his recent acquisition of some colour shapers, coupled with his first forays into sculpting with Green Stuff, Grey_Death was kind enough to ask me to contribute a tutorial or two on sculpting. Having never written a proper tutorial before, I hope you will all forgive the inevitable mistakes I will make along the way!

This tutorial will cover some old ground and hopefully a few new insights as well. First, the old ground:

Tools

There are a few core sculpting tools that all sculptors should have. Below is a list of the tools I use along with their uses (See image 1. below).

• 1. Pin Vice - Used to drill holes for pinning and creating holes (for mesh, gun barrels etc).
• 2. Jewelers Files - Nice, small files for filing down plastic/resin/metal/cured putty. Good for making sharp edges in cured putty.
• 3. Clay Shapers - Used to shape putty and smooth surfaces. I mainly use the white chisel headed one to do most of the shaping and smoothing, with the bullet headed one being used for concave shapes and creating folds etc.
• 4. Metal Sculpting Tools - These are from a cheap Gale Force 9 set. The tool with a half round on one end and a blade on the other gets used a lot to blend putty into other surfaces (cured putty/resin/metal/plastic etc). The pointed tool is used to create fine details and small holes, hair, rips etc.
• 5. Scalpel - Used to cut plastic/resin/cured putty into shape and to remove any excess putty.
• 6. Paper Clips - Used as pins for pinning figures and as armatures for sculpting over.

Above is also a list of a selection of putties I use for sculpting (Image 2.):

• 1. Fimo (Champagne) - I haven't actually used this yet, but it comes highly recommended. A good material to practice with as it doesn't cure unless baked. When working with it, keep your work sealed in a jar in a shaded area to avoid any dust getting on the putty, or any accidental smudging. (Staedtler Fimo Classic Polymer Clay)
• 2. Green Stuff - The putty of choice for most sculptors. A 2 part epoxy resin that requires mixing before use. Can be mixed in different ratios in order to achieve a variety of sculpting times. The more yellow, the softer the mix will be and the longer the curing time, the more blue, the harder the mix will be and a shorter curing time. Knead thoroughly to ensure no lumps of yellow or blue otherwise they will ruin the finish as they won't cure properly.
• 3. Brown Stuff - Like Green Stuff, but a much firmer putty and more solid when cured, making it better for doing hard edged surfaces and mechanical parts.
• 4. Milliput - Super Fine - Used to bulk work on bases and also for making "Milliput washes" (milliput mixed with water), which are used to fill small impurities in resin and metal sufaces, and also in putty work. Washes can also be used in a thicker mix to fill small gaps and seams in sculpting and conversion work.
• 5. 1200 Grit Wet Dry Paper - Not a putty, but another tool used in conjunction with the putty. Used to sand surfaces to get a super smooth finish. I tend to sand all surfaces with this before painting in order to have a perfect surface to paint over. When sculpting, it can be used to sand out and seams and get a flush surface between putty and plastic/resin/metal/cured putty.

Now that, that is out of the road, on with the sculpting!

The Subject

The subject for this tutorial is a Victrix plastic Napoleonic Frenchman (example 1. below) which I am converting into a Rogue Trader. As the Victrix figures are a good deal smaller and thinner than Games Workshop's plastic figures, I will be using Green Stuff to bulk the figure out and to sculpt new feet in order to add some height to the figure.


The Sculpting

As can be seen in example 2 above, I have started by creating a rough base shape to work over for the feet. This was created by removing the original figures feet and putting two paper clip pins into the legs, running all the way down into the cork base. The rough shape of the feet was then built up over the paper clips and left to cure overnight. I always use a cork as a holder for sculpting projects as it is easy to push the pinned feet of models into, providing a nice large surface to hold onto that keeps your fingers away from the putty while you work on it. Champagne corks are best as they are nice and wide and have a nice flat, wide base to provide a stable surface for your work to stand on when you leave it to cure.


Putty is then added to the base work (See example 1 above) in order to add volume to the shape along with some basic details. The putty is then shaped and smoothed to form the shape of a booted foot (See example 2 above). No folds or creases are added on the boot at this stage as I find it easier to add these seperately once the shape is formed and cured. Where the freshly applied putty meets cured putty from the previous stage, the edges are smoothed into the previous layer using the half round end of the metal sculpting tool (See example 3 above). This is done with the metal tool as clay shapers aren't hard enough to press the putty flush, therefore leaving a fine seam that can show up in painting. The result of the smoothing with the metal tool can be seen in image (See example 4 above).


I began bulking out the legs, applying putty to one area at a time in order to provide room to work (1). The edges were smoothed with a metal tool before the bullet tipped clay shaper was used to add some folds around the knee and groin (See example 2 above and 1 below).


There are a few small imperfections in the putty on the thighs (See example 1 above), these will be filled with a milliput wash later and then sanded smooth. Putty was then applied to bulk out the jacket, pressed on into shape first with fingers (See example 2 above). The putty was then shaped as above, using the chisel tool to shape and smooth, the metal half round to smooth the edges into the plastic, and the bullet tool to create some light folds (See example 3 above).


As you can see, there is still a lot of work to do before the figure is finished, there is still a fair bit of shaping and volume to be added, along with the all important details, however these will be covered at a later time in a future tutorial on sculpting details.

Thanks again to Grey_Death for the opportunity, and thank you for reading. I hope that whether you are just starting out at sculpting, or if you have been sculpting for a while now, you will have picked up something of use here.

Cheers,

Dante

Friday Quick Tip: Model Holder

There are a lot of ways to go about painting a model. For the past 10 years, I've been of the school to just pick him up by the base and get to painting. Unfortunately, that method tends to end with you rubbing away detail on the model inadvertently and leads to clean ups as you realize far too late that you have black paint on your hands. To circumvent this, many people use some sort of hand hold to keep a grip on their models. And today I'm using Games-Workshop paint pot to do just this.

The break down is simple. Find a paint pot and stick your model to it! But there are some things you might think about as you go to securing your model.

Weight of your model: If you are painting a light plastic model, try using some sticky tack as I have in the photo above. If your model is heavy, don't use sticky tack!! You might think to super glue him to the top of a flat pot instead. I would only suggest using the smallest amount needed to really secure the model to the pot. You don't want to be ripping the base apart just to get your model off!

Use an old dead pot: Don't use a paint pot you always use!! This one should be a no brainer.

I've found that the GW pot is about the right size for me to work around and manipulate without being cumbersome and heavy.

Genestealer Cult Magus by CMDante

Don't have a pot you can sacrifice for this? Try using a bottle cork! I've seen many a painter using these over the years to hold their precious work aloft and out of their grubby mitt while they work on them. Pinning being the method I've seen used most to secure them.

Find an object that works for you and your hands best and run with it! Special points for anyone using a Hockey stick!

Any other suggestions? Ideas? Tips of use? As always, we want to know!

ps. As of this post we've broken 200 followers. Thanks to all those that support what we do here!

Friday Quick Tip: Master's Brush Cleaner

Ok, I've never used much in the way of cleaning products for my brushes. I've always just used water to rinse my brushes out often while painting. But I always end up throwing brushes to the terrain pile down the road and I've never thought to try using anything more than dish soap ( IF I think about it! ). But after watching this video by Les, I'm most definitely going to be picking some of this stuff up. Check it out:

(Edit:  Video no longer available.  This brush cleaner works wonders, you can find it from Dick Blick: 
Master's Brush Cleaner and Preserver.)


Anyone have any good cleaning tips to share?

Friday Quick Tip: Pink Foam

Here's a Friday Quick Tip by request. Awesome friendly local game store BattleForge Games (plug: 20% off GW mail order) is running a Planetary Empires map campaign (which unfortunately I can't participate in). But BoLS Fly Lord BushidoRedPando has created an awesome portal gate for his Chaos army. I will promptly steal this idea for my Eldar, and in return, here's a quick tip for him on working with pink foam.

Now I don't gender sterotype with colors, so if your pink foam is blue, more power to you. I've noticed in my area that the insulation foam at Home Depot is pink and the same at Lowes is blue. The blue foam is stronger and the pink foam is more sensitive. I kid; either is fine and while I usually try to buy the thickest I can find, usually that is just 1/2" or 5/8".

There are a few key tools you'll need and most of them are pretty obvious.



Cut, shave, slice; using these depends on the size of the project. For a little piece of foam for a 40mm or 60mm base, all you are going to need is your hands to break pieces apart and a hobby knife. But when you go bigger you'll want a much bigger knife that cuts deeper. Always start with a fresh blade when working on a new foam project since a dull blade can pinch and pull the foam instead of slicing. The combo coarse-fine half round bastard file (yes, it is actually called a bastard) is great for smoothing curves or rounding pieces, especially when you have joined multiple layers of foam together.



While this foam cutter is a pain to work with because the blade sometimes slips out, I wouldn't work with any other. The closed, U-shaped cutters are only good for something small and this large, blade-style cutter really makes it easy to cut recesses and concave shapes that would be impossible with a hotwire-style cutter. (Plus, using this thing in some huge chunk of foam always reminds me of the lightsaber-into-blast-door scene from Star Wars: AotC. Geek-tastic, I am a foam Jedi.)




Oh, yeah: the scallop edged serrated bread knife. Steal this from the kitchen while no one is looking. If you are working on a large foam project and cutting through many layers, there is no better manual tool out there.

If you are working on something really big, don't be afraid to break out the jigsaw, belt sander or any of the other power tools. Foam is really easy to cut with any blade, but a finer tooth will give you a smoother edge. Sometimes you will want a rougher edge, so you really can't go wrong with just about anything you have in the workshop.

Pink foam is best used as a volume filler or texture. Here are a few small projects where I've used foam.



With the crate I've used the foam for texture, to provide a nice rocky appearance. I broke this piece off by hand and carved a channel for the crate to show it cutting through the mud, down to the hard rock as it landed. The snow drift in the bottom piece is pink foam used as a volume filler. I used a small piece of foam that was filed into a soft snow drift-like shape and then painted white, covered with glue and textured with snow flock.

Here are a few teaser pictures of a larger foam project I created for BoLSCon. For this project we wanted a piece of terrain that was tall enough so that a squad could be at the base and an unit with Infiltrate could be legally be placed in the terrain piece above it-- so all the required distance between the units would be vertical, not horizontal.



The piece is 12" x 12" x 1/2" foam layered together into one cubic foot of pink foam, bonded with Gorilla glue. Above I've just started roughing it out with the bread knife to get the basic shape.


Here I've made more rough in progress and you can see some of the horizontal foam cutter texture going onto the top portion and doorway carved out with a hobby knife. Below I printed an Imperial logo on the printer and cut it out with a hobby knife, using the big bread knife to shape the surroundings into the shape of the larger piece.




A few final tips: to seal exposed foam for spray priming or painting you have several options depending on what your final texture will be. If you are going for a rocky foam texture then I usually seal the foam with latex or hobby paint (or even good paint if the piece is for a small base). Optionally you can use watered down wood glue. This works especially well for a foam piece that you are going to texture with sand or another material. I've also use spackle for covering foam, if I'm going for an irregular rocky texture and just using the foam as a volume filler.

Joining several layers of foam together can be tricky, depending on the project. Wood glue is my normal go-to adhesive, although when dried and hard it is really tough to cut through. The good thing about wood glue is that it doesn't expand much and can create a good bond for a big stack of foam layers with minimal gap between each layer.

Gorilla glue also works well, if a little expensive, because it is easy to cut because of its foamy dried state. Just be wary of layer expansion and gaps if gluing multiple layers. Clamping or putting a big heavy weight on it will ensure that the excess goes out the sides and won't separate your foam layers.

If you are joining multiple custom shaped pieces of foam together, I recommend hot glue. It will create a quick strong bond that you can cut through with a hobby knife. Just don't use hot glue on a foam sandwitch: the stiff hot glue bead will tear up the foam when you cut it.

What's your best tip or tool for working with foam?

Friday Quick Tip: Clampdown

Today's quick tip is about getting a helping hand when you need it. I've been assembling a few Chimeras lately and have found that a few small clams really help to get a good fit on these vehicles that sometimes have large parts that are hard to otherwise fit.


Sometimes you have to get creative with how you are going to arrange your clamps. On the rear section of the Chimera you can see the floor is too thin for clamping. In this case I used a small section of tube across the tracks. You could also use a popsicle stick or even another clamp.


You can even use clamps to secure models for a tight fit. This Guard sniper had a gap at the left wrist.


I've also used clamps to secure Falcons, Land Raiders and just about any 40k vehicle. There's no reason not to have a few of these clamps in your modeling tool box as they are a great time saver. You can pick them up from big box mega stores or tool places like Harbor Freight for $1.99.

What handy tools to you have in your modeling box?

Tamiya Weathering Master Compact

Whenever my game store is closed for the day (stupid Wednesday!), I'll usually take that time to go scouting around other hobby stores. You've probably noticed wherever I go, I'm always on the lookout for different things from terrain to modeling supplies to tools. And on a trip down to the local Hobby Center, a model train, military, and RC shop, I found a great supply of various Tamiya products.

My first Tamiya purchase came in the form of this little number, a compact that claimed to give wonderful and realistic results with little effort! I'd seen something about these online, but hadn't seen very much to be honest, and even to this day, much of what I have found has been from Tamiya themselves! I just HAD to give this little compact a try.

Don't be alarmed by the photo here, this is after a few months being knocked around in my hobby room and model cases. When I first opened the compact, it was nice and neat and the colors were true. I was reminded immediately of the old halloween make up shops used to peddle to all of us when we were young. More recently though, it reminded me of some of the military camo paint I was using here and there for missions in Iraq!

Once I opened it, I set to finding out just how this stuff works. At first, I started to mess with the brush on the applicator, but quickly found the compound to be far too hard to start off using it. The brush is much like a make up brush in it's stiffness, and the sponge end isn't much stiffer, still much like a make up sponge! The compound itself is more used as a smearing than a powdered pigment (such as Mig Pigments). It takes some getting used to but once you get the hang of it, the effects are easy, quick, and look great!

My first uses were to blacken the ends of my Ork slugga's with the soot. It might be a bit hard to make out in this photo, but once applied, it gave a wonderfully subtle effect that took no time at all to accomplish!

My next big application of the weathering compact was to use it on my Sons of Medusa Venerable Dreadnought, Perseus. With this piece, I used it selectively but to great effect in conjunction with the GW Washes (in this case Gryphonne Sepia) which gave just enough tooth for the compound to really attach itself to and give a great look. In this photo you can make out where I used it around the vents and on the smoke stacks. Just a few quick swipes with the sponge achieved this look.

You'll need to seal this stuff in after application, it doesn't ever really set, so using a varnish of some type will keep it where you want it and off of where you don't.

Something else to keep in mind if you're planning to pick up a weathering compact though, is how you'll store it. I have quickly found that just throwing it in your modeling bag isn't a viable option. It's dried out on me and cracked up a lot now. It's no less effective on the models, just a pain to clean up and work with (see: Messy!) than it was when it was brand new!

I've slowly started purchasing more Tamiya weathering products and paints since picking this up. Has anyone else used any of their products? We would love to hear what folks have found works and doesn't!