MENG Model Sd.Kfz.182 King Tiger with Henschel Turret [WIP - Oil Dot Filter Test on Three Tone Camo]

As much as this hobby resembles riding a bike in that we never forget how to do it, there was a slight hiccup when resuming work on the Meng King Tiger after such a lengthy period off. Old bad habits resurfaced and this one bears highlighting again as it's a bane of a lot of hobbyists whether they realize it or not namely impatience. This coupled with the fact that oil dot filtering is a technique I haven't mastered yet meant unsatisfactory results (see immediate photo below). As a comparison, you can see the effect as it was meant to be (see second photo below).  

Oil Dot Filter Technique Test on a German WW2 Three Tone Camouflage

Right off the top of my head I can already pinpoint what went wrong. What was required, and this I knew on an intellectual level, was to slowly blend the oils using a damp-to-dry brush. What I did, in my impatience, was to blend in an overly quick manner with a brush loaded with too much medium. Speaking of medium, I used the Winsor & Newton Artists' White Spirit versus the recommended Abteilung 502 Odorless Thinner which may be a contributing factor. Lastly, my placement and choice of oil colors could've been much better. In the former oil dots were placed too randomly without any consideration of the camouflage color concerned while in the latter I might've used too much black and greys which washed out any tonal variation achieved by the other hues.        

Effect of oil filters on the camouflage when properly applied by expert hands (not mine)

All negatives aside, this oil dot filter test was carried out on a styrene sheet that had been spray painted with a three tone camouflage pattern which in turn was protected by a matte clear coat.  

German WW2 Three Tone Camouflage using Tamiya TS-1 (Red Brown), TS-2 (Dark Green) and TS-3 (Dark Yellow)

Prior to the oil dot filter technique, a matte clear coat was applied to protect the camo basecoat 

While I had recently stocked up on Winton Oil Colours, I ended up using Abteilung 502 oil paints which I had procured from a local hobby shop during a clearance sale. Based the book Mastering Oils Vol.1 by Joaquín García Gázquez, the oil do filter hues recommended for use on a German WW2 three tone camouflage pattern are Snow White, Black, Magenta, Yellow, Payne's Grey, Intense Blue, Olive Green, Raw Umber and Neutral Grey. The first six colors are conveniently found in Abteilung's Base Color Alteration Set while the others were taken from other sets or bought individually.

Paints used comprised solely of Abteilung 502 modelling oil paints

Colors used were based on recommendations found in Mastering Oils Vol.1 by Joaquín García Gázquez

Similar to my previous attempt at the Oil Dot Filter Technique, cardboard pieces were used as a palette in order to absorb excess oil from the paint. For this purpose, I found it sufficient to leave the Abteilung 502 oil paints on the cardboard palette for a few hours in an airtight container.  

Excess oil was absorbed on a piece of cardboard for a better matte finish

Enclosing oil paints in an air tight container prevent them from drying up to fast

Blending of the oil dot paints was carried out using a brush and white spirit. As touched upon briefly, the recommended medium for blending these Abteilung 502 oil paints is actually the namesake's Odorless Thinner. It is supposedly softer and less aggressive than white spirit which in theory would be better for smoother blending. But because one 100 ml bottle of Abteilung 502 Odorless Thinner costs the same as a one liter tin of Winsor & Newton Artists' White Spirit, at least locally, I will be using the latter for my blending purposes for the foreseeable future.  

Dots of varying hues of oil paint were applied onto the camo basecoat ...

... and then blended using white spirit and some brushes

Results were unsatisfactory leaving much room for improvement

Despite this setback I still believe oil dot filters are a must in order to introduce some tonal variation, no matter how subtle, to the hull of a tank. Going forward I plan to apply the oil dot filters on the tank itself before perfecting the technique with further tests as above. Having just come back to the hobby after such a long layoff, I feel it would be better to do things on a trial and error basis on an actual scale model rather than practicing on a piece of painted sytrene. I found that my heart just wasn't really in it for the latter. If I'm not careful I'll likely slip back into the hobby malaise I fought so hard to come out of. So it's on to the King Tiger itself for the next steps even if I mess things up badly.