Nurgle Rhino [WIP - Adding Rust Effects around the Chipped Paint]

Chipping paint was just a beginning in what is going to be a lengthy weathering process on the Nurgle Rhino. In the past, rust effects meant dry brushing bright orange and toning that down with a dark brown and/or rust coloured wash. That approach now seems overly simplistic. Currently, the process involves a variety of rust hues, textures, pigments, washes, oil-based streaks, etc. It's all about trying to achieve the next level of realism. And this Nurgle Rhino is a perfect test piece. If things get 'over-weathered', lessons can be learned while still being fairly acceptable to the subject matter. 

Weathering a Nurgle Rhino - adding rust effects around chipped paint

For this stage of the weathering process, I painted a variety of rust hues in and around the chipped paint from the previous step. I started with a black brown hue (Vallejo Model Color/VMC 70.822) which was painted into the central areas of the chipped paint. This was followed by a lighter Chocolate Brown (VMC 70.872) in between the fringes of the exposed red oxide primer and the earlier black brown hue. In this stage's final step, a light rust wash (VMC 505) was applied over the rust hues to both unify the entire colour scheme as well as smooth out colour transitions.    

Nurgle Rhino with chipped paint courtesy of the salt technique

Step 01 - German Cam. Black Brown added to center of primer coat exposed by chipped paint

Step 02 - Chocolate Brown added to edges of the painted black brown center

Step 03 - Light Rust wash used to smoothen transition between primer coat and painted rust hues

For a better view of how the rust effects looked at different stages of the process, kindly refer to the closeup photographs of the upper hull as shown below. 

Chipped paint exposing oxide red primer, which has the colour of anti-rust paint in real world tanks

Black brown hue at the center of the exposed primer coat

Chocolate brown hue between the oxide red edge and black brown center

Light rust wash smooths out transition of between rust hues and unifies the effect's colour scheme

Even after all this, the weathering process on the Nurgle Rhino is just slight over one third of the way in. This begs the question of how much more weathering can a armoured fighting vehicle (AFV) take. It's a Nurgle machine so perhaps that question is moot. However, if this was a present day AFV (as in tanks and such) then there could perhaps be an argument for 'over-weathering'. That being said, what I'm hoping to achieve in the coming weeks is to slowly but surely accentuate a weathered look through targeted additions, rather than heap on loads of wash/paints/pigments lock, stock and barrel. 

Rust effects are far from complete with rust streaks, stains and pools yet to be added

Upper hull is far more weathered than the sides of the Nurgle Rhino

What's up next? I'll be creating rust effects specifically for the metal parts of the Nurgle Rhino. This next step will involve a few new rust hues, some metal pigments as well as a Vallejo weathering product I haven't tried before i.e. the Vallejo Environment Effect Rust Texture (73821).   

Nurgle Rhino - Upper hull view of paint chipping and preliminary rust effects

Nurgle Rhino - Bottom hull view of paint chipping and preliminary rust effects

Back ramp of the Nurgle Rhino has arguably the best 'paint chipping/rust effects' results so far

Throughout the paint chipping process, I had tried to recreate some manner of a peeling paint effect as well. Generally, I wasn't very successful and this peeled paint effect was only noticeable at the back of the Nurgle Rhino (see photo above). When the technique - salt plus paints- does come off, the level of realism achieved way surpasses the effect created by just paints alone. And combined with future weathering with more paints and washes as well as pigments and enamels, I'm hoping it all comes together for a realistic weathered AFV look, which is the whole point of this project after all. 

Nurgle Rhino [WIP - Salt Technique as a simple and effective Paint Chipping Method]

Showing work-in-progress (WIP) photos can be a double-edged sword. On one hand such images can be of use to hobbyists at a particular stage of their journey, which is why I do it. On the other hand WIP photos can be awfully boring. More so for weathering projects that involve many phases. For instance, this paint chipping stage is only the beginning of a long drawn out process comprising further painting of rust stains, pools and streaks; portraying decayed metals; creating depth with washes and lining; applying dust and dirt deposits; etc. I seek your patience as we begin ... 

Weathering process begins with chipped paint courtesy of the 'salt technique'

Before the weathering process could even begin I was faced with a problem. I needed to apply a layer of water to help salt adhere to the model kit's surface. Unfortunately the primer coat was too smooth thus causing the water to form droplets that just rolled off the surface. To combat this, I applied a coat of matt varnish which allowed a layer of water to remain on the surface. Ideally, the matt varnish should've been applied in a fine mist coating using an airbrush. But I didn't have one so I hand brushed it instead. Some pooling of the varnish occurred but thankfully it self-leveled after drying.    

Polyurethane matt varnish had a dual-purpose of protecting the primer coat and allowing a layer of water to adhere to it

 Using just a hand-held brush to apply the varnish, it wasn't surprising to see some varnish pooling at certain parts ...

... so thankfully Vallejo's excellent polyurethane matt varnish self-leveled when dry

An air brush would've produced a fine mist coating vs the pooling issues when using an ordinary brush

Although the matt varnish self-levels, it's still prudent to brush on the varnish in as thin a coat as you can manage

After the varnish had dried overnight, I sprinkled a combination of coarse and fine grain salt on the Rhino transport whose surface had been moistened with water. While the grains were still fairly wet they were manipulated into required shapes using a toothpick, and then left to dry overnight. 

After a thin coat of water was applied onto the Rhino, both coarse and fine salt was sprinkled onto it 

Care should still be taken after the salt has dried and stuck as it can easily be shaken loose

Once the salt had had the chance to dry overnight, it sticks to model kit albeit in a precarious way. The salt adheres strongly enough that you can spray paint on without blowing too much salt off the model kit. However, the salt can be easily brushed off the model kit using simple abrasive tools.  

As this was a Nurgle/Death Guard Rhino, a pale green hue (Tamiya AS-29 Gray-Green IJN) was chosen for the basecoat

Pressure from the Tamiya spray can was just right and not too strong that it could dislodge the grains of salt

At this stage the painted grains of salt looked liked pustules ala Nurgle infection

With an old toothbrush in hand, I proceeded to brush off the grains of salt thus chipping the paint. in addition, I also used a toothpick to create some variations in the chipping effect e.g. long thin streaks of chipped paint (most noticeable on the top/roof of the Nurgle Rhino). I wasn't too particular in removing every last bit of salt from the surface as any grain of salt left underneath the basecoat looked very much like pustules which fit in very well with the Nurgle theme of disease and death.

An old toothbrush and a toothpick were the abrasive tools of choice used to dislodge the grains of salt

Areas where the salt was dislodged displayed a chipped paint effect

On the whole, I'm pretty happy with how the chipped paint looked

Of all the sides of the Nurgle Rhino transport, it is the top/roof paint job which looks arguably 'over-chipped'. It should hopefully look much better after it had undergone further weathering.

Red oxide primer contrasts well with the pale green basecoat colour

Chipping effect was a tad overdone on the top/roof of the Nurgle Rhino

Bottom of the Nurgle Rhino, chipped paint and all

This is barely the beginning of the weathering process for the Nurgle Rhino. So much more remains to be done. To prevent the situation from overwhelming me, I plan to break up the weathering process into small manageable chunks such as the salt technique you see here. Up next will be additional painting around the chipped areas to further accentuate the rust effect. I'll be doing that concurrently with two other projects so I certainly have my hands full. But it's a happy kind of busy so I'm good.    

Nurgle Rhino [WIP - A Refit and Two-Tone Primer Coat]

Having come to terms with my W40K collection not ever seeing action on the tabletop, I'm left with two options on what to do with them. I could either sell the new-in-box (NIB) items at lower-than-market-price to local hobbyists or simply paint them up as display pieces. A long neglected Chaos Rhino Transport model kit will undergo the latter path as I use it to start my journey into painting and weathering armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs). And it begins with a Nurgle refitting ...         

Chaos Rhino - refitted as a Death Guard Plague Marine transport

Initially I had build this Chaos Rhino as per gaming rules for a Khorne army. But since I no longer plan to do any W40K tabletop gaming I refitted the transport purely on creative grounds. I added bits and bobs to make it a little bit more fun to paint as a Nurgle Rhino (see below).     

What was once for Khorne is now Nurgle's to claim

A plasma gun was cut up into a poison gas container while the Rhino's front was 'prettied up'

Right side of the Rhino saw a hook, a chain and a head added

Being a Nurgle-inspired AFV means lots of weathering of the rust variety - pools, stains and streaks of rust plus plenty of chipped paint. To prepare for this eventuality, I primed the Rhino in two shades of rust using the Mr Oxide Red Surfacer 1000 and the Tamiya Fine Surface Primer Oxide Red. 

Two tones of rust primer: Mr Oxide Red Surfacer 1000 and Tamiya Fine Surface Primer

In my experiment to creating tonal variation on the primer coat, I first sprayed on the darker hued Tamiya Red Oxide Fine Surface Primer followed by a lighter coloured Mr Oxide Red Surfacer 1000. For a mottled effect, I had tried spraying the latter primer coating through a thinly cut out sponge which had above average pore sizes. End results could've been better as the rust tone variations lacked contrast. Among the things I would've to do differently in future tests include: not being too heavy handed with the second primer coat or use a variety of acrylic rust hues with greater contrast after the initial primer coat. The latter I won't be able to do yet as I do not own an airbrush system.     

Process to create a two-toned rust primer coat

Not entirely a successful attempt but some valuable lessons were learned

Up next will be the salt chipping technique so do stay tuned. And as for letting go of some of my other W40K collections it will be hard to do. Sadly it's a well-trodden and necessary path for budget-constrained hobbyists like myself. Unused old stuff needs to be sold off not only to generate funds for new stuff but also to clear space for them. So if you are a local hobbyist looking for bargains on NIB Chaos stuff do click on the 'Shop' tab above and pm me if anything strikes your fancy. I'll be going through my old stash and adding more things over the coming weeks so stay tuned for that too.

Paint Chipping Test with Tamiya Synthetic Lacquer Spray Paints (& sneak peeks into future AFV projects)

To dip my toes into the weathering pool as it were, I tested out a few options for producing chipped paint effects using natural materials and chemical liquids/solutions I had on hand. These included the AK Interactive acrylic chipping fluids (AK088-Worn Effects and AK089-Heavy Chipping), various masking fluids such as Vallejo Liquid Mask and Mr Hobby Mr Masking Sol R as well as coarse grain and fine grain salt. They were used with rust coloured primers, Tamiya synthetic lacquer spray paints and the corresponding techniques to remove the basecoat paint and expose the primer coat below.

Paint chipping using (from left to right): Mr Masking Sol R, Vallejo Liquid Mask and AK Worn Effects

More paint chipping with (left to right): Coarse grain salt, fine grain salt and AK Heavy Chipping

This test was carried out in the following order:
1) Apply rust coloured primer (Tamiya Fine Surface Primer or Mr Surfacer Red Oxide);
2) Apply chipping material (salt, liquid mask or acrylic chipping fluid);
3) Allow sufficient dry time (overnight for the salt while about 30 minutes for the others); 
4) Spray on Tamiya Synthetic Lacquer paint (TS-41 Coral Blue and AS-29 Gray Green IJN);
5) Remove basecoat paint using an old toothbrush, paint brush or toothpick as a form of abrasive.

Additional notes: (a) To enable a thin coat of water to stay long enough on the primed plastic spoons for sprinkled salt to stick to it, I first applied a thin coat of Vallejo Polyurethane Matt Varnish.
(b) The abrasive tool must first be wet with water when using it on AK Interactive chipping fluids. 

Test spoons were sprayed with Tamiya Fine Surface Primer followed by its TS-41 Coral Blue paint

How some of the test spoons looked like after spray paint was applied on top of the chipping materials

In hindsight I should have set up a control to make it a true scientific experiment. That control - a test sans step two - is particularly important to confirm that the chipped paint effect actually arises from the use of AK088 and AK089 and not just through the abrasive effect of a toothbrush/toothpick. As I understand it, both AK products are meant for use with acrylic paints but I've seen some weathering magazines state they could be used with any type of paint. Based on past experience, I find it easier to chip acrylic paint compared to lacquer paint. But at least the paint still (seemingly) chips.

Results of the paint chipping experiment on Tamiya synthetic lacquer spray paint

Closeup of how the various chipping materials affect Tamiya synthetic lacquer spray paint

Unhappy with the large uncontrolled blobs of peeled paint which resulted from the use of masking fluids, I decided to redo that part of the test using the Vallejo Liquid Mask. To mix things up a bit, I used Mr Hobby's primer together with a new spray paint colour. This time around I applied the mask in a more judicious manner with the mantra less is more. As you can see below, a subtler effect can be achieved using liquid mask. And I'm sure better controlled results will be gained with experience.

Retested with the Vallejo Liquid Mask to see if more refined results could be obtained

My weathering journey starts with two sci-fi vehicles i.e. the Bandai Star Wars 1/48 scale Snowspeeder and an old neglected Chaos Rhino Transport. Technically, the latter qualifies as an armoured fighting vehicle (AFV) albeit of the make-believe kind. But more than that, I'm actually contemplating something a tad crazier. It involves working on four weathering projects at the same time, which would mean adding two military AFVs into the mix. Weathering is not limited to just paint chipping of course. Included are rust stains/streaks, dirt, mud and general environmental effects.

Sneak peek 01: an Incom Corporation T-47 Airspeeder and a Chaos Rhino Transport 

Sneak peek 02: the Russian Medium Tank T-55A and German Leopard 2 A5

 
Funnily enough I wouldn't be abandoning my miniature figure painting roots as I embark on these sci-fi vehicle and military AFV projects. All model kits shown above have accompanying miniature figurines for scale and I plan to paint the figures for at least three out of the four kits. More on this new journey soon enough. All I have to do now is to figure out how I'm going to cram so much hobby work into so little free time. I wonder if a TARDIS would help. Wouldn't hurt I guess.

My kingdom for a TARDIS, and I would gladly pay you Tuesday for one today

With that I leave you with a Doctor Who quote that just about sums up my hobby predicament at this moment in time ... Do what I do. Hold tight and pretend it’s a plan!