Commission: Weathering wagons in OO...

This rake of four wagons was completed this week for a new customer, I've seen an increase in demand for this sort of work int he past few weeks which is obviously very welcome, so thank you all for the support during the C-19 situation...

The rake arrived pristine, and the Hornby 21t and Bachmann fruit van were paired with a pair of older van bodies on new Bachmann chassis. I was asked to give the hopper a deluxe weathering and the wagons a quicker going over at the same time.

The hopper, based upon prototype photos started with replacement panels being painted in and left to dry for a few days. Once dry I used a mix 98, 53 and 82 to give the sides a first wash, based upon the photos. Once dry detailed rust patches were painted again from photos, using the same mix. On one side it was mostly rust anyway, but the lighter grey side shows these to good effect. This was left to dry for a few days, and then a wash of 98 and 33 added to the ribs and edges. The chassis was separated and painted with 33/98.

The interior was also treated to the 98/53/82 mix before the whole model was airbrushed with 27004, 133 and 245, a light coat to blend the finish together.

The vans followed a simpler process and had their chassis painted with a mix of 33/98, varied a little wagon to wagon. The body was washed with the same mix thinned down, and wiped off to leave streaks and dirt collected around edges and detail.

The roof was washed in a thinner mix, and then wiped side to side to show slight streaking. Additional wash was allowed to settle around the rain strips where present.

The final stage, an airbrush of the same mixture as the hopper tied the finish together and the 4 wagons very much feel part of the same rake. Often, it's the consistency in finish that is more important than texture in a weathered rake, especially with layout models. I'm happy to undertake similar commissions, you've seen examples on my blog in the past as well as this one - get in touch via Facebook, the contact form or Forum messaging services for a personal proposal. More soon...