Commission: World of Railways wagon weathering…

The quality of tooling and paintwork on our ready to run fresh out of the box models these days is often beyond our imagination and this latest batch from Rapido trains is another good example of the art of the possible…

If you wanted this sort of robust finesse in the past you’d have had to resort to etched brass soldered construction, now modern tool makers have made this available to us all. However, as with most new models, box fresh they are also a little cold, clinical, perhaps even ‘toy’ like?

These examples are a World of Railways exclusive 4 pack decorated for industrial use, as NCB internal use only wagons. My customer wanted just a basic weathering over the models and in addition to the usual wash and airbrush I did also add a few ‘replacement’ planks touched in a different shade. Just a little something to catch the eye under the dirt.

The usual mix of Humbrol enamels, 33 and 98 in varying home mixed quantity, varied between wagons was applied. A wide flat brush and a rag were used for the streaking and to knock back the effect. Inside each wagon the same mix was used to bring like to the brown factory ‘wood’finish.

An airbrush loaded with ‘coal’ (Humbrol 243 and 27004) added a slight reflective sheen to the interior and top edges of the wagons. Adding 133 this became a road dirt applied to framed and exterior paint work. The effect of this thin mist is to soften the edges of brush and wipe strokes, yet they remain subtle and visible through the resulting filth, adding layers quite easily to an otherwise basic finish.

Wagon weathering starts at £30 plus postage per wagon, and varies depending on your scope and requirements. Perhaps you have some models you’d like me to help breathe some life into? Get in touch for a personal no obligation fixed price proposal. Until next time, more soon…

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