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Ok so you've probably heard of the Salt & Hairspray technique... Don't screw it up like me lol.

In short you use hairspray to adhere table salt to your model. The salt acts as a mask so you can achieve various weathing/chipping affects; this also involves the airbrush.

I don't ever see much info on the subject so here is what I did (and what I did wrong!).

# Primed in Red (did this years ago - talk about behind schedule, a black primer would have been better here)
# Painted the tracks black and then once they dried I masked them off with Scotch painters tape (for delicate surfaces).
# Using my airbrush I put a general base coat of dark brown (scorched brown will work) around the tank body paying extra attention to the crevasses and shaded areas. Next I layed down some dark tan/yellow (desert yellow will work) sparsely achieving an almost camo look at this point (avoid shaded areas and crevasses).
# Now - once that first step has dried (give it several hours!), I spray the model with generic (non scented) hairspray. Then I shake table salt on it. This is important - don't just use a regular table salt shaker because the effect will be too spread out and uniform. Use your fingers and drop pinches of salt in groups/clusters, if they are too spread out they look silly, and if you have some larger sea salt use some of that also. Concentrate on the areas of the tank that will generally get the most wearing, like near the ground/tracks and edges etc.
# Give the hairspray ample time to dry, now using your ab without adding any paint use the air on the tank to blow off the salt that didn't adhere. Now you can start layering your colors. For me I started with P3 Sanguine Base (Scab Red will work). Paint the model thoroughly everywhere except the deepest crevasses and shaded areas where possible.
# Once that dried to the touch, I layered Red Gore (think Zenith lighting) mostly from above - don't cover all of the previous color.
# Then I layered 1:1 Red Gore: Blood Red, also from above and concentrating on the top of the model primarily.
# Then finally just Blood Red focusing on the top and extreme highlight areas (from above).
# Now this is important - I didn't do this and it means I've had to strip and start from the top! Let the model rest/dry overnight! It might feel dry to the touch, and be well enough to airbrush more color onto - but it won't be dry enough for this step (trust me!)... After your day of drying - run the model under warm water to wash away the salt, use your fingers to gently remove stubborn salt. Then give it several more hours to dry and it's ready to add details!

I hope that helps and I hope you don't make the same mistakes as me!

This is what happens if you don't wait a full day. The picture isn't great but basically my top layer washed off and the mid layers sort of 'melted' into the chipped areas dulling the affect.

What's the problem? I like it!

Well the picture isn't any good. If I had a before and after (I only have an after obviously) you could see what a difference it made.

You do realize that having an airbrush is supposed to make tank painting easier? :p

I really dont like the salt/hairspray method. Doing a lil sponge technique(on top of a simpler airbrush base coat) usually yeilds better results with less effort(and mess- I always seem to get the salt in my palette).

But the way you're layering on the paints- seems to be coming from a brush oriented technique. You dont really have to do any under layers unless you're doing it deliberately for zenital highlights. Do a dark under coat- then you can just use the lightest color and keep applying layers of it until you get the shade you want- good airbrush technique will automatically blend in a way that would take hours with a regular brush.

lol easier?!?!

Honestly the salt technique was really quite easy, apart from the waiting (which I had trouble with obviously). I also put down newspaper before I sprayed the new 'salted' tank but it really didn't make that much of a mess regardless. The hairspray does the trick.

As to the layering I know you are right and I know I am making more work for myself - but zenith hl is exactly what I was going for and with red specifically I like the depth because I think Blood Red is a little too weak and orange, so having the deep Sanguine base and the Red Gore really makes it look alive (imo). The colors were fantastic in person, before I washed them and dulled the whole affect!! doh! That said, I am no airbrush expert by any means... just a guy sharing the experience of my mistakes.

EDIT: I should also mention that in my first attempt at airbrushing a tank red I started with Hull Red - which is a deep/brick red/brown type color, then worked up layers of Blood Red... the end result was very weird, the contrast was just too high and the Blood Red looked 'fluorescent' somehow. I'm sure had I painted the Blood Red in every crevasse to cut down the contrast it might have looked different - but then I can't be bothered adding shadows and highlights after hehe...