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AS the title says, I'm looking for help regarding effective weathering. My problem is that I've never weathered models before - I've always gone for the clean, fresh out of factory look for my Salamanders. However, having painted up this Landspeeder, which was an eBay bargain, (Unprimed with Forgeworld brass and shoulder pads) I decide that I wanted to tackle my aversion to weathering in a typically British fashion - head on. So, I've set out on Google to read up on various weathering articles and as far as I can see, sponge weathering is the way forward. However, It's here that I reach my first obstacle. Having read an article here on Dakka, it advises me to weather a Landspeeder (As a skimmer) with finer, longer scratches and light abrasion. So off back to google I went - but I can find no other articles on weathering a Landspeeder. So, my question to you Dakka is as such; What's the best way for a complete novice to weather a Land Speeder?

Any and all Ideas are welcome - here's a few WIP shots so you can see what I'm dealing with:






PS: I should mention that, as a WIP, there will be further detailing, transfers and freehand to come - so bear that in mind if you tell me to put a huge rust patch on a tail fin! (Because they'll have free-hand Dragons)

I was thinking you could poke the model with a hobby knife and repaint the parts where the paint chipped off metal.

I tried some "speed line" weathering on my Banshee (Counts as land speeder/Vulture/Nephillim). If you zoome in on the rotor supports you can see finer lines being drawn along the direction of movement and higher wear on the leading edges of plates. I also found that you get a quite nice effect if you do your freehand insignia, then while the paint is still a little damp, just scratch at it with something hard. I used a wooden coffee stirrer so I wouldn't damage the basecoat, but just do physical and almost 3d damage to the insignia.

@sing your life - Thanks for the suggestion, but I'd rather not poke my model with a knife. I have heard this is a viable method of weathering, but I'm still uncomfortable with gouging holes out of my model.

@Flinty - So did you lust load a little amount of Boltgun Metal (Leadbelcher in the new range) onto a Fine Detail brush and drag it across the wing? Ad how did you do the weathering on the leading edges of the wing - was that just a thicker edge highlight with Boltgun Metal? I'll take into consideration the idea of dragging the damp paint from free-handing, which sounds great, but my only reservation is that the free-handing I'll be doing will be a full heraldic dragon. While I have no doubts that you'll have done more complex free-handing than the above example, I don't think I'll have the luxury of damp paint as you have with the more simple design in this example. If I'm to be doing a complex dragon design, then the paint will be dry before I'm finished the design and ready to scratch it. Mind you, that is assuming that I can pull it off - It be too complex for me to handle and come out all wrong Thanks for the suggestion though - I'll keep it in mind

It being a land speeder probably wont see that much damage.

A light chipping of the bumper, some heat distortions/soot, below and above the flamer/melta would probably be an easy start.

@Desubot - I'm not sure if the images show it, but I have put insome soot and heat distress on the engine cowlings and the melta/flamer barrels. I agree that the weathering is minimal because the Landspeeder sits above the ground, but I'm at a loss as to how I achieve the light abrasion that is to be expected.

I weather my vehicles (so my speeders) painting lines of the color I want the weathering to be. Then I add damages using the sponge technic, with a blister foam bit.


Looks like this :

 Warpig1815 wrote:
@Desubot - I'm not sure if the images show it, but I have put insome soot and heat distress on the engine cowlings and the melta/flamer barrels. I agree that the weathering is minimal because the Landspeeder sits above the ground, but I'm at a loss as to how I achieve the light abrasion that is to be expected.

I meant on the vehicle itself like how the soot from the flamer would float up and onto the hood itself.

For light abrasions especially for it floating would probably look more like the little rocks and scratches you would probably get as things asplod around you.
That would be very VERY fine undercoat (scratches don't always go to bare metal) or metal lines (from bigger rocks) going up or straight depending on where its hitting. you can also add oil streaks from behind machine parts though unfortunately the speeder doesn't have much of that.

@Minus - I love the effect you've got with those - but is that level of weathering realistic? I'm not saying it's bad (It's superb really ) but is it appropriate for the method and rigours of travel that a Landspeeder goes through? That said, many thanks for suggesting a method - I take it by 'lines' you mean an edge highlight to define the main scrapes and then sponge weathering for a wider effect?

EDIT: Got ninja'd by Desubot so this comment was directed at Minus

Just my 2cents;
I know that battle damage looks cool, and rule of cool wins and all that.....
But these are Space Marines, The Emperors finest, shock troopers. They do not typically operate long drawn out deployments, theyre a quick in, do the job and get out as fast as they showed up kind of force.
Ontop of this the tech priests that maintain each chapters equipment seem like more than capable fellows.
I don't think damage on space marines that looks more than a few hours old would be 'fluffy' as anything wrong will be repaired before the next deployment.

I mean lines as in when your driving and you hit trees or stuff in the air makes contact with your vehicle and streaks across there surface leaving a line. you can also add mud lines.

@Desubot - I hear what your saying. The funny thing is that I had in my minds eye last night the picture of a Landspeeder advancing through the flames of it's own weapons. Hence I did think to myself that there would be some sort of soot on the bottom, but I dismissed the thought. However, you are probably closer to the mark with the flames curling up over the bumper - so it may be worth putting some soot on there.

@HairySticks - I agree to an extent, but part of the Salamanders fluff is that they are highly tenacious and so they often hold positions for weeks on end without aid or reinforcement. I think that it's often pushed that the concept that Space Marines is of Shock Troops, and undoubtedly they are, but there are many instances where Space Marines are used as bulwarks in a defensive plan. From BL material that I can think of there are quite a few examples - Dark Angels at Piscina V, Black Templars at Helsreach, Salamanders at Armageddon etc.

It's for that reason that I expect that much of a Space Marines Wargear will have light, campaign weathering. As you are, I'm not a fan of battle damage - Space Marines (Especially Salamanders) take care of their kit more than the rest of the IoM, but I do expect abrasion, scorching and other such wearing.

Yeah ofcourse there might be some light effects from whatever has happened on the recent deployment, Dust, oil, blood, general dirt., Gunshot residue, soot etc anything that mightve happened since being deployed.
But things like rust, corrosion, and long term buildups of grime... I wouldn't expect to see anything that clearly happened long ago as the techies would pride themselves on their ability to maintain the gear.
Any scratches, dents, blemishes to paint, or general grime etc should need to be something moderatley fresh, exposed metal wouldnt have had time to rust or corrode unless perhaps its caused by exposure to Nurgles influence

 Warpig1815 wrote:
@Minus - is that level of weathering realistic?

It will depend on how you imagine speeders. For someone who thinks that they fly above the battlefield and shoot their ennemies down from the sky, yes there is definitely too much weathering on my speeders.
If you consider speeders like I do, then it's fine. For me (and you can agree or not) speeders fly at high speed very close to the ground, I've always imagined them flying at the same altitude range as their bases are during the combat. Let's say 1 to 3m above the ground. So for me, they fly through all the explosions, shrapnels and flames you can imagine during a 40k battle.

Just like this :




Or this :



Imagine how they'd look if an explosion occurs on their trajectory.
Wouldn't take days before their paint falls of and they are splattered with mud or burns.

I would start off small with very light chipping effects done with a sponge. I would also suggest buying some black and brown weathering powders which add to the grimy effect.

I went from sponge chipping to the hairspray method after than but it sort of requires an airbrush to do.

If you are planning something freehand on the tail, I suggest putting down a coat of gloss varnish. If you cock it up, it is much easier to wipe off and try again.

@Hairy - I agree on your last post - Oily smears, blood and so on are realistic - but rust and corrosion are not. I should possibly take this opportunity to say that the weathering I'm wanting to achieve is more of a campaign wear and tear not a neglected, rusted wearing (That's more Chaos in my mind).

@Minus - I will concede on that point - I too think like you in that I imagine Speeders to be low-slung and ground hugging. I think I'll take inspiration from your examples, but purely on personal preference I'll tone it down a bit. Many thanks for your (rather inspirational) help!

@Rickfactor - Now I gather from what I've read, that the sponge effect, is used in a similar manner to a drybrush, but you do keep a touch more paint in the sponge pores. Then you just dab it on in the areas where you'd like weathering? Also, as I don't have any varnish other than 'Ardcoat - would 'Ardcoat work?

@Rickfactor - Now I gather from what I've read, that the sponge effect, is used in a similar manner to a drybrush, but you do keep a touch more paint in the sponge pores. Then you just dab it on in the areas where you'd like weathering? Also, as I don't have any varnish other than 'Ardcoat - would 'Ardcoat work?

@Rickfactor - Thanks for the help. I'm absolutely bricking it when it comes to weathering as it's not something I've done - but I need to push myself if I'm going to increase my painting quality. I've still got to finish the 'clean' version as it's got bits and boobs left to do such as lenses, freehanding and of course the pilots - but once that's done I'm going to crack on with weathering.

I think I'll go with a combination of everyone's ideas from this thread. It's probably going to be mostly light abrasion and 'speed lines' (as Flinty puts it) around the tailfins and raised edges as I tend to agree with HairySticks that the weathering will be limited to what I would refer to as 'campaign' weathering - blood, oil, abrasion, maybe some more recent battle damage (Not sure how heavy yet) and impact scratching. I think Desubot may be right in that I need to add a bit more soot around the flamer area and possibly the melta to give it a well used look. Finally as Rickfactor and Minus suggest, I'll add in some sponging - but this will mainly be limited to the bumper and nose area (The areas that are more likely to bear the brunt of battle damage).

Thanks for all the help people - I can finally begin to form a solid battle-plan in my head on which direction to go with this. Cheers!

if you want to do something streaky, this might be useful: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBe8siSbK-0&feature=youtu.be

maybe a mix of light sponge weathering and the streaky approach from the vid will get you where you want. I haven't tried it myself, mind you

That's a pretty neat trick varl I'll probably not use it on this model, but If I ever get round to doing a piece of custom Imperial Emplacement terrain that I've planned, I'll definitely be using this technique. Cheers!