I finished my BRDM-2 a while ago but it still needs a base. I decided to create a very simple scene with a road block – something very typical of the recent Ukraine-Russia conflict. Here I’ll show you my method of painting and weathering concrete. Another SBS on creating an asphalt road is coming soon.
The road barrier I used here belongs to the Concrete & Plastic Barrier Set by Meng.
If you’re interested in my BRDM-2 project, use the link below:
Step 1:
Start with painting the part with a primer of your choice.
Notice I placed the barrier on a plastic tray – the less you touch the fresh paint, the better.
Step 2:
Paint a simple pre-shade with very dark grey. Try to bring out the natural shape of the object.
Step 3:
Paint the rest of the part with different shades of light grey. The lightest shades goes on top obviously.
The weathering will make the colours much darker so at this point I’m trying to paint the shade lighter than the logic would suggest.
Step 4:
Switch to oil paints and mix a dark grey shade. It should be two tones darker than the basic colour (if that makes any sense). You can use enamels as well if you prefer them.
Cover the whole surface with the mix. The thickness and opacity of the paint is pretty important here. You need a mix that is thicker than a wash but not as opaque as a normal all-purpose paint.
Step 5:
Wait, say, 15 minutes for the white spirit to evaporate. Then start to wash off the paint with a big flat brush.
I usually prefer to work with a long downward movement creating some streaks like on the picture below. But you can experiment with other techniques to achieve a result that you want.
Step 6:
Create another mix of grey, this time very light – almost white. Dry-brush all the edges with a big flat brush. I used acrylics here.
The basic concrete effect is done. But if you want to spice it up a bit, go to the next step.
Step 7:
Let’s create oblique red and white stripes typical of any road block structure.
Cut some pieces of masking tape and place them on the part. If I have to do something like that I usually cover the whole surface, then I remove every other stripe – this way you keep the effect consistent.
Cover the visible surface with hairspray or a dedicated chipping fluid.
Step 8:
Airbrush the colours and start chipping. Use different tools for different results. I explained it in detail while painting the interior of my ZSU-52-2.
Step 9:
Paint the metal handles with rust colours. I prefer to use oils here as they blend very easily.
To make it even more interesting you can create some rusty streaks or rust deposits on the top of the structure.
Step 10:
Dilute an oil yellow ochre colour (or similar) with lots of white spirit. Then paint the lower part of the structure.
We can call it a filter for the lack of better term. But the paint is a bit thicker than a regular filter.
Step 11:
Create another oil mix, this time dark brown. Make some splashes with a loaded brush and a toothpick.
You can add some dark pigment to the mix to give it more volume.
Step 12:
If you want to crank it up to eleven, add some more glossy splashes. This will create a nice contrast with the rest of the matt structure.
I used Ammo Mig Fresh Engine Oil mixed with some dark oil paint.
Step 13:
Place the barrier on your base or diorama. Make sure it blends nicely with the rest of the scene. Add some more effects if necessary. We’re done here!
3 Comments
Renato
25 February 2019 at 15:01A-M-A-Z-I-N-G !!!
Louis
25 April 2019 at 20:04Hope there is coming more
Konstantinos
18 July 2022 at 01:44You are a fantastic modeler. It’s more real than the real thing…
Congratulations!! I will try to imitate your work.
Thank you very much.