It was time to re-acquaint myself with my airbrush and other painting equipment. Frankly, I approach airbrushing with the same trepidation that most people feel for soldering, perhaps even public speaking. There is a lot on the line every time you get it out. First of all, there is a largely-complete model, on which I have spent a ton of time. Then there is this slightly cranky piece of equipment that mostly delivers a beautiful finish, but occasionally spits or clogs resulting in orange peel or running paint. Add in a noisy air compressor, and my stress level goes about as high as it ever does. Small wonder I often flee!
Well, I screwed up my courage, and finally blasted it. The first coat wasn’t my best, and so, I blasted it again.
The second coat was acceptable (though, I am clearly out of practice!), and so, I moved to the weathering stage. I started with a dry-brush of Vallejo gun metal over all the rivets to try to make them pop a little. I followed this up with a detergent-aided wash of raw sienna with occasional bits of burnt umber; the turntable is six years old or so, and I’m thinking a little rust is starting to show the need for a fresh coat of paint. While I had the acrylics out, I painted the wheels with a mixture of the two so they match some of my reference materials. Lastly, I dropped a few very tiny spots of weathering powders near the bottom girder to represent splashes from the pit, again as seen in my reference material.
Here is the result, which will probably turn into an undifferentiated black mass once it’s in the pit under layout lighting.
Pembroke:87 