More than Mud!

A while back, I posted some initial articles using the Mig AMMO products to paint vehicles in some new and different ways.  Primarily, I discussed the use of opaque, lighter pigments like the Mud that are mixed in with the thinner, transparent washes.

As you can see in the inset image, mixing the Mud with the greenish filters and washes creates a semi opaque middle tone.  This can give you some very interesting effects, and can be used to work into the prior layers of washes wet into wet.

This Laffly Tank Destroyer is made by Mad Bob's Miniatures.

The upper surfaces of the Laffly have been treated with this technique.  Normally, I would have waited a bit for the glazes to dry, and then go back in with 'regular' acrylic paint to lighten things up and create more interest in those mid tones.

However, I like the idea of working this way with oils.  It will not replace my usual method, but having the option is very interesting!

The other added detail is the "light over dark" streaking effect.  This needs to be set up by the application of the original dark washes, in order to make these light streaks show up.

Since all of these are oil pigments, they can be easily modified, feathered, and even removed with white thinner!

This roof panel is a good example of some stippling of these semi-opaque midtones.

With the roof in place, you get a better picture of the overall appearance.  The stippling brush strokes of that middle tone can be used to emphasize the weathering, making the darker chips and rust effects more pronounced.

Hopefully you can see in this image that I have been mixing that lighter opaque color into the brown shades in addition to the green.  This creates more of a grayish tone, which also works well for those light streaks on the dark shadows.

And yes, the Mud paints can also be used for real mud!  I started working on the tires, beginning with the lighter, thinner splashes.  The heavier, thicker and darker Mud was applied over the top.

Since a key weapon like this anti-tank vehicle is very vulnerable, I thought it would have to be camoflauged as much as possible.  Also, this would create a potential ambush situation.  So, I grabbed some of the Hangar 18 leaf foliage and started placing a few pieces on the roof, and scattered leaves elsewhere.

The coloration was too basic on this, so I went in with extra washes to darken certain areas and break up the uniformity of the original colors.

Many thanks to Mad Bob for providing a key weapon system to my Defenders of The Republic!  Stay tuned for images of the finished vehicle soon!