As I was working on the Abrams, I thought to go out of my comfort zone and try some new things. I got very much inspired by Chris Jerrett and his Merkava that is featured in few magazines recently – including AK’s Weathering magazine.

One of the things I am using this time are the new (relatively) wash solutions from AK Interactive. They are available in few shades for multiple paint finishes, though what exactly would be the difference in the effect of the Wash for Modern OIF vehicles and the wash for DAK vehicles I don’t know. Just by looking at them in the bottle it feels that the one for Afrika Korps seems bit more brownish with more vibrant color, whereby the wash for modern vehicles is bit more muted, toned toward the grey.

Thus coming in very convenient time for me, AK recently posted few pictures and short how-to comments on their Facebook page on how to use their wash products. This helped me quite a bit and must say that the method they describe works perfectly and I am quite happy about the results. I have also tried airbrushing the washes both thinned and unthinned and while this requires some degree of control in the airbrush handling, the effect again is very pleasing to my eye. It takes little longer to build the desired effect when compared to airbrushing acrylics, but because the washes are enamel-based it is possible to fix any mistakes quite easily (forget about it with acrylics, I am using Tamiya and they are pretty much dry seconds after they hit the surface), I am more in control of the gradual build-up of the effect and it is possible to achieve more subtle look.

So if you haven’t tried them yet, maybe it’s time. And make sure to visit AK’s facebook page, there’s quite a bit of interesting things to see there.

(Photos: AK Interactive Facebook page)