Ford G917T – Part 8: Streaking

By miniarmour on March 31, 2013 • ( 2 Comments )

After painting the scratches and chips, the next step to add was streaking. For this I became a fan of AK’s product – streaking grime for grey vehicles (AK 069) was the one I have used for this vehicle. I prepared the surface during the application of the wash, which was adjusted/removed using vertical brush strokes, thus creating soft streaking effect.

When adding streaking, the golden rule is again less is more. You can always add more of the effect later, if you feel the look is not as expressive as you want it to be. Usually the effect right after the application is stronger and more visible, it becomes more muted once dry.

AK’s products are oil/enamel based and I use their odorless thinner, which is quite helpful if you’re spending your evening in your modelling den weathering a model. I still have Mig’s pigment thinner and I can tell the difference.

On the first few pictures you can see the look just after the application of the AK’s product. After letting it dry for few minutes I have blended and spread the streaks using a soft round brush. When doing this make sure to use both downward as well as upward brush strokes, otherwise you will remove most of the streaks from the top of the surfaces, where they would actually be more visible! Resulting effect can be seen on the remaining pictures.

For the rust streaks on the cab doors I have used my favourite Burnt Umber oil paint. I just placed a small dot of the paint right on top of the painted scratch and then spread it downward. WIth oils, the work is different – while with the AK’s streaking grime, you need multiple strokes to achieve the blended and soft look, with oils you have only one max two moves, afterwards the paint will get almost completely removed (this is in part an advantage, as any mistakes can be fixed quickly).

When making rust streaks in this way, make sure to check that the streaks are vertical, on a flat surface, any deviation from the straight downward direction will be quite visible and look strange.