Tag: Pearl Mediums

May 8, 2019

Seeing is Believing

By Rob Manley

Part of the fun in building models for me is the research. Oh sure, you can easily build a kit straight from the box, follow the box art to position your decals and still have fun. What I’m talking about is “more funner”( this was from a young girl watching my weathering demo).

Funner for me is pouring through my acquired data to find that “right” photo in order to model the subject as accurately as possible. Weathering is definitely one of those facets. I’m sure you can build a kit and weather it as realistically as possible by using your imagination and creativity. That’s one of the elements that separates a good model from a great model. Having that extra dimension of accuracy is what makes the model truly a work of art. Well that’s my opinion.

In order to make a detailed model unique and an exact representation of reality I have turned to building resin cast models. Unlike plastic models that may represent a type of generic car, these kits are exact. They’re usually more detailed and require a higher level of skills and tools. I was a fan of these kits but I felt I lacked the necessary skills to build one of these masterpieces. I did buy a few kits in hopes that I would improve and eventually finish some of these cars one day.

SPOILER ALERT: I did.

October 13, 2016

Using White Pearl Mediums

Here are some simple techniques for using the new PanPastel Pearl Medium White (Fine) 011:

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Apply PanPastel Neutral Grey 820.5 with Sofft Mini Applicator to represent weathered wood running board and hatches.

PanPastel Neutral Grey 820.5 on wood running boards and platforms. Orange sides of reefer faded with Yellow Ochre Shade 270.3.

Simulate ice and brine damage on upper corner and drain above truck and wheels using Pearl Medium White Fine 011.

Other uses for White Pearl Fine and Coarse would be white caps on marine dioramas, waterfronts and rivers. I have a small diorama my wife, Bev, built for her covered bridge model. I plan on adding “water” to the creek and using the Pearl White Fine and Coarse 012 to create waves or foam on the top of the water. I’ll cover this in detail when I show you, in a future post, how to use PanPastel® for scenery construction.

~ Rob Manley

June 21, 2016

Structures

I really haven’t covered structures in my blogs. They are, in my opinion, one of the most important elements in model railroading. They are the setting for the trains we detail and weather. One of my favorite structures in the railroad realm is the country grain elevator. I have a nice collection of 35mm slides that I took starting in the seventies. I am sure many of these “Country Skyscrapers” are now gone. One of the best ways we can recapture those memories is by building a model of them. The model I chose for this portion is the Walthers® corrugated elevator. I primed it with a Light Grey acrylic. Originally meant to be weathered with washes, I procrastinated long enough to discover PanPastel® and use them instead. I am so glad that happened.

Weathered with Sofft Sponge Bar and random colors from the PanPastel Rust & Earth set.

Step 1. I started by using my Sofft® Sponge Bar by scrubbing on an overall covering of Burnt Sienna 740.5 and Burnt Sienna Shade 740.3. You have to really push the color into the corrugated grooves. The overall effect is to have the rust in the recesses and the high spots to be slightly polished by the wind. I then used random swipes of Burnt Sienna Tint 740.8, Raw Umber Tint 780.8, Red Iron Oxide Extra Dark 380.1, to name a few. Honestly, I work so fast I barely remember what colors I used. If an area looks too heavily colored I will keep brushing it down with one of my Sofft® Sponge Bars. If I want to tone it down further, I use the PanPastel Colorless Blender 010 as seen on the roof panel. The Colorless Blender will soon become one of your most used “Un-Colors”. It can also be used as a primer for lighter colors.

Step 2. Next any stray excess color was blown off and a paper towel was used to lightly wipe the excess on the raised corrugations. This allowed the Pewter 921.5 and Silver 920.5 to accent the high spots as in real life. I then used the flat spongy side of the block to add the final overlay of Silver. This side took less than 5 minutes. Structures are not handled like rolling stock so a flat finish (spray) is rarely needed.

Step 3. Add silver and Pewter to tops of corrugations.

Well, as always, it’s been fun sharing more techniques with you. I have more projects in mind to post about in the near future. ~ Rob Manley