TANK TRACK PAINTING AND WEATHERING

[neil pudney]

I know many of us have our own way of painting and weathering tracks and i know some do not even bother leaving them shiny silver as they came from armortek. I have over the years used different methods depending on the type of tank i was building (1/35 scale injection kits)but seem to always come back to the standard finish then add rust/mud on the final finish. Obviously with the armortek kit being a totally different type of kit being all metal i took some time pondering over how to go about it. Since humbrol stopped producing their superb track colour paint (HUMBROL 173) i have had to mix my own and have now got what i think is a great mix for tank track painting. I use a mix of 12 parts matt humbrol 160 german camo red-brown to 2 parts humbrol 33 matt black and paint the entire track and pin in this base coat. To finish, light dry brushing with humbrol 56 matt aluminium. For those new to building this is a simple mix and method but i think gives a realistic look and way better than the bright shiny tracks as they come from armortek.
I have added a couple of photos to show the process. Hopefully this will go to help someone improve the look of their tank. Natural wear will only add to the effect as you use your tank !

[sean kerambrun]

Hi Neil,

Very very nice. Might give it a try

Sean

[sean kerambrun]

I wish humbrol had larger pots of paint. You must use a lot of small pots to do all the tracks

Sean

[neil pudney]

Hi sean, actually i thought that before i started but once i got going i was amazed at how far the paint is going. To give you an example i mixed one 14ml amount (one tin) and so far have painted 25 links and still have lots left, i reckon i can do at least 50 links on one amount so four or five tins to do all the tracks and pins works out very cheap really. I am painting all by hand with a brush no airbrushing involved.
The pictures i posted are not quite the colour you see in daylight they look slightly more rusty brown but the light i was using was a fluorescent light so changes the colours slightly. It has made the rust brown look more black than it actually is, they look great in natural light. So for around £15 you have enough paint to do all the tracks and pins easily.

[Kevin Hunter]

Hi Neil
Fascinating thread, and truly educational for absolute beginners such as myself.
Re colour, I suppose like so much else I'm discovering it's a matter of personal choice but is there a singe colour that might fit the bill? Gunmetal maybe? Wouldnt that give the basic black/dark grey and still with the hint of metallic sheen that you are dry brushing on?
You are obviously doing the links singly rather than as a complete track which answers one of my questions, but is there anything to be gained in doing the tracks as a unit?
Im curious - why manual brush painting and not airbrushing? You may use more paint but get beter coverage in the details perhaps?
Finally - presume you paint the split pins too?

ps: - just as an aside to anyone reading this, I have seen a number of tank pics on this site where the split pins in the ends of the track pins appear on the outside. Is there a technical / practical reason for this as aesthtically they would surely be better on the inside out of sight?
Regards
Kevin

[neil pudney]

Hi kevin, as im painting these indoors i tend to hand brush instead of airbrushing to save causing annoyance to the rest of the family.I will do the same with many other smaller parts as i go along. I love the smell of drying humbrol paint in the morning but the rest of the family may not have the same taste as me !
I find painting each link one by one quite relaxing also, im in no rush to finish the build and am waiting for slightly warmer weather as the main build will be done in my garage which has no heating. I have found the very dark brown which i mix is a great base to build on. It's very similar to the railway track you see where the bright top surface contrasts to the very dark brown matt colour where no wear takes place. Its something i have built up over the years painting armour plastic kits and so far am very pleased with the results. My painted tracks have no mud or other debris added as i want it to look that way as real mud will be added later !
I have taken another couple of photos in better light which show the dark brown colour of the base coat a little better and a finished section with the dry brushed finish simulating wear. As for the pins i am painting all the main link pins the base colour and then after fitting the tracks together a final touch up of the washer and split pin to match.Again these will wear naturally on high points as in the real world. Reading other forums the question of having the split pins showing is really a matter of choice. personally i will have the split pins on the inside obviously making a right handed and left handed set of tracks and of course getting the tracks the correct way round ! This leaves the neat rounded end showing on the outside.
When you look at real tanks there are so many options re painting and weathering, a lot of it as with most modelling comes down to personal choice. Some museums do an absolutely awful job of painting tracks which gives a completely wrong impression to people of how a track should look. I like many others have our own view on the subject and there are numerous web sites devoted to just track painting !
If the rest of the tank build is as satisfying as the tracks i will be one most happy armortek owner. I have added some more pics, 2 of finished parts the other just the base coat.

[Kevin Hunter]

Thanks Neil, answered all my questions.
Regards
Kevin

[Dennis Jones]

Kevin,

Regarding split pins, with some tracks eg Tiger1 you don't have any option but to put them on the outside because of the design of the links. There are two opinions :- If the pins break or come off or tracks need to be taken off and they are on the outside they are easy to get to. I prefer to put mine on the inside for two reasons, as like you it looks neater and if a split pin comes off the track pin usually works it way out towards the outside instead of going inboard and jamming on something. In the case of the late Tiger there is a ramp behind the idler wheel which pushes any track pins back in. I have put both the Comet and Panzer split pins on the inside with no ill effects a bit more difficult to get at in case of track maintenance and I have had a fair bit of that. Replacing broken track links on the Panzer in the mud at War and Peace this year springs to mind.

Dennis.

[sean kerambrun]

Hi Neil

I have painted a link with the base coat. It looks more brown than you pics. Is it just the photos ? I think I got the ratio right

Cheers sean

[neil pudney]

hi sean, if you add a bit more black to suit your taste then add the dry brushed aluminium the track really transforms into a nicely weathered track. I have found infact that a mix of 30% black looks perhaps a bit better. The way to do it really is to experiment with a couple of tracks, if you dont like how they look have another go with a different mix until you have the result you like the look of. Also different light conditions will give different results so best to look at in natural light rather than room lighting etc. As with all types of model painting we all see things slightly differently, one persons paint scheme will not satisfy everyone thats for sure. Just keep at it until it looks right for you it certainly will make all the difference to your tank.

best wishes,neil

[paul&robinmargle]

I wasn't initially planning on painting the tracks, so Paul put them all together. But they do look good - I was wondering how easy it would be to airbrush them assembled?

Robin

[Dennis Jones]

Robin,

I haven't done the Tiger ones yet but when I did the Comet tracks I used Ford Graphite Grey Metallic car aerosol after the tracks were assembled and they looked ok but I am not fanatical about the authentic finish. The track link pads go back to original shiny alloy finish within 5 minutes of running on paving anyway.

Dennis.

[sean kerambrun]

Hi Neil,

Your a master .. I cant get mine right.. 2 attempts .still not happy so I tried putting rust colour over the top ... Oh well plenty to practice on

Sean

[neil pudney]

hi sean, well at least you are giving it a try, there are many aspects of building and detailing these things that i have no hope in improving but the painting of it all is going to be the most enjoyable part for me. I am no artist, my skills you could liken to a 5 year old when it comes to doing a sketch or portrait picture but somehow i have always managed to do a good job with an airbrush or weathering a military model by hand painting/dry brushing etc.I have been painting plastic kits for over 45 years so have had plenty of practice! What suits my eye though does not always appeal to everyone, its a personal thing.Like everything in life if you are pleased with the end result thats all that matters.
best wishes,neil

[Jeff Gregory]

Gooday,
i have been watching with interest the development and painting of the track links and thought you these pics may be of interest.
Some years ago i decided to build a Centurion 1/6 scale but never completed it and now have bought a Armortek model instead

I sandcast the links and fitted with track pins and track washers with circlips as real tank
plus cast and machined raod wheels complete with vucanised rubber