dusty looking cars

[tom mann]

I tried to get a dusty look with these by holding the airbrush a little farther away and going a little stronger with the paint, and then taking it easy with the washes:

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I think they look a little "spottier" than your usual work. I think that's the result of the paint drying in mid air. I think the solution is to thin it either less or more. I forget which.

[John]

The molding nub in the center of the roof needs to go ... i have had a little luck with a file ..

[bsoplinger]

I rather like the spottyness he got, guess its a matter of personal preference.

I do agree, the molding nub on the YW really sticks out. For that matter, there's something about the roof of the YW that bugs me too ... Perhaps its that it still looks like plastic. Maybe its too shiny? I just like the PC Rail roof more.

I haven't seen too many roof shots of modern boxcars and I do know they now paint the sides without worrying about overspray getting on the roof, but ....

Is is really that regular in appearance, ie a fixed constant width the whole way around the car? Or would it just feather out to nothingness instead of the more abrupt edge you have?

[tom mann]

I think they look a little "spottier" than your usual work. I think that's the result of the paint drying in mid air. I think the solution is to thin it either less or more. I forget which.

Yeah, you're right.  Thinning it more results in a translucent coat that is very even and flat. 

I was going for a look that says "you'll get dirt and dust on your hands if you touch it", as opposed to my usual, "you'll get rust on your hands if you touch it".

[SAH]

Have you ever used Polly S Dust?  I thought it looked good when applied as an overspray.   But then, I thought my weathering techniques needed some work until I caught on to this site.  Now I KNOW my weathering techniques need some work.

Steve