My week hasn’t been as much fun as I would have liked. I went to the dentist to get a filling redone which led to a surprise root canal (which is the first I’ve had) and then a couple of days later, I got crown. I try to take good care of my teeth but unfortunately, the combination of genetics and getting older means this kind of dental work eventually was probably inevitable. The closer I get to officially being middle aged, which is going to happen later this year, the older I’m starting to feel. The way you enter your 30’s and then leave them are very different or at least its going that way for me.
And then there’s everything else going on in the US. A right-wing conspiracist is helping educate the President on potential firings. People are illegally and mistakenly being deported which is beyond cruel and incompetent. And then the tariffs, which almost nobody thinks are a good idea, are happening regardless of how we feel. Its really unfortunate that enough people voted selfishly in 2024 and now everyone is going to have to suffer. These are pretty dark times and there’s no end in sight, unfortunately.
I was debating whether to update this week to show you what I’m working on because it just about gives away the most interesting part of this miniature. Ultimately, I decided I had enough to discuss and its fresh in my mind and who knows if it will be in another week, so here we are.
As promised, I worked on the rust which is the final effect needed to really bring the life to miniature. I will admit that I had to experiment with new paints and made some mistakes initially. I got this pretty nice set of Rust paints from AK Interactive which I am very impressed with. As you can see from the picture, it comes with both orange and brown hues but also reddish rust too. I think its pretty comprehensive in that sense. I wasn’t really thinking and I initially started with some reddish hues which don’t match the oil rust paints I used on all of the other Fallout miniatures so I had to redo some parts with the brown and orange colors instead.
I also was trying to do a lot of stippling to capture the uneven texture of rust and that didn’t work as well as I hoped either. I found that mixing the paints and applying them somewhat randomly and blotchy worked better. Painting rust is not easy with a brush. Using a foam/sponge is definitely my preferred method. If I could do this mini over, I would have applied rust all of the miniature and then painted the non-rusted metal over that. I think it would have looked best that way though I think the mini looks quite nice as it is. I need to paint the remaining metal parts on the sides and back now. The guns also need some rust but I can sponge that on since its easy to access those parts. This week I lacked a bit of motivation to work on this mini but the back should be pretty quick compared to the front and the end is in sight on this mini. Of course, there isn’t that much left that is new to see so I suppose seeing the finished mini won’t be that exciting but I will show it to you next week nonetheless!
Getting back to the new rust paints I received, I thought I’d share some initial thoughts on them and compare them briefly to the oil paints I’ve been using for Fallout.
Acrylic Rust Paints
Pros
Easy to control their thickness and mix colors together, especially with AK’s paints which are already pretty thin.
Fast drying time (this is a bit of a con too because it makes mistakes impossible to fix but overall, I consider it a pro because there is no downtime like with enamel paints).
Easy to apply with a brush or a sponge, though you want to be very precise with either.
You can fully paint the miniature and then varnish it and consider it done. This is the natural miniature painting workflow, unlike using enamel paints.
Cons
If you make a mistake, you’ll have to repaint parts to correct it.
Using a brush to apply rust is not easy.
Enamel/Oil Rust Paints
Pros
Easy to clean up mistakes because you apply acrylics, varnish the mini, and then apply the enamel paints. Any mistakes or adjustments can occur with white spirit over a period of 24-48 hours.
Fairly easy to apply with a sponge.
Cons
Hard to apply with a brush. The paint tends to be thin enough that it will move towards crevices on a miniature as well.
Enamel paints change color when varnished so it isn’t always easy to tell what the final result will look like when you’re working on it.
Its harder to mix enamel paints and it takes more effort to thin than acrylic paints.
Takes a long time for enamel paints to fully dry. This means that it takes longer to complete a miniature because you apply oil paints and should set them aside for a few days to let them fully dry before applying the final layer of varnish.
As you can see acrylics are more punishing but I think they give “serious” painters more control and they’re worth experimenting with to see which you like more. I wasn’t expecting to want to switch to acrylic paints but I am leaning that way a bit more after working on this raider. Of course, there is the important question about whether I can blend the rust colors in my collection together or not. We’ll look into that more once the Power Armor is done and I look to finish up the rust on a couple of raiders I finished a while back.
Kuribo's Painting 
Great looking progress Jeff, for me I’ll still be exited to see the final photos, when the back and sides are done to complete the model, as well as any final adjustments to the front.
I hear you on going into your thirties and leaving them, as I entered still doing crazy adventurous things and left them starting a long and slowly crippling stage of my life, but it’s a time to take stock of what you have done, and what you are still able to do, so make the most of every day mate.
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Thank you and I’m glad to hear it. I will probably do a 360 video on Instagram and then repost on here so you can see it all together easily.
That is sound advice! I try to live in the best way that I can (though there’s always room for improvement) so I will certainly give it some thought in the coming days.
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Nice work, Jeff! 🙂 I mostly use acrylics now but don’t really think about applying them any differently to enamels. There can be issues with coverage with both types depending on the manufacturer in my experience. As a rule I prefer acrylics now because they dry fast but I find enamels better for dry-brushing and mucky washes!
I had a crown fitted some years ago and then another one last year. I was surprised at the change in technology over the intervening years – for the latest one the dentist basically did a 3D scan of my gums and teeth and used that to create the crown’s profile!
I have nice memories of entering and leaving my 30s! A month after I turned 30 I got married and just after turning 40 we got our first Chihuahua, Honey! Sadly, we no longer have our Honey (it was quite a while ago) but I’m lucky in that I still have the same wife! 🙂
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Cheers, John! I’ve only used enamels for weathering effects so I’m not very experienced with them overall. Unless I’ve gone crazy, AK Interactive’s rust enamel paints got thinner and harder to work with when I had to replace some of my old ones in the last year. All in all, I think I favor acrylic paints as there a little less fuss overall. They’re also what I’m most used to using in the hobby.
I’ve only had my crowns done with a 3D printer and I agree that it is quite amazing what they can do. With that said, I’m aspiring and hoping that I don’t need any more any time soon 🙂
I’m glad you have good memories around those times. I think I have negative ones associated with both ages but I suppose that is a topic for another time. Its also good to hear that your wife has made it through all these Maritime March’s too 😉
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Enamels served me well over the years when acrylic hobby paints weren’t available but I mostly use acrylics these days and am happy with them.
As far as Maritime March goes I don’t think my wife even knows it happens! 😉
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Haha, I suspect as much in regards to your wife! 😀
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uh, don’t remind me of politics or getting older. What I wouldn’t give to be in my 30s again. 😀
nice job on the weathering / rust effects.
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I suppose I’ll be saying that soon enough 🙂 I’m glad you approve of the rust and weathering so far. I’m nearly done with the mini as we speak which is a very good feeling as it turns out!
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Excellent work on the rust!
Less than excellent work from the voters and politicians of the US, who seem determined to take steps to make things actively worse for everyone 😦
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Thank you! I’m almost done with this lady and I’m glad she’s turning out fairly well.
I like to think that MAGA voters are just huge fans of the post-apocalypse and are doing their part to speed it along! 😀
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If that’s how you feel about going through the thirties, you’ll love going through your forties! The fifties looks to be quite a lot rougher than the forties were!
onto less depressing topics than aging into our inevitable demise..
Rusty there looks great! The chipping sand rust looks good and you also were thoughtful enough to bleach and age the paint in places as well.
I’m glad to see you enjoying the AK 3rd Gen paints – Marouda got me the “suitcase” for my birthday last year (or was it the year before? More notes on aging and time there!) and they’re freaking sweet. My favourite acrylics these days, though I still use my stock of Vallejo, Citadel, Pro Acryl, Army Painter Fanatic (surprisingly good!) and so forth.
As far as your notes go on using Acrylics or Enamels for weathering – remember you can always use both in conjunction with each other on figures who you feel deserve the effort to make use of the best properties of both. Also, don’t overlook the use of “non-modelling” products like Future Floor Wax/Pledge One Go to make washes. I’ve used the YT linked one for years – I just keep it mixed and use it when I want to make a nice paint wash.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gR3aIAth5qU
https://www.jonbius.com/2023/02/01/a-replacement-for-pledge-here-it-is/
Well, that was a rabbit hole I fell into there!
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Thanks for the pep talk, mate! 😀 That is definitely my worry that things are just going to get worse from here but I hope to be wrong on that one.
Thank you for the kind words as well! I think I learned some new things working on this mini which is always a great feeling. I’m also glad you like AK Interactive paints as much as I do. If I wasn’t hooked on Citadel’s paints as much as I am (scarily, I tend to think in them and reverse engineer paint jobs I see online in terms of Citadel colors), I’d completely switch to AK’s as I think they’re so much easier to use and have the perfect consistency too.
You’re spot-on about mixing paint products. I could definitely see future projects where I do just that. AK makes a lot of interesting oil paints that are tailor made for weathering and that is something I’m always going to be interested in.
I haven’t heard about Pledge working as a potential wash. That is very interesting indeed! Thanks for sharing that and I think it definitely shows what a bit of creativity can do for us in the hobby!
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Well, we all know the main things to do within all of our means to improve our health – eating properly and excersise. Not a cure-all, but a cure-many at least.
I just had the AK AFV suitcase arrive yesterday = more colour tones, but with a military bent. I really do love these AK paints! 😀 But I do still use my Citadel, etc as needed. I’m not someone who needs all my paints to be from the same range, even if I do like to get close-to full ranges from various places, regardless of near-dupes. I’m looking at getting a few more tubes of AK’s weathering oils next time I order from either of two places I get supplies and models from. I could use some dark grey-blue right now, but naturally I don’t have anything like that!
Pledge is old-school, but like getting certain hobby supplies from a hardware store instead of a GW store, there’s alot of useful things out there for the mass market that are incredibly cheap given the quantity you get and would just be rebadged at 1000% markup or more by GW or another hobby company!
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Well said, mate. I’m glad to hear you’re liking the AK paints too. I’ve been slowly substituting out troublesome Citadel colors for AK (whites and off-whites) and I haven’t missed them! I’ve been tempted to get more AK paints and you’re making me think about it even more 🙂
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