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In-Box Review
Real Deal Weathering Set
The Com-Art colours for airbrush and paintbrush Real Deal Weathering kit created by Leslie Eaton
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by: Darren Baker [ CMOT ]

Introduction

This weathering set has been created for Com-Art by Leslie Eaton. Leslie Eaton is a master rail road modeller and judge. The set consists of 10 translucent colours to enable the end user to age and weather their models.

Contents

  • A tips and technique guide
  • 2 106 1- Dark Rust
  • 2 105 1- Light Rust
  • 1 019 1- Opaque Raw Sienna
  • 2 104 1- Old Oil
  • 2 103 1- Blue Grey Smoke
  • 2 002 1- Smoke
  • 2 100 1- Light Dust
  • 2 101 1- Soft Dirt
  • 2 102 1- Fertile Soil
  • 1 002 1- Opaque White
Review

This weathering kit from Com-Art consists of 10 translucent weathering colours provided in 1 ounce bottles and is acrylic based. The colours are provided in plastic bottles which have 2 seals in order to prevent the products drying out when not in use. A nice touch with this product is the inclusion of a ball bearing in each bottle to enable and increase the likelihood of equal and complete distribution of the pigments within the carrier. The colours can all be intermixed to create variations in tones of colour, and can of course be lightened by using the opaque white. The exterior cap on the bottles works similar to an eye dropper in that when you loosen the cap it is possible to control the flow to X number of drops; this is a useful feature when mixing colours prior to application as it allows duplication of effects to be achieved.

In order to test the product I spray painted a sheet of plastic with Tamiya matt white and then brush painted lines of the various colours over the white base coat. I brush painted the product as despite it stating that it is suitable for airbrushing I have not seen weathering products airbrushed, and at the very least I believe this is not a common weathering application method. The colour tones appear to be consistent with the exception of two of the colours which I believe may be down to me not shaking the bottle for long enough to insure complete mixing of the pigment. There is one other possibility for this problem occurring which is that I had not dried the brush thoroughly enough.

The paints flows very well over a glossy surface such as is achieved by using Klear (Future) floor polish or a clear gloss, this I feel also makes this product suitable for use as a wash on your models. Should a mistake be made or you are not happy about where you have placed some of one of the colours it can be removed completely with tap water, and all tools used to apply one of these can also be completely cleaned using water.

While this product is aimed at railroad modellers and indeed the tips and technique guide specifically utilises railroad rolling stock (armour is mentioned and some suggestions made) to show how to use these products and the results that can be achieved with them, I feel that they are more than suitable for our chosen area of the hobby. The only colour I have any doubts about is the light dust, which to my eye appears to be a light skin tone, however its suggested use for showing the bleaching effect of sunlight on surfaces is an effect I intend to try.

The last two pictures displayed are from a BergePanther I am building and I have used the light rust from this set to replicate the light rust that occurs on damaged paint surfaces and bare metal very quickly. I was very pleased with the result which in this case was achieved with a single application, and which I hope gives some indication of how easy this product is to use and the pleasing results that can be achieved.

Conclusion

I highly recommend this weathering set as it contains a good selection of colours that can be used to achieve most types of weathering. The included booklet helps those new to the hobby to start on the weathering trail, and even those who have been making models for years may learn something from this short booklet. With this set including rust tones, soil tones, and oil and soot tones I believe this line of products will become very popular.
SUMMARY
Highs: A very useful and good selection of colours for a weathering set, which touches on all areas that need weathering on an AFV model.
Lows: There are no obvious negatives to this set.
Verdict: A great set for someone new to the hobby to start their weathering supplies with, which are also easy to use. Those with a more extensive supply of weathering products may wish to buy individual colours depending on how many you wish to try.
Percentage Rating
95%
  Scale: Other
  Mfg. ID: COM-8-100-15
  Suggested Retail: £24.99
  PUBLISHED: Sep 23, 2010
NETWORK-WIDE AVERAGE RATINGS
  THIS REVIEWER: 87.04%
  MAKER/PUBLISHER: 94.58%

Our Thanks to Airbrushes.com!
This item was provided by them for the purpose of having it reviewed on this KitMaker Network site. If you would like your kit, book, or product reviewed, please contact us.

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About Darren Baker (CMOT)
FROM: ENGLAND - SOUTH WEST, UNITED KINGDOM

I have been building model kits since the early 70’s starting with Airfix kits of mostly aircraft, then progressing to the point I am at now building predominantly armour kits from all countries and time periods. Living in the middle of Salisbury plain since the 70’s, I have had lots of opportunitie...

Copyright ©2021 text by Darren Baker [ CMOT ]. All rights reserved.



Comments

I like the fact it can be applied straight onto a matt painted surface to get strong colour or very subtle colours can be achieved on a gloss cote where it also works as a colour wash.
SEP 23, 2010 - 03:58 AM
This sound as a pretty good value for money set. Think I’ll have a try at it. This however tickers a thing that’s been puzzling me often when I read these reviews; why are there no links to suppliers? Wouldn’t that be a great thing for everybody? As a supplier you have access to costumers, as a network you have a way to get money and as a member you don’t have to spend time surging the net for a supplier.
SEP 26, 2010 - 02:14 AM
Kenneth, we do try to add links to suppliers when possible. In this particular review, clinking on the Iwata/Medea logo at the top will bring you to the manufacturers website, which many times will either sell the products or list vendors. Past the summary box on the review page you'll see a 'thanks' to Airbrushes.com, this is the company that supplied the product for review and a link to their website is included there, also. HTH
SEP 26, 2010 - 03:07 AM
The smoke color is really in one of the best concepts on the market. When very lightly sprayed over a model it provides a very nice even tone of just being used. It is very subtle but covers well. A great source for the new weathering kit is hummingline.com run by Tom Grossman. Tom is a great modeler and usually demonstrates at Wonderfest. The creator of the weathering kit, is one of the top model railroad experts on weathering and scenary. I attended her workshop and have tons of new techniques
SEP 26, 2010 - 04:14 AM
Thank you for the comments. I have to say I am seldom this impressed with a new product and this line of products and the selection included is a great introduction to the world of weathering. I would like to see a video covering their uses and application, and I feel it would be a great next step.
SEP 28, 2010 - 08:35 PM
Wow, I had no idea a set like this was out there. I stopped paying attention to model trains stuffs a while ago, which is silly as there are a lot of things useful to us in that category. Thanks for sharing the pictures of the product(s) applied to your build. I will give this set a try if I see it in one of my LHS's.
SEP 28, 2010 - 08:58 PM
Nice review. The Bird of Prey on the interior was done yours truely. Nice to see they used it. "Q"
OCT 21, 2010 - 12:42 PM
They are a good product Matt and good on you for getting your builds out there.
OCT 21, 2010 - 01:28 PM
Nice review Darren. These paints may have some good uses by us armor modellers. I am also sure that different effects could be achieved using these translucent weathering paints. May have to try them out some day, especially the rust colors. Cheers Rob LINK
OCT 21, 2010 - 05:07 PM
   
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