That's a cool looking body! I don't believe I've ever seen one before!
Great job on the paint and dents. Look great! Can't wait to see what you do with the weathering!
Wheel and tire size fits the look perfectly!
Hoping all goes well with the surgery today! Dental surgery is never fun!
Thanks for the love! Sadly, due to complications with my insurance provider, the day of my surgery is being moved. No idea when. Gotta love the American healthcare system. :roll:
That said, I took the day off anyway. Not wanting to waste it, I set to doing a "grimewash" on the Stout. First, I lightly wet sanded it in the shower with a fine grit like 1000 or so, constantly keeping the warm water flowing over the body shell and the sandpaper. For places where I sanded through to bare lexan, I will be touching up later during the "rust" process. I also lightly sanded my decals to "sun damage" them before applying them to the body.
This is the same method I use when I do Gundam model kits
(or gunpla, as some here may know them) and it always brings the finish of the model up by about 300% in my eyes. I've never applied it to unprotected polycarbonate paint before
(this body is painted on both the inside and outside) so this was pretty scary. I had no idea if it would react badly and peel or otherwise ruin the paint.
Turns out it was just fine!
So here's the method. Get your hands on some cheap oil paints, Michael's is my usual go-to as their Artist's Loft brand is a good bang for buck and has never done me wrong. While you're there, get some refined linseed oil. I prefer this to enamel thinner when making oil washes. Some people use both, but I think it's overkill and just adds another chemical into the mix that could react poorly with your paintjob.
To get a grimy and nasty look, I mix a couple squirts of Burnt Umber and Black
(any black will do) in about a 2 umber to 1 black ratio. Just using black looks unnatural to me, and too "cartoony". Real grime is hardly ever just black, even caked-on oil. Next, tip in a little of the linseed oil. Tip in a little, then stir. Keep going until your paint is just a tiny bit runny. The runnier you make it, the longer it will take to dry and the messier it will get while you're handling the body shell. The linseed oil is already the vehicle in the oil paint, so it acts just like enamel thinner does in enamel paint. You're just thinning it with more oil.
Now comes the scary part. Take a flat, cheap, somewhat wide brush and just paint the whole damn thing. Yes, even the windows. If you scored cracks into the glass, this will help them stand out, as well as simulate built-up grime accumulating in the window seals.
You can coat the whole shell in one go
(JUST THE OUTSIDE!) or take your time with it and do one side or panel or whathaveyou at a time so it'll be less messy. That's how I do it, and makes cleanup and handling so much easier, with less chance to get oil fingerprints on your shell. Really take your time, as this stuff takes AGES to dry, depending on your ratio of linseed oil it could be a week! So don't rush, and slather and wipe as many times as you feel necessary to get the look you're after.
You can use any paper towels you have handy, I haven't found that they leave any "paper debris" like little fibers or anything behind.
If I can offer any advice in this step, wipe horizontally along the body shell down the sides
(where the doors are) initially to remove the bulk of the wash, then when you're doing your more careful wipes, wipe vertically, as rain will leave vertical streaks where it runs down and unsettles/carries/deposits grime as it evaporates. On flatter surfaces
(hood, roof) wipe in circles for a more even look.
I went heavier with how much I left in the bed, as I figure it will see the most abuse as a utility vehicle. That, and it takes forever to wipe it out of all the crevices. Also I don't mind a little too much being left in the corners as this bed will be packed with scale items that will hide my laziness. I hope.
Here's the result of about an hour of work:
Next up is rust... in like a week when this all dries. :ror:
Between now and then I'll likely be updating with interior progress and some close-up shots of the finished chassis. Thanks for checking out
yet another beat to hell old Toyota from my fleet!
