It's finally on the right track!

My friends, these were some of the scariest weathering steps I've done, but I think the almost-finished side of the running gear shows some promising results in the end.

An overturned tank showing its belly is a completely different weathering subject than we're normally used to, as the part that stays completely out of sight is displayed in all its glory. And it's also the dirtiest part of the vehicle, not to mention, least documented in reference images.

The rest of the tank has the basic mud textures, pre-dusting, and dry earth tones applied. The nearly finished test section has darker earth tones and some streaks. This is pretty much the finished result except for some fresh leaks of oil which I'll be applying once the model is attached to the diorama.

What really helped me were the new gouache paints from AK, and creating the dry earth tones with them was really fun. They brought me back to those years when Wilder was still in business with his truly revolutionary Aqua Line. I wasn't able to recreate such earth effects ever since, and although the new AK paints behave a bit differently, I think they'll be a good successor.

I also have the remaining wheels, turret, and tracks, which are mostly finished. The tracks need some metallic effects and they'll be ready to be glued to the model.

Honestly, I was almost scared to post some updates before I saw the finished result in a small area! It shows how you can lose a lot of your muscle memory and confidence when it comes to weathering on a specific subject. I remembered how confident I was in the past to post a video with an unfinished model that looked terrible (Tiger F13 with the base coat applied) and have zero doubts about the finished result. One thing is certain - more armor models are on the menu in 2025!