The next part is a bit controversial, paint chipping. Some modellers claim that military vehicles, even those engaged in heavy combat, didn’t chip much and therefore models should not be mired in paint chips especially those in the smaller scales. My view is that chipped models look really cool if done well and this vehicle may or may not be prototypical however making models is art and therefore a model is a representation of the real thing. It is not the real thing in miniature.
Right, with the little rant over the first layer of chipping was applied, for this I used a new 4/0 brush and took some lightened Vallejo buff for chips which just dug into the base coat. They were tiny and faint so didn’t photograph well and in any case the later weathering rendered them invisible so it was a bit of a waste of time to be honest. The next layer was chips down to the primer and for these I used Vallejo hull red thin need a little with water to help it flow. Try to be logical but random when doing chips; uniform chips look odd as do blobs. It takes a steady hand and patience for this step so I take regular leg (eye!!!) stretches to break the monotony.
In some areas the paint was applied by sponge. This gives very fine chips if applied with a light touch which is useful for edges such as the commander’s cupola and the Shurzen mounts here.
The final layer of chips are the bare metal chips and for this I use Vallejo’s German camo black brown which gives a nice corroded tone. Again, try to be more sparing with this step as we don’t want to go over the top.
