Weathering Stug III

Hello, I will make weathering on Stug III rc tank 1/16 scale from Heng Long. This model is very difficult to find and expensive as well, I so lucky to get it, this tank it comes with metal gears, metal drive sprocket, metal road wheel, and metal track. It heavy, so I don’t want to do any bending or drill. This time it will be simple hand paint with acrylic colors. It fun and looks realistic to the scale model. The step is simple and basic and easy to do. The result looks great. Let’s begin.

Supplies that you need to do Weathering Stug III’s project.

1. Heng Long Stug III rc tank (or other models)

2. Arcylic paints, (white, black, dark yellow, green), paint tray, water spray, and paint brushes different sizes. (I use Liquitex Basics: Burnt Sienna, Raw Sienna, and Mars Black) (or the color that look like rust at least 3 shades: red- brown, red- orange, dark yellow.)

3. Spray paints (Surface primer: Red-brown.) (If you want to be correct in color, need to buy Tamiya’s spray color).

4. White chalk, metal iron paint, rust activator.

5. Masking tape, scotch brite sponge, and paper tower.

Disassembly the Stug III.

First, I need to disassembly the Stug III rc tank by unscrew at the bottom of the tank, it should be about 6 screws. I took the turret’s piece (top part) and the body with wheels (bottom part), then disconnected the wires ports. Next I remove the wheels and use masking tape, tape at the edge of the wheels and it should be ready for paint.

Start to Paint the Stug III.

First I use alcohol to clean of the grease and dust. Then prepare the Stug III for paint, I spray paint surface primer (Red brown) to the turret, lower hull, and drive sprockets, road wheels of the tank (The track already been weathering.) After it dry, I start with the road wheels, drive sprockets by using one color at the time. For the turret and lower hull, I draw the line with white chalk for each color to be hand paint, I mix the paint with white color then, next use the color that I want to paint in each area. Then paint only 2 colors (green, dark yellow)

I assemble the tank, so that I can see what I should adjust to make it look better. I attach all of the accessories that come with the tank such as the spare track, tow cable, tools, and hand paint decal on the side of the turret. I also paint, the wooden box, hand tools handle make it looks like wood and other things paint the color as it would be.

Next I scrub with the scotch brite sponge on the edges and some large areas that I think the paint will fated off and also make the paint not shine. For the machine gun, I spray with flat black and high light with the gun metal.

Start to Do Weathering Stug III.

Before I paint the weathering rust color detail. I use the scotch brite sponge rub off all the edges of the tank, usually these areas are rusted first. Then I mix the dark brown (Burnt S) color by adding (Mars Black) by mixing a little at the time by adding water. Then apply the first coat, the paint will not apply on material well (This process need to apply many times, but need for the paint to dry). The wheels have some oil leak, so in the middle of the wheel will use black color. I use these colors to make high light of rust throughout the tank. (The rust will have different shades of colors) Next I mix Raw Sienna with water, by using the smallest brush, I paint over the dark brown, by hold the brush and gentle paint straight line. At this point the rust should be random. It looks real. After that I mix metal iron paint with water apply around the lower edge that should be rusted in some area all side of the tank. I look around the tank, if some area need more rust to make it look realistic. Last apply rust activator to the area that already applies metal iron paint. Wait for a day the rust will appear. For the exhaust pipe, and all wheels, I paint black, just look like the oil leaked. Last thing, I look around the tank and paint more in some area to make it look realistic. It looks real and it run or can be a show piece as well.

Thanks