Winter Camo Question

[TonyD]

I'm about to try a winter whitewash camo finish on a Panzer IV using the hair spray method and have a question.

The procedure is to apply the base color coat, then the hair spray, then the whitewash. After that you scrub the white paint off to simulate the water based paint wearing in service.

My question is - when should I apply the decals, before the hair spray or after scrubbing? If after, should I drybrush the white over the decal?

I see some original photos of vehicles where the soldiers applied the whitewash around the national insignia and vehicle number but not always.

Thanks for any suggestions.

[Richard]

The short answer is, it depends.  I've done decals before and after chipping.  If you're going to do them before the chipping you'll need to protect them from the hairspray and the rubbing.  A couple coats of a clear varnish ought to do the trick.  So here's how I would do it:  paint, clear coat, decals, clear coat, hairspray (or other chipping medium), whitewash, then a top dull coat.

For your first time, I might suggest doing the decals after the chipping; but you do you!

 

 

[TonyD]

Thanks Richard! I'll try that as a starting point and go from there.