I've a fair bit of airbrushing kit in for review at the moment so needed a project or two to test it on. From the maturing cupboard, I found a nearly completed Parkside LMS van which seemed like a good candidate.
First up, a spray with Railmatch LMS bauxite. This is noticeably less red than the red oxide printer I usually employ and like all their paints dries to a transfer-friendly semi-matt finish.To be honest, with Press-fix lettering this isn't required, but waterslide is a different matter.
Anyway, weathering started with dry-brush of dark grey (Humbrol 67) then a wash of Lifecolor dark brown acrylic. This blobbed on the surface rather horribly, repulsed by the smooth paint. A quick spray of Testors Dullcote sorted that and with a microscopically rough finish, the paint flowed well into the nooks and crannies. After drying, the effect was pretty good. Many people would have stopped there.
I couldn't of course so once the acrylic was dry, there was much spraying with enamels - pale brown lower down, black up top and track colour everywhere. These came out a bit subtle so I may wish to revisit the model again one day. As it is, the browns are pale enough that this is probably a wagon running in the summer when the rain doesn't turn dirt to sludge.