The Little World

I wish I had a vial of dirt from every continent. Then I could mix up weathering paint colours accurately. As it is, I use red paints for Australia and neutral browns for Europe. Not sure what Montana looks like under the grass.

But nothing daunted, I decided to get the Ford dirty. An acrylic wash was run down the engine block and left to pool under the crankcase. Sprayed dirt flung up under the chassis – then more sprayed onto the undersides of the running boards.

I use the technique of propping the chassis up so that the wheels roll freely, then rotate them by hand as I spray dust and dirt – the rotation distributes the effect as it would on the road. The last layer, put on just before it is mounted, will be on the treads.

One saving grace for this Minicraft model is the fact that it will show hard knocks – and the foolishly complex door and bonnet hinges that could never be made well for a showroom model will be disguised under a plausible layer of dirt. Some kit designers should never have been given their heads.