The Little World

As a kid I encountered the term ” dirt poor “. A lot of you know it as well – though we probably wouldn’t describe ourselves as such if we are building scale model kits or reading this on a computer screen. I would like to introduce a new phrase: ” Dirt Rich “.

It describes a modeller who has so many half-used bottles of acrylic paint that they could make a dirt wash for a full-sized Caterpillar D-9 tractor-no problems. The paint is probably not even brown, but if you pour enough of the dregs together you will end up with just that colour.

I would also like to go on to a further phrase; ” Dirt Rich And Swimming In Meths “. It’s an appealing picture, isn’t it? Because I’ve discovered that I do not need to buy $ 15.95 bottles of specialist thinner for these old acrylics – Diggers Meths from Bunnings does just as well for weathering washes.

The best part of it is the basic fact of life; everything gets dirty. Even Julie Andrews collects a rime around the edges if she goes too long between baths. All you need to do to make something look real is observe where the dirt collects and spray some brown paint there. In the case of Ms. Andrews, ask permission first.

I note that the hobby shop is rich in dirt as well – MIG, Tamiya, Vallejo, and Uncle Tom Cobley and all seem to make special pigments, pastes, washes and pencils to muck up your models. This is probably a boon for the dedicated weatherist but quite frankly I find them too confusing. If I had access to some of the Florey washes or pigments I would try them – perhaps an Australian dealership will eventually be arranged. The US and Canada can now order these products from a firm in Colorado. For now we are denied them by the exorbitant viral freight rates.

I also noted a flaw in my own character – I tended to go too far with some of the effects. This was probably because the practice was new to me – like a teenager I was overdoing things. I have started to quit before there is enough paint on the model and it’s improved the result.