ACRYLIC FILTER Violet

AMMO of Mig Jimenez Acrylic Filter Violet

A filter changes the overall cast of a painted surface. This one carries a violet shade, a position used to deepen shadows and to knock back gray and blue-gray finishes that are too raw. A violet filter is also a common choice on dark areas, where a black product would look dead.

Where the filter belongs in the sequence

With weathering, the order of the steps matters as much as the choice of product. The filter comes up only after the base coat is finished, ideally on a tacky gloss or satin varnish, and before the heavier steps. A typical sequence looks like this: base color, any panel shading, gloss varnish, decals, varnish again, and only then the filter. After it come a wash into the engraved lines, knocking the edges back with a dry brush and finally pigments and a top matte varnish. Anyone who puts the filter right at the end will drown out their own washes and lose the detail they worked so hard to create. And anyone who puts it straight onto bare plastic without varnish loses the chance to correct anything, because without a separating layer a filter cannot safely be wiped away.

Use

• Lay it on only over a finished and fixed base coat, not on bare plastic
• Stir the bottle thoroughly before use
• Work in thin coats and wipe the surplus away while the medium has not yet dried
• Bring in the wash, the dry brush and the pigments after the filter, not before it
• Close the whole sequence with a top varnish in the sheen you want

Who it is for

For modelers who plan their weathering as a sequence of steps, not as a one-off intervention. The violet shade is not there for its own sake either: on cool finishes it makes a depth that simply darkening with black cannot give.

Keep out of the reach of children. Work in a ventilated room, protect your eyes and skin and wash your hands after work. Close the bottle carefully after use.