ATOM Chipping Effect 20mL

AMMO ATOM Chipping Effect, 20 ml

Careful, this is not a paint. Chipping Effect is an auxiliary medium, an odorless liquid you apply between two coats of paint. The top coat then only has to be dampened with water and it can be lifted and scraped away under control, revealing the paint lying beneath. The result is wear, flaked paint and battered edges that look like real use rather than painted dots. It is the counterpart of the well-known hairspray technique, only with a medium made for exactly this job. The manufacturer lists it among auxiliary products, not among paints. The volume is 20 ml.

Step-by-step procedure

• 1. The lower coat. Spray an acrylic paint in the shade the future wear is meant to have: rust, factory primer, bare metal, an older coat. Let it dry thoroughly.
• 2. Chipping Effect. Apply a thin coat of the medium with an airbrush over the dried base and let it dry. A second coat can be applied if needed.
• 3. The top color. Spray the final acrylic shade, and do so in thin coats. Heavily applied paint later peels away in ugly sheets.
• 4. Activation with water. Once it is dry, dampen the surface with water, wait a moment for the water to reach the medium and then work gently with a stiff brush, a toothpick or another pointed tool. The top coat starts to release and reveals the paint beneath.
• 5. Controlling the result. Three things govern the degree of flaking: how much medium you applied, how thick the top color is and how long it dried before you dampened it.

How to do chipping well

Restraint decides. Chipping is done in small, targeted amounts, on edges and corners, around hatches and access covers, on walkways and grab handles, in the places a crew touches day after day. Overdone chipping scattered over the whole surface does not look like worn equipment but like a disease. Work over small areas, step back regularly and look at the model from a distance, and stop sooner rather than later, before you feel it is just right. Once it has dried you cannot take any away, but you can always add more.

Who the medium is for

For modelers of military equipment, of aircraft with worn paint, of working machines, figures and science fiction who want to create wear by layering paints rather than by painting individual scratches with a brush.

The medium is odorless and cleans up with water. Even so, work in a ventilated area, avoid contact with the eyes and keep out of the reach of children. Try the procedure out on a practice piece first, as the ratio of medium, paint and time is found by experience.