1:35 Splash & Stains STENCIL

Vallejo 1:35 Splash and Stains Stencil, a stencil for splashes and stains

A stencil from the Spanish brand Vallejo with irregular shapes of spatter and smears cut into it. It serves to get splashes onto a surface that look random but have a controlled shape and a size that matches the scale. It is an aid for diorama work: it is not a covering paint, it is not a decal and it is not a kit. Paints, washes and pigments are obtained separately.

Use

• Lay the stencil on the area you want to soil and hold it with your whole palm or with tweezers at the edge.
• Apply with an airbrush perpendicular from above, as an oblique spray will run under the edge and the shape will smear.
• Build up in several thin coats until the stain has the saturation you want.
• Lift the stencil away and blend the edge of the stain lightly with a cotton swab, so that it does not look cut out.

Work tips

Splashes have a direction. Spatter from a wheel or a track always runs from the rear forward and upward, gathering at the fenders and in the corners of superstructures, not in the middle of a flat area. Use subdued, rather gray-brown tones instead of saturated colors: fresh dirt is dark and glossy, dried dirt light and flat. The stencil also works the other way round: spray a transparent flat varnish through it and once it is lifted away you get dulled patches without a single drop of paint. It can also be layered over weathering that is already done; just wait until the layer underneath has cured completely.

Who the stencil is for

• For builders of vehicles and dioramas in 1:35 who want to manage soiling without stippling by hand.
• For modelers whose hand-made splashes come out too regular and too large.
• For makers of vignettes, where dirt carries over from the terrain onto the model and the figures.

This is an aid for diorama work, not a kit or a paint. Paints, washes and pigments are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise. Ventilate and protect your airways when working with solvent-based media.