Weathering Water-Based Paint Gouache Basic Black

Gunze Weathering Water-Based Paint Gouache Basic Black

Weathering Water-Based Paint Gouache Basic Black is a black water-based Gunze weathering gouache, supplied in a tube in a paste-like consistency. It serves for working up dirt and shadows on a finished coat, not for painting a model over its whole surface; depending on how much water is added it gives a deep soot as well as a barely noticeable gray veil.

Typical use

• Smoke traces behind exhausts, barrels and nozzles.
• Darkening hollows, grooves and the shadows under rivets.
• Greasy and oily patches around engine covers.
• Soiling the controls in an interior and in a cockpit.

Procedure and tips

A fresh application stays soluble in water, so there is plenty of time for the work: take the brush strokes in the direction of the airflow or of the runoff and weaken the excess with a damp sponge. Black is very strong, so build the effect on several light coats rather than on one dark one. On a glossy surface the traces spread differently from a matte one, which is worth trying out to one side.

Who it suits

Modelers who want to finish the final dirt controllably and without solvents. Before applying it, check that water does not attack the coat underneath, and once it is dry go over the finished model with a covering varnish.

Pure black soot on a model rarely looks true. Real traces of combustion have a tinge toward gray and brown, so the basic black tone is often mixed with the ocher or dark brown gouache of the same line. Save the deep black for the darkest core of the trace right at the mouth of a nozzle or a barrel.