Tamiya Weathering Stick Review

 
I'm always looking for new ways to save time in painting. For me it's the end product - a decently painted model - that is the objective of the exercise. While I enjoy the process fine, I'm not an "artist" in the sense that I need to take huge amounts of time to paint.

This is why I'm always on the lookout for products that can save me time while producing a good result. Recently we've been converted to weathering powders as a cool way to weather models efficiently and attractively. My former process had been to drybrush up brown paint (GW Scorched Earth and Bestial Brown from the former range) from the bottoms of vehicles upwards to represent mud and dirt, and that works OK. I've also used texture gels to represent mud and clag on armoured vehicles but this is sometimes a fraught process since a) I have to remember to apply the "mud" before I even prime the model, and b) I still have to PAINT the mud.

Step forward, Tamiya Weathering Sticks! Available in two flavours, "Mud" and "Snow". I sampled the Mud variety after an impulse purchase on eBay - less than $10 with free shipping from Hong Kong.

What you get is a moist pigment in a pen that works much like a glue stick - in fact, the pigment is about the same texture as the "UHU" that we all know and love from our school days. Just twist up a bit of pigment and dab it on the model. It produces an opaque colour and if you apply a bit of pressure, creates a 3D mud effect. The pigment remains moist for a few minutes so you can smear it around or even remove it with a moist tissue. It dries on contact with air to a durable finish. The colour is not gaudy and is a great match to most environments. I think I will continue to use it as a step in the weathering process. Here are a few pictures of the product applied to my Howling Griffons Rhinos and Land Raider:

Tamiya also make a similar product in "cake" form, looking much like your wife's (or your) makeup compact. Each set comes with three colours and an applicator tool. I might try those as well.