STEAM ROBOT CONVERSION                            Page 2

Since I was going to change the color I decided I would give the whole thing a coat of primer gray to start with.  This would also allow me to see how well I had done in the sanding and bodywork.  Here's where I made a mistake that fortunately turned out better than expected!  I found I had only one can of  primer left, Krylon brand, and it was almost empty and probably about eight years old.  Not being in the mood to run off to the paint store I decided to use it I shook it up and sprayed a little into the trash can, it seemed okay but I did not pay that close attention.  I shook it up a bit more and started to spray the model.  About halfway through to my horror as it started to dry I noticed that the paint was leaving a finish that was very bumpy, the paint was going bad!  At this point I thought about trying to clean the paint off and starting again with a new can, but as it was a lacquer based paint I worried that the paint thinner used to remove the paint would damage the model.  I decided to finish spraying and see how bad it looked afterwards.  After letting it dry for about an hour I looked at the model.  It looked a bit like an uneven fine grade of sandpaper. The little sand like grains were more rounded than sharp and I realized that it looked a lot like the rough iron finish of the period that I was trying to duplicate. I brought up the airbrush and some flat black and sprayed the model again.  It was looking good.  I decided to some gray for accent on the arms and leg's, as all-black was too much.  I did a couple of weathering washes and then sprayed the entire thing with a semi gloss.  When I put on the semi gloss the model came alive, it looked exactly like the rough iron of the period! One of the best mistakes I have ever made, I wish I could do it again.

One of the presents that my wife got me for Christmas was a set of pastel chalks for aging and weathering.  I used these and a couple of different ways to achieve the rustiness throughout the model.  I I did some detail painting, gave the model another coat of semi gloss, and called it a day more than satisfied with the results. 

 I can't wait to get this baby out on the field of honor. This model is Great for most people straight out of the box, but for me? are you kidding!

If you would like to see a side by side comparison of the before and after and some other detail pictures go on to the next page.