Hello, I'm a jeep guy, and a WWII buff, and a modeller... I'm sure you get where I'm going with this...
anyhow, Ive got the engine almost completed, and have been taking my sweet time.

I want this jeep to look like it's definitely getting it's use, so Ive read up on putting wear on the bottom of vehicles, using a light spray of rust and then a little heavier spray of darker earth color on the undercarriage and such, but I havent seen a good way to make glods of mud like on the backs of wheel wells and clumped up in the tire treads and such... do you guys use putty or a home made mixture?

I've used partially cured plaster-of-paris for mud clumps. Once shaped let it fully cure then glue it into place and paint it, paint should cover any gaps between the plaster and the model if they're not too big. I've also seen dyes you can mix in the plaster but I've never tried them.

A few lines of thin CA heavily applied to a piece of scrap. Shoot it with accelerator so it hisses and foams up. Paint it dark glossy reddish brown for wet stuff with some dry brushed lighter flat tan for the dried mud.

One thing I notice missing from virtually all weathered vehicles of this era (military and civilian) is the rather immense quantity of oil leaking from the engines (if they ain't leakin' oil, it's because they ran out!). Motor oil doesn't really hold on to sticky, clumpy mud, but rather the sides and bottom of the engine oil pan will be black and shiny with wet oil.

Also, if the wheels are covered with clumpy mud, on a Jeep, then the axles, springs, driveshafts, transmission and transfer case will also be caked pretty good as well, also even the frame and undersides of the body--rust probably wouldn't even show, due to the crud kicked up by the tires, or clinging to the chassis due to the car being bottomed out in mudholes. The mud would also be spun, or smeared, on the steel wheels themselves, and built up in the area between the center disc of the wheel and the rim.

Just a few thoughts....

Art

I think i'll spin my cherokee in the mud to get a good look at the clumps.

what is CA? and also how do you go about making the oil leaks? I am still very new to weathering models. I also see that there are oil stains down diferrentials by the fill hole on a lot of vehicles.

For the mud, try mixing some baking soda with earth tone acrylic paints and glob it on where you need it. The cheap ones from a craft store work well. don't overdo the mud though, as it never looks right, instead, check out some trucks that spend some time on dirt or gravel roads. Mud caked in the wheels, wheelwells, (fenders) and the undersides of the bumpers is all you need. "Mudder trucks" are not typical for weathering reference.

CA=cyanoacrylate --- superglue

For the mud, try mixing some baking soda with earth tone acrylic paints and glob it on where you need it. The cheap ones from a craft store work well.
That's what I've done. It also works well for rust. Check out my "Bug to the Future"'s rust:

http://planetmyhill.com/Modelmaster/PICS/vwTimeMachine/WonderFest1
http://planetmyhill.com/Modelmaster/PICS/vwTimeMachine/body_rust5.jpg
http://planetmyhill.com/Modelmaster/PICS/vwTimeMachine/rustCU.jpg

Granted, it's not mud, but it gives you a good idea. Just paint it up in "mud colors", it'd look good! :thumbsup:

I like to mix up some PVA glue with water and add some real dirt.


When it dries, it look's just like the real thing and the glue keeps it in place.

I've got it on a WWI trench dio - I'll see if I can find some pictures.

Mike