I really like Kitmaker and Shipwrights in particular. I want to see it healthy and growing so that I may continue to enjoy it.

I had previously said, "There's a million ways to skin a cat and I want to see them all. Even the ones that don't work well, or at all." This is a call to everyone especially the "lurkers", beginner and intermediate modelers.

You like what you see here…you want to see more…start a topic, ask a question, give your 2cent opinion, post an item or link that others may find interesting, post your unpainted snap tight with crooked and torn decals. It will encourage less skilled modelers to post their work and stroke the egos of the advanced. Then we all will be reminded that this manufacturer's decals are particularly thin and brittle. Perhaps identify that an additive or recycle content makes for gluing problems. Remind us what happens when you paint enamel over acrylic, or is it the manufacturers new mold release?

I am sure that even the best modeler has a recent build that won't be entered into a contest, but offers a learning experience. Making rust was probably somebody dusting over a freshly painted model. When a friend came over instead of criticizing about painting in a dust free environment, he said jeez if that dust was iron oxide red it would look like it had been weathered on a beach.

In short if we as modelers haven't been there we will be there at some point. Getting participation from all skill levels will make this site grow, beginner modelers in particular are the future of this site and our hobby.

One of the things I like about shipwrights is the friendly, uncompetitive atmosphere. There seems to me to be an unwritten rule that criticism is only given when asked for and even then gentle and encouraging. Sure you can have you rivets counted if you like and if you ask someone can probably tell you just how many and give you three references.

Constructive criticism delivered in a positive and encouraging way, collaboration, and sharing even the embarrassments, lead to innovations and inspirations.

Redshirt,

Is that how people make rust on their builds, iron oxide? I ask becuase I don't know. I mainly build my kits as they would look from the paint shop. I don't have a whole lot of imagination. I am interested in how others make the great kits that are shown.

I make a mix using MM burnt sienna witha little steel. I have seen some fancy rust making systems out there that really look great, and I have heard of folks using real rust making a powder out of it and dry-brushing/dusting it on. Rust is something you can easily go way overboard on. I generally don't put it on my ships as the crew usually doesn't allow much to occur and in 350 scale it would be difficult to model in..Generally my rust goes on my 35th scale tanks and even then sparingly.

Sorry Redshirt...didn't men to hijack your thread.

You made an excellent comment though, but I'm not totally sure it will get read here. You may want to make some similar post on the big one about the staffers poll if you haven't done so already.

Wildspear, that was a fictitious example, I was trying to illustrate how mistakes disasters ect can lead to innovations.
If you Google Kitmaker using “Rust Technique” you will get 137 matches, some are techniques some are products.
A recent feature on weathering The boats of pier 51 has some good ideas for ships
http://modelshipwrights.kitmaker.net//features/1319&page=1

the article where I think I actually read the word dust is in Varnish weathering here
Turkorama Armor
http://turkorama.kitmaker.net//features/1501

Blaster I though of posting there but I thought it would be off topic after consultation I was directed to post it here. I would like it to get a broad audience as well.
No worries on hijacking- wild Spear gets a quick answer!