Weathering a John Deere #80 Back Blade

This project started with an Ertl Precision #80 John Deere back blade in 1/6th scale.

My goal is always to take a perfectly painted, out of the box, model and do my best to pretty much ruin it. The result is a hyper-realistic model that shows years of wear, rust, grease and abuse. Follow along, and when you are finished, you too will have a work of art that simply cannot be pulled out of a box, you will have a one-of-a-kind masterpiece.

Here is shiny new blade before I started:

Figure 1. New blade, front view.

Figure 2. New blade, rear view.

The first step is to disassemble enough parts so that you can spray all of the nooks and crannies. For this step I removed the screws that attached the angle positioning of the main beam. I take a lot of pre-disassemble reference photos. As far as the screws go, I never re-use them because they are out of scale and end up looking like giant screws that you would need a 4-foot-long screwdriver to remove. I either replace them with brass rods or fill in the screw heads with Vallejo Plastic Putty #70.401 and sand flush.

Figure 3. Removing parts for easier applications of paints and weathering materials.

I always find the factory paint on most die cast models to be too thick to look real. Thick paint has a bad habit of hiding many of the finer details of the model. For this piece I started by sanding it down with increasingly fine sandpaper. For areas that I know I am going to add severe rust and corrosion, like the cutting edge, I will remove the factory paint entirely. It's always a good idea, where possible, to, "break the factory gloss." If there is one thing that screams, "fake toy tractor," it’s the shine.

Be careful of the logos on the factory model. These are pad printed and not decals. This is an advantage, because unlike decals, you can sand down the pad printed logos. On all of the older John Deere equipment we have on our farm, the yellow logos fade differently than the base coat of green. They tend to fade to a very light, almost white color. In places they have either faded or have been just plain worn away. To model this, very carefully sand them with very fine grits until you get the aged effect you are looking for.

After sanding and removing paint in areas I want to rust, I give the model two fine coats of a dull spray.

I used to exclusively use a product made by Testor's, aptly named,"Testor's Dullcoat." Don't buy it. For reasons that are beyond explanation, in recent years the product simply is no longer dull. In many instances, I have found that it adds gloss. I even went so far as to order it from two different sources, thinking they were mislabeled or I had a bad batch. Testor's Dullcoat is no longer dull. Instead, I use a similar product from a company called Army Painter Matt Varnish. True to its name, it will give you a nice dull finish. This is essential, not only for the overall look of the model, but also because it acts as a paint “purchase” layer, allowing the products you will use in the next steps to adhere to the model.

Figure 4. Adding first layer of rust to the cutting edge.

After sanding and dulling, I added my first layer of rust to the bare metal of the cutting blade. When I looked at my back blade sitting in the fencerow, this is the area that has acquired the most rust and corrosion. This makes sense, because like a plow moldboard or landside, they run in the dirt and end up with an "earth shine," that quickly rusts.

For this step, I applied Valljo Game Effects Dry Rust #72.136 with a brush. I let it dry, Next, I added a thinned second coat of the same and while the paint was still wet, I applied a mix of weathering powders to achieve the look I was after. I mix my powders in a try and try to flick them on, as opposed to brushing. If you try and brush the dry powders into the wet paint you will just end up with a smeary mess of unconvincing goo. Take your time, pre-mix your weathering powders and try to dust them onto the wet paint. Thicker is better because you can just shake off the excess.

Figure 5. My weathering powder mixing set-up. I use weathering powers from Bragadon.

At this stage I start to rusting, chipping and grease. I use a fine brush and use one color paint at a time then add powders while still wet. The first application is Dry Rust. Once I am happy with this, I will move on to a different rust color and do the same in different areas. In this case, the second color I used was Vallejo Mecha Rust Texture, #69.821, the third was Vallejo Game Color, Rust #72.609 and the fourth was Vallejo Mecha Weathering, Light Rust #74.505.

You can see that rust in areas that are caused where water collects, like the top of the back brace bar, is a different color and consistency than the heavy, darker rust of the cutting edge. As I plan my attack on the model, I am always thinking about three things: gravity, rain and sun. I rust in streaks, emulating how the rain will carry the rust down. I will go lighter on areas that are more exposed to the sun and will appear more faded.

Once I am satisfied with the rust and corrosion, I will move on to grease and grime. On this implement, it is easy to see where the grease would accumulate over the years. I chose the mechanisms where the blade rotates and where things move. I used a dark rust cut with a few drops of black. I then added darker rust compounds in thick layers to look like years of built-up grime.  Once satisfied, I move my attention to water staining. to achieve this look I use a product called Panel Liner Accent color in black by Tamiya. Go easy on this stuff, as its thin as water. You can see how I got that convincing waterfall of rust and grime on the back of the blade.

Figure 6. Showing various layers of rust and grime. I used liquid mask to keep the small back JD logos free of some of my more aggressive applications. I peel it off later. For this I used Vallejo Liquid Mask #28.850.

Figure 7. Here is the font of the blade. Note it shows where the operator ran into rocks, and it blistered the paint that then rusted. You can also see how I weathered areas of constant use, like the three-point pins, the area where the top link connects and all the dings where some ham-fisted operator kept banging into the cross bar, as he tried to hook it up. My real back blade has a bent handle, so I couldn't resist bending the one on the model.

Figure 8. This close-up slows the many different shades, colors and densities of rust and corrosion I used. Note the thick grime and grease where the main beam enters the back casting.

Figure 9. The finished #80 John Deere back blade before installing on a tractor. You can see that I didn't spare much of the factory paint.

Figure 10. The finished model on the back of a well-used John Deere 720.

The key to realism of this degree is variability and keen observation of the real McCoy.

I find it helpful to keep notes on what I use and how I apply it as I move through the project. You might mess up a few as you hone your skills, but really, so what. You can always strip them and start over. Have at it!