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In-Box Review
Vallejo Dust Washes
Vallejo European Earth and Oiled Earth Dust wash
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by: Andras [ SPONGYA ]

Introduction

Acrylic weathering products, while being very attractive due to not being hazardous, tend to have a big issue: surface tension. Solvent-based products, washes spread much better, and they do not tend to leave “tide-marks” like water-based products do; therefore I was pretty interested in how Vallejo’s dust washes perform.
In short: very well.
(OK, you can stop reading the review if this is all what you wanted.)

Review

I used the road wheels of an old Panther build and left unfinished to see how these washes perform on a complex surface. I simply applied them with an overloaded brush, and let them dry. The wash spread nicely, just like a solvent-based wash. The results are nice: subtle, dusty look.
Photo 1

The second and third photo shows the difference between treated and untreated road wheels for the two washes (one of the reason I chose this as a test-bed: to have a control group right next to the treatment group), and the fourth photo shows the differences between the European earth wash straight from a bottle (1), light application (somewhat diluted with water) (2), and nothing (3).

The fifth photo shows the results of three consecutive, heavy applications.

It might be a good look for a vehicle in very dusty, dry environment, but probably not the best way to use it the product like this.

Conclusion

The best way to use these washes is to form a subtle accumulation of dust in crevices, not flooding the surface with them. As a general rule: using more than one technique with a light touch to achieve a certain look will more likely create a realistic finish than using just one technique with a heavy hand. This means that these washes will not provide a single step solution for creating dusty-looking surfaces, but they do make your job easier.
SUMMARY
Highs: non-toxic, non-smelling wash for dusty surfaces.
Lows:
Verdict:
Percentage Rating
85%
  Scale: N/A
  PUBLISHED: Jul 22, 2020
NETWORK-WIDE AVERAGE RATINGS
  THIS REVIEWER: 85.17%
  MAKER/PUBLISHER: 89.25%

About Andras (spongya)
FROM: BUDAPEST, HUNGARY

I am a biologist by trade, and as a hobby I've been building scale models for the last twenty years. Recently I started to write reviews of the models I bought. These reviews are written from the point of view of an average model builder; hence the focus is on quality of the model, how easy it is to...

Copyright ©2021 text by Andras [ SPONGYA ]. All rights reserved.



Comments

Szia András! Köszi a bemutatót,tervben van a kipróbálása,sokat segített a tapasztalatod! Hi András! Thanks for the presentation, plan the testing, helped me a lot to the experience!
JUL 24, 2020 - 07:02 AM
Glad you liked it (and glad to find a fellow countryman here). Realistic dust is somewhat of a mistery for me still, so I am quite keen on experimenting; more will come most likely.
JUL 26, 2020 - 05:33 PM
Andras, Just saw this today so sorry for the late comment but I would concur with your review. I just finished using #514 Dark Brown Wash on the Faun L900 I'm working on and it was excellent. I have always had a bit of difficulty in not lifting the initial paint when using mineral spirits and Humbrol pin washes or any of the pre-made enamel washes so thought I would give this a try. Didn't cause any issues with earlier coats of paint and the flow was somewhere between Humbrol washes and plain water. I think they probably have added some flow enhancer to reduce water tension. Anyway, thanks for the review!! Cheers, Rick
AUG 09, 2020 - 12:12 PM
   
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