Pigments
Now was the time to apply the first round of pigments to the lower hull. I mixed up several light colours in a 35mm film container to get a light dry dusty mud effect.
This was then picked up with an old No 6 round brush and tapped onto the hull sides. I find this is the best way the model being turned onto its side so the vertical surface is now horizontal. A No4 round brush was then used to apply Tamiya thinner X20 to wet the pigment and once dry this fixes it in place. This method was used for both sides and also for the front and rear but in the latter two stages only at the bottom and slightly higher up the sides.
This mix was then applied to the tracks on the external surfaces and allowed to dry.
Using Lifecolor browns, tans and rust colours the tracks were painted with stippling motion and mixing up the colours to give a non-uniform appearance. I then gave the whole track a wash with diluted track wash and when dry this had erased all the previous work. I reapplied some of the pigment in random manner and left it to dry.