Com-Art 'Real Deal' Weathering Kit Review
By Dave Manter
| Date of First Look | December 2013 | Manufacturer | Com-Art |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subject | Com-Art 'Real Deal' Weathering Kit | Pros | Transparency allows some very subtle effects |
| Cons | Inconsistent from bottle to bottle | MSRP (USD) | $37.99 |
Review
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The Com-Art paint line is marketed by Iwata Medea. These colors are non-toxic and ready to airbrush right out of the bottle. The 10 colors included in this set are:
- Dark Rust
- Light Rust
- Raw Sienna
- Old Oil
- Blue Gray Smoke
- Transparent Smoke
- Light Dust
- Soft Dirt
- Fertile Soil
- White
The first thing that I noticed upon open each bottle was how very, very thin the paint was. I sprayed each of the weathering colors over a base of dark red and a medium gray shade. Each was sprayed with a Grex airbrush set at 18 pounds of air pressure. Most of the colors sprayed well, but the bottles varied in thickness from color to color. I keep the airbrush the same throughout my testing. I did not change air pressure or attempt to dilute the paint.
The only bottle that is labeled as transparent is the black, but all of the colors except for the light dust and the white are transparent requiring numerous layers to build up the color. The white and the light dust colors were noticeably thicker in consistency.
The paint sprayed well and was easy to clean up between each color change using Iwata Medea Airbrush Cleaner.
I did try to spray several of the colors onto bare styrene but this paint will need a base or primer coat. After letting it dry for several hours, I did my normal "tape test" to check how well the paint sticks to the subject. Much of this paint lifted off using Tamiya low tack masking tape. It will need to be protected under a coat of clear.
While this set is designed to weather model railroad rolling stock and such, it can be used for many different subjects. It will take some experimenting to be able to use it in a consistent manner. This paint is designed for airbrush use. A lot of the samples included in the tip book show it being applied by brush and manipulated before it dries.
I really liked the smoke and the blue gray smoke colors. These work really well for post shading. I also liked the shades of the dirt and soil colors.
My sincere thanks to Chicago Airbrush Supply for this review sample.