Patinated models: old-new trend?

Weathering on model cars

Since mockup and modelling exists, there have always been those who were not satisfied with the factory design, but wanted to make the vehicles as detailed and realistic as possible. This also includes soiling (also known as weathering). Many people believe that a miniature model cannot be authentic if it does not show signs of use. After all, a locomotive, tank or airplane is rarely in such a spotlessly clean condition as the manufacturers release them, and it is the same with racing cars. In the past there have been also attempts by manufacturers to make patinated cars, but it looks like this new trend is starting to come into view, thanks to Minichamps.

What exactly weathering is? Why is it important on models? How is it made? We will discuss this in the next few chapters.

What do we call dirty edition or finish line edition?

There is no need to overthink it, as this is a completely ordinary phenomenon. Just like when we take a long trip on the motorway, racing cars also get dirty during a race. Formula 1 cars also collect similar dirt during a race, while they race around the track at hundreds of kilometers per hour for one and a half to two hours. Brake dust settles on the tires and rims, traces of gravel are visible on the bodywork. And during rainy races, the cars can get significantly muddy by the end of the race. Last but not least, the tires also wear out during the race and the racing drivers like to pick up the scraps of tires after the chequered flag in order to gain a few dekas at the weighing.

Patina in mockup

Although many people have only recently encountered Minichamps patinated model cars, it is worth to note that the Germans were not the first to try it. Making dirty mockups is almost as old as modeling itself. At first it was started by enthusiastic modelers, but later some manufacturers also tried it at the factory, with more or less success. Mokup makers/modellers say that the real specialty is what they make themselves with different painting techniques and accessories. It is difficult to argue with this, since the soiling made in this way will be unique in each case. For instance, no two battle tanks accumulate dirt in exactly the same way. Model makers like to do this themselves also because this way they contribute too to the final appearance of the model or mockup.

How to make a model car to look dirty?

This topic is so intricate that it could fill not just a blog post, but an entire book. However, we'll only give you a brief overview of how and with what products you can achieve this. It might seem complicated, but in the end "only" two things are needed: paint and excellent manual dexterity.

Assembling, painting, and applying stickers to a model requires good manual dexterity. However, if one wants to make the miniatures look dirty, they must be particularly skilled and patient. The smaller the scale, the more challenging it is to achieve precise dirt effects.

In most cases, paint is used for minor dirtiness, which is thoroughly diluted and applied very thinly to the model with a brush or paint sprayer. And they even repeat this with another shade of color to achieve the best possible effect. This is the basic staining technique that modelers like to use and that you can even try at home, as there are plenty of demonstration videos on the internet and the tools are easy to get.

For more serious stains, such as soil or mud, pigment mixtures or readymade products for modeling are used. Scratches can be applied to cars with the tip of a scalpel or various fine scraping tools. But there are also modelers who corode the paint with chemicals to simulate paint wear. There are also quite crazy solutions, for example, someone grinds crayons into powder and applies it to the rims to create the effect of burnt brake dust.

In summary, in addition to paints and various home practices, readymade soiling materials such as earth, mud or rust are also available. For model makers, the possibilities are almost endless, as the only limits are creativity and imagination. However, it is important to emphasize that if you want to try these techniques at home, do not experiment with your most beloved model cars first, but rather with a donor car.

Patinated Formula 1 cars

In previous years, there have been instances where patinated editions of cars from other racing series were released. Spark has released some of the most famous Endurance winning cars too in dirty version. Although they belong to a completely different price category, Amalgam has also produced some amazingly well patinated sports cars. Of course, this chance could not be omitted in the rally model cars either, but surprisingly, the manufacturers did not deal with this for a long time. But the good news is that IXO will be releasing 1:18 rally cars that already look like they've been completed few stages.

But what about Formula 1 cars? In the past, it wasn't typical for manufacturers to release patinated cars, although there were some refreshing exceptions, such as Hot Wheels' special edition of 2004 Constructors' Champion Ferrari. However, this was also a unique case rather than a new emerging trend. Mostly, only enthusiastic modelers and mockup makers created their own versions, but we can't say that dirtying Formula 1 cars was ever a trend.

The breakthrough came a few years ago when Minichamps released Lewis Hamilton's 2020 Turkish Grand Prix winning car. This car was special not only because the Briton secured his seventh world championship title in this race, but also because by the end of the race, which was organized in changing weather conditions, Hamilton actually wore the intermediate tires to slicks. The German manufacturer saw a market gap in this and decided to release patinated cars in 1:12, 1:18 and 1:43 scale.

After Hamilton's car, some world champion Formula 1 cars were also re-released as "dirty versions", followed by the remake of Ayrton Senna's racing cars, which were also patinated. This effort is far more welcome than their showcar series, which is difficult to comprehend. However, is the quality on par with the concept?

Obviously, by mass-produced models, the dirtying will never be as precise and thorough as a experienced and enthusiastic modeler could do, but these dirtyings are still of a rather wavering quality. Many times, looking at these model cars, we felt that they did not pay enough attention to the details. Even their first such attempt was more of a smile for many than impressive, as their racing dirt made Hamilton's Mercedes look dusty rather than muddy.

Even in the world championship editions, there were some to which we can say they are patinated only with enthusiasm even though they know very well how to do it good. For example, there is the Williams FW18, that was made quite good - although we don't understand how the rear wing could have remained snow white. Oil, brake dust and other impurities became quite conspicious on the side of the car, while in the case of the 1993 Williams, only a very small amount of dirt can be found on the front wing and the side box. Unfortunately, this fluctuating trend did not change much later either. For example, in the current Senna series, on the tragic accident participant FW16 car, they did not pay enough attention to the details either. The rims and tire sidewalls look too dirty for a race car that has completed only 6 laps, it's not lifelike. In addition, the sidewalls of the tires and the rims are equally dirty, while the car itself is almost as clean as if it had just rolled out of the factory. It would be gracious to pay attention on this.

Summary

With more attention, Minichamps could probably achieve better results, but it is still to be welcomed that they have started to release model cars of this kind. And why is this good for collectors? Since racing car miniatures are released in clean condition, a patinated car can be a real curiosity in the collection. Especially if it's a race you have a happy memory of, or a model of a driver or car that's your personal favorite. We don't want to convince you or dissuade you from it, since the point is that everyone should buy the model car they like. In any case, it is certainly to be welcomed that a new option has been added to the range of collectable model cars.