The philosophy behind the Special Modifications feature is simple: to make small enhancements to 3 3/4" figures while remaining faithful to their original store-bought aesthetics.
While I was initially happy with the weathering job I did on my Vintage Collection VC25 R2-D2, that satisfaction has waned over time. The weathering powder did a great job of providing some realistic 'grit' (and conveniently obscuring the disappointing plastic discolouration), but it was never going to work well as a permanent solution. By necessity, the weathering powder needs some sort of fixative - usually in the form of a spray-on clear coat. Unfortunately, the design of R2 didn't permit this. I'd hoped some careful handling would be enough to maintain the weathering, but alas it very quickly wore off over time.
My first weathering attempt (left) using weathering dust, compared with my second attempt (right) using a 50/50 wash.
So a new solution was required. And after weathering our recent Xcavations acquisitions with a 50/50 wash of Tamiya Acrylic Brown XF72 and water, I decided to try the same approach on R2. I'm rapt with the result, and see it as a marked improvement on my first attempt. In fact, I already have plans to treat another figure with this exact same method...
