How to: Give your steam locomotives that ‘spit and polished’ look

Having dipped a cotton bud into original formula T-cut, gently polish the factory finish. Work on a few square centimetres at a time. After a few moments, use dry swabs to remove the T-cut, buffing the surface using circular motions until it shines. Leave the model overnight to allow any solvent residue to evaporate fully. Mix various enamel paints, including Humbrol Metalcote Gunmetal, and brush liberally over small areas before removing most of the paint with cotton buds in vertical strokes. Dip the swabs in a little white spirit to shift stubborn deposits, leaving traces of ‘dirt’ in recesses and around raised details. Any hard demarcations between the clean and dirty areas can be softened by a light misting of a generic dark weathering shade (such as Railmatch enamel Roof Dirt) using an airbrush. Alternatively, apply dry weathering powders with a soft brush.