Sandtrooper - weathering pt1

Okay, thought i'd show you how i'm going about things and i'll be showing you what i did with the shoulder bells:

I mix up on a paper plate a splodge of Burnt Umber and a splodge of Raw Umber. I then dip a torn off bit of sponge into the Burnt Umber and heavily mottle it all over the armour. I also dip into the Raw Umber if i want a dark area every so often:

All the guides tell you to wait 5 mins but i've found that far too long on smaller areas like this, and it takes a heck of a lot of rubbing to remove it. I leave it for about half that, then start to remove it by wiping in a circular fashion with an old flannel. Its messy at first, but as i continue, thicker areas are left and i tends to leave them as and when they appear, adding to the natural form to things:

When i've got to a point where i think the encrustations and weathering are nearly thee, i stop - as seen on the bell on the right:

Trouble is, i've this nasty smeary Burnt Umber all over. So i remove it with a clean bit of kitchen towel. Which leaves my with the left bell - far, far too white areas comparec to the rest. To get round that, and blend everything in, i've found that lightly dabbing at the armour with a non- washed out, still heavily laden flannel, i get a nice, subtle discolouring:

Next up, adding the grey and the yellow.