Not far off done now!
First up, the decals from A.M.P. They are very nicely done, ALPS printed so they are very sharp despite being so small. I think I paid between £5 and £7 for them, can't quite remember as it was in Euros, which is perhaps a little steep given just how tiny they are, however I'd still recommend them as technically no Type VII is complete without them.
Once the decals had been set and given a matt coat, I began the chipping process. To do this I actually started with not far off pure white, although it's an older bottle so was more of an off white. This would normally be too light really but given the weathering process I will be using, it will darken them down a lot.
I then went round with some Tamiya Brown and filled inside the white chips leaving some white around the edges to give a 3D effect. This is an armour trick I've learnt very recently, but it's something I wish I'd known years ago lol.
I then did the usual rust streaking using Railmatch Bauxite followed by some Tamiya Dark Yellow staining.
I randomly applied some patches of Mud Brown wash, followed by an overall coat of Dark Dirt.
This was then repeatedly streaked downwards with a large, soft, wet brush. Takes a while but really works nicely. It also gets caught in the matt texture to give a nice grimy look.
I then finally added a few streaks of Light wash to give the effect of salt staining.
Super pleased with the outcome, it just needs a final coat of matt, then I can start on the guns. My crew has also been dispatched so hopefully they'll be here next week.