Thanks guys for jumping on this! Painting and weathering is my favorite part of the building process....not just because it symbolizes the light at the end of the tunnel!

Kirk, thanks for the pictures, your jug looks great and is a good 'bar' to shoot for!! I too have used the chalks in the past and really liked them....especially the lighter ones on a dark surface...looks great....up until you clear coat and all your hard work disappears! Been there, done that, got the t-shirt! I was fearfull of thining out the testors enamel too much and affecting the paint that is already on there. I'll try a couple very very light coats and see what happens. Thanks again!

Evan, thanks for the comps, I admire your work and have often gone to your site to check out your progress!! Can never have too many warbirds.

Bob, thanks for the picture, I have that book at home...great big monsterous thing with about a dozen ww2 planes. A great resource...as well as a great weight for holding down laminated parts!
One thing that is nice about paintings is I find them a lot easier to duplicate weathering on a model from (rather than a photo). I think it's because essentially we are painting as well, on a 3d canvas.

I'll make sure I post my results when I'm finished.