First, I washed all the parts

First, I washed all the parts in warm soapy water and rinsed them (I cut the large parts from the sprue with sprue cutters, but washed the small parts still attached to the sprue).

Next, I applied two thin washes of acrylic Burnt Umber to the wood portions of the tower. (I used a generic acrylic paint from my local arts and crafts store.) You can already start to see some variation in the wood boards. To me, the second coat made enough of a difference take the time to put it on.

After this, I highlighted a few of the boards to break up the solid brown color.

Finally, I applied brown and black weathering chalk to the walls to simulate the tower being in service for many years.

Step 1 Compete

After sealing all the parts with Dullcote, I assembled all the parts for step 1.

I'm very happy with how the weathering turned out.  I'm also planning on putting lights on the tower, so I drilled all the holes for lamps and wires.  It pays to think ahead a little bit for some of the weathering as some areas would be hard to reach after the kit is fully assembled.

I'll also need to touch up some raw edges once the kit is assembled.

Looks good

I just got this kit when I purchased my turntable so your post is timely for me. I'm involved with the installation of the TT right now but plan on starting the kit soon. Nice job so far. Looking forward to seeing your continued progress.

Michael