Armour Workshop

here is a pic I saw on ebay today really begs the question, Is all these weathering effects like chips, just a bunch of bollocks?

You really need therapy about this chip dilemma mate. Hasn't this been discussed before?
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=416
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=279
But, in short, yes, in my view they are a load of bollocks. Particularly the type of chips that are so popular.
Overall, there really only appears to be two situations where chipping would occur. If a surface is violently struck, or if the painted material has been poorly primed, as in the alloy elevation housing on the Flak 38 in the second link above.
Wear would be the far more realistic form of 'weathering' to depict. In my mind, the best way to understand appropriate wear is to ask what is the surface made of, what is it used for and how often, what is the likelihood of it coming into contact with other objects and how etc etc.
As Roy pointed out in the first link above, many of these vehicles would never see a combat life that would bring it anywhere near an age where the elements would have such a structural impact. Also, as he pointed out, operational vehicles were well cared for and maintained.

Allan

I think weathering effects really just draw the attention to the viewer and it looks fancy. I've heard so many comments about how real it looks and is so finely detailed. Of course they say how real it looks but to accurately display most armor, those chipping effects and even rust wouldn't be so visible being their life span. However, it is still real looking in a sense being that known weathering effects are applied to the model. So it really just makes the modeler really think the theme of their kits when building, what's the setting, what has it gone through. In most instances however, I don't think chipping would occur as much as just rusting, depending on presence of primers or camouflage overcoats. These vehicles are out in the elements, oxidation is going to occur when bare metal is exposed; assuming the afv has survived long enough to rust.

I would think that chipping paint on models of vehicles and equipment is done for aesthetic reasons, and not because of whether it is realistic or not.
I dont make plastic kits anymore, I make 3d models inside a 3d modeling program.
When painting textures for computer generated 3d models, the chipping of paint is usually exaggerated but is done that way on purpose, so that the viewer/observer can more readily identify a worn/used metallic surface, as opposed to a different type of material.