When painting models, what is the toothpaste technique?

The toothpaste technique is very similar to the hairspray chipping technique and achieves roughly the same effects.

The principle is to apply a basecoat that will eventually be seen through the finished topcoat to replicate damage or wear. The technique is best employed when trying to replicate small areas of detail such as stone chips, rust patches, accident scrapes and the like.

An example of the technique is when a model vehicle is initially painted with patches of prototypical rust or metal colour. Once dry, a conservative amount of toothpaste is then applied to the areas that are to show through. The final topcoat representing the vehicle's colour is then applied and left to dry.

With the toothpaste now sandwiched, the top and bottom coats are isolated from one another and cannot bond. A little light agitation of the topcoat with a damp cotton bud is all that's needed for it to 'chip' away, just as it would in real life, leaving behind the original rust or metal effect paintwork that you applied earlier.

That is the basic principles of the toothpaste technique, however, practice is required to perfect the fished effect, so don't reach for your favourite model just yet until you have had a few goes first!