Newbie needs help with where to start...

[Ty]

Hey there... I am new to modelling (I did some when I was younger but have recently started again) I am a huge Aliens fan and have recently aquired a Halcyon APC from the Aliens movie. Construction is finished and I am now moving on to painting the model, thing is, I don't really know where to start. I want to give the model a battle scared weathering look but am unsure of where to start. Should I undercoat before applying the olive-drab and just how exactly do I go about weathering the kit, maybe with mud effects on some of the body and tires and general bumps and scratches to the rest of the body. I really don't want to mess it and thought I'd come here to get some pointers, hope someone can help... Thanks in advance

[TER-OR]

Scrapes are probably your best bet, and slight dents on corners. Don't overdo it - that's a common noob mistake. Less is more when beating armor up. Too much damage, and it would be repaired, unless it's in the field of course. So some coarse sandpaper to scrape down the side a little, a bit of knife blade scraping and notching of corners is about all you want to do to the model itself.

As far as grime goes, have a look at some articles from armor modelers.