BMW R75 and Sidecar

[Ray S]

Hello all. I have recently been inspired by a couple of modellers at my local Model Club to try a military vehicle. My good lady wife got me the Tamiya BMW R75 and sidecar for last Christmas, and as I was struggling with another kit I thought it was a good time to try out something outside my comfort zone.

I know it is not the best out there in terms of finished models, but I had a great deal of fun with it. One thing I really wanted to try out was some new weathering techniques. I painted the model with Humbrol enamels, coated it with Clear then used oil paints with some Liquin which helped its application and speeded up the drying time. I wiped off the oils with and old brush dipped in white spirit, and also used some oils thinned with white spirit to try and get it to flow around some of the raised details.

I would greatly appreciate any advice that may be given, especially as I have a Tamiya Matilda in the stash to do too. Please forgive the general finish, I missed seams and moulding lines, and probably got the markings wrong too, but I (and my wife) are chuffed with the result.

Thanks for looking, kind regards, Ray

[paganpete]

Great work on such a small piece, try the humbrol pigments for weathering, they are pretty good (and I have heard their new weathering washes are good too).

I missed a load of mould lines on my old tamiya jeep also; considering the age of these kits then what you have achieved is luvverrly!!

Pete

Pete

[Natter]

There's nothing in the photos to give an idea of scale, but that's a tiddly model and you have done a smashing job on it.

[Pete H]

Nice one! Fun is what it's all about at the end of the day and if you are happy, then so be it.

Regards

Pete

[Johan]

That is Tamiya's 35016 right, don't think they have done a 1/48 yet.
Correct me if I am wrong but from the kit number that should be Tamiya's #16 in the now so famous 1/35 line.

A kit from the early seventies.
Built this as a kid at the time and I can say that your effort is way better then mine was.
If I would suggest 2 things then that would be to have the leather parts in the same color and 1 thing that would be to apply a dull or satin coat.
Impressed to hear that you are diving right into new techniques on your first military build, straw hat off
Anyway, great effort - thank you for sharing!

Best Regards
Johan

Edited August 12, 2013 by Johan

[Mac the Modelling Knife]

Hello Ray,

Looking at your model, your build quality on this finicky subject is flawless.

You are also keen on experimenting with weathering - excellent!

But looking at your model on the net, it reminds me of a diecast toy. All neat and shiny. Why did you use the Liquin -which would make it shiny - when the prototype would have been practically sandblasted. A straightforward black oil wash over the Humbrol would have picked out the detail and given the model that lived-in look. Much simpler.

Some brown oil paint over the saddles and quickly wiped off would tone them down a bit.

The panniers appear too monochrome (in the photos - real life might be different)

Highlight the straps and raised detail in a lighter shade and apply a dark wash overall.

Some light chipping would enhance the model too. Paint it on using a dark grey and a fine brush.

I hope you take these comments in the manner in which they are intended - namely, to increase everyone's enjoyment of military modelling. Remember to weather the Matilda to death and let us see the result.

All the best,

Mac

[foxy]

Nice model Ray.

I like these combinations and the German one's seem to hold more interest than most others.

Great work there matey.

Not sure though of a medical vehicle carrying MGs.

Cheers foxy

[Mike]

They'd shoot their patients back to wellness with their medicinal bullets

A very nice first venture into armour - as mentioned earlier, it'd look better yet with a matt coat

[Ray S]

Hello folks, thanks for all the advice!

Foxy, in another thread in Maritime I said I was not too hot when it came to finer details, I think you may have just proved my point. Red cross and machine guns indeed! Whoops!

Mac, your advice is very well taken, and when you state these ideas, I can see where you are coming from! The reason I used the liquin was because I had read (or though I had read) that liquin made oil paint dry faster, along with putting the paint onto some card (paper) for an hour or so to wick off the excess oil). It certainly did dry quickly, within 24hrs, whereas before it was taking over three weeks!

I need to figure out how to do an all over wash, I keep reading about that sort of thing but when I tried (I did put some brown oils on the saddles) it all wiped off as I thought you needed to run a slightly white-spirit-damp flat brush over it. A bit of the oils stayed in the 'creases' but not overall as I had been hoping.

Johan, yes it was the 1/35, and it was ancient, I remember my brother doing one in the mid '70's. I am sure the box illustration was the same back then too!

Thanks to you all for the feed back, and I hereby promise to take it all on board, especially the flat coat.

All the best everyone, kind regards, Ray

[HOUSTON]

Ray,

EXQUISITE little build and looks So NEAT & FLAWLESS.

IMPECCABLE. Build..

Loved it, thanks for sharing it ..