The_Lancaster Posted March 21, 2015 Share Posted March 21, 2015 Hello all, Here I have my Mk. IV Tadpole from Takom. I must admit I think I stretched myself on this one! As I am only fifteen I am still just getting my bearing's here and I thought I'd try myself with something different as building 80's Tamiya stuff was getting a bit boring! This thing was a major wake up call for me and got me taking new approaches everywhere. The build of the main hull was tricky to begin with as I had to try and get the shape right for the vehicle. I managed to do it mostly well but it was going to be a long wait to see if I had it correct as final assembly of all sub-assemblies was a final step. The rhombus shaped thingies (I still haven't found out a name for them!) that carry the track round were easier to build but they still required a lot of time as they all had an intricate wall system on the inside. This lead to the wheels which were mind boggling but by the time I got to the second 'rhombus shaped thingy' I was alright. The sponsons were almost a no brainer but it did seem a shame to hide away all of the interior detail, which is very good when it fitted together! The tracks were also very simple as Takom, bless them, didn't have the heart to give the tadpole with it's extended track length those 5 piece per link track sets that I've heard about and instead gave a small package of clip together track which was basically like a complex form of Lego. Painting was a different approach as I was trying to make the tadpole section look newer than the rest of the tank. To simulate this I painted it with a mixture of Tamiya olive drab and Tamiya dark green which gave the tadpole section a nice drab green colour. The main hull however was painted in a mixture of Tamiya tan deck and earth (or something approximate to that, I can't quite remember which). I painted on the white and red identification stripes with Humbrol Enamel white and Vallejo Acrylic red. For weathering (for now of which you can't pick the model up without looking like you've spent the week in Flanders) I started by just pasting on a very thin wash of AK Interactive's dirt and dust wash followed by a very in-depth pin wash with Humbrol black Enamel Wash around all of the rivets which gave me double vision by the end of the day. I used a mixture of rust colours and washes to get the exhaust effect, which I'm still not happy with and may have to alter at a later date - along with the massive thumb print down the side and various block pieces of weathering pigment . For the track, over a coat of black I pasted on the same dirt wash and then fitted them. I then mat coated the whole model and went mad with pigments. I mixed up a bunch of various pigments with again the said wash to achieve a semi wet look gunk which was plastered all over the track and the parts where the track and tank met. Later I scraped off the tips of the track and went over them in pencil to give highlights. Tanks for looking, this model was really just an experiment for a fifteen year old with too many weathering products! I reckon it came out reasonably well, but I have some new ideas for next time. again, thanks for looking and enjoy the photos. Just adding on, to further the effect of the Frankenstein look, I roughly painted on a serial number as the original was usually painted on the part that was taken off to replace with the tadpole section P.S. for anyone looking to get this, I would highly recommend it! 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havoc Posted March 21, 2015 Share Posted March 21, 2015 Well done mate. Tracks look good. You have done a cracking job there. Keep em coming !! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatboydim Posted March 21, 2015 Share Posted March 21, 2015 Well made. Makes a nice change to seeing the standard Male Tank. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozzy Posted March 21, 2015 Share Posted March 21, 2015 Good job. I wish my models looked that good when I was 15! Ozzy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Moore Posted March 21, 2015 Share Posted March 21, 2015 That's a really great build and a great job on the finish and weathering. Really like your idea with the tail section colour, helps tell a story with the model Andy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stesca Posted March 22, 2015 Share Posted March 22, 2015 Fantastic, really well done, excellent looking weathered finish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OzH Posted March 22, 2015 Share Posted March 22, 2015 Very nice... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxy Posted March 22, 2015 Share Posted March 22, 2015 That's a difficult kit to make, so well done. Nice work on the weathering, the numbering is a good touch seeing you did it free hand. Cracking job. Foxy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MADMUSKY Posted March 22, 2015 Share Posted March 22, 2015 Great work Darren 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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