1/35 Emhar Mk.IV Tadpole

[sunray]

This will be a OOB build and I hope its a fast one looking at the amount of parts in the kit. The only thing that worries me is the tracks which don't look as flexible as I would like. Anyway on with the adventure.

















To say this is a fast build would be a slight understatement for me anyway. The instructions aren't the best but I soldiered on. I decided to do the main body of the tank first. To give the joints extra strength and to keep them lined up and square I added a bit of extra plastic.



Also to help keep the shape of the main body of the tank while the glue was curing and to keep the path of the track lined up I used a few clips and a piece of plastic rod (which isn't glued in). Once the glue had gone off i removed the clips and rod and used it on the other side to do the same job.





While the body was gluing I made up the ammunition storage chest for the rear of the tank (I think thats what it is).



Then came the sides and a few other things.



I added so more plastic again to add strength and to keep the side square.





The Lewis guns for the tank are a bit lean of detail but because you are only going to see the barrels all I did was to drill them out. There are only three.





And in went the first gun.





I then added the rear track extensions with strips of plastic to keep the sides the correct width for the track.





I also added plastic inside this time where the rear sides join the main body for added strength again.



I installed the rear mortar platform as per the instructions. I was going to fill in the gap but I decided against it.



My next job was to install the exhaust pipe.



I decided to change the plastic exhaust pipe to a stronger copper one, so first a bit of surgery.



I am going to keep the silencers so I drilled the holes in the end ready to take the copper wire.









I glued the second silencer to the tank in the rectangle enclosure lining it up with the holes in the walls of the enclosure. Then it was just a case of cutting the copper wire to size and bending it to the right shape. Then I glued the copper wire first in the second silencer using CA glue. Then I glued the wire in the first silencer. Once the CA glue had gone off I clamped the first silencer via the three cut holes to the tank then I just glued in place.





I used the same copper wire for the end piece of the exhaust pipe. I was going to use brass tube but if you get the bend wrong it is a pain to re-bend so I thought I would give the copper ago. I haven't tried this before but what I planned to do was to drill out the end of the copper wire thinking it should work as copper being a soft metal and I was right. In fact it was easy to do with a hand pin drill.





The end pipe was glued to the silencer using CA glue.



Now the fun begins. As I have said earlier the track is a bit stiff. So to soften the track I cut it from the sprues and placed the long pieces that were going to go round the wheels on my oil radiator in my shed. Also the wheels don't allow for the thickness of the track so I filed them down to size. Then using gel CA glue I started at the front wheel and glued the track about an inch below the wheel and applied pressure. Then when the glue has cured I then added glue around the wheel and about an inch and a half past the wheel pushed the track down and kept up the tension so it was tight around the wheel but not too much as to stretch the track. Again waiting for the glue to go off. Then I just glued the rest of the piece of track down. I used a smaller piece of track as I wanted the next long piece to go around the rear wheel the same as the front one. You can see the joins in the photo as I used CA glue to fill any gaps with kicker that turns white. I then glued the remaining long piece of track from the front wheel to the back leaving a small gap to be filled with one of the small pieces of track cut to size.











For the gun sponsons I didn't want them to move so I didn't all the parts from the kit. Again the construction was straightforward and I added extra plastic to strengthen and keep square. I also drilled out the Lewis gun and tidied up the 6 pounder barrel.





The problem I had was trying to workout which side the gun sighting silts went? The instructions have the right sponson silt on the left so I thought I would keep both silts to the left of the gun. I have had a look at photo's on the web and they have the silts for both guns to the left, right and left and right; just to make it confusing. But being ex-Army I thought the Army would probably would go for the cheapest option and buy the same gun for both sides with the sighting on the left. That was my thinking anyway be it right, wrong or half right. The Lewis gun was then attached.





Then I just glued the sponsons to the tank and now it looks the part.

[FrancisGL]

Very good trick extra plastic reinforcement, does not seem to be the best mold of tadpole, but is a good progress for now, cheers Ian

[Andy Moore]

Nice progress. It's not the best of kits, but you've certainly made the best of it.

Andy

[sunray]

Thanks chaps. I made up the mortar but I am not fixing it to the tank yet.

With that done I moved on to prime the tank and add some pre-shading. Hopefully the final effect I am going for is a wet and really used look with the tank in need of so love and affect, if you know what I mean













Not forgetting the mortar.





I then added the base coat. The kit instructions don't really give you painting instructions and I had to pick from either khaki or olive drab. I decided on the olive drab because of a painting in the Imperial War Museum depicting a Tadpole from 1918.



I also added the white stencil at the rear which I saw on an old photo of the Tadpole. All I did to add this was to use redundant side parts that came with the kit and I just drew around them with a white gel pen.









I decided to brush paint the base coat for the tracks using Valejo's Panzer Ace Leather which give good coverage even with a brush.





Once the paint had dried I gave the tank a few coats of Klear to seal in the paint.





Now for the weathering. As I said early I am looking for a distressed, dirty look so here we go. I decided to use Vallejo washes, then a touch of dry brushing and then graphite pencil.























Next I am going add a bit of rust but that will have to wait until tomorrow. Thanks for looking.

[FrancisGL]

As has changed ... for the better of course, it is becoming very well., cheers mate

[sunray]

Thanks Francis. For the rust effect I decided to use Humbrol Rust Wash Enamel. I first used it on my Airfix 1/32 "Old Bill" Bus and I find it really easy to use. For the oil effects I am going to use AK's wash Shafts, Grease & Bearings Wash.

I started with the rust first putting it where rust forms around rivets, bolts, etc. Just to let you now there are a lot of photo's as they tell the story better than me and I hate typing, so I do apologise.









The good thing about the wash is when you add a drop on say a rivet head it just sits around the rivet head. If you add too much you can just take it off with a dry brush before it dries.



















I tried to put the rust in irregular places and not too much in the same places on each side of the tank.

















I didn't put any rust around the base of the 6 ponder guns or the machine gun mounts as I would think they would be protected from rust due to the oil and grease of the mounts themselves.





For the front belly of the tank I would think this would take a bit of a battering from rocks and tree stumps. So I used a bit more of the graphite pencil slightly buffed up with my finger and then I added a touch of rust on the rivet heads. Before the wash had dried I lightly ran a dry brush from front to rear to streak the rust wash.















For the oil wash I thought you would get oil running from the top of the tracks down the body. So I used a dry brush to streak it as with the rust.





I also added the oil wash to the base of the 6 pounders.



































On top of the gun sponson I put a pond of oil off the track but I didn't put it near any of the rust.







To do the tracks I just painted them brown and ran a dark Vallejo wash over them. Then I just coloured in the track plates with a graphite pencil and thats it. The point of the pencil is blunt so as it leaves a gap around the rivet head. Again I tried to not to do every track plate the same but to keep them irregular.





And thats it you'll be glad to hear. All I have to do is the mortar and make a base. Thanks again for looking and I hope you didn't find it too boring.

[FrancisGL]

A complete set of weathering ... well for now. , cheers mate

[Chris B]

The words ' silk purse' and sows ear' spring to mind.

To my eyes the only thing that detracts from the build is the rather horrid kit tracks. Having made an Emhar MkIV many years ago that's been replaced by 5 of the Takom series, including a Tadpole, I'd have been tempted to get hold of a set of the click together Takom tracks to add the icing to a first class build and paint job.

[sunray]

Thanks Francis.

Chris you are right about the tracks but I found leaving them on a radiator for about twenty minutes makes the job a bit easier. Also the instructions tell you to use plastic cement to attach the track but I thought no way would that hold them so I used thick CA glue which did the trick. I would definitely do another World War One tank again, what an excellent subject but I think I will save my money and get a Takom or Tamiya one. Anyway thanks Chris.

[Mike]

You've done a good job so far, and the tracks are looking about as good as they can, so

[Gremlin56]

Excellent build and paint job on what is very obviously not the easiest of models to get into shape. Really nice

cheers,

Julian

[sunray]

Thanks chaps. The base I made my usual way of routing and polishing a scrap piece of oak flooring but this time I decided to have ago at adding a bit more. I taped off the edges of the of the base using masking tape and then I added DAS clay to add a bit of texture. I have never used this stuff before and I was quite impressed how easy it is to use. I used extra track left over from the kit to make track marks and just to be on the safe side I left some of the oak bare in case the epoxy I was didn't like the clay.



I left the clay for 24 hours to dry then I painted the clay with cheap black acrylic paint bought from "The Works".



Once that had dried I mixed different shades of cheap brown acrylic paint and went over the top trying not to go in the drips and cracks.



Then I gave it a coat of matt varnish to seal the paint.





Finally I made up the epoxy and glued the tank in position and removed the tape.



Finished.

[FrancisGL]

Very effective base, look good, cheers Ian