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Italeri M4A3E8 Sherman & RMF Tiger 1 "Fury" inspired build


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Hi Everyone,

 

So today I'm starting my project log for my Fury inspired diorama build.  This will be my first build in over 20 years so please go easy with me :unsure: .

 

I started the Sherman a few weeks ago and as such I have no photos from the start of the build, all I have is from the stages before primer and top coat, however the Tiger 1 only arrived today so hopefully I can give a build log for that at least.  

 

Anyways without further delay, onto the build log.  So the two kits that I am using for this are as follows:

 

  • Italeri M4A3E8 Sherman "Fury" - Kit #6529
  • Rye Field Model Tiger 1 (Early Production) - Kit #RM-5003

 

itl6529pic1_1.jpg

 

rm5003new.jpg

Both nice kits, the Sherman went together a breeze minus a few mistakes that I made in the assembly process, which I am going to put down to 20 years away from the hobby and not fully reading the instructions.

 

Here is some shots of my build before primer coat:

 

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15937083_1709727192689964_77306054307714

 

And after primer coat:

 

15972374_1709757786020238_46897095280919

15936520_1709757899353560_10888794083852

 

And then today I went out and purchased a good quality compressor and a new airbrush as my old one died on me some time ago, I have now given the Sherman its first coat of Olive Drab:

 

15994814_1710191269310223_78436564162383

15994969_1710191339310216_23870960502724

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This is shortly after painting but I am hoping the paint goes to a Matt finish, failing that I will have to look at some alternate paint for it.  Anyway, that's it for today and I will post up again tomorrow as I start the Tiger 1 kit.

 

Please let me know any thoughts you may have but as I said don't forget this is my first build in 20 years :unsure:

 

Chris

 

 

 

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16 minutes ago, Bullbasket said:

Looking good so far. One thing though. That stowage on the engine deck definitely needs to be tied down, otherwise the crates would part company with the tank.

 

John.

 

 

John, Thanks for that mate, for some reason I have totally overlooked that, I've also missed the tow cable as the one in my box was snapped when I opened it so I will scratch this part and add it on along with some rope to hold the cargo on.

 

Thanks for the kind comments guys ... made me feel better :D I know there is lots of little things I can improve on but I figure that will come with time.

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Good work, always room for a returnee to the fold! Bullbasket makes a good point regarding stowage which I see you have already responded to. No criticism intended since you are engaged in a movie themed build, but being a former tank man myself may I take the opportunity to highlight the issues with covering your back decks with kit? It will "foul your traverse" and you wont be able to bring your main armament to bear, even using power traverse the turret will stop dead at the four o'clock position! (remember Kelly`s Heroes?, I know the Tiger was caught between a tree and a building, but it`s the same thing, fouled traverse) The driver cant check his fluid levels without humping everything off and back on again, so he`s going to ditch it on the second day! (If he doesn't then the tank will stop functioning because he`s going to run out of oil, coolant or something else will come adrift in the murky depths of the back end!) If the cooling system is compromised the tank will stop functioning! (Look at the number of finished models on here that are "kitted up" because it looks "Cabby", engine cooling louvers blocked with all sorts of stuff and a tarp over the top! Next stop REME for a pack lift! And the fitters will sit and watch you hump everything off by yourself while they drink tea and give "advice"!) At some point everyone has committed these "errors" some of us with real tanks! Thankfully no one was shooting at me! 

 

Granto

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@Valenstitch ... why are you not in your shed finishing your scratch building? :D haha. 

 

Yeah this is one thing that struck me about the movie, I was just thinking any Mech issues they had, it's going to make a mighty long time to tend to them. Never mind as you point out the traverse issues.  With this build I was just going for a little fun been a movie inspired one authenticity is out the window straight away! Just thought I would turn it into a diorama and have a little fun on the way and not worry about accuracy.   I have never built armor before so this is a whole new field for me to learn.  I do appreciate you taking the time though to provide valuable information that I will apply to future builds.  Also sounds like you have an interesting background :D

 

Fantastic work on your project though ... and Kraken rum! one of my favorites :D

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22 hours ago, t3utonict3rror said:

why are you not in your shed finishing your scratch building? :D haha. 

I cant spend all my life in there! It`s like a time vortex, I think I've been in there five minutes and when I come out the "leg Iron" has had a bath, done her barnet, put her slap on, chosen an outfit, got dressed, changed her mind, chosen something different, got changed, changed her mind again and gone back to option one and done half a bottle of Pino!

 

Granto 

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Might it be worth shooting some colour modulation before varnishing?  :hmmm:

 

Basically make a mix about 10-20% lighter than your basecoat (with olive drab I use a sand yellow colour and/or buff for this) and mist it in random clouds over your model, lingering here and there in areas you wish to highlight.....You can repeat this process a couple of times with progressively lighter mixes to create the artistic shading effect seen on many models (this effect is actually not entirely realistic but it does look very convincing indeed aesthetically).  :nerd:

 

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You've made a good start there Chris. I'd put a gloss on where the decals are to be placed, then decals then matt. Too much matt can end up looking awful. Oh and leave time for each layer to fully harden before going over the top, says the man who has buggered up plenty of paint jobs by not following his own advice.

 

Other than that listen to the Sarge. He is the man! 

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Hey everyone,

 

Thank you all for the comments and advice received so far, lots of useful advice that I shall definitely be applying to my builds.

 

Anyways onto a little update for you all.  So when I got home from work last night I decided to add the Flat Black camo to the tank (Sorry @Sgt.Squarehead this was before your colour modulation advice), Now I have never tackled this freehand using an airbrush before, but figured I have to start somewhere. So after setting up my airbrush and having a bit of a practice on some paper I turned my attention to the model. And here are the results:

 

16107414_1710838349245515_26036369705913

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Obviously at this point I have not painted in the details of the jerry cans and storage, but I did not see the point till the top coating was finished.  I don't think it's a terrible first attempt, could have been a little better but I am still learning.

 

After this I decided to tackle the wheels and suspension setup, I started with painting in some of the details and then applying some Matt Varnish, at this stage my Varnish went and clouded a little once it was applied, I was not too worried here as I knew I was going to be making the wheels and suspension area rather muddy :

 

15972762_1711181522544531_88922758541516

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This is the first time I have played with Washes and Pigments so I hope I have done a half decent job at it.

 

The next thing im going to tackle is the main tank, first I want to add some weathering ( rain streaks and marks ) maybe a little rust here and there, and to get in some of the details on the other parts.

 

Do you guys have any advice on adding water streaks? is this done before I cover the tank in vanish ( I was thinking thinners on a brush carefully and lightly dragged over the paint surface?) 

 

Anyway that's it so far, got to admit I am really happy I have returned to the hobby ... I'm finding it lots of fun this time around :D

 

Chris

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That's looking good Chris, but one thing I would point out (if you didn't already have it in mind to do anyway), you muddied the running gear but left the lower hull clean. If each unit is still removable, slide them off and treat the hull the same way as the wheels.

With regards to adding water streaks, one method that you could have used was to use oil paints and thinners, but that needs to be done on a gloss surface. AK and MIG do some materials specifically for this. One method that I use is MIG's green fading pigment. They also do a grey. Stroked on with a thin brush it can have a good effect.

 

John.

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Hi John,

 

Thanks for that mate, the tank is still not had any Matt applied, I'm currently adding decals and painting in the details of the kit bags and ammo boxes.

 

funny you say that, I've literally just glued the wheel units on *facepalm* however I still can work around them as the tracks are not in place, the hull was my next move TBH.

 

Humm I'm trying to find a way of adding some weathering as it stands now with the gear I have. 

 

I have plenty of paints, pigments and washes. If I mixed up a thinned brown wash and applied this to the tank using a brush to streak it then using a cotton bud to pull some excess off ... do you think this would create a similar effect? Almost like mud is washing down the tank as it rains? I also have natural umber, light slate gray, light yellow ochre and brown iron oxide pigments? Again maybe light washes of these mixed with acrylic thinners could create the desired effect? 

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My advice would be to try it out on a piece of scrap first. Spray a piece of plastic with OD then try your weathering methods on that. If it all goes belly up, at least you haven't messed up a model.

But if you can lay your hands on any oil paints (red, blue, white, yellow), you could try the dot method. Apologies here if you're already familiar with this. Just dab the various colours on the side of the tank, and then using a small brush, damp with thinners, draw the brush down to blend the oils in. This method is very good for achieving a worn, weathered appearance. Remember though, it needs to be done on a gloss surface, otherwise the matt paint tends to soak up the oil.

HTH's.

 

John. 

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23 minutes ago, Bullbasket said:

My advice would be to try it out on a piece of scrap first. Spray a piece of plastic with OD then try your weathering methods on that. If it all goes belly up, at least you haven't messed up a model.

But if you can lay your hands on any oil paints (red, blue, white, yellow), you could try the dot method. Apologies here if you're already familiar with this. Just dab the various colours on the side of the tank, and then using a small brush, damp with thinners, draw the brush down to blend the oils in. This method is very good for achieving a worn, weathered appearance. Remember though, it needs to be done on a gloss surface, otherwise the matt paint tends to soak up the oil.

HTH's.

 

John. 

 

John,

 

thanks for your advice, it's really appreciated! Unfortunately I have no oil paints at all,  I have watercolour pencils and artist acrylic paints.

 

Ill find something to have a test on, have some plastic sheet for scratch building with, guess that will work :) 

 

Thanks again mate 

chris 

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John's advice is very sound.....The good thing about oils is you have a vast working time, so if you don't like what you've done just take it off with thinners. :coolio:
 

I'd advise testing a few techniques:

 

Pin-Washes - Small concentraded local washes applied to prominent details to make them pop.

 

Streaking - As described above.

 

Dot Filters - Much as above, but using a wider pallete of colours and distributing the pigment over a wider area to create subtle variations in tone & hue.

 

Mapping - Simulating dust build up by moistening an area with thinners, adding a few tiny dots of appropriately coloured oil paint, than adding a drop of thinners to each dot and allowing the pigment to spread out naturally.

 

Googling any of these terms should find plenty of how-tos, here & elsewhere.

 

HTH

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Welcome to the world of armour.

I can't really add much in the way of advice as you've got a good crew of advisors already and they've covered most of the issues raised.

I would say that the issue of stowage fouling the gun traverse and the lack of tie-down ropes are the major issues, and I would certainly address those if I were you. (the kit bags and helmets seemingly 'glued' to the turret especially) As for stowage blocking access to the engine compartment, causing overheating, making maintenance difficult, etc. I wouldn't worry about that too much. You'll find hundreds of contemporary photos of tanks' rear decking loaded up with stowage and whilst this may have caused breakdowns over sustained periods of travel more often than not the tanks were travelling over relatively short distances. Besides, if they were 'stowaged up' with some thought it wouldn't have been too much trouble to move certain items and facilitate maintenance.

 

Rearguards,

Badder.

 

ps, If you're looking for a good matt varnish, have a look at Winsor and Newton's Galeria Matt Acrylic Varnish. It sprays evenly through an airbrush with no need for dilution and will turn even the glossiest surface completely matt. Obviously, the matt is always applied at the end of the process, but often I will use it mid-way through the painting phase as I like the effects that can be achieved by applying enamel washes and pin-washes over MATT acrylic (as well as the usual gloss acrylic)

Just be sure to let the varnishes cure COMPLETELY.... and maybe double the length of the suggested drying times just to be sure.

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

W&N do a great aerosol varnish too, I discovered it quite recently:

 

https://www.pullingers.com/p/WN3033913/pastel-fixatives/winsor-newton/winsor-newton-professional-fixative-150ml-aerosol?utm_source=googlebase&utm_medium=pricecomp&utm_campaign=GoogleShopping&gclid=COiI2aHRrdECFY0aGwod8G0LOQ

 

This stuff acts really wierd, it seems to go on really thick and goopy, looks like it's frosting while it cures which takes absolutely ages compared to any other acrylic aerosol I've tried.....But then:

 

Flat%20Upper_zpskuws3mtz.jpg

 

The one issue I've noticed is that it is really unforgiving of decal-silvering, so make sure everything is nicely bedded down before using it.  :coolio:

 

PS - I definitely would not use this stuff over dry-pigments of any kind, even Tamiya's tank make-up.....Pretty sure it would do horrible things.  :shutup:

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