Meng Leopard 2A7

[BlackMax12]

A Meng Leopard ready for a paint job.

 

[Mig Eater]

Did you use an after market photo etch set or is that the etch that come with the kit?

[BlackMax12]

Mig Eater

 

All of this PE comes with the kit and some like the barrel cleaning rod rack isn't too much fun.

They give you bending jigs for the storage baskets but they still don't fit all that well, maybe the paint job will hide some of that.

The tracks are workable and lots of individual links so they are fun too.

 

The cables are supplied as a piece of string which is rather useless so I used some stranded wire and it's a lot easier to bend and have it stay in place.

 

It's a nice model, rather pricey here in Canada but it's a Meng.

 

Lloyd

Edited June 26, 2017 by BlackMax12

[Mig Eater]

Thanks for the info. I was thinking of getting this kit or the Tamiya A6 version.

 

What colour scheme are you planning to use?

[BlackMax12]

I could be wrong but I think these 2A7's are all factory painted to one camo scheme, Nato Green, Black and Brown.

 

So I'll probably free hand the scheme in the instructions, won't be exact but close enough.

 

I need to take the tracks back off and figure out how to attach the side skirts temporarily to paint the camo then re-attach the tracks and the skirts

permanently.  I tried double-faced tape for the skirts but that didn't pan out so I could use some tricks or ideas. 

 

Thanks for looking.

 

Lloyd 

Edited June 27, 2017 by BlackMax12

[Antoine]

Hi Lloyd,

Don't know if you're used to paint armour, but there are different solution to this.

I may choose a different one from a tank to another.

Here's an option.

- paint the low part of the hull, then the tracks and roadwheels, and fit them permanently to the hull.

 

 

 

- Put the sideskirts on, and mask everything.

 

 

 

- Then paint the camo, and off the mask.

 

 

 

You're then ready for an overall weathering.

[BlackMax12]

Thanks Antoine

 

I'll use your suggestion and mask the tracks and running gear after painting them then install the skirts and finish the painting.

 

Sounds simple enough I may be able to pull it off.

 

Great job on the Jagdtiger, ferocious beasts aren't they?

 

Regards,

 

Lloyd

Edited June 27, 2017 by BlackMax12

[Antoine]

Hi Loyd,

Thanks about the JaTi, but the pics are about ten years old.

I just remember that I've enjoyed very much the build (I was then just coming back to modelling), but yet I kept it very simple.

[BlackMax12]

The pics might be 10 years old but it still looks great.  I don't have a 1/35 Jagdtiger....yet, but the Dragon kits look good and Friulmodel has the correct tracks.....so maybe.

 

I've got hung up on a Takom Chieftain MK11 so the Leopard is just waiting.  The Takom is mostly built now so the

paint booth will soon get some company and I'll paint both models in one session.

 I've never tried the hard edge camo masking on anything but a 1/32 Tamiya Mosquito

as I usually just free hand the camo and end up with a soft sort of blended edge between colors.  Don't know if it's entirely

accurate but it's easy and I like it.  A little over spray between colors is my way of saying it was windy when they painted the vehicle outside that day. 

 

Take care,

 

Lloyd

[Antoine]

Any thread for the Chieftain?

 

Got one myself, but with a different setup:

 

 

 

I'd just wanted to build a "Berliner" Chieftain, as I'd the chance to drove one in the very early nineties during an exchange.

 

But still, I might also get a Takom, for an exotic machine, Iranian maybe.

 

[BlackMax12]

The Chieftain MK11 is posted on the "Work in Progress" page under  "Takom Chieftain MK 11" and my Takom MK 10 finished last year is there for a comparison.

 

The Tamiya kit with the Accurate Armour add-on look interesting.  You will probably have to find a set of tracks to replace the Tamiya rubber bands though.

 

BTW, Takom makes a MK 10 that's done up in the "Berlin Brigade" kit #2028.  I built that kit but opted for a much much simpler paint scheme and since BATUS is just down the road about 50kms......

The Takom MK10 and MK11 kits have the stillbrew armour molded as part of the turret, don't know about their MK 5  or MK 2 but probably not.

 

I'm going out to BATUS tomorrow to see if they have a MK 11 on display and hopefully get some pics of the 30-40 Challenger II's they had sitting in the yard 2 weeks ago.

I hope they will let me take pictures of the Challengers but who knows.  I'd like to build one but who makes a decent kit?  That's something Meng or Takom or even Rye Field Models need to add to their lists as the

Tamiya version is sort of ho-hum and the Trumpeter isn't that great either.

 

I'll be following your build of the Tamiya Chieftain so let's get started.

 

Lloyd

 

 

[Antoine]

Hi Lloyd,

 

I'm not a great fan of AM track sets for post-WW2 tanks, as for most of them, including the Chieftain, sagging is reduced and anyway only a few lengh of the track is visible with the skirts. Add to this a muddy diorama, and nobody will ever notice that the tracks are the old vynil ones. That's also 30€ to be spent on something else.

 

as for my own build, well... I'm still waiting for a workbench!

[BlackMax12]

Here's the Leopard in black primer.  Have to paint the tracks, install and mask them, then the side skirts and on to the camo scheme.

 

 

 

Edited June 28, 2017 by BlackMax12

[BlackMax12]

Mr Leo is now all NATO Green waiting for some black and brown.

 

Your idea of masking the running gear worked well Antoine.  I used kitchen plastic wrap and then installed the side skirts.

 

Yes one photo isn't focused that well but the battery was giving up in the camera.  Time to find the charger.

 

[Richard E]

On 27/06/2017 at 9:56 PM, Antoine said:

Any thread for the Chieftain?

 

Got one myself, but with a different setup:

 

Although it was based on Accurate Armour's Mk.11 conversion, there's Dan's (Dads203's) build: Work in Progress and Ready for Inspection

[BlackMax12]

Thanks Richard

 

Dan did a fantastic job on the model and the dio.  Quite a bit beyond my skill set.

 

I was thinking of the green/black scheme for the Chieftain MK11 model but then decided on the regular sand/green BATUS scheme in the end.

Now my MK10 and this MK11 sort of look like twins.

 

Lloyd

Edited June 29, 2017 by BlackMax12

[BlackMax12]

I went ahead and painted the basic camo scheme.  These are the specified colours, NATO Green base with NATO Black and NATO Brown camo and approximately the same pattern as

in the painting guide but I'm not real thrilled at the result.  It's too much contrast and will need some serious toning down.  It's going to have to get some major dirty.

 

[BlackMax12]

Toned it down a little with some dust.  Still needs headlight lenses, keep forgetting those on every model and some more dirt on the running gear.

Otherwise pretty much finished.  Yes, I fixed the broken grab iron on the turret.

 

Edited July 1, 2017 by BlackMax12

[Antoine]

Contrast isn't evident on the pictures taken in the black paintbooth.

And the light from just above have a "crushing" effect.

So we can't tell much.

[Andy Moore]

That's looking very nice. You could try adding a light mud or dust coloured pin wash to bring out the details a little more.

 

Andy

[BlackMax12]

The boys were playing in the mud again.

 

[BlackMax12]

Thanks Antoine

 

I moved it out of the paint booth but I don't have an ideal location for pics.

 

Thanks Andy

 

It's rather filthy now and doesn't look so mono.  The fields in Europe must be pretty wet.

 

Lloyd

[BlackMax12]

I tamed the mud a bit and added a dark wash to bring out more detail.  Pretty much finished now.

 

[DAG058]

What do you use for your mud? 

[BlackMax12]

I don't have access to all of the fancy pigments, etc so I just dirt from the garden mixed to a slurry and slapped on with a wide brush.

Nothing exotic but it looks decent if you don't go too overboard like I did on the earlier pictures.  Subtle seems to work best for this mixture.

And it's pretty cheap!!!

 

Thanks for looking DAG.

 

Lloyd