Bullbasket Posted December 3, 2017 Author Share Posted December 3, 2017 (edited) Well, for the first time in nearly two months, I've managed to get some modelling done. Primer added to the Tiran and also to this build, Champagne. 24 hours later, it was time to give Champagne a coat of green. I call it green because although when it was in service it would have been finished in olive drab, I don't think that those tasked with repainting the tank for displaying in the town of Ville-sur-Illon used the same paint, not if the photos on the Shaddock Free site are anything to go by. It's a much more yellowy green. So I mixed up some Tamiya XF58 olive green with some XF3 flat yellow in a ratio of 3:1, thinned 50% with Tamiya thinner. The beauty of this build is that there was no masking to be done. That is to say that everything could be sprayed green, including the tracks, as that is what they have done to the original. Using my Iwata airbrush, I gave the model two light coats of the mix, followed a few hours later by Tamiya Clear gloss coat. This was left for 24 hours to harden before the decals were applied. I was able to obtain a second decal sheet for Champagne, namely Bison Decals sheet 35095, but this time it wasn't just a case of following the decal's instructions as now they are not all in exactly the same place as originally. The markings on the front are all practically in the same position, although the yellow bridge plate is absent, and the centrally positioned serial number should be on a black background. Sadly, I realised that too late. The only markings on the turret are the number 55 on each side. The current ones are more squashed down than on the sheet, but I can live with that. On the side the USA serial numbers are now absent and the tricolours are further back. I had a complete brain melt down while applying the decals on the right side. I put the squadron marking (the yellow C on a blue square) in completely the wrong place and although I realised my mistake fairly quickly, the damned thing had started to adhere. So as I tried to remove it, it tore into about five pieces. I managed to get it to sit into the correct place, but I may need to touch it up with some paint later. Doesn't the air look pretty when it turns a shade of blue!! On the rear hull plate there are some differences. Originally, the squadron sign was over towards the left hand side, but now it's on the right hand side, where the spare track links were carried, and there is an additional tricolour on the left where the other set of spare track links were carried. Also, there is a serial number in the middle of the rear hull, and again I had brain meltdown, or rather I applied this decal without wearing my glasses, so I applied the wrong one. Before I get to the recoating with Tamiya gloss, I will scrape off this serial and apply the correct one, and this time it will be on a black background. Strewth!! So that is the stage that I'm at now. I will be giving it another coat of Tamiya Clear to seal the decals in before moving on to the weathering (after correcting the faux pas). Thanks for looking. John. Edited December 3, 2017 by Bullbasket 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clive_t Posted December 3, 2017 Share Posted December 3, 2017 Superb work John, welcome back! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullbasket Posted December 3, 2017 Author Share Posted December 3, 2017 9 minutes ago, clive_t said: Superb work John, welcome back! Thanks Clive. It's taking a while to get back into it, but I'm getting there gradually. John. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hewy Posted December 4, 2017 Share Posted December 4, 2017 Looking good john, nice attention to details, usually missed by me Glynn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullbasket Posted December 4, 2017 Author Share Posted December 4, 2017 4 hours ago, Hewy said: Looking good john, nice attention to details, usually missed by me Glynn Thanks Glynn. I thought that given the fact that this is a model of a display tank that it would be very easy and straight forward. Not so! John. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlaStix Posted December 4, 2017 Share Posted December 4, 2017 (edited) Well despite all the problems with decals you seem to be keeping this project nicely on track........you see what I did there?...tanks.....tracks..... Kind regards, Stix Edited December 4, 2017 by PlaStix Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullbasket Posted December 4, 2017 Author Share Posted December 4, 2017 (edited) 1 hour ago, PlaStix said: Well despite all the problems with decals you seem to be keeping this project nicely on track........you see what I did there?...tanks.....tracks..... You're forgiven Stix. I'm going to try and rectify the problems tomorrow. Thanks for the comments. John. Edited December 4, 2017 by Bullbasket 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kris B Posted December 4, 2017 Share Posted December 4, 2017 Lots of markings. Looks good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrancisGL Posted December 4, 2017 Share Posted December 4, 2017 Welcome back to desk, color looks nice, very smoothed..., cheers John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullbasket Posted December 5, 2017 Author Share Posted December 5, 2017 17 hours ago, Kris B said: Lots of markings. Looks good. Many thanks Kris. John. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullbasket Posted December 5, 2017 Author Share Posted December 5, 2017 20 hours ago, FrancisGL said: Welcome back to desk, color looks nice, very smoothed..., cheers John Thanks a lot Francis. I'm in the process now of scraping the incorrect decals off, quick repaint and gloss, and then reapply the correct decals. I've also got to reposition the pivots for the gun travel lock. It would all have been a lot simpler if I'd done it correctly in the first place. John. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullbasket Posted December 12, 2017 Author Share Posted December 12, 2017 Before I sprayed the sealer coat of Tamiya Clear there were a couple of jobs to do. First up was to enlarge the turret opening so that it would take the Asuka turret. It needed to be increased approximately 4mm in diameter. Once this was done, I moved on to the front glacis plate. The two brackets which the gun travel lock sits in were too low down, so I had to remove them and reposition them further up the plate. Once these were in the correct place, I was able to fix the travel lock in place after distressing the top part in line with the actual one. The gun on Champagne doesn't sit right down in the travel lock, it sort of hovers above it. Just as well, because I had glued the gun and mantlet in place and the gun wouldn't go down any further. I thought that I should revisit the decals that I had wrongly applied. First, on the rear hull plate, I carefully scraped off the incorrect serial number. I did the same with the one on the glacis plate as well as the tricolour which once the gun travel lock was moved upwards, would be in the wrong place. It should be between the two brackets. I mixed up a small amount of Tamiya XF58 and XF3 and touched up the scraped areas, and when this had dried, I applied some Johnson's Kleer ready for the decals (the correct ones this time). On the glacis and rear hull plate, I placed two oblong pieces of black decal to act as the backing, followed some time later by he serials. The tricolour decal that I had didn't have the white outline around it that it should have so with a shaky hand, I painted it using a 10.0 brush. Not great but it'll have to do. While I had the brush handy, I touched up the torn squadron marking on the right side of the hull. The close up makes it look worse than it actually is. The photos of Champagne on the Shaddock Free site show a tank which to me appears to have been recently repainted. An exhibit like this which has been open to the elements would at least have rain streaks running down the vertical surfaces. I wouldn't expect scuff marks on the turret and hull, usually made by the crew's boots, or excessive chipping, so with that in mind, I decided that the weathering process would be light. It didn't need another gloss coat because I wasn't going to do any streaking with oils or use any washes, so the next step was to was to give it a coat of matt varnish. Then I got to work with the pigments. I used just two different pigments, namely Carr's Coal Black and Mig's Allied Green Fading. The black was applied with a thin brush around any part that dirt would accumulate around or shadow areas and along panel lines. I also used it in conjunction with the Mig fading to simulate rain streaks or any drain off areas where accumulated dirt and water would run off. I kept it fairly simple as this is a model of a static display tank and not one in service, and so with that in mind, I called it a day. It'll be a little while before this appears in RFI as I need to build a base for it. I want to try and replicate (not exactly, but near enough) the place where Champagne sits today. The ground around it is covered with small stone chippings and my idea to reproduce this in 1/35th scale was to use some budgie grit, but having looked in the pet section of the local supermarket, it doesn't appear to be something that they sell over here, so I'm going to have to find an alternative, perhaps some course sand. Anyway, thanks for looking and the comments. John. 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackMax12 Posted December 12, 2017 Share Posted December 12, 2017 Looking good John. How about cat litter, they must sell that and most here is made of a clay so it might work, just don't wet it. Take care, Lloyd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullbasket Posted December 12, 2017 Author Share Posted December 12, 2017 8 minutes ago, BlackMax12 said: Looking good John. How about cat litter, they must sell that and most here is made of a clay so it might work, just don't wet it. Take care, Lloyd Thanks Lloyd. I'll look into some kitty litter but I have a feeling that the bits may be too large. John. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clive_t Posted December 12, 2017 Share Posted December 12, 2017 Looks great John, as per the usual! For the stand, how about 'chinchilla dust'? As used on my Alam Halfa dio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badder Posted December 12, 2017 Share Posted December 12, 2017 3 hours ago, Bullbasket said: so I'm going to have to find an alternative, Try Chinchilla 'dust'... that's crushed Chinchillas I believe, or possibly the 'grit' they put in their cages. Cat litter can be ground up very easily into smaller particles, but it does turn to mush if you get it too wet with either water or PVA glue. That can be an advantage sometimes though. My favourite 'grit' though is made by mixing up plaster of paris, letting it set, then crushing that up. A few different sieves can then be used to 'grade' the grit. Another good alternative is to get a sledgehammer and take any frustrations out on a house-brick. Loving the colour of your Sherman btw. Rearguards, Badder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullbasket Posted December 12, 2017 Author Share Posted December 12, 2017 1 hour ago, clive_t said: Looks great John, as per the usual! For the stand, how about 'chinchilla dust'? As used on my Alam Halfa dio Thanks Clive. Unfortunately, the French are not the same as Brits when it comes to pets. I'll try some other shops as the one I went to is just a local super market. John. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlaStix Posted December 12, 2017 Share Posted December 12, 2017 Good evening John. Looking rather lovely in it's coat of paint, decals and light weathering. Kind regards, Stix Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clive_t Posted December 12, 2017 Share Posted December 12, 2017 1 hour ago, Bullbasket said: Thanks Clive. Unfortunately, the French are not the same as Brits when it comes to pets. I'll try some other shops as the one I went to is just a local super market. John. Happy to send some on, John, free and gratis, should you wish - just PM me some details and I'll sort it 1 hour ago, Badder said: Try Chinchilla 'dust'... that's crushed Chinchillas I believe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kris B Posted December 12, 2017 Share Posted December 12, 2017 Nice. Maybe look for railway model stones? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Wasley Posted December 12, 2017 Share Posted December 12, 2017 Looking Good John,soon time to crack open the champagne,How about crushing up all that mice droppings in the roof,may workCheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullbasket Posted December 13, 2017 Author Share Posted December 13, 2017 13 hours ago, Badder said: Loving the colour of your Sherman btw. Thanks Badder. I've got a few ideas of what I can use. If all else fails, I'll use sand. Builders sand over here is very course. John. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullbasket Posted December 13, 2017 Author Share Posted December 13, 2017 15 hours ago, PlaStix said: Good evening John. Looking rather lovely in it's coat of paint, decals and light weathering. Kind regards, Stix Hi Stix, and many thanks. John. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullbasket Posted December 13, 2017 Author Share Posted December 13, 2017 17 hours ago, clive_t said: Happy to send some on, John, free and gratis, should you wish - just PM me some details and I'll sort it Many thanks Clive for the kind offer. If I can't find something suitable, I might just take you up on that. John. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullbasket Posted December 13, 2017 Author Share Posted December 13, 2017 15 hours ago, Jim Wasley said: Looking Good John,soon time to crack open the champagne,How about crushing up all that mice droppings in the roof,may workCheers. Shhhhh! They're all hibernating now, so no poop! Anyway, I think that the python may have got them. Thanks for the comments Jim. John. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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