Yetifan

Hi Everyone, so i’m Calling this one finished..... It’s an ugly lump but some how I like it the look of it, very different from the regular turret vehicles and will sit on the shelf next to my recent Tamiya Gepard. Overall I really enjoyed this build and it has ticked off a bucket list kit from my younger days browsing through the Tamiya catalogue back in the 80’s. I went with the verdant version of the MERDC camo since I have done the desert version on my recent M60 build. It came out pretty well the XF-5 toned down nicely after a filter and a thin was or two. Not sure I need to do another MERDC for a while, it’s a bit faffy and I’m not totally happy with the hand brushed elements. Tracks were dusted up after a dark wash with some MIG pigment washed on with decal fix. The build was straightforward and I didn’t go too far with the weathering. I got a bit bogged down into looking online at weathering techniques and have lost a bit of my mojo for extensive weathering finishes. I stuck to some MIG-1005 Dark brown wash for green vehicles, MIG-1511 Brown for dark yellow filter and MIG-3004 Europe earth pigment and finally various tamiya weathering powders. I did some mild streaks with MIG oil Brushers thinned it’s Daler low odor thinners ( I find enamel thinners to aggressive). Varnishes were MIG Lucky Matt and Lucky Gloss. I have dug out some old tank crew figures from the spares box so might have a go at repainting one or two and see if I can place one in the open hatch before I do a final set of images for the gallery. Also noticed I need to weld the tracks, they are just pushed together at the moment. Anyhoo, that’s it for this one. Switching to the Tiger 1 STGB now. Thanks everyone who has commented and to the organizers for another excellent group build. Thanks for looking Andy

Hi @Badder i’m enjoying your thread so far! I’m going to get a sample run together and then try a few things and see which has the least overhead / frustration Andy

Hi @ozzy great suggestion. Still a bit concerned about the work involved, not what I expected from Tamiya. My thought at the moment is quite a few of them will be hidden by the wheels and the ones underneath the “top” track won’t be visible. I will do a sample and see how it works out.

Hi Everyone, so while waiting to finish off the M247 for the M60 Group build I thought I would take a look at my choice for this STGB: I really enjoyed my Tamiya Tiger 1 early build so looking forward to another Tiger with the added zimmerit and a late war paint scheme. So what’s in the box........Four sprues and a separate hull tub and the three sprues for the track links and a small decal sheet. Very few parts when compared to the Meng Panther ( I have still not finished ) but for me a quick build is my preference. The tracks are individual links not quite sure how they go together just yet. I have spotted the first issue which I have to say has surprised me and also is pretty disappointing. All of the links have SIX ejector pin marks on the inside of the track link!! Be interested to hear from anyone who has come across this and am I going to have to rub down every link not feeling good about that prospect! The zimmerit looks pretty good with two patterns to choose from for the turret, its described as stickers rather than decals so will be interesting to see how well it does or does not work especially compared to some of the other builds using other techniques. So I’ll make a start with some basic assembly and read through how the zimmerit should be applied, do I need to prime the plastic first?? Also need to look again at the tracks and figure out what will be involved in making them work. Thanks for looking

Terrific model and the paint job is just excellent.

Fantastic build, I could have been fooled by the scale into thinking it was 1/35. Excellent

Didn’t expect to see a threesome on this website (is that the correct phrase?)

I’m building the same kit but have gone with the Tamiya Zimmerit upgrade set so will be interesting to see how it compares with using the tool

What a bruiser! Looks awesome

Hi @Ozzy pretty sure i signed up already, but if not can i still join in......

Hi Everyone, another quick update. So gloss varnish applied, I’ve been using MIG Lucky Varnish and it works well but will not resist enamel thinner so with decals applied (only three!) I have applied some initial washes and in dark and light tones. The idea is to try and tone down the very bright XF-5 and make the paint appear faded on the large flat surfaces. Ive used some oil paints and some MIG dark brown wash. I think its worked ok, will leave the oils plenty of time to dry and then review how much further to go with it. I’ll seal with MIG Lucky Matt Varnish before dry brushing to bring out all the details. I’m not going to go too far with it and there will be very limited chipping.. Next job will be the rubber band tracks. They fit well enough and no need to worry about sag. Will work on a dusty dry finish and see how they go. Thanks for looking

Looking great so far, I don’t worry about the odd scratch and mark it’s part of the weathering process for me!

I sometimes find some of the MIG videos a bit daunting, the results come so easily and are clearly due to many hours of practice that make it look “easy” and as you say it’s a bit nerve racking to practice on an expensive model. I think your models have the balance about right and are really impressive I feel like i’m improving and am certainly developing my own technique as well as taking inspiration from others. For me the hobby is more about spending the time doing something cognitive and more engaging than watching tv rather than an art form, but as you get drawn in the desire to improve keeps growing.

A m a z i n g work

Love the paint job on this, I certainly will be using some modulation on future builds the effect is excellent