British Army Platforms

I didn't find it too be too large. I felt the scale was apt and once painted represents the texture perfectly. Maybe try two test pieces using spare parts and spray them up too to help give you a visual comparison.

So glad that its done you favours. Best of luck with the forthcoming builds!

Ah nice. Is there part of it sticking out from the turret that goes into the hull?

Unfortunately those pictures are the only ones I have come in contact with re TES, you can certainly find others on google images and with deeper digging, more images on certain forums etc. Fantastic, the RFM models are certainly the best. My Berlin Brigade Camo Challenger was made using the Trumpeter Kit. Thankfully that came with a dozer blade! I will argue however that the quality of the RFM is far superior to the trumpeter, and therefore getting a dozer blade for your RFM is going to create a very high quality model, it will be great! I somewhat documented my hand with Anti-Slip and the camo/masking (page 5) here: You will also find there my first challenger build - the standard version by RFM, and my latest chally, the TES version which I recently started. However, to save you from scouring all the posts in that topic, the best advice I can give for the anti-slip and camo are as follows: Mig 1/35 yellow anti slip paste worked amazingly for me and I will be using it on the TES. You can mask of areas to avoid the texture, apply the texture then remove it once dried, or what I found best for harder areas to mask, such as the many service caps on the hull, was to apply with a brush, even out the texture with a sponge (this gets the uniform coverage you are concerned about), and then whilst still wet, remove it from the unwanted areas with a cotton bud or even a finger. It should be applied in the areas shown below: For the paint scheme, white is a bloody pain! So Try to order your paint application to cater for this. Even practice masking and painting the 3 layers on spare parts first. The key advice is that if you cut masking tape to mask off areas, only let the original edge (cut by machine in the factory) be on the edge masking off an area. That is to say, any sides produced via cutting the tape, should not be used as and edge of a masking area - I hope that makes sense. This means that you'll have a straighter camo and a more secure masked area. Preventing less paint creeping and creating a much crisper camo. The masking takes a LONG time, so when you have finished a whole part ready to do the next coat of paint, go over EVERY edge of masking and really push it into the surface, using a cotton bud, to make sure it wont allow any paint to run or creep in unwanted places. Especially the case on textured surfaces. This is worth doing as over the several hours it took to mask one section, the first masked areas began to peel off very very slightly. I hope that all makes sense and is useful for you!

Looks really good now its all together. When will you put the interior back in?

I found it great for application with a 'best of both world' drying time. Once painted, it does look great in replicating the anti slip texture at this 1/35 scale. Using tape (I used Tamiya 18mm, and cut down for various applications) you can make it neat pretty easily if the tape is stuck down well. Likewise with applying with a sponge, the consistency is easily made neat.

Count me in for the pint! Went to Edinburgh late last year and the castle was shut off. Would love to see it again properly.

Thanks Nenad. Jump on-board the WIP topic for my challengers too see the current TES build.

Thanks Ivan and @vytautas, certainly looking forward to it. Yea got a long way to go before I can call it my career, but I'm about 80% done with RMAS selection. Thanks for the encouragement.

Nothing feels quite as good in modelling, as seeing a fresh sharp sprue sheet from RFM: Starting with the hull as always, the centre rib -which will pick up the suspension beams- was particularly straight and true compared to my first RFM chally. Starting off well! Holes, holes, holes... Using a 1mm drill bit by hand and creating a very light countersink with a scalpel. Annoying how some holes exist and others we have to continue ourselves. Presumably it's so this piece can be used in both chally sets which have different mountings, without two separate pieces being designed. A thick ,anti IED bottom plate was added. However I cleaned up the small bolts on the side. The new theme with this build is extreme attention to detail. Taking allot longer to remove any flash or mould lines. Before and afters: Finished the hull with the sides, making sure that the top of the hull will mate perfectly later . It does.... thankfully. Along with removing seams and making parts look whole when they are constructed from two halves....... .....I also want all cemented pieces to mate perfectly to their corresponding surfaces / locations. Hopefully this plate with four bolts which the barrel mounts attach too, looks equally as welded on as the existing (cast/ moulded on) mounting plate below it. The IED plating on the bottom also being 'welded' on in appearance, using the cement. Finishing a little fun shift of modelling on the second page of the booklet complete. The most visual progress of the whole build due to the size of the hull. 5/6 faces of the hull complete (excluding the top), including details such as rear lamps, spare tracks and hooks attached: Overall, quality control for this build is going to be the best so far with time the main ingredient. Excited to continue this build. May do some more this weekend, however going to have to give it up a little more with work starting soon and weekends and evenings dedicated to preparing for AOSB Main Board which I have in early May. Some kinda relevant news, had an informal interview with the RTR. So the ball is rolling with aiming to eventually work with these Tanks, more likely to be the descendants of this TES, as if all goes well I may be in the thick of it when CR3 (LEP) is established. Although that will only be the plan if I don't pass my upcoming AAC selection at RAF Cranwell. Lots of very competitive aspirations, so got to work hard. Have a fantastic Easter everyone.

After following ERK's TES build this last week, and the extended Easter weekend.... I was tempted to continue the model 'train'. Started with fixing a few breaks on the first CR2 I built. Time to start the RFM TES! Antenna, wing mirror and decal fixed. (decal did shrivel a bit with using PE glue /superglue. 😕

Thank you so much Wayne, your help has been so useful. Still looking up to your builds as inspiration. May be some time before my next one but looking forward to doing it when I start it. See you then 👍

Happy to share with you what I’ve come across. Excited to follow this build when you do it!

Thanks so much Vytautas, I think there are more complex chally camo's out there though...... 😂

Thank you. I thought the same, but with some time and decent tape doing most of the work (18mm Tamiya), it came out pretty good for my first masking scheme. ID urge you give it a go as it was great fun. Very good question... Thank you so much John, pleased you like it. Aiming higher for the next.

Yea looks to be a good game.

Thanks guys, your help has been instrumental. Cheers :)

That effort is eye-watering...

Thank you so much! Hopefully I'll continue the CR2 WIP page with the TES. Going to take a short break from modelling for now though with AOSB Main fast approaching. Certainly will be avidly following your build! Thanks again

Don't worry they're all in a safer spot with a view thanks to you Thanks! pleased you think so.

After heavy inspiration from RTR's Ajax Squadrons Urban Camo (Berlin Brigade Reboot), and a sense of right of passage in doing this scheme, here is the WIP thread for this multi-coloured Trumpeter (KFOR Kit) Challenger 2: This is my third model and my second challenger (Please do take the time to check the others out) I have to give a special thanks to @Simon Chong for the best inspiration, @Widow 65 for some brilliant first hand experience and therefore great detail advisor and to @ERK , @Stef N. , @SoftScience , @ivan-o , @vytautas for great encouragement and lots of useful advice and all that good stuff. Special thanks to @diablo rsv for the further inspiration quality wise, with his MK.10 Chieftain in berlin camo, and his help with finding products that made this project what it is. But you are all here to see the RFI final pics so I wont delay further! Please comment feedback and be harsh(!) as I'd like to make progress between this model and the RFM TES which is next! That said positive feedback is also welcome Pictures can be viewed on Pinterest too: https://pin.it/4F1z226

After a long shift of weathering, she's more or less done. It comes at a time aswell where we chally lovers can relax slightly knowing that, despite the Army's less favourable hand when dealt by the Integrated Review and Defence Paper, there will be 148 Challengers left when the 'New Soldier' is in full swing. These are referred too as Challenger 3's, presumably the BAE Systems (AKA Vickers) upgraded CR3. Here are the pics before the last two finishing touches (antennas and dust!) I will post the link to the RFI page once that is up with the final photographs.

After some of the texture B had dried up in clumps from where I mixed it together. I rubbed the dry clay like material over the surface which created accents on the texture A concrete streak and collected in other grooves. Not sure if will have any use, but though id share the outcome of this further experimentation.

Decided to practice and get a bit experimental with weathering. From left to right: Dark pin wash in groves of panels, seen most clearly on the left groove of the first white panel. Streaking grime attempts on white panels, look best coming from expected start points such as bolts. The random spills look out of place but were a good demo how me to use them. The third and fourth white panels have a dark wash all over with some europe earth brushed over, creating a yellowy dirty wash. (A) Mixed some anti slip texture with europe dirt which created this half mud half concrete looking texture. (B) Added some charcoal powder which made a much more convincing concrete texture. Both the A and B textures were also applied on the sides, left to try, then lightly sanded off to produce deposits that look more like the dirt-mud and gravel-dirt materials encountered in an urban environment: For the real challenger, I think ill definitely avoid the concrete looking textures, but still apply it and reduce the harshness of the texture with sanding to create those muddy/dirty and dusty deposits. A pin wash to highlight panels and rubbing the charcoal powder on its own and some streaking grime to weather exhaust and vent ports. Europe earth pigment on its own to dust the whole model.

It’s definitely a small detail you’ll miss unless aware of. But when your aware of it and care for attention.... It’s worse than the long process of putting them together! Check out my thread on CR2’s. I talk about the whole track fiasco. In my own way of course. You’ll see I was lazy with this attention to detail 😂