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TAMIYA 1/35th WILLYS MB JEEP OOB COMPONENT FOR DIORAMA 'PIT STOP' TO COMPLIMENT SHERMAN M4A3E8 FEATURED IN RFI 'FACE OFF'. This was one of those 'spur of the moment' purchases from Hobbycraft whilst popping in to buy a single pot of acrylic paint. I had seen it on the shelf during previous visits and almost bought it then, purely for the figure and the small amount of stowage/tools/weapons that came with the kit. I had thought that they might be useful additions to my Sherman Easy Eight. In the end I didn't buy it then because actually they weren't that relevant to my Sherman. However, I later came to realise that the Jeep itself would make a good companion for said Sherman in the forthcoming diorama 'Pit Stop'. I am still considering other larger vehicles as components for that diorama, but for now, I am happy with the Jeep. We shall see.... The kit instructions suggest 5 versions of the Jeep, most notably one of the 7th Armoured Division 814th Tank Destroyer Battalion, Reconnaissance Company No.22, which was present in Belgium in Jan '45. My Sherman is based on one which was present in the Bastogne area (Belgium) at that same time. Whether the Sherman and Jeep could have met in real life isn't something I've researched, but I'm pretending that they did. Whilst my Sherman is sporting worn winter camo, I doubted that the Jeep would have been given a whitewash and so stuck to the OD. The finished model here is shown OOB, but I will be adding some more stowage - and will be applying mud and snow when the time comes to plonk it in the diorama. The model was painted using Tamiya Acrylics thinned with water, for both brush and airbrush, AND Daler Rowney Acrylic Inks, either neat or again watered down. Humbrol Dark Earth Weathering Powder was also employed, again watered down for washes, but was sometimes mixed with the Inks to achieve differing colours/tones. The powder was also used dry to create 'leather/canvas' effects on the seat covers IT MIGHT BE INTERESTING TO NOTE THAT NO ENAMELS WERE USED AT ALL ON THIS MODEL.... a first for me! Also, no varnishes were used to seal layers or aid the application of washes. Gloss varnish WAS used in places to give the model a wet appearance, but mostly a 'shiny/wet' effect was achieved by polishing the paint surfaces with a stiff dry brush. Any futher 'wet effects' will be added at the diorama stage. PHOTOS: please note that there are many more to add, but I'm having serious Interupternet issues and it's taking an age to upload them to my hosting site, and yes, I know I haven't fitted the steering wheel! One last thing... I always pondered the purpose of the upright 'girders' stuck on the front bumpers of some Jeeps. Having read the instruction sheet, I now know. If you don't know, and want a 'heads up' just ask. It has something to do with pianos. TFL Badder