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WILLYS MB JEEP, COMPONENT FOR DIORAMA 'PIT STOP'


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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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by Badder
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Just now, Buzby061 said:

Don't keep us in suspense!

 

Pete

Hopefully they'll be loaded in a few minutes!

 

Rearguards

Badder

 

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Here we go....

Not sure what's going on here but there's some kind of zigzaggy effect going on with the straight lines in the photos. Either hosting site or my camera is to blame!

 

https://imgur

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by Badder
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GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!

51AYrq6.jpg

 

Well, this link worked for once!

 

Shovel and axe were sprayed OD, then given several Red Earth Acrylic Ink wash over the wooden parts. I then used Humbrol Dark Earth Weathering Powder as a 'polish', rubbing it into the 'wood' with a stiff dry brush. This stained the ink and also polished it, giving a nice effect I think.

The metal parts of the shovel and axe were given a coat of Tamiya Acrylic Metallic Grey, then a wash with Black Acrylic ink, then a rubbing over with a graphite stick. Gloss varnish was applied over the graphite, but as is usual, the graphite dulled right down. I applied more graphite and tried sealing it (with its shine) with thin CA. This was more successful than the varnish coat. But I did go over it all again with the graphite stick.

 

The MG was painted purely with Black Acrylic Ink, with no undercoat. Interestingly, there were sink marks on either side of the breach, but I filled these in by pooling the ink into the depressions and letting it dry before applying more. The ink was self-levelling, which made the job a breeze. Once the MG was dry I rubbed over it with a stiff dry brush, 'polishing it up', but this time without any powders.

 

The wheels were sprayed OD, then the hubs were masked with Blu-Tac and the tyres sprayed with Tamiya Dark Iron. A black Acrylic Ink was was then applied to the hubs and, once dry, rubbed over with a stiff wet brush, taking off some of the ink and bringing out the raised detials in a kind of 'reverse dry-brushing'. A coat of watered down gloss varnish was washed over the wheels/tyres (and likewise over all of the body panels)

Edited by Badder
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Hi Badder. Don't give up - except perhaps on Imgur!! :fight:

Your jeep looks absolutely stunning. Superior weathering and finish make it look real!

Very well done. :worthy:

Kind regards,

Stix

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QnnK6Kp.jpg

 

I wanted the driver's seat to look more used than the passenger's seat, and both to look more used than the rear bench seat. All were given a spray with OD, then over-painted with Tamiya Acrlic Khaki.  I then messed about with both ink and weathering powder washes, dry brushing with powders, gloss varnish and rubbing back with a stiff dry brush. The gloss is most visible around the edges of the seat covers where the fabric would be worn most. There are some darker stains here and there, but they aren't showing up so well in the photos.

 

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KyZFjn2.jpg

 

The floor was given a similar treatment to the seat covers, but with the gloss varnish confined mostly to the driver's footwell.

gJs8CdB.jpg

 

Edited by Badder
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Windscreen down. Not sure how much I'm going to dirty that up yet. Mud/snow will be added to some extent later on.

 

Rifle and MG given the same treatment as the shovel and axe, except that the metal parts were painted soley with black acrylic ink.

 

uSYEjlR.jpg

 

Okay, for those who, like me, always wondered what the upright 'girder' is doing on the bumper.... these were 'wire cutter's placed there as guards against piano wire which the Germans used to stretch across roads and tracks in order to decapitate allied troops! Nice.

 

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Bumper/wire cutter assembly held in place with spit, hence slightly wonky.

Wheels, mounted MG, also not fixed in place yet.

Bonnet remains unfixed as I may show it in the open or partly open position.

 

adnjJxl.jpg

 

Final pic for now... the underside.

With the underside being hidden from sight, I mostly used the OD'd chassis as a 'playground', experimenting with effects that can be achieved purely with acrylics and powders, as washes or applied neat, and with lots of 'rubbing back' with a dry stiff brush, or a wet stiff brush.

Shcdi1P.jpg

 

TFL

Badder.

 

ps I shall probably go back and edit out a lot of the exasperated stuff!

 

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27 minutes ago, Buzby061 said:

Worth the wait, top job. 

 

Pete

Thanks for your patience and for popping back to have another look Pete!

I'm pretty sure it was a glitch with IMGUR.

 

Rearguards,

Badder

 

 

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