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Type 74 lowrider


Ernst

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Yep, your old citroen might do a couple of these moves and some ‘64 chevy imapalas can pull this of as well but to my knowledge only a few tanks can do this. I bought this kit 6 weeks ago on an auction site for a bargain. I’ll have to admit this tank was never on my radar but I liked the shape of it and it’s a tamiya so I went for it.

 

The tank

The type 74 was designed to counter the t-62 but it was already more or less obsolete when it came out which surprised me since Japan is a tech savy country. When soviet filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsy filmed the famous highway scene of the sci fi movie “Solyaris” in the early seventies, he went to Tokyo because it looked more futuristic than the USSR (probably among other reasons). But that same USSR was already working on the T-64, T-72 and T-80. Even the Type 90 looks more like a copy of the leopard-2’s that came out a decade earlier. But to me the Type 74 looks a bit Russian with the low sleek silhouette combined with the big road-wheels and dome shaped turret. What sets this tank apart from most others is the way the tracks look, and the exhaust. No rust. Did they use noncorrosive materials? I would find such consideration very japanese. Check the excelent walkaround pics right here: http://www.toadmanstankpictures.com/type_74_camp_iwate.htm

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Edited by Ernst
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The kit turned out to be partly build with the use of universal glue, some decals were missing but nothing problematic. I like the colourfull decals. The rubber band tracks were already painted silver and weathered a bit but maybe I leave it that way. They were warped but a swift one-second rinse in boiling water immediately released the tension so now they're straightened out. There are some aftermarket modelkasten tracks but they are expensive and hard to get so this one is going to be oob. There’s only 3 sprues of tamiya bliss so I build it in a weekend. The only problem I encountered was the barrel, the two halves did't fit very well and I seriously thought about buying an replacement one. As you can see Tamiya provided the kit with a tool to adjust the suspension so I think you know where this is going.

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The type 74 was going to be my next build so I’ll be following along with this. Not much in terms of AM for this golden oldie apart from some great tracks from Modelkasten, a PE set from Lion Roar both are very hard to find in Europe. 
 

Asuka did a rebox of the Tamiya kit ( Type 74 Kai ) but with extra sprues, again hard to find and expensive. 

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6 hours ago, Dads203 said:

The type 74 was going to be my next build so I’ll be following along with this. Not much in terms of AM for this golden oldie apart from some great tracks from Modelkasten, a PE set from Lion Roar both are very hard to find in Europe. 
 

Asuka did a rebox of the Tamiya kit ( Type 74 Kai ) but with extra sprues, again hard to find and expensive. 

Some of those asuka parts (clear parts and handles) can be purchased at HLJ for £3.07 each. The type 74 kai has sideskirts so you won't notice the rubber band tracks that much although Asuka has the rubber padded ones that look less toy-like. All in all for me it's just too much for an upgraded old tamiya kit that I bought for about £10.

 

I find it difficult to create a natural sag with rubber bands but I hope I have that covered with the adjustable suspension. Apart from building a fun kit my main objective is to gain some experience in semi-soft two tone camo. I've never done that and the lvtp-7 on one of the photo's requires a MERDC treatment. If I fail I have the option for a winter whitewash before I grab the oven cleaner.

 

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With regard to the camouflage the manual states the following: The type 74 tank has been painted olive drab overall when delivered from the factory. However, the colour is liable to fade after use and often looks greenish in snowy areas, it is sometimes camouflaged with lime dissolved in water.

They didn't mention a specific number.

 

The 1993 improved winter version recommended xf-65 with xf-52 but that was before they came up with xf-72 and xf-73. Long story short any dull medium brown should do and I had some leftover "ak rc065 braun" from a previous project. At the time I was unhappy with the paint because it dried up to a very matt almost abrasive surface. These AK paint require some more thinner than I was used to so I applied several thin coats misted over the model and now it's a lot smoother. The infrared box has some seams in it that need further attention (previous owner built it, not me).spacer.png

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  • 3 weeks later...

After making several stupid mistakes including buying xf74 instead of xf73 I mixed some vallejo paints myself. I believe the xf74 is appropriate for Vietnam era armour like the m48, hmm, maybe this will lead to something.

 

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I airbrushed it freehand with a cheap airbrush and 2 mm needle.  Since this is an unexpectedly difficult surface to paint with a lot if small recesses I just painted the outlines at first. Laquer paint is a lot easier than acrylics. After a day I put silly putty to prevent spillage and filled it up, I only have to do a few touch ups. I did put some highlights on the brown here and there so I will have to repeat the process. I drew the pattern in the manual by looking at on of the paint options from Tamiya's 1993 winter version of this kit, this is the ´79 one.

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3 minutes ago, Dads203 said:

That’s looking rather nice indeed Ernst, the colours look spot on :thumbsup:

Thanks, I tried them on an old cd cover first to check out how they match. I can experiment weathering on the painted cd cover before I touch the model. In hindsight I could have scratched a few things like some handles and the tube from the infrared box to the turret. At the time I didn't know if I'd use blutac as a mask for semisoft and I didn't want to worry about things letting loose. The molding on this kit looks pretty good for it's age, I'm starting to like it more and more.

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  • 2 weeks later...

When I was studying The walkaround pics to get some ideas about weathering (I want to keep this one subtle) and I noticed something about the spare tracks.

 

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I glued them on upside down, following tamiya's instructions.

 

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But now there is no room left for this hinge  and the tracks are much too low. I might even have to airbrush some brown here and there. I don't think this will cause me too much trouble. In the meanwhile I've applied a base coat on the  tools and exhaust  lights and gun mantlet. I'm figuring out how to paint these shiny tracks but the mig metal on some old zvezda ISU tracks looks a bit flaky and diluting it with grey doesn't help either. I practice some weathering techniques on the cd cover to see what's most appropriate. I went a bit over the top with a ISU 122 that's almost ready for inspection so hence my careful approach.

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Edited by Ernst
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  • 2 weeks later...
3 hours ago, Dads203 said:

You must be finished on this now? Anymore to show us 

I'm struggling with the tracks. Metal paint looks awful as expected, even if mixed with normal gray. Now I'm experimenting with different shades of gray with white highlights to provide an illusion of metallic shine, see lower tracks.

 

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I'm also experimenting with differences in chipability of different paints (tamiya and Vallejo) with different thinners and additives (soap, ipa, thinner and flow improver) on different surfaces (very matt vs semigos/gloss gradient) accross time (15 minutes, 2 hour and 24 hour) to investigate if and how the hairspray method can be used to create dust effects.

 

On april the 19th I already had one test on a cd cover with the original paintscheme using a lin layer of very diluted vallejo but I might as well take a bit more systematic approach. I used white for maximum contrast and because it's one of the few tamiya paints that I have.

Moreover I'm thinking of putting in an additional test where I use 3 different decal solutions and test these out on three different different surfaces to investigate silvering and use three different brands of varnish (that I already have) to Identify the most resilient one. The decal on the isu 122 was affected after being exposed to water despite being locked with varnish. Coincidentally  there is a rust streak so it doesn't bother me too much but I want to keep this one relatively clean so the margin of error is much smaller.

 

Below you can see the result of test one of tamiya with added soap water. Left collumn is a very matt surface, right collumn is a semigloss to gloss gradient from left to right. Top row is after 15 minutes, middle is 2 hours and bottom is after 24 hours. In each square I used (from left to right) a rough flat brush, an old pointy one, a toothpick and a soft flat brush, the same I've dampened the surface with. On the most slippery surface (right side of right column) that was enough to peel away the paint although that effect diminishes over time. More will follow.

 

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My other simultaneous project with the same semisoft edge is hampered by bad luck and I made some adjustments. Again at a much too late stage but if I can pull it off I will be more tolerant towards setbacks.

 

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I already made some masks from transparent plastic lids to paint the sand and black touches of the camo. I'm not very good at free hand airbrushing and these training wheels might pull me through. If I can do it I might as well add the cable from type 74's IR box because it is an defining feature of the tank. Main concern is the tracks, I've never seen anything like it.

 

Input is welcome, especially on the tracks.

I hope to be finished in a week or two, then I can finally commit to a project that has been haunting me for two long, a project that I just want to be done with.

 

Edited by Ernst
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I installed some 'periscopes' from plastic strip because it looked odd without them. The await their paint job, the headlights need a touch up here and there. After drilling a hole in the IR box I then inserted a cable from an old computer. From some old PE sprue I made the connection part. I first tried a hollow rod, the sort that come with fine pointed brushes but it looked too thick. Things add up pretty quick even in 1/35. The real one has two cables and the asuka box shows even three but I'm not experienced with scratch-building and I think I've pushed my luck with this one. After spending some time watching walkaround pics an YT clips about this tank it began to bother me. Time to prime the tracks.

 

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Hi Ernst,
I'm sorry I lost this, a long, long time ago ... I made one of these, but in green, and it wasn't bad for the time and skill I had then (I don't think I have photos, a shame).
Yours seems to be progressing quite well, and the small additions certainly improve it.
The tracks have a very special color, I had never seen them in detail, but in that time, as always, enamel aluminum color, and finished, and from what I see, in this particular case, I was not much wrong ... LOL.
The chipping technique is very interesting, and a lot of patience demonstrated. I hope that useful info has come out of the tests ...

A point with the origin of the cable, I have "kilometers" of those ... lol
If it seems too thick, if you have more obsolete "hardware", the cables that are used for the circuitry of the on-off system of the computer cases are thinner for sure.

Cheers and TC
Francis 👍

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Hi Francis,

It is a good kit with crisp moulding. If only Asuka would sell a complete upgrade package for say 20 pound but that might have something to do with profit margins. I've been considering several products for the tracks, like the new vallejo metal color range. Preshading affects these colours so a lot variation can be achieved with this but all my preshading experiments have failed up to now. Moreover some parts of the tracks look white. My choice would have been an alluminium one, white or duraluminium. But that would mean another round of experimentation and I'm still behind on the hairpray comparisons, hopefully next weekend. I've lowered the front end of the suspension, partly to avoid the whole track problem anyway. I'll post it here because I don't want to overextend the natural lifespan of the isu thread and a WIP is more fitting for these kind of things than a RFI.

 

The cable is a bit thick but it is very bendable and stays in that shape. I've just taken a look at my circuitry cables (open case for cooling) but I don't have en extra pair of those. Well I just go with it, and finish this one. I'm beginning to understand why people do scratch building.

Cheers,

Ernst.

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Time for some decals. They are a bit thick but tamiya is known for that. I choose a simple set of decals because I'm not very good at them and some schemes had a decal on the back of the turret and I still have some drilling to do there. The tracks were painted neutral gray with a drop of pale blue over a dark grey primer. I gave it a dark grey wash in the recesses to add some depth and then drybrushed it with a thin coat of  humbrol polished alluminium. I tested the polished steel on some old zvezda tracks and couldn't reach the recessed areas for polishing. I wanted to avoid spraying enamels on tracks because I remember it tended to peel of when the tracks were bended into place so I never gave it any consideration. I've noticed that these humbrol paint's don't have this 'flaky' look to them that I see on some acrylic products. When it's dry tomorrow I'll polish it with a piece of cloth and if it needs more humbrol I can always add it.

 

 

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Hi Ernst,

What you see so far on the track, seems convincing, comparing it with the photos of the real model that you have included (the one on the left), perhaps with a little more brightness ...:hmmm:
Cheers and TC
Francis.👍

 

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Hi Francis, I've been painting and airbrushing since 7 o' clock this morning continuously. Thanks for the tip, I used the humbrol polished aliminium for the outside and polished steel for the inside but I might do some aluminium highlights. A day after painting you can give them a gentle rub and they start shining. It was sold out in Amsterdam so I had to go for the extended bike ride to another town but I needed a workout anyway. I applied some more paint just by carefully painting and it is drying now.

I've  already started weathering the type 74. Sealed the decals with tamiya gloss varnish, in my opinion one of the more durable varnishes, and the first very thin layer of hairspray dust effects topically applied. That will be sealed with a semigloss coat so it kind of blends in with the vehicle and then repeat process and hopefully get an layered effect.

I'm also working on the cd covers, last one will be ready tomorrow and photo's will follow but it's time to scratch again. Cheers,

Ernst

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The first layer of dust is applied over the camo and sealed with a thin layer of tamiya varnish. I chose a brown colour with added deck tan and tap water so it would contrast with both the green and the brown. For the same reason I mixed some khaki with green for the canvas mantlet cover but I'll tone it down a bit with some grey washes.

 

Tamiya varnish is resilient enough to water and scratching with brushes, much more than vallejo. I'll do some touch ups here and there, especially under the smoke grenades. I found that using hairspray technique for dust effects allows (for me) smaller patches of dust but I must say I haven't got much experience with pigments or oils and enamels to achieve similar results.  I can make sharper borders with it in contrast to oils.

Even if you apply a faint translucent layer, once you start removing the dust layer all of the sudden you start realizing it wasn't all that translucent after all. When I reactivated the hairspray with a soft brush the dustpaint started to behave as these 'workable' acrylics especially when more water is added.

After the varnish is cured I'll add some additional dustpatches and probably some base colors as well for more contrast.

 

The tracks received some extra layers of brushed alluminium on the contact areas and I'll add some variation on the rubber blocks.

 

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Hi Ernst,

A good "field study", I see that you are testing techniques that fit your tastes and skills, one of the best ways to improve in the hobby, as there are many ways to get to the same point ...
Cheers and TC
Francis.👍

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1 hour ago, Dads203 said:

That’s looking really great, some nice weathering applied in the right places:thumbsup:

Thank you for your kind words, in all honesty I'm basically messing about trying new stuff and see if it works. A few times I thought oh no, what have I done.

 

1 hour ago, FrancisGL said:

Hi Ernst,

A good "field study", I see that you are testing techniques that fit your tastes and skills, one of the best ways to improve in the hobby, as there are many ways to get to the same point ...
Cheers and TC
Francis.

Thank you, I just want to understand this so next time I won't have to think about it. Good you mention the field study, back in the isu 122 thread we talked about hairspray technique with Wayne, Pete and Gaz. I've promised to look into it and here are the results of the experiment on cd covers. 

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As expected it became more difficult to chip away the paint especially after 24 hours and this effect was the most pronounced with tamiya paint diluted with isopropyl. With Vallejo I found out that 15 minutes was to early as next picture will show. I had water spillage. Even after 24 hours vallejo (with both dilutions) was fairly easy to remove, especially on a glossy surface. Just moistening the surface peeled away the paint.There was a funny thing with the flow improver, it made the paint act as an almost infinite 'workable' paint. On a glossy surface it dries up in an interesting texture, maybe interesting for mud effects.spacer.png

 

All in all, the Type 74 became more heavily weathered then expected so I'll keep the lvtp7 very clean. Well, it's amphibious so it receives an occasional splash.

Thank you both for taking an interest in this thread,

Cheers,

Ernst

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

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The IR box is attached to the turret and by coincidence I found a thinner cable that seems more scale correct. One of the benefits of being a bit of a hoarder, I just can't throw away stuff. I wish I had more room but that's a rare commodity in Amsterdam. I'll have to do some touch ups here and there but the end is in sight. Wheels and tracks are next

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