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Sardaukar's tank, AFV and wheelie thing factory


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2 hours ago, Bullbasket said:

Go on. You know you want to!

Nice work with the KV and the Chally look good too.

 

John.

 

thanks John, I have a theory that trying a few different scales will make me a better painter overall.

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  • 1 month later...

Its been a while since I last did an update, whenever I've been able to do some work its been on various different projects.

 

This arrived a few days back from China, I had to have this when I saw it. I really like the idea of gun trucks although I think this is the first plastic kit in 1/72 of a US gun truck, I do have an idea to convert an academy HEMTT into a gun truck too.

 

PXL_20230401_214424023.jpg

 

I got this recently too, a 3D printed Boarhound, I always wanted one of these.

 

PXL_20230408_001523379.jpg

 

It has some fine detail although I didn't manage to get the supports off without damaging those foot holds, thinking about replacing them with wire but I'm a bit wary of drilling the resin near a corner.

 

PXL_20230408_001529166.jpg

 

The layers are still visible although this is probably the best 3D print I've bought so far.

 

PXL_20230323_232336283.jpg

 

The above is a PSC Churchill that I've been messing around with trying to use the "slapchop" miniature painting method. This uses citadel contrast paints over a black undercoat that has been heavily dry brushed with grey and white highlights, it works well on textured surfaces but not so great on large flat areas.

 

PXL_20230408_001811369.jpg

 

An airfix tilly that needs a good dusting inspired by @Bullbasket and his 1/35 tilly.  Not finished yet it needs some weathering and at least a matt coat.

 

PXL_20230408_001911801.jpg

 

Lastly a Dragon T-34/76 Beute Panzer, I got this off eBay and it turned out to be partially built, that'll teach me to read the description properly. I still had to put together the turret and most of the hull furniture.

 

Its an early model T-34 that still had two headlights, one of which was missing. Now it is going to get a winter whitewash camo scheme over that questionable green (my choice) and a lot of weathering.

 

Cheers

 

Calum

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8 hours ago, echen said:

Some good builds there. Looking forward to seeing them develop. 👍

Thanks, me too 😄

 

6 hours ago, Bullbasket said:

Very nice, especially the Standard Tilly. Now if only there was a 1/35th scale version.

 

John.

Thanks John 

5 hours ago, Yg Models said:

yours already arrived.

 

HK need to wait until May 😵

 

I bought mine through ebay direct from China, AliExpress has them too, delivery to UK takes about two weeks. I have noticed hobbyeasy in HK often lags behind on the releases but gets there eventually, I see it is now on preorder.

 

2 hours ago, Muchmirth said:

Really like that takom gun truck, I had no idea they did that.

 

It is a new boxing, but they did the M1070 with trailer before with either an Abrams or a bulldozer so I assume the tractor unit sprues are reused with a few additional for the armour.  It looks pretty Mad Max.

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Some work on this Boarhound, I replaced the handles between the wheels on the sides with copper wire and superglue.

 

The layers were fairly obvious after a coat with Mr Surfacer so I stippled a lot of areas with tamiya putty diluted with Mr Color levelling thinner. Even after doing this twice some areas can still be seen I imagine the putty doesnt etch into the resin like it would with the plastic.

 

In my Caunter set from Vallejo it has what is called BSC 49 Lt. Purple Brown and Ive been wanting to give this a go for a while. The purple is over a base of Portland Stone. With the Boarhound this is a bit of a what if anyway and some did make it to North Africa in late '42 although never adopted in number. Some weathering and touch up should definitely improve this.

 

PXL_20230413_223339963.jpg

 

PXL_20230413_223351756.jpg

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6 minutes ago, Yg Models said:

BSC 49 Lt. Purple Brown, what code number (70.XXX) is it?

71.402, I have to say it's not the best Vallejo model air paint I've used and it doesn't brush very well when I was trying to tidy up some parts.

 

Nice colour though and I didn't think it is very AFV normally which is why I wanted to use it. the British army in North Africa in WW2 seem to have used whatever contrast colours they had to hand over the basic Portland stone or light stone.

 

I need to get my hands on some desert pink which is 71.400, who doesn't want a pink tank? although I might get it from AK real colours instead.

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  • 3 weeks later...

What happens when you have several builds on the go, you buy some more kits 😳.

 

Im waiting for some decals for my Boarhound, however that doesn't really excuse everything else. But I did get some work in over the bank holiday weekend.

 

New project which was supposed to be a quick build companion to my Airfix Tilly.

 

An Ace Austin Tilly

 

PXL_20230429_164313556.jpg

 

Ace kits can require a bit of extra love and care, fit issues and gaps can be standard. I also decided to use an s-models shovel from the spares box instead of the ace one which was pretty chunky.

 

I did have to consult the Tamiya instructions for the placement of the suspension etc, not a lot of keying on these kits either. 

 

From above there is a fair bit of filling to do around the bonnet etc.

 

PXL_20230429_200421533.jpg

 

some paint on and interior, I will fit windows from some clear packing material I have. It is coming together.

 

Started another two kits which are so similar I'll build them together, also keen to make a bit of a dent in the stash.

 

PXL_20230502_220324791.jpg

 

Two panzer 3 hulls but they aren't getting turrets and what looks like a casemate, more to come. 

 

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The ace Tilly

 

I wasnt happy with some of the gaps so decided to fill

 

PXL_20230503_205301532.jpg

 

PXL_20230503_205225256.jpg

 

Gaps filled with Tamiya putty and the excess wiped away with levelling thinner which of course removed a lot of paint. I was expecting this but the internal paint job should still be good.

 

Windows were fitted by this point, I am using Vallejo Liquid Mask for the first time to protect the windows during this work and the repainting. I also cleaned up a few areas. I should be able to repaint the external areas while maintaining the internal paint job.

 

PXL_20230503_205208630.jpg

 

The underside this was actually where most of the fettling was required to get everything to fit like the axels and the suspension springs.

 

PXL_20230503_205244022.jpg

 

I wasn't happy with the join on the tilt, the Tamiya putty hadn't really done the job, with my technique  so I removed it with a coat of Tamiya cement and then filled it with a streak of sprue goo, which required a bit of scraping and sanding once cured. Sprue goo has to be my favourite filler but you cant use it round any detail you might want to keep. 

 

More airbrush next.

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Another project

 

This is a Polish TKS with 20mm Cannon from First To Fight, its a limited edition so it came with the metal gun barrel. FTF kits come with very nice background booklets which are only in Polish, I wish these were available as English PDFs online.

 

Reminds me a lot of S-Model kits although with them you get two...

 

I got the Hataka Polish paint set for this as I wanted to try their Lacquers.

 

PXL_20230506_173244361.jpg

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On 5/4/2023 at 5:13 AM, sardaukar said:

Vallejo Liquid Mask

 

i use this too, but after painted, i find it is difficult to remove completely?🤔

 

 

 

 

On 5/4/2023 at 5:13 AM, sardaukar said:

Tamiya putty

 

japanese epoxy resin (not sure?) putty is to hard to sand, not suitable AFV, which always soft plastic material.

i usually use those europe brands water-base putty which especial for train, military kits to grout the gaps.

 

 

 

normally i won't start several kits at the same time, would focus the painting on one kit, and begin puttying the next one when previous one almost finish. otherwise, both of them will keep on workbench for much longer time.

Edited by Yg Models
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Polish Tricolour on my TKS.

 

The Hataka Lacquers have a very glossy appearance, it will get zapped with a flat coat so not a big deal.

 

However the goal here was to freehand airbrush a tricolour camo without using masking, hence the cheap easy build model. To do this I used said Lacquer paints almost 50/50 thinned with Mr Color Levelling Thinner with a .2mm needle H&S Ultra, I am kinda happy with the result but there is a lot of overspray. I guest a 1/72 Tankette was ambitious for this. Any tips to improve?

 

PXL_20230507_005208408.jpg

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28 minutes ago, Yg Models said:

 

i use this too, but after painted, i find it is difficult to remove completely?🤔

 

Ive not decided on this yet. It is difficult to get good edges with the mask which means when you remove it you don't get good edges with the acrylic paints. Also removing the mask required a bit too much abrasion from some sharp tweezers so very easy to scratch the windows.

 

Im not sold on it yet, some well cut masking tape would probably be better.

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On 07/05/2023 at 02:08, sardaukar said:

 

Ive not decided on this yet. It is difficult to get good edges with the mask which means when you remove it you don't get good edges with the acrylic paints. Also removing the mask required a bit too much abrasion from some sharp tweezers so very easy to scratch the windows.

 

Im not sold on it yet, some well cut masking tape would probably be better.

You could try blue/white tack or silly putty, doesn’t have as much grip as masking fluid, also it is easier to get softer edges on camouflage schemes. That said I really struggle with masking fluid on windows to the point of not being able to remove it sometimes.

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@sardaukar Soft edged camo on 1/72 is very tricky as everything is so small. I tried hairy sticking a cam pattern on my 1/76 JP then gently washing round the edges to soften them It didn't really work.

Advice at the time was that the transition between colours would be so small as to be almost invisible at 1/72.

Maybe it might work for you in an adjusted process?

Edited by echen
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BTW I dropped the turret of the t-34 from earlier in the thread and it snapped the barrel 😭, I was able to glue it, but not entirely happy with the outcome, considering replacing with a metal barrel.

 

8 hours ago, Old pro said:

You could try blue/white tack or silly putty, doesn’t have as much grip as masking fluid, also it is easier to get softer edges on camouflage schemes. That said I really struggle with masking fluid on windows to the point of not being able to remove it sometimes.

 

Yeah I've used blutac for masking camo patterns before, but for windows where you want a straight edge I'm not sure any putty will do the job completely. The masking fluid sounded like the solution as you can paint it on, however I'm finding it has other issues. It does actually say on the Vallejo bottle not to leave on too long, but it doesn't tell you how long is too long. Also I suspect putting multiple coats of paint and clear coat over it doesn't help.

 

I already discovered on my Airfix tilly that it isn't a good idea to put clear coat over the windows although for it I cleaned up the windows a bit after with a cotton bud soaked in levelling thinner.

 

There was me thinking wheeled softskins are great because there are no track assemblies to deal with 😀

 

3 hours ago, echen said:

@sardaukar Soft edged camo on 1/72 is very tricky as everything is so small. I tried hairy sticking a cam pattern on my 1/76 JP then gently washing round the edges to soften them It didn't really work.

Advice at the time was that the transition between colours would be so small as to be almost invisible at 1/72.

Maybe it might work for you in an adjusted process?

 

thanks for the tips, Ive seen too many youtubers freehand camo with an airbrush and want to be able to do that too, this has pushed me in the direction of lacquers, although I'm sure I've seen some do with water based acrylics. My H&S Ultra runs a lot better with lacquers too.

 

I think more practice is what is needed to get things like air pressure and thinning mix right and also my airbrush control. Maybe if I freehand on the various armourfast and PSC models I have.

 

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2 minutes ago, sardaukar said:

I think more practice is what is needed to get things like air pressure and thinning mix right and also my airbrush control. Maybe if I freehand on the various armourfast and PSC models I have.

Practice makes perfect - as they say!

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PXL_20230508_154518149.jpg

 

My ACE Tilly it is getting there, it still has the liquid mask in the windows here. All the black was painted with a hairy stick.

 

And my coronation weekend project the TKS is almost done, it has been detailed and had a wash and some panel lining not sure I'll do much more with it, a nice little build.

 

PXL_20230508_154432876.jpg

 

PXL_20230508_154439374.jpg

 

PXL_20230508_154444816.jpg

 

PXL_20230508_154453639.jpg

 

Here is the real thing, although with the machine gun instead. Mine too dark as usual.

 

TKS_P1010141_2.jpg

 

 

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15 hours ago, sardaukar said:

BTW I dropped the turret of the t-34 from earlier in the thread and it snapped the barrel 😭, I was able to glue it, but not entirely happy with the outcome, considering replacing with a metal barrel.

 

 

Yeah I've used blutac for masking camo patterns before, but for windows where you want a straight edge I'm not sure any putty will do the job completely. The masking fluid sounded like the solution as you can paint it on, however I'm finding it has other issues. It does actually say on the Vallejo bottle not to leave on too long, but it doesn't tell you how long is too long. Also I suspect putting multiple coats of paint and clear coat over it doesn't help.

 

 

My solution for windows, leave them off until the very end where possible or masking tape, I’ve had such poor results with masking fluid whatever brand I use. Free hand spraying with the airbrush is possible it’s a question of playing with pressures and mixing ratios and cheating! I tend to clear up the edges with the base colour almost like dry brushing but a bit more. I find that even at this small scale there is a marked difference between a soft and a hard demarcation line in camo.

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  • 2 weeks later...

The theme of today is assault guns, Stugs, Gun carriers.

 

This has been in a box for about two years, it is a modelltrans 3inch Gun Carrier conversion kit with a Dragon Churchill. I was never happy with the fit of the upper hull so I decided to loose it and use Dragon parts.  

 

PXL_20230523_202538114.jpg

 

This did mean I had to build up the superstructure with some styrene strips to fit on the hull. It will go from having full track guards to the partial ones shown below, I did think about making the rusted wreck that sits outside at Bovington, but instead I'll just make up the configuration. More work needed.

 

PXL_20230523_202426081.jpg

 

Next up we have two German/Soviet hybrids or Soviet Stugs as I've started calling them.

 

PXL_20230523_202158679.jpg

 

It is a SU-76i which is well documented and an SU-85i which might well be a world of tanks 'what if' as I've so far found very little info on it online that isn't from WOT. The Soviets captured a lot of Stugs and Pz 3s that they reworked to create around 200 SU-76i's with Soviet guns.

 

PXL_20230523_202343252.jpg

 

The kits are almost identical apart from the Barrels and resin Mantlet for the 85i, they come with Pz 3 hulls which is fine but both have a bunch of German equipment moulded on that is very difficult to remove without ruining the fender detail. See above that tool locker is supposed to go where the S-hooks are so I'll need to remove everything in that section. I might need to make up some additional stowage to cover the damage. Also the kit could've done with some PE grates for these side intakes, I have some mesh I can cut to fit.

 

I think if I done it again I might've raided another Pz3 kit for its upper hull. Anyway the challenge is part of the fun.

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