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Quick build - Crusader Mk III AA tank (IBG 1:72 scale)


SimonL

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One way of another I haven’t been able to spend much time at the bench since May. Been absent from this site as well - just too much on.  I have a few days off this week, and saw another of the excellent IBG Crusaders in the local hobby shop and knew what I was going to do.

 

I’ve done the Mk I, the Mk III and now it’s time for the Mk III AA version.

 

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Familiar sprues, the only difference being the AA turret.

 

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Neat little decal sheet, and some photo etch. Won’t need the sand shields though, not applicable to the version I’m building (despite the box top image).

 

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I’m going to finish my model as Skyraker/The Princess. Nice straightforward paint scheme - SCC 15 all over.

 

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I started one a couple of years ago, but didn't get much done before I sidetracked onto something else.

 

I highly recommend the master brass barrels set.

 

All the best 

Ben

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The answer is pretty quickly @Bullbasket.

 

By the end of the first day construction was pretty much complete - I’m leaving the tracks off to help with painting. I’ve painted the interior of the turret white with Italeri acrylic as that seems from my reading around to be the appropriate colour.

 

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I first brush painted a coat of Tamiya Acrylic XF54 Dark Sea Grey as a primer, and once that was dry started brushing on Mig AMMO SCC15.

 

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Here is where I have got to at the end of the day, with a start made with the detail painting. The tracks I painted Tamiya Acrylic XF84 Dark Iron. Exhaust manifolds were in Mig AMMO Old Rust. The cannon barrels were painted with Tamiya Acrylic XF56 Metallic Grey.

 

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Thanks for the suggestion @badger, however as I am doing this as a quick build I am going with just what I have in the box.

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Here is where I am by tea-time day 3.

As expected the decal for the turret roof was a bit dicey, despite being provided in sections. More or less managed to manoeuvre them into position, and only needed a slight touch up with white paint. However in the process I knocked both gun barrels off. For the time being they have been replaced with dressmaker pins cut to length. Not the best job, but better than nothing.

 

Tried something a little different. I’ve been eying up the many ready made washes available, and decided after a bit of reading around on the Army Painter brand, which I think is designed for use with fantasy game miniature figures. I used the Soft Tone wash to dirty up the inside of the turret and make it look less stark. May be a little browner than intended, but I think it’s pretty good. Easy to work with, nice and clean with the dropper bottle. 
 

I’ve sealed the decals in with a coat of floor polish with a little Tamiya flat base mixed in. Another coat tonight and I will be on to a little weathering tomorrow.

 

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Looking good.

 

I use the army washes myself as I find them pretty consistent. I thin them a little with clean water and have recently experimented with mixing the black and brown to make a murky shade which I really like.

 

As I'm planning on replacing the barrels you are welcome to mine if that would help?

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@zigster I actually took my lead on the turret interior from this build by @Bullbasket 

 

 

@badger that’s very kind of you, may take awhile to get down-under though 😉. I was actually thinking of mixing the Dark Tone wash with the Soft Tone to get, as you say, a murky sort of colour. Nice to know that water can be used to thin them if necessary.

 

One question though - I appear to have a spare “Skyraker” decal, which isn’t mentioned on the instruction sheet. Would that go on the other side of the turret?

 

 

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5 hours ago, zigster said:

Your reading may be different to mine, but I believe, all exposed parts were painted in "outside" colour. The same as in SPG guns, or doors/ hatches  in armoured cars like Humbers etc.

Anyway! Enjoy!

Zig

This is what I found at the time that I posted my finished AA Crusader;

 

Posted September 28, 2016

I've been doing some sniffing around on ML with regards to the colour of the interior of the Crusader AA and found a couple of references from well known military historians Dick Taylor and Mike Starmer, and they both came down on the side of white or the 20mm armed Crusaders.

 

John.

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8 hours ago, SimonL said:

@zigster 

 

@badger that’s very kind of you, may take awhile to get down-under though 😉. I was actually thinking of mixing the Dark Tone wash with the Soft Tone to get, as you say, a murky sort of colour. Nice to know that water can be used to thin them if necessary.

 

One question though - I appear to have a spare “Skyraker” decal, which isn’t mentioned on the instruction sheet. Would that go on the other side of the turret?

 

 

I'll try and sort them out and get them in the post this week for you. Having checked postage costs it isn't much.

 

Not sure about the extra decal I'm afraid, could just be a spare? From memory I'm using some Bison decals for mine just to be a bit different.

 

I've only recently started using the "murky" mix but am very impressed with it so far. I find it less stark than black but a bit stronger than the soft wash. I probably go 50:50 with water : wash and sometimes add a second coat if I want a bit extra definition.

One thing I did find through trial and error is that it needs to be clean water, I used some from my paint brush cleaning jar once and it made the wash dry with a white chalky appearance which meant respraying my tank. 

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Well the “murky” wash of a 50:50 mix of Army Painter Dark Tone and Soft Tone diluted with some water went on well.

 

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It left a slight gloss finish which I dealt with by a brushed on coat of Italeri acrylic matt clear.


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Very nice. Like the paintwork and weathering. That turret roof decal looks tricky. Do the guns elevate without the need to move part of the decal?

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9 hours ago, SimonL said:

As for the decal, the middle “section” would need a bit of surgery if you wanted the guns elevated

Makes a tricky decal trickier!

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I would say, the internals, visible parts, were painted the same colour as outside of the machine. White could be in driver section.

Sort of the same like all SP guns - Sexton, M-10, Achilles & so-on. Your model, your choice though.

Zig

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On to the final stages. A wash of heavily diluted Italeri acrylic Flat Earth followed by another Army Painter “murky”

wash gave me the level of grubbiness I was after. Once dry this was followed by a bit of dry brushing with the flat earth on the tracks and undersides, followed by a very light dry brush with white oil paint on some of the raised features. Just a final assembly and some Matt clear coats to finish off tomorrow.resized_c0548eee-0249-4bdf-a2f3-f12b2dfa

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10 hours ago, SimonL said:

On to the final stages. A wash of heavily diluted Italeri acrylic Flat Earth followed by another Army Painter “murky”

wash gave me the level of grubbiness I was after. Once dry this was followed by a bit of dry brushing with the flat earth on the tracks and undersides, followed by a very light dry brush with white oil paint on some of the raised features. Just a final assembly and some Matt clear coats to finish off tomorrow.resized_c0548eee-0249-4bdf-a2f3-f12b2dfa

 

Looking good Simon, It's nice to see others doing a bit of drybrushing and acrylic washes, both techniques I learned miniature painting. Cant wait to see this done.

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