Npal21 Posted February 25, 2022 Author Share Posted February 25, 2022 Wheels and turret have been primed. I am painting the inner part of the searchlight 1st with gloss black then chrome silver before I put the lens on and mask it up. After that it it should hopefully be onto base coating. I am thinking of using AK real colours s.c.c 15 lacquer paint. I am thinking of using this as it will be a tougher finish on the turret with the white wash hairspray technique. I will practice this technique on some plasticard before I put any paint on the kit. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Npal21 Posted February 26, 2022 Author Share Posted February 26, 2022 (edited) Tow cables added and primed. I like the look of them hanging off the back of the tank instead of been stowed on the front. I used soft brass wire for the tow cables instead of the string provided in the kit. I have also polised the silver inner of the search light, added the lense and masked off. Everything is primed and ready for paint. Edited February 26, 2022 by Npal21 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeM Posted February 26, 2022 Share Posted February 26, 2022 A cracking build you have going here. Very nice. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Npal21 Posted February 27, 2022 Author Share Posted February 27, 2022 (edited) Thanks @LeeM! I have managed to get the base coats done on the turret and hull. The AK real colour paints went down really well, thinned with Mr Colour levelling thinner. I added some paint retarder to the mix as well. I will let it dry for a few days in the tupperware container (where the photos were taken, sorry). The roadwheels have been painted rubber black all over. I have the Quickwheel mask for this kit so used that to paint S.C.C 15 on to the wheels. Edited February 27, 2022 by Npal21 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Npal21 Posted February 28, 2022 Author Share Posted February 28, 2022 (edited) I have added the paint fading on the kit. I used AK interactive's faded olive drab. I like the tonal variation on the base coat colour. Thoughts? This will be blended with oils after decals and weathering. Edited February 28, 2022 by Npal21 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerberus Posted February 28, 2022 Share Posted February 28, 2022 9 hours ago, Npal21 said: Thoughts? Looks very nice indeed, and I like the tow cables stowed at the back, hanging down the backplate instead of along the sides, plus cutting the exhaust cowl into two sections and adding the support braces inside is a nice touch as well Matt 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Npal21 Posted February 28, 2022 Author Share Posted February 28, 2022 5 hours ago, Cerberus said: Looks very nice indeed, and I like the tow cables stowed at the back, hanging down the backplate instead of along the sides, plus cutting the exhaust cowl into two sections and adding the support braces inside is a nice touch as well Matt Thanks Matt. Yeah I've see a few references where the tow cables were not stowed back in the designated spots after use. I mean, understandable if you are been shot at. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Npal21 Posted March 2, 2022 Author Share Posted March 2, 2022 I have painted the tools on the hull and the tow cable. These will all be weathered later. I have also done an oil dot filter on the turret and hull. (It may be hard to pick up as I took the photos on my phone camera) 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Npal21 Posted March 3, 2022 Author Share Posted March 3, 2022 (edited) No visual updates today. I have gloss coated the turret and hull in prep for pin washes and decals. I will let dry for 24 hrs and hopefully get some done tomorrow. I used tamiya gloss clear thinned with x20a for the gloss coat with a few drops of airbrush flow improver and a few drops of paint retarder. Edited March 3, 2022 by Npal21 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Npal21 Posted March 4, 2022 Author Share Posted March 4, 2022 The postie just dropped these off for me. The snow products will be used to add some weathering to the Cromwell, but it won't be heavily mudded. I don't want to cover up all the detail I've added, so will focus on the lower hull and roadwheels only. This morning I used Tamiya black panel accent to add some depth and shadow to the hull and turret. I focused on all the panel lines and the indents on the fenders. Its definitely added something to the build. I am contemplating when to add the decals to the turret and hull. Because the whitewash is only focussed on the amour panels on the turret I was thinking I'd mask the turret stowage boxes off. I don't want to lay the decals down and then mask over them just in case they come up. So I will practice and experiment with the whitewash on some plasticard before I do any more on the kit, except detail painting and clean up. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Npal21 Posted March 4, 2022 Author Share Posted March 4, 2022 I was thinking the a clear coat will secure the decals safely for masking, so jumped right in and did the decals!! They went down well. I used Mr. Mark Setter and Softer to get them to sit down and hug the model. I am very happy how they have turned out. I will dull them down a bit when I put a sealing coat over. I will add a drop of the olive drab paint to the clear coat. 15 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Npal21 Posted March 10, 2022 Author Share Posted March 10, 2022 This project has stalled as Vintage (grape harvest) has started. Working all hours and long days I don't think much will get done for a month or so. 😞 If I get a full day off I will test the hairspray I have for the chipping effect on my prepared plasti-card. And hopefully the metal tracks may arrive in that time. 🤞🏻 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Npal21 Posted March 14, 2022 Author Share Posted March 14, 2022 So I managed to get a day off work and had a chance to test out the whitewash method. On the right I mixed Tamiya Flat White with Tamiya X-20A and on the right the same paint with filtered tap water. The X-20A sprayed much better and the chipping was very easy to obtain, where as the water test piece was hard to remove the whute paint and is more of a scrubbing or scraping than a chipping effect. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Npal21 Posted March 14, 2022 Author Share Posted March 14, 2022 (edited) Yeah this sort of just happened. I am quite happy with the result for my 1st proper attempt at a whitewash hairspray chipping. I added some small scratches with a toothpick and wore away around the edges of the turret and bolt heads. Feedback is welcomed. I will add some streaking to the whitewash after a sealing flat coat. Edited March 14, 2022 by Npal21 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigfoot Posted March 14, 2022 Share Posted March 14, 2022 That whitewash is looking good. A bit of variation to disrupt that nicely sprayed look and it will be cracking. Interesting experiment with the X20A and water, filed away for future reference! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Npal21 Posted March 15, 2022 Author Share Posted March 15, 2022 I returned 24 hours to refine the whitewash. It worked just as effectively and easily 24 hours later using water to chip away the white paint. Very happy. I have also added some subtle streaking from bolt heads and handles. Once dry, next up will be the flat coat and then chipping around hatches etc. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Npal21 Posted March 20, 2022 Author Share Posted March 20, 2022 I have added subtle chipping to the Cromwell, mainly around hatches and fenders. I 1st used a light green colour using a sponge and then used a brush with a dark green colour to add darker chips inside the light green areas. I then flat coated the whole vehicle with a few drops of the base colour in the airbrush to blend it all together. Next up…(whenever I get a chance) is mud and snow weathering. 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milan Mynar Posted March 20, 2022 Share Posted March 20, 2022 Nice building and painting. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mullac2001 Posted March 23, 2022 Share Posted March 23, 2022 enjoying your progress with this 👍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Npal21 Posted March 24, 2022 Author Share Posted March 24, 2022 On 20/03/2022 at 17:19, Milan Mynar said: Nice building and painting. 12 hours ago, mullac2001 said: enjoying your progress with this 👍 Thank you for you comments. Work has slowed this build, but I am expecting the metal tracks to arrive within the next week or so and I also ordered some VMS pigments and binders for the mud and dirt which should hopefully be here around a similar time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Npal21 Posted March 25, 2022 Author Share Posted March 25, 2022 All the required items arrived today to finish this build. The tracks box is damaged but everything is ok and undamaged. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Npal21 Posted March 27, 2022 Author Share Posted March 27, 2022 I couldn't resist testing the track fitment. Instead of cutting the wire longer then snipping them back once glued, I am cutting them just shy of the total width and adding a dob of cyano to the ends. I have made a wire depth jig to get a consistent length for the wire, so will cut all the wire pins and put them in a seperate ziplock bag to the track links. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Npal21 Posted April 2, 2022 Author Share Posted April 2, 2022 (edited) I have made one length up of 121 links. I test fitted these and 120 was too tight and didnt touch the road wheels, 121 is just perfect and touched the 3 inner road wheels. I started the 2nd length and my drill bit for clearing the link holes snapped…have ordered some new ones. Will need to wait a week or so for them to be delivered. I tried with a 0.1mm bigger bit but it didn't work unfortunately, luckily they provide a few spares. EDIT: I FOUND A RIGHT SIZE DRILL BIT HIDDEN AWAY AND CAN CONTINUE!! Edited April 2, 2022 by Npal21 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Npal21 Posted April 3, 2022 Author Share Posted April 3, 2022 The 2nd length of tracks fell together very quickly and easily. I assembled 5 x 20 track links and 1 x 21 track links then put the smaller lengths into 1 bigger length. This made assembly a bit easier. I will let these dry for a while, I have VMS Black Track Pro 2.0 that I will test on the few links that didn't work out for me. I want to see how it reacts with the links and super glue. I've never used a track blackening fluid before so any hints or tips are greatly appreciated. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Npal21 Posted April 5, 2022 Author Share Posted April 5, 2022 Not the best photo sorry, but I did a test of the track blackening fluid on a few damaged links that didnt work out for me. On the left is a link straight out of the packet, in the middle is a blackened link, the right one is a blackened link with quick scrub to reveal some “worn” metal. I am very happy with the test results! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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