Bundeswehr Leopard 1 - COMPLETED and in the gallery...

[modelling minion]

Well despite your adventures with the decal Nick I think your Leopard is looking great.

The tracks look good and look like they fit well.

The weathering is well underway and is looking good and the mud is going to make it better, very nice  work.

 

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[nickhenfrey]

10 hours ago, modelling minion said:

The tracks look good and look like they fit well.

Thanks, it was actually by looking at @Colin W's build I realized just joining the ends would work. They are a bit rounded between the sprocket and the rear road wheel, and the top front wheel and the front road wheel, but I have a plan for that!

[PlaStix]

Hi Nick. Good to see you are still making progress despite all the "fun" with the decals. Great idea about the painted version. And the tracks look really good too. Excellent progress all round.

Kind regards,

Stix

[nickhenfrey]

 

29/7

 

Well quite a few bits actually, but I started with mud

 

I sprayed lightly with xf-72 anywhere I thought there'd be mud

 

Then mixed up some of my cheapo raw sienna acrylic with some detergenty water, and brushed liberally over the suspension, and then very watery over the turret top and decking. I also sloshed on any inner angles that might catch dirt and mud

 

Then I tried flicking over the side armour, front and rear plates, and over the lower hull sides

 

I glued on the pioneer tools and did some more flicking

 

I decided I wanted a bit of 3d caked on mud so used some ipa and sodium carbonate

 

I put on the return rollers, superglued the tracks and then….

 

…drum roll…

 

…attached the tracks and they went on ok!

 

In order to reduce the curvature of the tracks between the road wheels and the sprocket and front wheel, I applied some e6000 glue between the tracks and wheels/sprocket and gently tensioned the track with some clamps. Waiting to see how that turns out…

 

 

I cleaned up the machine gun and its mount, the tow cables, and filled some holes in the metal bars that hold the spare track links on the front hull

 

I sprayed the caked mud but it looks too grainy, I dripped some water onto it to try and partly dissolve it, but that hasn't worried so new plan required

 

In the morning I rubbed my finger lightly over mud, job done

 

First track looks good so glued up the other track and clamped

 

Assembled the ends of the tow cable and filled

 

So here is how she's looking with tracks, tools, mud and mg balanced on:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Still got some bits to add, a bit of cleaning up, and a coat of matt varnish, but looking ok now I think…

[modelling minion]

You certainly did get quite a lot done there Nick didn't you.

The tracks look like they have gone on very well indeed and I think that after the clamping they are going to look quite natural looking.

The mud is giving the effect of a well used tank in usual northern/central European conditions, nice work mate.👍

She can't be far off being finished now.

 

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[PlaStix]

Hi Nick. Well, I have to say, your Leopard is looking rather good in those last photos!! I am very impressed with the weathering effects you have achieved and I'm looking forward to seeing the finished model in the gallery.

Kind regards,

Stix

[nickhenfrey]

9/8 update

 

Some slow but steady progress

 

Finished the machine gun and mount, even managed a small in the tip of the barrel

 

I repainted the tracks where the flexing had taken the paint off, then sloshed on some mud

 

Attached a couple of bits, rubbed some isopropyl over the xf10 gunmetal on the machine gun to expose some Alclad steel underneath and attached that

 

I attempted to attach the towing cables on the rear tow hooks, and found they didn't fit at the angle I'd glued the hooks on, so effectively had to break them (the hooks) off and reattach at the exact angle to allow the cables to run naturally over the rear, fortunately they broke off in the right places…

 

I painted up the four bars that hold the spare track links and repainted the track links in steel

 

I've finally attached the hull to the base, after gluing up the retainers for the sprockets (obviously the sprockets aren't going round, so could have just glued them in!!)

 

I've attached the bars and spare tracks, cut the three rectangular holes in the side armour and then attached the front track guards and the side armour

 

While adjusting the side armour I heard a sickening cracking noise and found I'd snapped the right hand tow cable in two places, I suppose I must have jammed it underneath somehow. Fortunately it was surprisingly easy to glue back. After studying the Leopard.ca walkaround photos I figured out how the clips attach to hold the tow cable and I'm fitting those

 

I've painted over some rust on the spare tracks and holders at the front

 

Once everything's on I'll touch up the mud to look consistent

 

So, really all to do now is

 

Finish the tow cables

Paint the cable from the floodlight to the turret top

Make some thinner antennae and attach

Even out and tidy  up (!) the mud

Spray the whole thing with matt varnish

 

Should be finished at the weekend, if the weather's good enough I'll take it outside for the  final photoshoot

[modelling minion]

Looks like you have a well organised plan Nick and sounds like you've dealt with the issues like the tow cable very well.

I hope you get her finished at the weekend and I look forward to seeing the results.

 

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[Mippie]

Looking forward to seeing the final outcome!

[nickhenfrey]

10/8 update

 

Intermediate pictures

 

Still some tidying up to do and put on wheel hubs and antennae

 

 

 

I have to say that this has been an utterly superb kit to build, almost no issues at all, I did have to check reference pictures because it wasn't obvious where some things went. I'm also very pleased with the tracks, bearing in mind almost no assembly, and they seem to paint up ok

[modelling minion]

Oh yes, thats looking very nice indeed and about as close to finished as you can get.

I particularly like the mud on the rear hull, very effective.

 

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[nickhenfrey]

Thanks Craig, initially I was a bit wary about having mud build up, and was just going for a muddy dirty look, but I feel over time it would build up and I can't see them putting it through a car wash that often!

 

Overall I'm quite pleased with the stained dirty look (plus the rust which looks far less pronounced now)

 

Need a big push now from everyone to get more in the gallery!!!!

[modelling minion]

7 minutes ago, nickhenfrey said:

Thanks Craig, initially I was a bit wary about having mud build up, and was just going for a muddy dirty look, but I feel over time it would build up and I can't see them putting it through a car wash that often!

 

Overall I'm quite pleased with the stained dirty look (plus the rust which looks far less pronounced now)

 

Need a big push now from everyone to get more in the gallery!!!!

You have every reason to be pleased with the results mate, she looks really good.

 

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[nickhenfrey]

Yesterday evening I:

• Cut down the two antennae, drilled the bases from top with 0.3mm drill. Noticed a bit of flash on one, while checking the other managed to ping it. 30 minutes search revealed nothing, how does that happen?
• Two attempts to turn plastic rod using the drill and a file result in an okish replacement, but plan to make another
• Decided to spray a little bit of xf-51 over a few defects, filler at rear, and the smoke projectors. Oh dear one of the smoke projectors has come loose, wait, no it hasn't it's the missing antenna base...
• Cut 0.1mm wire to length and superglued to bases, looks good but verrrry thin
• Attached all wheel hubs and muddy up
• Evened mud and dirtied some of the seams a bit more
• Sprayed everything with last coat of Klear ready for matt varnish today
• Attached antennae

So today I need to:

• Spray matt Vallejo varnish everywhere except the non-jacketed part of the gun barrel
• Paint the centres of the wheel hubs (red with a bit of rust I think)
• Set up my camera with 90mm macro on tripod for f22 aperture photographs to give max depth of field. Lighting outdoors looks ok today 
• Process and post

[nickhenfrey]

13/8 update

 

Provisional pictures

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not totally happy, some of the mud is still white and the pictures are almost all from the same vertical angle. Will have another go before posting to gallery

[modelling minion]

I have to say that looks pretty damn good to me Nick, amazing how much the matt coat has tied things together.

Are you finished with the build and just need to take more pictures or are you doing any more work to her?

 

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[nickhenfrey]

Thanks Craig!

 

The build is finished, but I will spray a bit more fine mud/earth/light brown over the white bits of splattered mud, looks a bit too much like snow for my liking!

 

The light doesn't seem to be right in the pictures, and the angles are a bit samey, if push came to shove I have highlighted the five I like the most and could drop them into the gallery, but since I have a week or so in hand I will shoot again!

 

Also what do you think to the antenna wires? They look pretty fine, and its impossible to get them straight, I must check them against the walkarounds, I reckon they are probably about right though....

[modelling minion]

I think the antenna wires look pretty good mate, and very fine wire is an absolute bugger to keep straight. I have just added some to my build and used the eyeball check to see if they're right, I used some stretched sprue for mine.

 

Its good to finish with some time in hand to either do some touch ups or take better pictures, not that I think theres anything wrong with either your build or your pictures.

 

Thanks for having taken part in the GB mate, and for producing such a great model and keeping us informed all the way through it. Very well done.

 

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[nickhenfrey]

I might try some stretched sprue, it tends to stay straight even when very fine doesn't it...

[modelling minion]

1 hour ago, nickhenfrey said:

I might try some stretched sprue, it tends to stay straight even when very fine doesn't it...

It does but can be fragile.

 

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[PlaStix]

Hi Nick. I know you want to improve some bits, but, to me, that looks a really beautifully weathered Leopard 1. I think the overall impression you have achieved makes it look like a properly 'in use' tank. My advise would be to be careful when trying to 'improve' already good results. Hopefully whatever you decide to do adds to the impression you have already created. Lovely job, and I'm looking forward to the photos appearing in the Gallery.

Kind regards,

Stix

 

[nickhenfrey]

Stix

 

Thanks, I know exactly what you mean, so don't worry! No big changes and the antennae look fine I think

 

I've already sprayed a mist of flat earth over the "white" bits of mud that were showing and taken some new photos with the light full on the model rather from the side which has eliminated the shadow I didn't like before

 

Will post today hopefully...

[Mippie]

@nickhenfrey I think your Leo looks fantastic! If I can mine looking anything near to like that I will be a VERY VERY happy man.

If I can be nosey, how did you do the mud spatters? I want to do something similar but not sure how to approach it.

Thank you,
Mipps

[nickhenfrey]

Thanks Mipps, I think it was @SoftScience's idea, I took a wooden splint, watered down some brown acrylic and literally flicked it in the direction the mud would fly, upwards on the front and rear, up toward the rear on the sides. It tends to go where you're not expecting, that's why there's dollops on the side of the turret, but I guess that's what really happens!

 

Go for it, if you varnish first you can always wipe it off!

[Mippie]

15 minutes ago, nickhenfrey said:

Thanks Mipps, I think it was @SoftScience's idea, I took a wooden splint, watered down some brown acrylic and literally flicked it in the direction the mud would fly, upwards on the front and rear, up toward the rear on the sides. It tends to go where you're not expecting, that's why there's dollops on the side of the turret, but I guess that's what really happens!

 

Go for it, if you varnish first you can always wipe it off!

Cheers! did the splint approach get you the clumps of mud or just the splatters (should have probably been a bit clearer on what I meant).

Ta