Sean
"The big news this month is that I have almost finished two models, hopefully I will have by the time you read this.
The Stuart diorama is almost there, all the bits are coming together. The crewman is painted, the base finished and the water has been poured, looks OK but I learnt a few lessons for next time. The final job is to blend everything together with some washes and pigments. This project has been great fun, well most of the time, and I’ve tried lots of new techniques, some more successful than others.
The models
The tank is the latest Stuart from Tamiya, it’s a beautiful model and an easy build. I’ve used a detail set from DEF Models and added a few details such as wiring for the lights etc. The figure is as supplied by Tamiya just with a few details cleaned up. The building is an Italeri moulding dating back to the 70s and picked up at Bovington for £2. The building was detailed with plastic card, replacing the door, adding guttering and boarding up the window.
Also, just about there is my Tamiya HE 162 straight out the box. This was going to be a quick build but never quite turns out like that. I ended up playing with weathering using Oilbrushers for the first time. They are very convenient, but the end result is just like using oils. I have a little streaking and fading to add and then she’s done. Might do a few more of these wingy things but I ‘m still rubbish at decals!
So, with these two done what’s next?...............
Back to painting a Takom T-55
This one has been a bit of a shelf queen for a while only coming out as a filler between other models. Think it’s time to get her finished. Build straight out of the box and being finished as a heavy worn vehicle from an old Iraqi unit. The level of detail in this kit is great but there are some challenging photoetch bends to make and you have to concentrate on the instructions. So far, I’ve painted a base coat of green, with a few bits still in primer to add interest. Then a layer of hair spray and a coat of Iraqi Sand. I’ve then heavily chipped the sand colour. The next step is another coat of hair spray and a light green camo pattern before a final chipping of the green.
And finaly, I rather enjoyed doing the small diorama so have started planning the next project….
Germany 1945- Meng Sherman with MinArt church ruin and tank crew. I’m just starting to move the parts around to get a layout that works. And I’ve finished building the tracks for the Sherman, that’s 90% of the parts for the model!"
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