Today I've finished off the base and can call this project finished. I started by lightly spraying the trees with matt varnish to help hold the leaves on. Then I used various vallejo paints and painted lots of different colours on them to add more contrast to each tree. The base was then sprayed with tamiya flat earth & buff followed by a grass colour. All the weeds and plants were then picked out and the poles sprayed red & white. A further selective spraying of buff went onto the base to blend all the elements together. I'm really pleased with the final base as I think it really sets off the model well.The blocky sci-fi look of the model is also something I like & the kit was very easy to build and great fun to paint. So another one for the display cabinet and another new model to take to Belgium in a couple of weeks.
The base is coming along nicely with the vegetation now sorted out. After adding plaster then fine sand and some fine gravel the base was allowed to dry overnight. I then sorted out some nice seafoam pieces and used spray mount and Joefix studio's fine green leaves & fine hedge leaves to cover them. I like this stuff as it's in scale and the colours are very close to what I am looking for. Today I've carved lots of weeds and plants using stretched sprue. Long static grass was then added to the base followed by a few grass turfs and the weeds and plants added to the scene. The white poles are something I've seen in pictures of Japanese training areas, they are usually red and white striped poles and seem to be placed at junctions. With the model on the base I think the scene works well. Once everything has cured I'll start the painting.
The model is now all finished and ready for it's base. I only used tamiya colours and a bit of washable dust for the final weathering beginning with a light spray of tamiya earth on the lower portions of the model. Tamiya buff went on next building up the effects. I then carefully sprayed the tyres & removed any build up on the tread faces. To fit the tyres I gave each one a blast with a hairdryer which made it really easy to fit onto the hubs. Once that was all done a coat of matt varnish went on. Then all the glazing, indicators and reflectors where fitted and picked out. The most difficult part of the whole build was fitting the front light guards, very tricky with such delicate parts and tiny contact areas. They needed some adjustment to get a good fit but using VMS flexy 5K CA a solid and strong bond was achieved. Antenna, mirrors and the exhaust were also finally fitted at this stage. The only pigments used on the whole project were on the boots of the kneeling figure, which just shows sometimes you don't need to chuck everything at a model for it to look good. The figures I think work really well & the kneeling one is very different from the normal crop of crew figures you can get.
So now it's onto the base which I'm starting today at some stage, once that is my domestic obligations are finished!
The model has now had a pin wash to bring out the details then I've used some AK dust effects & streaking grime to add some interest to the vertical sides of the model. I then used the dust effects heavily thinned to add dust buildup on the top of the hull. here I just wanted a hint of dust, not a massive buildup. The clear light clusters have also been painted up & I've built up the base and made up a couple of trees using wire. Next I'll start spraying thinned earth & buff on the lower hull and rubber wheels before a matt coat. I may just get this one finished for Belgium as well.
Over the last few days I've started the detail painting such as it is on the model, added the decals and finished off the figures. There is not much more to do with regards to the detail painting, just the periscope faces and some light wear to add and that's it. I like to decals too as they give another splash of colour to the model. Most of the time was spent painting the figures and here before painting I sprayed them with matt varnish which helped me to actually see all the details under the glossy decals. I did add chin straps to them and some old etched microphones for the helmets. Finished up they look really nice especially with the contrasting uniforms.
The project is now all finished after adding the model, figure and a few other bits to the base last night. The model depicts a vehicle from the 16th division, 5th regiment of lancers, charlie squadron stationed at Ludenscheid Germany circa 1960's. I am very pleased with this as the whole project has been great fun. I even enjoyed the research aspect of it as I found lots of interesting pictures and spent a good few hours trawling regimental association web sites which were packed with information. The Takom kit was a joy to build having no etch at all in the box. Also what additions I did make were relatively easy to add but do change the look of the tank. Finally a big thank you again to Marc Mercier for his knowledge and advice regarding Belgian vehicle markings and regiments.
