Finnish Marksman Fun

Romping along with the build and having fun in the process. Now the lower hull is all done I've started on the turret & gun pods. I thought the model was big before but with the pods on it's bloody huge! Detail throughout the kit is excellent with only the odd area needing slight improvement. 

Marksman Progress

It's all going very well with the marksman at the moment. The tracks have been cleaned up and fitted and I've built up both track guards but kept them loose which should really help with painting later on. The details added to them are excellent but with some tricky plastic fuel lines which need a bit of care and a delicate touch to clean up. I have replaced the plastic rear mud flaps with new ones made from lead foil and replaced the moulded on front guard stays with brass rod.

With the turret on the hull you can really see what a whopper this thing is. I also attempted to add some anti-slip to the model using VMS hull tex air. It has a very fine texture perfect for modern vehicles. However I've not had any luck with it and have applied and stripped it off twice so far. I know I'm doing something wrong but can't figure it out yet! I'll give it one more go and if I fail again then I'll just leave the model as is. 

Takom Finnish ItPsv 90 Marksman SPAAG

Well I just couldn't help myself, I've had to start this bad boy as I've been itching to build it. And with a slot available on the bench I thought what the hell! What's not to like about a bloody big turret, a couple of ferocious guns and an old Polish T-55 chassis? Oh, and of course that funky camo scheme.

So far the kit is building up very well. The suspension units and hull details are very good. The wheels also have some smashing hub details, shame they get covered up with hub caps. On this kit the tyres are separate from the wheels and are ribbed, eww! Not my favourite thing but some heavy sanding soon gets rid of it. I almost bought some friul tracks for this but the rather weedy attachment point and lack of adjustment on the idler wheel made me chose the kit tracks.

Here's a couple of pictures of the real thing and a very cool video of it firing!

Tamiya Humvee In Kosovo

The project is now complete after adding the final bit of weathering to the model with VMS pigments and final assembly. I have really enjoyed this project, the kit is easy to build but very satisfying & the base was great fun to construct. I'm chuffed with the final result and have enjoyed trying out a few new methods on it. 

The road surface and puddles came out very nicely so I will be using these products again as they were so easy to use and give excellent results. Now it's back to the Churchill and perhaps the start of another project!

Humvee base Complete

With the vegetation complete I've now added a dusting of pigments and finished placing all the rubbish onto the base. I think there's just enough now without going OTT on such a small base. Water has also been added using AK puddles which is acrylic. I added two layers to each one and I really like the effect. 

Finally I've painted up one of the red zebra rabbits for the base and very nice it looks too. It will be interesting to see how many people spot him when the model is displayed this year. So the final task is to add some pigments to the Humvee, fit the figures and add it to the base.

Humvee Rubbish Painting & A New Review

The main elements of the rubbish have now been painted and are ready for the base. A mixture of bottles, cans and tins have been used with the drinks cans and food tins made from plastic rod and punched plastic card. Crisp packets are just tamiya tape. I'll also add more paper rubbish to the base later using cigarette hand rolling papers. So next will be pigments on the base.

  
I've also just posted a new review for some really great sets I've just received from Paul at Red Zebra Models, be sure to check it out!

Humvee Base Planted!

I've now finished adding vegetation to the base and have started adding some rubbish behind the fence. The gas cylinder will obviously be weathered later on. I've also made a start on some bottles and cans too and should get these painted by the end of the day. So all that will need to be done is add some pigments to the bank and road then add some muddy puddles along the edge of the tarmac.