Time now for something completely different in the form of trumpeter's very nice and very big SA-8 Gecko. The plan is to finish it as a Hellenic vehicle which will look suitably different in a rather nice camo scheme. The kit has an almost complete interior minus engine etc which is all very nicely molded. However once the upper hull is in place almost none of it is visible. So I'll concentrate on the drivers compartment which will be seen through the windows and roof hatch.
Well that's the weathering and indeed the project all done. Very pleased with the final weathering which was just what I envisioned. Always a good day when that actually happens. With everything fitted to the model and placed on the base I can finally add an early Abrams circa 1980's to the cabinet. Now what to build next?
The base is progressing well and is almost done. I carved some weeds & plants from stretched sprue then added some static grass. Once all painted I masked and sprayed the white line using an off white tone before spraying thinned tamiya flat earth and deck tan mix over the road concentrating on the edge of the tarmac.
Next I've started adding the final weathering to the abrams. Here I'm looking for a very light effect so no pigments are being used this time. Instead I'm using wilder aqualine effects which I thin further with water and build up a dusty effect in multiple layers. The effects I'm using are dark earth, dry earth & light mud.
They are easy to use and can be reactivated once dry with water so it's easy to blend and even removed if the effect is not to your liking.
Over the last few days I've concentrated on the base for the model. Here I've used a large tamiya base and then added AK terrains asphalt before adding a small bank using plaster. The asphalt is very easy to use, just smear some on the base and level with a palette knife or similar and let dry. The stuff actually self levels which means you get a perfectly flat surface. It's also coloured very nicely and has a very convincing texture too.
I'll add some grass next and a road marker pole before painting the verge. then it's onto final weathering for the model.
A quick bit of figure painting yesterday for the abrams. The valkyrie figure paints up very well and has great detail too. The only thing that was a pain was the supplied boom mic which was so delicate it was impossible to remove from it's resin pour base. So I have to make a new one from thin wire & plastic card, not 100% accurate but good enough for me.
Just a quick test fit of the machine guns & fitting the cable for the gunfire simulator in this installment. I used thin lead wire for the cable which is just the job.
Time now to get the panda models abrams finished after languishing on the shelf of doom for some time. So tarps and packs primed & painted then fitted followed by some work on the figure. I've used a valkyrie figure for the commander and it needed some putty around the arm joints to fill some large gaps. However he does fit well in the cupola.
Some cabling needs to be added to the hoffman device next then I can begin weathering, figure painting & base building.
Amidst a flurry of activity on the bench yesterday I've finally finished the AMX. Just shows what you can achieve if you pull your finger out and get into the zone. The base was first finished off with some plants carved from sprue before painting the green & earth tones. This was then followed by plant & stone painting before finally giving the grass a light dry brushing with yellow oil paint.
The model was weathered with a variety of VMS pigments. The plan was to concentrate on the lower portion where most of the mud & dust would naturally accumulate with just a small amount added to the upper sections. Once happy with that I used various vallejo colours to add tiny splatters of paint to the lower sections. Finally the commander, antenna and gunners machine gun where added before mounting the model on the base.
It's been a rather protracted build but great fun nonetheless. The kit builds up really well and was great fun to paint too.
