I've now got the model sprayed up with it's camo pattern. It's not as interesting as some of the patterns seen on other tanks but I'm just going with the kit suggestion for an easy time. Tamiya XF-58 olive green and XF-9 hull red are the main colours used. As usual I faded them with XF-15 flat flesh for the green and XF-64 red brown for the hull red.
Well that's the model all primed with Mr surfacer black primer and a brown primer for the tracks. The primer has really popped the detail on the figures.
Well the build has progressed really well with it now almost finished apart from adding a tarp and perhaps a wooden crate on the rear trench skid. Again detail is excellent throughout the kit and just a small bit of work is needed on a few mold seams. A quick scrape with the scalpel and some stippled tamiya extra thin adds just the right texture and hides those areas.
The Dynamo figures are also extremely well printed. The uniform details are awesome and I'm really looking forward to painting them up.
Swift progress on this little gem with the track runs sorted. They can be removed carefully for painting later as well. The cast areas have a very nice texture which should show up during painting and weathering. As you can see two handles on the engine deck covers have been added, I think this is pretty much all that needs adding detail wise.
Looking for another quick and easy build I have cracked open the recently acquired Tamiya H39 French light tank. I also have an excellent set of two figures from Dynamo models which should work perfectly for the scene I have in mind.
The model is yet another superb release from Tamiya. The detail is excellent and so far the fit of parts is flawless. Also again there is not much to improve on apart from a couple of handles on the engine deck covers.
A small tamiya base is the perfect size to display the finished model. I used some plaster followed by fine sand & gravel to add the groundwork followed by static grass and carved plants from stretched sprue. Once all cured overnight the whole base had a black primer coat followed by tamiya colours for the earth and grass.
Nothing fancy or complicated just something to show the model in a realistic way. I'm so happy with the result I may go for another simple tamiya kit next and just enjoy building and painting without lots of extras and scratch building for a change.
With the final weathering done on the running gear and tracks then final assembly before painting the figure the little panzer is now all done. I really enjoyed this little kit, everything fitted perfectly and the detail on the model is excellent. Now I will make up a small base to finish the project off.
Ater giving the model a coat of matt varnish I've begun to add some dust effects to the hull and running gear using some AK gouaches. This is the first time using them and so far I'm getting some good results. As they are acrylic based they can be thinned with water and also reactivated with water so they're easy to remove if needed.
An initial neutral filter followed by some subtle oil pin washes have really popped the details on the model. Next will be a matt varnish before some dust effects and work on the tracks.
After a three year absence we again made the journey to Belgium for the IPMS Belgium Plastic & Steel show.
This year it was held at the GC Klein Boom in Putte. A new venue and one I think worked extremely well. So after a drive up the E40 and a rather busy and cautious drive around Brussels we arrived at the venue for our usual Friday afternoon set up.As ever we were warmly greeted by Erwin and the rest of the hard working IPMS chaps. One thing I noticed straight away was that the venue had much more parking than Affligem the previous venue. The main hall was very well lit and everything was spaced out really well. So after a quick set up it was onto our hotel and a new city to explore. Just down the road, about half an hour away is the beautiful city of Mechelen. We stayed at the brewery, Het Anker which has a hotel as well.
We were pre-warned as well by the hotel that the weekend also included a beer festival! So all checked in we explored the delights of some rather strong Belgian beers. Saturday morning saw the start of the show and doors opened at 1000 hrs. We then enjoyed the various club stands and the retail opportunities. Our good friend Guy from the Modellers Haven Online forum also arrived with his superb M18 Hellcat diorama for the competition. It was great to catch up again with him and enjoy a nice beer as well.
As ever the standard of the models on display was amazing with so many varied subjects. The competition tables attracted some stunning works as well. Another cool feature of the show was a working replica of a Lanchester armoured car in the hall and a selection of Minervas displayed at the entrance to the show.
We were busy at the stand both days and it was great to meet old friends after so long. Sunday was again a busy day with the competition prizes awarded later in the day and those last minute purchases to make. Tired but happy we retired to the hotel for a well-earned beer and a very nice meal in the hotel's brassiere.
A big thank you must go to IPMS Belgium for all their hard work organising the show and for welcoming us so warmly. We will be back next year with any luck.
