Almost Done!

The base has had a primer of black followed by some earth tones using tamiya flat earth, buff and deck tan. The grass was then carefully sprayed with my custom grass colour then it was time to pick out the stones with various vallejo colours. I had some issues printing the sign out on decal paper as the ink refused to dry and the saturation of the red was quite poor. 

Changed to photo quality paper and the result was much sharper. I printed the image at 80% then trimmed down to the correct size before mounting on a piece of plastic card. Painted, weathered and then matt varnished it looks pretty good. Now just a few more bits to finish and the figures to mount permanently in the turret and it will be done! 

Challenger 2 Base

Now working on the base for the model and using a large tamiya base I've put the basic groundwork on and some static grass. Next it will get painted up and weathered so with any luck I may get this project done by the end of the weekend.

The crew are just test fitted now but they do look good!

I've also sorted out a range sign and have reduced this to the correct scale then test printed. Very happy with it so I will print it out onto white decal paper then trim to fit a suitably sized piece of plastic card.

Challenger Figures Done

Just finished off the figures and I'm very happy with the end result. I added a brown/black mix to add some depth to the uniform which worked really well then painted the flesh areas followed by the helmets. The mics are just knocked up from plastic rod & stretched sprue. Note the black boots which are a feature of the Royal tank regiment, the rest of the army now wear brown boots. 

Also painted up the rank slider as per my RTR references. Both figures were then matt coated and the glass for the commanders goggles had a gloss coat of tamiya clear added. Now I really must sort out the base for this project.

1/35th MTP

I have finally started to paint the MTP on the figures and I'm pleased with the result so far. I did do a quick practice on an old figure just to check the tones of each colour and to try and get the look of the pattern. I started by using vallejo 339 highlight feldgrau with a drop of 341 flesh base for the light brown then used 327 italian tank crew for the green. The brown was 312 leather belt & the pale sand was 837 pale sand with a dash of 315 light mud.

There is a further very pale green evident on the real uniform but I've not bothered with this as I feel the pastel green works pretty well as it is.

Chally 2 Figures

I've been working on the colours for the figures and have been studying various pictures and a set of real MTP uniform jacket & trousers to get the correct colours. British MTP is made up of six colours so I started by selecting paints that I thought would work and then painting little test panels on a piece of paper. Using this and the uniform I have then worked out each colour and the resulting vallejo paint or mix of paints to match.

The figures have had a primer followed by a coat of vallejo 885 pastel green which is matches the uniform colour very well. As this is the predominant colour it makes sense to use this as a base coat.

Winter Sun

Just got back from a very nice break in Lanzarote for some much needed winter sun and a week of doing absolutely nothing. The weather was amazing, 20+ degrees each day and the evenings where pleasant too. Needless to say we found some lovely places to eat and drink in the evenings. Apart from that it was just a nice week of chilling and recharging the batteries.

   

M16 Decals

Decals on this evening and very nice they are too. I used the kit ones and some of the archer ones for the dashboard. 

M16 Detail Painting

After adding some strips to the netting I've cracked on with the detail painting today and have enjoyed it immensely. Some limited chipping will go on next before a gloss and decals.

Dragon M16 Tarps & Netting

Time to add some stowage to the model so started with some gauze soaked in PVA glue & water. This was then positioned on the model and left to dry. Some tape strips will be added next to finish it off. Next some magic sculpt was used to add a rolled tarp to the other wing & a canvas cover added to the radio. All small and easy additions but they all help to add some interest to the model.

Challenger 2 Done

I've now finished off the model with a very light bit of dust effects on the turret. I may add a tiny bit of mud splatter later when I sort the base out. Really chuffed with how it's turned out and think it just looks so cool. 

I've also been working on the figures and here I've used miniart ones and replaced the crap kit heads with hornet ones, much better and crisper detail. Now all I have to do is paint that pesky MPT!