Trumpeter/Taigen hybrid T-34/76 (obr. 1942 model)

[Raminator]

Right on Raminator you me car park now .......

I know a good idea when I see it! The Tamiya acrylics don't come up as nice as Kiaser's metallic steel home brew™, but I think they'll do.

I laid on the first layer of clear coat tonight (Vallejo polyurethane satin varnish), and the finish looks nice already. I think the semi-gloss sheen goes well with the surface texture and works towards the raw-metal appearance I'm going for.

Good luck with the 4BO system, its not easy to get right so I found out.

I wasn't brave enough for a modulation kit, I'll be mixing up my own colours with Tamiya acrylics instead. They're what I know, and more importantly, they're what I have on the bench already. I've been playing around with different blends to get a 4BO shade I'm happy with. XF-67 NATO green is a good starting point.

[Ad Lav]

Looks good to me

[HERMAN BIX]

I love the metal base coat.............I used gunship Grey on my T34 and it was close but not as metalic as that.
Got your hairspray picked out yet ?

[Raminator]

I know I'm getting ahead of myself, but I had some spare time and assembled everything for some test running.

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Got a bit of driving done, and spent some time working on my own soundset (heavily mixing and modifying sounds from the IBU's KV folder for the engine, and using Red Orchestra 2's T-34 sound effects for nearly everything else).

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With that diversion out of the way, I'll hopefully get around to starting on the hairspray and camouflage this week.

[Raminator]

Last update for a while, we're off to England for a few weeks visiting friends and family. Since it was my last opportunity for a bit, I spent the weekend laying down two coats of my take on 4BO green on top of three thin coats of hairspray.

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I wanted to get a fairly warm colour to reflect the high yellow ochre content of the real paint, so I brightened up XF-74 JGSDF olive drab with XF-4 yellow green. Not sure how well the photo's captured the colour, in the flesh it looks somewhere in between FS34127 and FS34096 (which seem to be the most common references for fresh and weathered 4BO, respectively). You can see some of my experiments behind the tool tray in the background.

Once we're back in Australia, it'll be time for the chipping. Hopefully the hairspray will still be soluble by then!

[Ad Lav]

Looking good.

Where are you visiting in the uk?

We have a tank meet on the 20th August

[HERMAN BIX]

You'll be able to hand carry a heap of goodies back mate !!
Nice colour

[Raminator]

Where are you visiting in the uk?

My wife's family live just outside Oxford, but we also spent a few days in Weymouth by the seaside. Luckily for me, it's close enough to Bovington that I got half a day at the Tank Museum. Add in a day's driving at Tanks A Lot in Helmdon, and I did even better than if I'd filled my luggage with model parts!

I had a go at the hairspray chipping, but obviously (to everyone except me) after a month the paint's had too long to cure and wouldn't budge no matter how much water, elbow grease or colourful language I applied. I spent this evening touching up the scratches; it looks like any paint chips I do will have to be done the old-fashioned way with brush and sponge.

I spliced in a DC step-up like tao suggested, and coupled with one of the LiPos I've inherited, the Tarr's working much better. The smoke's not only visible, it actually billows out of the little unit. All things being equal, next up will be the markings, then a clear coat, then weathering.

[Tiggr]

Can't wait to see this T34 in action out on the field.
Please switch on the Tarr smoker when you do !

[HERMAN BIX]

Welcome back.
Sounds like you did the royal tour for sure
Surprising the paint would not come off the hairspray...............
Either you didnt put enough hairspray on, or you need to soak the surface for a damp long while to reactivate the paint.

I'm sure it will work out either way you do it.,