Heng Long T-90 repaint in Russian armor green

Marc780
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Re: Heng Long T-90 drybrushing and adding missing parts

Post by Marc780 »

Since i posted the last images I took a long hard look at what i'd done so far and felt i didn't like how it looked. Something missing. The difference between how real tanks look and how a model tank should look, at least to me, is something i'd never really noticed in the abstract way you need to, to make a model that looks right to the eye! The real thing looks one way and the model should look a different way, I feel, since trying to emulate the real item too closely is perhaps not always desirable. We like what we like, and what's pleasing to the eye may not be exactly how the real thing would look if say you took one and shrank it down to scale?! If that makes sense. This is why i am loathe to dirty my tanks up - it may be realistic but not necessarily pleasing or create the effect you desire. So I just started over...
Last edited by Marc780 on Tue Oct 31, 2017 6:58 am, edited 3 times in total.
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Re: Heng Long T-90 repaint-Update

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I have redone the tank since the last images i posted... from the photos I took and comparing them with other Russian armor models that I wished to emulate, I was not satisfied with how it was coming out. I got this AK interactive set of acrylics and decided to give it a try.
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this cost about $30 on ebay.

With the kit it is possible to create single-color armor models that look like this (It's not mine BTW)
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I studied a few YT videos on using these kind of kits (Vallejo makes another similar kit) and started working the procedure they recommended: Priming (I did it with rattle can enamel primer). Shading, dark base, base, light base, highlight ,then "shine" (basically an off white, I never did find adequate ideas on how to use it). These paints are acrylics, the previous paint was enamel. There was no problem spraying the acrylic over the enamel but you should not do it the other way around, it will craze the paint, unless you seal it with some other product first.
I did not attempt to strip off the old paint, all i did was sand the open areas with some 1000 grit and clean it off with windex.

The "shadow" is used to highlight panel edges, creases, indentations, grilles and other high spots. They recommend you do the shading first. The idea is to build up the paint to create the effect you want, but i found the dark base then the base obliterated the shading and so it had to be done again. The light base is what really makes the model stand out, and mostly used for areas exposed to the sun (at least thats how i kept it straight while spraying to know where to put most of the paint). I think the model is about as good as I am going to make it... Master class ready, unfortunately no! But they are the quality of models i always aim for and will never stop trying to create.

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Still not good enough, fortunately, the acrylics go on so thin (I can still see the grey primer underneath in the right light) it allows for many do-overs in the quest for the best-model-I-can-make story.
Last edited by Marc780 on Sun Oct 08, 2017 9:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Soeren
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Re: Heng Long T-90 repaint in Russian armor green

Post by Soeren »

Wow. Just wow. I have to say, I like both your attempts. Both are very effective but much different in the approach. I guess the washes and dry brushing are what get these to looke alive after this modulation. Didn't try it myself yet. One note, if you are not yet used to oil paints, "dry brushing" with those opens.up the next level. They are ao smooth and allow a much more realistic finish compared to acrylics for dry brushing. Also you can erase all your mistakes easily.
How would you rate the t90 kit overall?
Marc780
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Re: Heng Long T-90 repaint in Russian armor green

Post by Marc780 »

Soeren wrote:Wow. Just wow. I have to say, I like both your attempts. Both are very effective but much different in the approach. I guess the washes and dry brushing are what get these to looke alive after this modulation. Didn't try it myself yet. One note, if you are not yet used to oil paints, "dry brushing" with those opens.up the next level. They are ao smooth and allow a much more realistic finish compared to acrylics for dry brushing. Also you can erase all your mistakes easily.
How would you rate the t90 kit overall?
thanks for your complements! I saw a YT vid where he used some oils for streaks and stains and I might try that. For this color green what colors of the oils would you recommend? Any particular brand? I had been thinking about trying the oils for weathering but never used them before... I'd need to test them first on some painted surface to see what effects i get since I don't know the first thing about using them.

This is the first time I used acrylics on models and I the good things about them are they drys fast, clean up easy, don't stink; but the coverage is maybe 1/2 as much as enamel, i.e. the acrylic paints go on much thinner. And you can paint acrylic over enamel but not the reverse, you need some kind of varnish to seal the acrylic if you are going to put enamel over acrylic. I tried Vallejo Acrylic satin paint varnish", shook the bottle for a while and it came out too thick somehow and promptly clogged the airbrush... - meanwhile i just got a bottle of Mig Jimenez "brown for dark green filter" because a guy in a YT video showed how to use it, but it's an enamel and I just used acrylics.. argh.

Anyway the T90 is a good kit, everything fits, the top hull to bottom hull fit is the best I ever saw (I used to own 5 other HL tanks). There are a lot of extra parts to fit, especially on the turret. I mean A LOT of parts: two storage bins, a bunch of reactive armor pieces, an antenna, two external fuel drums plus the hoses, the machine gun and its bins, etc., etc. I used super glue on these. The only grumble i have with that is having to handle the model like eggs since one false move and a part breaks off...The kit is well designed but the plastic of the hull seems much thinner then the other HL tanks. I know it's designed for the top and bottom to screw together and make a relatively rigid model, kind of like a shoe box is bendy unless you were to tape the lid on. Even so i added a thin piece of threaded rod, using a bunch of couplers for adjusting, and drilled a hole in the hull for the screws - to make it a bit more rigid without adding too much weight. I am getting the metal wheels and tracks so I thought some stiffening of the hull would be a good plan. Fortunately when you put the top hull on, the fender skirts hide the screw heads (for the reinforcement rod) completely.
Last edited by Marc780 on Fri Oct 06, 2017 11:34 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Soeren
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Re: Heng Long T-90 repaint in Russian armor green

Post by Soeren »

Thanks for the info.

The filter being Enamel is no problem. It wont hurt the acrylic paint when it dried completely for about 24h.
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Installing metal wheel set and metal control arms

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Finally the wheels arrived, and the set was (almost) complete. It comes with 12 metal wheels, 12 outer bearings, the screws, the metal axles, and even 6 metal track rollers to replace the plastic ones. I painted the wheels first thing. I really should have sanded them some and cleaned them off but I was too eager to get to the painting after waiting all this time for them to arrive! A coat of primer, then some rattle can italian olive. Then some satin clear.

Installing these wheels is not difficult, and once you get the trick of installing the control arm onto the spring, the rest of them go on very quickly. Just make sure the spring has its bent end installed in the tiny hole in the hull, start the screw, and push down on the control arm until you feel it grab the spring. Then just twist it past the molded stop as you tighten the bolt.

Except for the inevitable small headaches that arise. It came with what seemed to be one bearing extra as it was sized the same as the wheel bearings. I figured it must go on the new metal idler wheel I installed, and so it did, it fit right over the axle. Problem, now i am one bearing short for the other side. Argg. I guess the idler will function without the second bearing, until I figure out where to get one.
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These make the model much heavier, of course. When I add the metal tracks it'll be heavier still. At least it'll move in a tank-like manner, with all that metal.

I found an easy mod to make the hull much stiffer, in order to handle all that heavy metal... while I'm waiting for more parts to arrive, naturally I'm fiddling about with the tank as I really don't want this project to end! But I thought gluing in some metal pieces on the bottom of the hull might make the hull stiffer and less flexy (and perhaps avoid cracks in the hull later). So I glued in some metal bits from the hardware store with JB weld... I used a new clamping method since I had no clamps that would fit here. I found some of those super strong magnets (the kind you need a hammer and chisel to pry apart). I just placed a stack of those under the hull where the metal bars were being glued. INot ideal, but better then no clamps at all. (The front of the hull is to the left, in this image.)
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It does make the hull noticeably more stiff. So much so I could probably dispense with that ugly rebar if only I'd thought of it first.
Last edited by Marc780 on Tue Oct 10, 2017 4:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Heng Long T-90 repaint-Latest update

Post by Marc780 »

A bit more like it. Neither too overdone nor too sparse... the whole idea of creating a piece of rolling art is not an easy quest at times.
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I added more of the Russian armor green light base on top. Lightened some of the dark shadowing that seemed too overmuch and overpainted the excess that had been made when I did the latest pin wash.

The new metal wheels make the tank much heavier, of course, and now the whole model is so heavy I thought it'd be a good idea to glue in some more reinforcing plastic inside the front of the hull. I don't know if this will stiffen the hull much or not but the plastic is so thing, I figured it couldn't hurt. I used .040 styrene and just cut two pieces from the same pattern, then glued them inside the hull making a double thickness. .040 is ideal for me since you can cut it with scissors easily, then make whatever thickness you want just by doubling or tripling the plastic. The plastic on the hull is so thin it could really benefit from one of those steel floorplates like the Taigen hulls have. But nobody seems to be making those yet.

Next parts to come are an ultimate gearbox, for which I already got the metal motor plate from Mato outlet; and the metal tracks. I sent away for Brownell's Alumahyde II, normally used for gun refinishing, to paint the tracks. As a matter of fact I have used this finish for 5 of my guns (yes I confess it, I am a gun owning yank! It's another hobby of mine) and this is how i know about this stuff. It costs about $25-30 a can, and it is like spray paint on steroids. Super, super tough, sticks with fiendish tenacity, and resists scratches better then any spray paint. The only drawback, it takes t wo weeks to airdry...but the trick to fix that is bake it in the oven for 5 hours at 190 degrees F then it's ready to use. I got it in "dark parkerizing grey", since this is the closest color they make it in, that most resembled the tracks; of the dozens of images of T90 tanks I looked at. Then in the crevices will be Testor's rust. After that I'm thinking of starting an M1 Abrams project, or maybe a Pershing...
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Soeren
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Re: Heng Long T-90 repaint in Russian armor green

Post by Soeren »

Great stuff :D
So from the outside you only changed wheels and tracks and everything else is stock?

I saw that I missed your question on the oil paints. Well, I am in Europe so Abtl 502 is my choice as it is reasonably priced and readily available also they have a good reputation. Until now I have are colors that I actually need. Basically several browns, white and black, as well as the basic colors would be great, then you would be able to mix and blend into everything needed. I have to learn more about actually mixing this products to extend their range of colors. It is cheaper than to buy a special product.
You might see my attempts in the Japgdpanther static and the Panther G build. The good thing about oil paints: You are not limited to streaking. You can also do filters, washes, dot filters, streaks, grime buildup or discoloration all with one kind of product.
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Re: Heng Long T-90 repaint - almost finished

Post by Marc780 »

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I painted the tracks red Testor's enamel rust, touched up a few small areas, and I believe this tank is probably about as perfect as I can make it. Also I got some Russian tow cables from Imax. Every photo I could find of modern Russian tow cables, the very few I could find, showed the cables being finished very light grey, almost white. the shackles being painted the tank base color - all the ones I found were painted green. So I finished the cables in grey primer with the ends in green. Haven't installed them yet, and as soon as my model grille material gets here I'll put those on too. Mostly small bits to be done now - unfortunately I doubt I'll ever be master class skilled but with every model I try to get a little closer.
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As this model approaches completion, I'm already getting ready for my next projects: HL M1 abrams that cost me $120 and was too much of a bargain to pass up - and I even sent away for the tank i have been lusting for years, a Hooben T90! From DKLM it cost me $360 for the basic R/C (not the RTR model, but the one that just comes with the motors)... It'll be probably the biggest challenge I ever have undertaken in 50 years of doing the hobby. Especially those dodgy electrics, if only Heng long made some kind of crossover kit but they tell me the motors in the turret are different somehow? Otherwise I see nothing wrong with using the HL/Taigen 2.4 ghz radio, but I don't know if it's even possible. For all that, right now I feel very happy that I finally pulled the pin and bought this interesting tank. It'll be a lot of work, and hopefully a lot of fun too!
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nexusys
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Re: Heng Long T-90 repaint in Russian armor green

Post by nexusys »

Nicely done! i personally prefer T90 in Green. Planning to get mine in future, and this is exactly what i'm going to do! :thumbup:
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