DEATH OF THE KING - A QUICK PROJECT

[Jimster]

It’s threads like this that keep me checking in all the time. This should turn out to be a great diorama.

[c.rainford73]

I agree, this has really caught my attention Herman. Will this possibly have octopus Camouflage pattern

[c.rainford73]

Like this beast....

[HERMAN BIX]

No mate, did one of those a while back, plus Ive got zimmerit on it-( which was really well done out of Miliput by its former owner) so this one has to be an earlier one.

viewtopic.php?f=22&t=13399

As this is really only a fill in while I gather myself for the next proper project, its not about fine detail, rather an over all look of a recently abandoned or somehow knocked out machine that is being bypassed by the advancing allied units.
So its Western Theatre, early production,pre-bulge(so no awful hard-edged camo with Hinterhalt) ............

[HERMAN BIX]

As I had run out of my preferred primer-and it could not be got before the Good Friday retail shut down, I went to the left overs department
Found an almost empty tin of Tamiya primer-grey, and a quarter tin of Mr Surfacer 500.
Its flogging with rain here at the moment-another Easter standard - so once I set up the paint both, I had a hair drier in one hand & the primer in the other.
Bunged on what was left of the Tamiya primer, hit it with the hair drier, then smashed on the Mr Surfacer, hit that with the hair drier.
Its much lighter than Im used too, but as this is only a battlefield accessory I wont care.
Once suitably dry, I quickly blended a lightened Dunklegelb using XF060 and about a %40 XF-55 Deck Tan mix.
Heated the surface of the tank & went for it.

Kept the drier on the thing all the time and its turned out great.
A bit of a dust over the turret to ensure similar shading & shes all good.

Once I decide on the camo, that will have to be done in a similar way..............its hellish humid and damp outside now.
Hiding in plain sight is the lack of a commanders cupola hatch cover.
I reckon I will make one out of a ping pong ball section to be near enough

[HERMAN BIX]

I wonder if these guys were concerned about getting the weathering right !!
There are a lot of pics of this tank being painted in the field, of note is that the camo was put straight over the tools & cables, even the barrel cleaning rods!!
Mine is going to be a machine of the 503rd, so early Norrmandy..........but with the barrel shot off !
I will try applying the cam pattern over the gear on both sides as these guys have, just to see how it looks.

[c.rainford73]

Should look excellent with a bit of chipping and weathering Herman. I've got a few builds with the tools painted over and I assume that many were painted like this in haste and to keep it simple in the field....

Remember many were painted with mops and brushes or whatever they had just to apply it. Thinned with gasoline etc.

Not all were perfect museum quality jobs and in some ways I think I've made mine too neat to achieve my personal preference of Camouflage.

[HERMAN BIX]

In the real world, painting over the exterior add-ons would be an eay decision to make...........path of least resistance & diminishing returns for labour investment.
In the modeling world, the mental barrier to actually paint over those add ons seems to be just sacrilege.....

So, I gave it a go to push through the mental barrier & painted over the relevant sections of those add ons...........what the hell, its a spare parts quicky with no real consequence
Camo went on today -simple & good enough.
Bunged on the tools & cables, spare track clusters on the turret - jobs on.

Tracks to paint & fit, weathering & filters to do, turret numbers to apply, then its on to the display base.

[c.rainford73]

Herman another example of a great paint job! You never disappoint

[ilgar ismailov]

Fine work, my friend! I watch with interest.