Round 2 of me and my list of Torro KT concerns XD

[Deathcrusher]

I am looking at hooben a little bit and people are saying that it is considered advanced especially the one I want to build but on the other hand it is good experience to learn how the tanks work.

I also have a Airbrush from the beginning of covid when me and my farther were attempting painting models but it just ended up taking weeks to paint tiny 1/72 scale tanks and even then the paint job wasnt that good.

[tankme]

Hooben has a bad reputation for preorders that take years, sometimes never delivering tanks, no spare parts or limited spare parts, fragile plastic, crappy electronics, not responding to customer questions, and tanks with issues that require major reworking before they work right. Just an FYI.

[Deathcrusher]

Right.....

[LordLudikrous]

As per the stock paint it is what it is. Taigen/Torro paint can look nice and relatively robust but isn't primed so it will chip and fleck off and there isn't "exact" touch up paint commonly available. Taigen Tanks US does offer some touch up paints but not all and their inventory is dwindling and likely never to be restocked. As well Taigen uses different colors and patterns than Torro.

And at $10 per bottle that's just silly talk-
https://www.taigentanks.com/products/ta ... ment-paint

I've just about color matched a Torro Tiger I to Tamiya acrylics that I used to cover up when I removed the offending 2nd antenna tube early on.

The silver "weathering" that we've discussed Torro using is haphazard and not realistically applied. It does the same thing on the Torro's that I have.

So when it comes to repainting I'm a huge proponent. You could go about it several ways with spray paint cans being the simplest. But the best results come from using an airbrush.

As per the "bobble" of the metal turret. It's because the metal turret is heavy and the structure of the upper hull isn't stiff enough to deflect the weight. I've seen people reinforce the upper hull or even swap to a full metal upper and lower tank from Mato but that pretty much builds a whole new tank. You could minimize the "bobble" more by installing a plastic Heng Long Turret, BUT I have a Heng Long King Tiger and can share that even with the plastic turret and long metal barrel it still "bobbles".

Which brings you back to painting. If you go for a new plastic turret or a metal upper/lower you will be looking at a full repaint. So, here you are and at the least it looks like painting is a logical move.

You've got a great group of people here for support with any type of painting and loads of advice and examples. The One thing I'll suggest especially if you're thinking of getting further into the hobby is do Exactly what Mr. Bix suggested to me a Lonnnnnng Time ago, bite the bullet and get an airbrush. It does more than just paint. It has a learning curve but it produces pleasing results AND paint is cheaper than rattle cans.

Really? No primer coat at all? Thats honestly shocking, no wonder its chipping off with a gentle breeze.

What I will say though is if you're touching up small area (i.e. no more than a couple of mm or so) it doesn't matter if the paint isn't an exact match because from a normal viewing distance on a weathered tank you'll never notice. What I often do with my Panther is if the chipped area is a bit larger I'll touch up with a Red Oxide colour so it looks like the primer coat is showing from underneath.

[Herr Dr. Professor]

Deathcrusher: I agree with Mr. Chef as above. I first used an airbrush fifty-five years ago with great results even when I was a teenager. The acrylic paints nowadays---Tamiya, Vallejo, AK Interactive, Mig Ammo and many more---work well with airbrushing. My experience taught me that now the easiest to airbrush are the Tamiya and Vallejo ModelAIR brands, needing little or no thinning. (They are intended for airbrushing, and are not the easiest to brush paint except for little touch up spots.) As they say in the woodlands where I live: gopher it!

[tankme]

Paint on tanks chips in real life and occasionally it's touched up. I used to be like...hey, I need to perfectly sand this or smooth this or get every bit of dust off before painting. Not anymore. I've seen tons of tanks up close and they are usually pretty rough, have drip lines, smudges, pits, cracks, and overspray. My tanks aren't a prize '33 Ford Coupe with a candy paint job. If your touch up is a little dark, grab the airbrush, throw a little buff into it, and mist the area from a little ways away. It's amazing how it will hide things. It will simulate a dusty layer on the paint, but there is a technique to it as it has to be light.

Another solution, turn that real chip into a fake chip. Use a slightly lighter color to fill the bare metal spot than the armor color and then use some sort of red brown in the middle of that chip. Don't fill the light color all the way to the edge with brown though. It will make it look like it chipped and then rusted. "Nightshift" on YouTube has tons of chipping howto vids.

[Deathcrusher]

Alright

[michaelwhittmann]

Your tank; your call.

Let us know what you do.

[Stormbringer]

Your tank; your call.

Let us know what you do.

Agreed but nothing ventured nothing gained

[Deathcrusher]

Torro actually was able to give me paint from the factory to patch it up. Its a matter of when it gets here though.