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

[Raminator]

Now we're getting somewhere!

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A few last odds and ends to tie up, but hopefully it'll be prime time soon. I've used Tamiya's liquid surface primer on smaller models before, is it suitable for outdoor RC tanks too?

[tomhugill]

Tamiya surface primers what I use on all my models.

[Raminator]

Cheers Tom, that sounds like next weekend's job then!

Spent the last few days finishing up those last few bits and pieces I mentioned earlier. First up was hiding some LEDs in the turret ventilator, since I blew up the IBU2's signal LED I'd hidden in the commander's periscope. These will have the advantage of being visible from 360°, too.

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Got the TARR smoker fitted, with the tubing mounted to a plate since the exhausts are removed with the upper hull. This means I won't have to fiddle around trying to plug tubing in every time I open the tank.

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Filed down the IR LED to fit inside the barrel. A 76 mm gun is only 4.75 mm at 1:16, so a standard 5 mm LED won't fit without a little help.

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Made a mounting for the IR apple from the lid of a Powerade bottle. By some cosmic fluke, the top of the lid is the same diameter as the commander's hatch, while the bottom of the lid is the same diameter as a standard Heng Long mounting plate. A quick coat of primer and it looks like a bought one.

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On towards painting and weathering, then!

[B_Man]

Amazing work. Everything is so well designed and it's all so neat

What type of speaker are you using in this one?

[HERMAN BIX]

Oh mines tidy on most days !!
Normally every Sunday night it gets a rearrange to align the planets!

Striking work Mr Raminator, highly organised and well executed
Just a side note, if you are to do a diorama, you will need another 15 of these sitting dishevelled and burnt out in front of a Tiger !!

Are you at the happy place with the detail or do you have more tricks up your sleeve

[Raminator]

Thank you for the encouragement and praise guys, I appreciate it. Glad you like it!

I have to say Raminator your area is very tidy compared to HB's .

Probably not, I just sweep all the crap to one side when I'm taking photos.

What type of speaker are you using in this one?

A little Visaton, might be the FRWS5 or something similar if memory serves.

Just a side note, if you are to do a diorama, you will need another 15 of these sitting dishevelled and burnt out in front of a Tiger !!

Are you at the happy place with the detail or do you have more tricks up your sleeve

I'd have to convert the whole living room to do a slice of Kursk. As much as my wife is glad I'm getting back into a hobby, I don't know that she's that enthusiastic about it!

Detail-wise, I can't think of much else I'd like to do. I'm always open to suggestions, though.

[Raminator]

Been a couple of slow weeks, managed to get everything primed in bits and pieces. I used Tamiya surface primer from a rattle can for the larger sections (hull and turret), but didn't much like the finish I got on the plastic; too grainy. The metal parts came up nicely though, so I went over the problem bits with diluted liquid surface primer through the airbrush while I was doing the smaller components.

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Should be time for the base coat this weekend.

To get some practice painting and weathering, I had a go at using some new techniques (new to me at least) on a little Cromwell that was a gift from my mother-in-law:

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First time using hairspray chipping and pigments, I think they'll take a little more getting used to. Might be a little heavy-handed, the pigments completely wiped out all trace of the pinwash, and I got some tide marks that won't go away. Pretty happy for my first attempt though!

[Ad Lav]

Really like the look of this. Did you finish the painting?

[Raminator]

Not yet, but I'm getting there. Like everything up to this point, it's been slow going doing little bits and pieces after work.

Got the metal base coat down; a 50:50 mix of Tamiya X-10 gunmetal and XF-1 flat black. I wanted a dark, dull raw-steel look that will contrast strongly with the lighter 4BO when it comes to chipping.

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I'm in the middle of giving the paint a few days to cure completely before hitting it with a clear coat and reassembling the tank in its entirety. After that I'll start painting the camouflage colour over hairspray, then on to weathering. Not much left now, and I'm already planning the next tank.

[HERMAN BIX]

Not yet, but I'm getting there. Like everything up to this point, it's been slow going doing little bits and pieces after work.

Got the metal base coat down; a 50:50 mix of Tamiya X-10 gunmetal and XF-1 flat black. I wanted a dark, dull raw-steel look that will contrast strongly with the lighter 4BO when it comes to chipping.

• IMAG0064.jpg

I'm in the middle of giving the paint a few days to cure completely before hitting it with a clear coat and reassembling the tank in its entirety. After that I'll start painting the camouflage colour over hairspray, then on to weathering. Not much left now, and I'm already planning the next tank.

Now that looks like its just been sandblasted & rolled out of the factory !
Nice prep work.
Good luck with the 4BO system, its not easy to get right so I found out.