Painting the tank

[Westfalia Chris]

Oh god, it´s sooo beautiful *breaks down and starts sobbing*...

Maybe one could add wire handles to the various hatches? I´ll do once I get one!

[vikotnik]

As I have already mentioned this morning, the brown really is perfect.

I my opinion, the whole paint job would benefit greatly from more extreme weathering, a few dents and scratches here and there and flaked-off paint on the edges.

Pete is right, though. For presentation through a medium like Your website, the paintjob is exactly what was needed.
That was just the painter in me writing... :roll:

[Zafarelli]

Thanks, all  

Dominic, I'm not sure about the process. Basically, it is a wash of "English Uniform" (Vallejo Model Color), done over with a variety of other washes, ranging from off-white to to various browns to orange for rust. On patches that were too irregular, I stippled on thinned paint and feathered it to blend it in. Rivets and edges were drybrushed with Model Color "Buff", and that's about it.

Chris, wire handles are a cool idea, but I needed one completely unmodified model for pictures. On the next one I'll go crazy with stowage, add-ons and battle damage  

I think I will simply rework some parts tonight, and see if it improves. By the way, the machine guns and the turret hatch are done, I am off to mold those now. Pictures of those this weekend.

[Argonor]

I like the overall result, though something is lacking. What could it be?

Maybe some markings (unit number... that kind of stuff..)?

[Zafarelli]

Yup, markings made a difference. And more rust and scratches, and the last missing parts helped as well.

Here are the pictures of the finished model:



It is up for preorder now, by the way. But as I've said, I'd be willing to part with a few models prior to the "official" release at Salute  

[Operator5]

It's beautiful!  

If only the US dollar wasn't so low against the Euro.  :cry:

[dominic]

Jens - thanks for the quick service!  My tank arrived last Friday!
Can you tell me - how much water did you use to dilute the Vallejo English Uniform for the first wash?

[Zafarelli]

Dominic, I used a very thin consistency, allowing the white primer to shine through. Maybe 1 part paint, 1 part acrylic floor finish, 1 part water, but more likely only 0.5 parts paint. Can't really say, I usually just blob some paint on my palette, make a pond of floor finish and water next to it, and add the paint until I have the consistency I want. It helps tremendously to wet the whole tank before applying the wash, you get very few drying stains this way. It is a bit messy, though, be sure to cover your work area with tissue or old newspapers.

[dominic]

Jens - what is acrylic floor finish in German?  I suppose I can get this in any DM, Schlecker or Rossman?

[Zafarelli]

I use "W5 Bodenglanz & Parkettpflege" from Lidl. "Erdal Glänzer" is another brand, but I don't know where to get it. Something similar should be available most anywhere, from department stores to supermarkets to these Rossman-style chain stores.

[vikotnik]

Have a look at this link and Your life will never be the same again - at least mini-wise.

It is an INTERNATIONAL article about the 100000000s of uses of floor finishes, including lists from where to get it.
Unbelievable.

You should really give this stuff a try, it rocks!

http://www.swannysmodels.com/TheCompleteFuture.html

[dominic]

Thanks for the tip and for the article on Future!