¹⁄16

Trumpeter M16 Halftrack

Painting/ Decals

I wanted to depict an M16 of the 447th AAA (AW) Bn, 28th U.S. Infantry Div, during January of 1945. The decals provided in the kit include markings for the 50th AAA Bn, a unit that didn't exist! You can probably tell I like to paint everything as I go. It gives me inspiration to press-on during a big project. An airbrush will be essential –my favorite being a stripped-down Iwata HP-C. I’ve had the same results with Tamiya acrylics or enamels, or a combination of both. The first painting step is the "pre-shading". Much has been said about “pre-shading.” This is a fancy way of saying you paint all the edges, recesses, and any raised detail with a dark colour (never pure black) first. None of the successive latter coats of paint will completely cover this initial dark colour.

Step two involves depicting rusted metal visible under a flaking, failing topcoat of the vehicle’s OD green (Tamiya XF-58). Looking closely at a rusted surface, you’ll notice varying hues of colour, from oxide yellow to almost blackish-brown. I found that decreasing the air pressure at the airbrush to below 20 PSI causes the paint to spatter and fleck in an irregular pattern –a very convincing representation of rust. For this step, I use thinned-down, and thus slightly transparent, acrylics. Each coat is a slightly different colour of “spatter”, none so opaque that it completely covers the previous layer. Take care to not obliterate your previous “pre-shading.” Liquid mask is sold at most art retailers. It’s much like rubber glue, and is applied in a random pattern using torn pieces of Scotch-Brite scrubbie pads. I concentrated the liquid mask on areas that get obvious wear and paint failure. Don’t get too carried away; it’s easily over-done.

Give the mask a good hour or so to dry, and you’re ready for your topcoat. Again, don’t completely cover all that pre-shading. A steady hand and firm control will be essential. I thus remove the crown cap and rear needle protector altogether from my airbrush. I never seem to give this final coat enough time to fully dry –I’m like a kid who can’t wait to tear open Christmas presents, madly rubbing away the masking to reveal my masterpiece. You can gently use some of that Scotch Brite for removal in nooks and corners –it leaves convincing scratches. Don’t remove all the topcoat! Remember that you can touch-up any areas with more topcoat colour that look over-done later. I even leave a little masking in places –it looks just like a layer of old, blistering paint. This method is very appropriate for a big-scale kit. It really doesn’t take long, but I find it’s much easier to do to each sub-assembly, rather than to a completed model. After coating the whole model with a layer of clear, you’re free to apply conventional ink or oil-colour washes, but I feel doing so gives the model an “over-worked” appearance. A final dry brushing with acrylics will be enough.

Decal application was simple enough –my M16 merely bears the US recognition star on the hood. The white stars on vehicles’ flanks were always painted-out by the latter part of the War, as they provided handy aiming references for German gunners.

Conclusion

This kit just doesn’t boast the same attention to detail and value-for-bucks as the big Trumpeter T-34 kits. One is left with the impression of a product which was rushed to market a little “half-baked.” While some aspects are well done –the engine and metal chassis rails, other areas of the kit seem to have been produced by a different design team: * No cable, wiring, or plumbing is provided. * Details of the engine distributor are lacking (no plug wires) * The carburetor detail is also soft.

In step 21, the moulded-on clasp detail must be removed before attaching PE clasps onto the stowage boxes (F6, F20, F36). The amount of flash and injector pin marks is already excessive, without having to do this extra sanding! * The radio is incorrect * The winch “cable” is merely a piece of string –I’m sounding ungrateful, I know. The end product does provide an excellent basis for scratch-builders, however.

Thanks and Reference

My sincere thanks to MPK Hobbyworld in Taipei for their excellent and timely customer service
References

American Tanks of WWII, by Thomas Berndt

Motorbooks International, 1994, ISBN 0-87938-930-3

Standard Guide to U.S. World War II Tanks & Artillery, by Konrad F. Schreier, Jr, Krause Publications, 1994, ISBN 0-87341-297-4

SVSM Model Club Photo Gallery, svsm.org/gallery/m16

Tanxheaven

U.S. Half-tracks in Combat 1941-1945, by Steven J. Zaloga, Concord Publications, 1999, ISBN 962-361-654-6.

Reviews

1/16 M16 MGMC Review by Chris Hughes [ TOADMAN1]