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SpPz 2 Luchs

Finishing and Weathering

Painting was done primarily using Tamiya acrylics. Pre-shading was employed using XF-1 Flat Black and the suspension components were also coated with this colour. Being as intricate as the suspension pieces are, it was all but impossible to get good and thorough coverage using an airbrush. For them I used a brush and a partially diluted mixture of 60% paint and 40% Tamiya X-20A thinner. The latter has an added extender that assists in making the paint wetter so it applies smoothly and flows easily into all the nooks and crannies.

The next part of the painting was to apply the camouflage to the vehicle. Tamiya NATO Green XF-67 was used as the overall base colour and airbrushed on. Being such a small subject, I initially tried my hand at brush painting the NATO Black XF-69 and Red Brown XF-64 colours onto the vehicle. Not being satisfied with the results I then practiced with my airbrush and was able to master it enough to apply the colours with it. It should be noted that to achieve a scale effect with the colours, I added varying amounts of white to each paint to lighten them.

After spraying the vehicle with X-22 Gloss Clear I proceeded to apply the decals. I chose to use the decals for a unit operating in Velica Kusa, Kosovo in July 1999. Not all the decals for this unit were used as I based decal placement on numerous pictures of these vehicles that I found on the Internet. After applying a decal setting fluid and having it dry, I recoated the model with another layer of Gloss Clear to seal the decals.

With the colours and shades pretty much to my liking I began my weathering process. The initial weathering was done on the gloss coated subject with lightened and thinned washes of Flat Earth XF-52 and Buff XF-57. The thinning was done in stages beginning at a ratio of 10% paint to 90% thinner. Following this I stared on the detail painting of the external vehicle stowage, lights and periscopes. For the periscopes I first applied a coat of Gunmetal XF-56 and after it was dry, a top coat of Clear Blue X-23.

After all the detailing was complete I applied three successive coats of Model Master Acryl Flat Clear #4636. My final weathering consisted of more light applications of Dark Earth and Buff using pieces of a stencil sponge. The last step in this process involved various colours of Delta Ceram coat artist acrylics that were diluted and sponged on. A final coat of Flat Clear sealed all these efforts.

Conclusions

I have had two of these vehicles in my stash for years and always procrastinated in constructing one. My inhibitions about building proved to be quite justified as the suspension alone proved to be as intimidating as I originally envisioned. The thought of getting all eight wheels of such a complex suspension to sit squarely on a flat surface seemed almost impossible. After successfully getting a few newer small scale kits built, I felt that I might have the necessary skills to tackle one of these beasts.

Considering its age, the Revell Luchs proved to be a fine kit of this rather unique vehicle. My only wish was that all the hatches had not been moulded closed. The build was not without its own issues and I certainly would not recommend it to a novice builder. The skills that I learned have both boosted my confidence and allowed me to look forward to future challenges.