Ron .... top notch article for someone that hasn't done it before ... you are doing a damn professional job .... i am looking forward to seeing the finished article

quick update, i got the decals on, they were a little awkward and took some slicing and coaxing but armed with a tooth pick, cotton bud and some future they finally succumb and i think they are going to look cool.
I also moved on with the painting.

i dry brushed the tracks a little to get some metal wear using shadowed steel from reaper.


then it was time to do a little wear and tear and a bit of chipping, for this i used a scouring pad torn off a kitchen sponge and applied van dyke brown oil paint by dabbing the edges.




now i need to give the whole thing a couple of good coating of testors dullcote before i begin with the heavy stuff, here she is with everything above.




*Edit* i had a last minute change of heart and decided to add all the extra's now so everything will get the same weathering from here on.

Ron- All I can say is Super Job !! Thanks for sharing the build with all of us !!! Cheers-


Rob-

MiG-17

looks great! I am enjoying following along.

Hey Ron

Great looking so far The bedsprings are fantastic
My only question is: Are there pinmarks on the replacement tracks or what is on it?

Nico

One small question. You applied some Testor Dullcote before beginning the heavy weathering stuff. Now, almost all the other blog I read talk about using Future as a protective coat.

Future is a gloss coat and is suppose to help with the application of filters, washes and other weathering technics. On the other hand Testor Dullcote is, if I remember well, an excellent "Mat" coating varnish. Can you give us a little lowdown on why you go the Mat way please.

We would love to have you visit - if you can come, bring some examples of your work - we would love to see it

I think it is interesting to watch these threads, read the magazine articles, read the books, experiment... and find that so many great modellers use so many different types of "systems" to produce great results. I think that is one of the outstanding values of our hobby - if you like the results of a technique, but can't seem to get it down, there is usually always another three ways to achieve the same effect - thus, we are able to "mold" our hobby to fit our skills - each of us seems to have a unique way of doing things to get the results we want by combining different methods.

The way you are doing your tank is very different to how I would finish one, yet as your pictures develop, your results are very similar. I love that - great work!

Couple of quick questions about your build:

1. How did you attach the bedspring - super glue? I just know it can be tricky to attach stuff when you are going on top of your top coat of paint. Or did you use white glue?

2. You mentioned a couple coats of dull-coat. In reading articles from Spain and some of the finer European publications, they tend not to dullcoat as they say by using filters and oils (in the manner you did), you typically do not need the dullcoat because the filters and oils knock the shine off, and give a very realistic painted armor sheen - do you agree or disagree with this? I tend to agree and do it their way - but I am open to other opinions of this - if you like the results (and can come to our meeting and bring some of your work so I can see your results) I would like to hear about it.

Cheers!

Richard Said:

"One small question. You applied some Testor Dullcote before beginning the heavy weathering stuff. Now, almost all the other blog I read talk about using Future as a protective coat.

Future is a gloss coat and is suppose to help with the application of filters, washes and other weathering technics. On the other hand Testor Dullcote is, if I remember well, an excellent "Mat" coating varnish. Can you give us a little lowdown on why you go the Mat way please."





I agree - I would like to hear more on your theory with the dull coat (as mentioned in my other post). As well, one other thing has occured to me - how much to you dry brush the tank? None, minimal, medium, heavy?

Hi chaps, thanks for the reply,s,
Hi Nico, what you see on the spare tracks are what is used to secure them to the hull, not sure if they are screws or pins though.

Richard and K S, ill address the easy ones first , the tracks were the only dry brushing on this one but thats not always the case i sometimes do a light drybrushing on some of my builds. K S yes CA glue was used to attach the bedsprings.
Now the difficult questions and the reason they are difficult to answer is i rarely follow the exact procedure twice, everything is played by ear. for example i apply this wash and then decide what it needs next and continue like this over and over until the result iwas looking for is achieved.
The only time i use future is for decals and if i use enamels for the basecoat (not often) to protect them from the oils i use for weathering, but i will always dull it before use of the oils i simply prefere to weather a flat finish, if i use acrylics for the base coat as i did here i will not use future at all. (in this case i futured the sides of the turret for decaling applied with a brush just to where needed)
I use lots of washes on most of my weathering and have always had a terrible time getting the wash to do what i want on a glossy finish but it seems i have total control on a flat finish i will apply several different colours of wash simultaneously to get a good blending of colours whereas on a glossy finish getting the wash to hold to vertical surfaces is almost an impossibilty for me.
The biggest benefit i hear about future is its protective quality of the base coat but as long as i use acrylics (which i mostly do) this has never been an issue for me.
I dont read magazines but the few article,s i read online suggest the opposit of what i do to be the best and most popular method and who am i to say it is not, what i say is as long as you achieve your desired result then use whatever method works best for you.
I appologise if this makes no sense i have only had one cup of coffee this AM.

Hi Ian, sorry missed your post, you havent offended me at all your comments are welcome and very informative i for one was unaware of this, what i did to mine was to copy what i have seen in pics so now i know its casting seams and not weld beads it still looks reasonably like the pics so i am ok with it.

All of that makes perfect sense I first want to say, your work is great! And I secondly want to say, thanks for not only sharing the pics, but also for letting us bend your ear. I'm certainly no MIG, but not a beginner either - and I'm always interested in hearing how other guys do it - especially when I see that they are achieving great results, as you are. I am always open to trying new things - as I said in another post, the many ways available to make a single effect are part of what I think is great about our hobby. Kudos!

My experience has been that turps still "bugs" my acrylics if I don't get some gloss cote protection on them - I typically paint with Tamiya - but, I have also heard there are different kinds of turps - some harsh, some not. I am using MIG thinner for washes now, and it works well for me on a gloss finish, but I do run into the same issue you do - sometimes it just doesn't want to stay where I put it on a gloss surface. All that to say - what kind of turps are you using, and where are you getting it since we are in the same "neck of the woods"?

Looks very well done!
Waiting to see it completely weathered!

I to use Testors dullcoat to seal the base coat before applying washes. I never had success with washes over a gloss surface. Personally I never use Future. It just does not feel right to use a floor sealer as a sealer for a model.

For decal application I sometimes apply testors gloss with a brush only on the area that will receive the decal. This is done directly on the base coat surface. The entire model is now sealed with dullcoat and then the washes and drybrushing before a final coat of dullcoat to seal the paint. This method may be old, but is very effective. I use this method regardless of enamel or acrylic base coats.

Hi Mike, the reason i use future on my enamel bases is in the past i have missed or been thin on the dullcote and while working in a filter or wash have penetrated it and scratched the base coat so really its just a precaution i take against this.
Hi K S, this is the thinner i use for my oils, both washes and filters, i get it from hobby lobby. It dries quicly and it only effects enamels if i apply a wash then work it it will scratch at the surface othewise i have had no reaction, this is all based on my own experience others may vary also note i use Testors model master paints.

Sweet Ron - thanks for the tip. May just stop by Hobby Lobby on the way home.

onwards with the weathering,,,

I applied dullcote and did a slight dusting around the fenders and running gear with a lightened rust.


close up of turret.


and the rear.


next came the first wash this was a heavily applied van dyke brown as it dried i followed around adding and working it where nessesary.


this is how it looked when dry.


next came a black wash which was more precise and not as heavy.




i then dry brushed a little "shadowed steel" around the bedsprings and such to give a hint of metal and wear.






i feel this one getting close to the end now and i am quite pleased with the way it is looking.

wow that looks fantastic! I picked up mine at lunch and its in the trunk.

What green did you use I hate trying to get russian green right, and that looks right! And what color are the bedprings painted??

Edit: I saw the MM dark green. I have green drab and its too dark and 'russian armor green' is too Kermit the frog-they should call it plastic-army-men green

Thanks biffa for the glossy/dullcote explanation. Like you saided, what's work for one may not for the other As I have yet to paint my first model I will have to try both technic and see by myself.

The weathering is coming really good. It does give a really nice "in the field" look without being too heavy.

Thanks again for sharing.

Hi @ all:

Ron, its looking great.
But there is one thing I´ll point out to remember: MM Dullcote is an enamel paint and may be "attacked" by washes, filters etc. based on oils diluted with turpentine
I use acrylic varnishes to seal the work during the several steps. But nevertheless Dullcote is the best mat varnish I know, so I use it at the end of my processes

Ron, I can´t wait to publish my T 34 model, but I have to wait until end of february (maybe including a contest medal )

Nico

Actually Dullcote is laquer. I think its pretty tough against most chemicals but alcohol makes it haze.

Wow I just was pawing through my kit at the dinner table(being single has its advantages...). I've built the the earlier 34/76 so I'm pretty familiar with it but the etch sheets are just awesome. I may have to push everything aside and get right on it too! This will definately be my next model that I finish 85% of the way!

I see you didn't use drybrushing on the hull at all!
I'll stop drybrushing too with my soon to be started Panzer IV!

Ron - looks like you are almost there - just wanted to comment on one other thing and ask two more questions. I've already said how much I already admire your work - but what is amazing to me is that you have accomplished so much so quickly - an inspiration!

1. Go back to when you were performing surgery on the model - cutting off the front fenders for example. I noticed how "perfect" your cuts were - what are you using to cut items off the tank, and can you talk about your technique?

2. One thing I have noticed in the oils over gloss or oils over dull coat "debate" is that your pictures kind of show "pool" marks - this is one of the reasons I prefer oils over gloss instead of over dull coat. What I am calling "pool" marks is where the filter/wash has begun drying, leaving an edge. Do you leave it that way, or do you have a technique for getting rid of the edge marks or blending them in?

You have been an inspiration - obviously not only for me, but others on the thread as well. I am inspired to post a few pics of my stuff now, and I am foaming at the mouth to do this model! I just checked it out on Squadron.com guys - Less than $40 bucks and it comes with a lot of PE, metal barrel, and the PE bed springs - looks like a great value! Thanks for taking the time to post your build and to answer all of our questions - Armorama should think about adding you to the staff my friend.



P.S. MIG recently started producing his own line of oils and filters - "502 Abteilung" oil colors, and "SIN Industries The Filter". I have gotten some of these and plan to use them on my next build - I am looking forward to posting a report on Armorama as to whether they tend to work better on a gloss protective coat than "regular" oils, and perhaps test them using your method as well.

Hi Diesel Rocket

I have the Oils from MIG that you mentioned. I used several tones of them on my T -34 and they worked very well. I applied them on a flat surface. Also the filters for german or allied afv´s are best. Someone would say, "hey, mix your owns it´ll be cheaper" but I don´t trust in my capabilities for that. The products are highly recommended

cheers

Thanks for the info update - I am really anxious to try them out. If they are good enough for MIG, they are good enough for me! I agree with you on the filters - I don't mind spending a few bucks to get a formula that is pre-mixed and ready to go, with no worries over whether "I got it right". I only have the German set - haven't gotten the Allied set yet, but I did pick up the whole oils collection. Can't wait to use them!