I am new at military modeling. This is my attempt at the Tamiya 1/48 scale M10 U.S. Tank Destroyer.

I really enjoyed building it but would like your critic and suggestions for next time. What do you think???

The weathering process consisted of firstly a dark wash of black and Nato brown. Once dry I dry brushed using some chalk pastels yellow and white around the top to look like dirt and dust and more red and brown for the tracks. I also used a soft HB pencil to similate worn metal, particularly around the turret and steps on the side of the tank.

Any advice would be welcome and I would like your feedback.

I thought about making the tracks muddy but how??? Do I just add actual dirt and mud??? Or would I be over-doing it??

Well, it desperately needs a clear flat overspray to get rid of the shine. Testors Dullcote will work nicely. The clear flat will ruin the metal effect of the graphite, so you'll have to renew it after the clear coat dries (be very sparing with bare metal and paint chips--there wasn't time during the war for very much wear to occur--these vehicles only served a few months, in most cases).
It appears you've brush painted the olive drab, as the paint has built up rather too heavily in places, notably the upper rear hull plate.
Eventually, an airbrush will be a good investment. Until then, try spray cans--you can get a good finish with a rattle can if you remember to start spraying before you reach the model and stop spraying after you pass it. If the can is never stationary over the model, the paint coat will be even and thin without any drips.
The 5 gallon cans on the hull should be olive drab, not khaki, though it's okay if the OD is a slightly different shade than the paint on the tank, as they would have been from different paint batches. The packs, tarps and duffle bag should also be varying shades of khaki or olive--no two batches of fabric will ever be quite the same shade.
There are several good books on model building out there, with a wealth of tips on bulding, painting and weathering. Steve Zaloga's book on Modeling the Sherman tank from Osprey Publishing is quite good, and Sheperd Paine's books published by Kalmbach are also excellent starting places.
And welcome to the scale modeling tribe!

Many thanks for your suggestions. I did actually use a Revell airbrush to apply the paint, although I think the problem was with the varnish I used. This was from a can of plasti-kote Krystal Clear Matt finish, alhough perhaps this has left it too shiny (although the flash of the camera when taken the photos doesn't help)??? I also think perhaps that I have overdone it on the weathering to compensate for this, (I used too much dry brushing)??? What varnish should I use for next time? The one that your suggested??

Overall however I am quite pleased with it, I would like to know if I can improve it now. I would like to add it to a diorama scene I am planning.

Many thanks.

Paul

G'day Paul,
Great effort for your 1st AFV. Try painting the stowage in different colours to break it up abit and think about where you place stowage. For eg: Jerry cans don't just stick to sides of tanks. either place them on the top or make up some simple straps or tie them on if hanging off the vehicle. testors Dull coat should fix the shine problem.

Hi Ross,

Thanks I will try some of that Testors dull coat.

Where in QLD are you from?? I was born in Mossman FNQ , myself

Is this the product you mean??

Dullcote 3 Oz. Spray Can

Thnx for posting Paul. A book I recommend to starting armor modellers is Kalmbach Publishing's "How to Build Realistic Tanks and Artillery".

Lots of good techniques and clear pictures.

You might want to reconsider using graphite to simulate worn edges. If you look at pieces of construction equipment, you'll see darkly oxidized areas where paint has worn away. Best to use black or very dark brown for this. However, US equipment was famous for having VERY good paint adhesion... so paint chips would be unlikely too.

Hi Paul.
the answer to your question. I'am just south of Brisbane about 14km. And yes to your second question. That should make a big difference to the overall finish. What kind of setting are you putting it in on your Dio?
Must great living in the Uk away from the heat & humidity of far nth Qld.
Cheers Ross

I've decided to change the finsh and tinker a little bit, thanks to the good advice on here. Unfortunately I couldn't get hold of any Testors dullcoat, so I used Humbrol Matt Varnish from the spray can, which is better than the other stuff I had used.

I repainted the jerry cans to a olive drab and applied a little strap (a thin thread of normal everyday string) using red leather colour (Tamiya nato brown). I also painted some of the soft stowage bags to add a bit of variety.

I applied some Yard Filth/mud colour textured paint to the tracks and used some chalk pastels and Tamiya weathering stick and powders a little to imilar dust and dirt on the top. The grass you can see on the tracks were made of brush hairs dipped in a mixutre of khaki & buff tamiya paint and glued on.

Hope you like it.

The diorama I plan to have the tank on is a muddy track road heading through a middle of a diorama base, with a bombed ruin building in one corner and a grassy area or creek in the other corner. The scene will be Normandy in July 1944. The M10 tank is based on the 703rd Destroyer Bn., 3rd Armored Division (spearhead).

Paul - if that's your first attempt, it's a very good stab indeed.

The changes you've made have improved it a lot.

This site can be quite humbling at times (the work of some of the guys who post here regularly just blows your mind), but everyone's very friendly and helpful. I've found that hanging out here and picking up tips is every bit as beneficial useful as spending a fortune on "How To" books!

- Steve

Hi Paul. Here's few pointers for your future projects.

1. The colour of your models is too dark. As a result, your washes and shadows are barely visible. Try lightening the colour with Buff or Tan.

2. What sorts or acrylics do you use? Do not use your paint directly from the bottle. Dig the pigments out from the bottom of the bottle and dilute it with water to the consistency of a cup of coffee. The gloss on your model could be cause by the hardener component of the paint.

3. The paint on your model appeared to be too thick. Apply the paints in thin coats. The 1st coat may not cover the model completely. Wait for coat of paint to dry before attempting the 2nd coat. A hair dryer can help hasten the drying. Do not attempt to cover the model with the paint in 1 coat.

4. To avoid brush stroke use a round brush.

5. A layer of primer would help hold your paint on the model.

I hope these pointers will be of help in your next model. Happy modelling.

Welcome to the site and the hobby Paul.
Your first effort turned out really decent.
Remember we only improve along the way by practice, practice and more practice, and a heck of a lot of mistakes! Just don't allow fustrations and failures along the way discourage you, and try something new on each model, soon you'll be improving in leaps and bounds, and knocking heads with the best of them. And don't lose the Fun Factor! It's suppose to be a hobby, and it's suppose to be FUN !!