I've been working on my Sherman some more this weekend and here is some pictures of the first step of the weathering Progress. From the pictures i've posted in the past most think the paint is too light and a bit yellowish in color and I've been thinking that since i'm going to be portraying a Normandy Tank they are prob right. It looked too clean so I decided to work on the basic look of it. This tank will be the basis of my first Diaroma. I'm going to put it on a rural road in Normandy with hedgerows on either side and some british troops walking to the sides and behind it.

I made up a wash of Ispropal Acohol and some red/brown and black acrylic paint and applyed it to the tank to create what I think is a look of a tank that has been in the weather and fighting for a while. It certaly toned down the brightish looking paint. and gave it some deffinition.

let me know what you all think.. does the look work for a tank or did I just ruin it. Keep in mind I havn't drybrushed it yet and I plan to tone down the contrast a bit by airbrushing some dust over the tank.

I also brushed on some brownish pastel chalk on with the wash. esp over the engine deck and underneight the tank and lower hull areas..

thanks.

Delster: Good to see you on the forum again.

Personally I think the back engine deck/grill/weld seam area looks very good, especially if you are looking for a well worn, "been out and about look", for the Firefly.

I have seen your past modeling efforts and know you have excellent airbrush skills. At this point I would be considering using those skills to apply a base coat color (but lightened) to the turret sides, and larger areas of the hull to start blending those areas in with the heavier washed points around the vehicle (i.e. to soften or blend those areas by eventually eliminating the distinct wash lines areas on the vehicle). The result should be a lot of visual interest created by the base coat, the lighter base coat I mentioned, your washed areas, and the drybrushing you have said you will apply.

Those are just my thoughts, as again your work is always very well done.

As far as "ruining a model"---well more than once I have dipped a partially completed model in brake fluid and started over again. I am not saying you should do that here Del, I'm just saying that that alternative is always there when using acryllics. So experiment and have fun with this Firefly. It's interesting seeing you "push the envelope" with your painting skills. Thanks for the pics.

ps: Miss you in the chat room.

Steve aka WeWillHold

Hey don't worry about it ....Okay so it looks like a mess to start with but ,you'll be able to pull it off ...First thing you have learned from this is don,t use acylics for washes ...I know some people do but I find them hard to control....Now to fix what has happened make yourself up a khaki drab color to use to dry brush your tank..take an old brush and drybrush harder than usual..scrubbing the paint into the other paint...let the different shades show thru and just soften up the edges....next take some lighter fluid and apply it all over the vertical sides of your firefly....then get out your tubes of oil paints ...I use all kinds of colors from black ..paynes grey...raw umber,yellow ochre, burnt sienna..all the way down to white...I then lay little dots of unthinned paint all over the sides ....I then take a flat brush..dipped in the lighter fluid (not too much ) and brush down towards the bottom of the kit ..I wipe off the brush with every stroke...you will see all the colors melt together creating a streaking effect ....you can go over it as many times as you like until you like what you see. after all this ...get out your trusty airbrush and overspray everything with a very thin coat of tamiya buff...try it you 'll like it !!

Rick

Hello again...... and WeWillHold, you are right I tried the overspray of the base color over my wash with my Trusty 175 Cresendo and I am really liking the results I am getting. Here are the latest Pics.







again. comments and sugesstions are Welcome......... :-)

Looks great so far Delbert What color did you use for the tank?

Delster:

WoW, did your airbrush skills provide some visual interest with the overspray!! Lots of different shades all over the vehicle while retaining the dark hi-lites from the earlier wash.
Now your drybrush/weathering skills will finish this one off. This is good looking stuff Del. Well done!!!!

Its amazing how models can transform from your earlier base coat pics, to the wash pics, to your blended efforts showing here. I can't wait so see this one completed. Thanks for the updated pics!

ps: The muzzle end of the tube looks really great!
pps: Some pe on this kit also i.e. the front light guards?

man that thing looks great, you do some very nice work

Bender

Now you're on a roll Delbert....looks great !!!!!! :-)

General Zod..

Thanks I started out with Model Master Field Drab as the base and lightened it a bit with white... the thing really came out a bit too light I think but after applying the wash over the entire tank and respraying it with a thinned down mist coat of my base color It darkened the green up nicly and changed how the whole thing looked.. and I think I have just learned myself a new technique for use on armor.. I will prob try this again with some OD armor and maybe some tests for german colors.

WeWillHold..

Yes there is some PE on this tank. it came with the kit. the front and rear light guards are Pe as the antenna mounting on the turrent and the I think air intake screens on the right and left rear of the engine deck.

and thanks for the comments bender and shermanfreak...

I think this project will take some of my skills to a slightly higher level...and thats all we can hope for .. practice makes us realize how much we have yet to figure out........LOL

Looking good Del...Makes me itch even more to find myself a firefly.

Hey merkava8 good luck on finding one.. even though it is a discontinued kit, I keep seeing it at one of my local Hobbytown USA''s. so far i've enjoyed this build and I do beleive I'm learning a couple of new things..

Del,

Pal, long time no see you in the forum. Hey, you have done a good job on the Sherman, another OD subject that will make Davidus crazy! Excellent painting and clean job. I am wondering if the kit from DML or Academy? Does it really come with PE parts?

Steve, Sushi and Pig #6

I really like these shots. I know that you are talking about the painting but I want to compliment you on your basic model making skills. No seems, or glue marks, just a really well made model. Good work.

Hey octupus long time no see........ and thanks.. thought i'd do a few allied thingies so people here won't think i'm fixated on the german stuff.... lot of people don't understand "historical modeling" and might think you are a closet nazi because you do a lot of german stuff..LOL and anyways I like to stay a bit balanced.

and it is the Dragaon kit. #6121. the number is very important as it is the 2nd release of the sherman firefly and the fist kit had a lot of stuff wrong with it. the 2nd kit added entirely new and updated running gear..( 1st one has some italeri clone running gear) and a small PE fret with eight parts. the 2 front and 2 rear light guards.. the 2 rear deck intake screens, and the antenna mount on the top. there is another but I broke it and it was part of the top left hatch on the turrent. some kind of brace to hold the hatch in the open position.

And I'm sure Davidus has enough besides my OD stuff to drive him crazy.. just look as what he has been doing lately.. LOL

Halfyank

thanks for the compliment. when I started this model one of my goals was to go for a clean build and I went slower than I sometimes go and was very careful in my construction.. there a re a few seams most on the bottom that didnt' line up exactly but filled in nicly when I use plastruct on them. and the seams on the front sprocket areas are not that great but those will be hidden by the track and running gear. I only used a little putty mostly on a few sink holes..
There is no putty on the seams themselves. Basicly this is a nice fitting kit. The barrel did take a lot of gentle very careful sanding though to get it looking right. esp the muzzle brake..