Hey boys, just a couple quick Q's before I finish my K.T for a dio that i am workiing on.
First, the best way to bend/damage fenders with/without useing heat. I have been useing a heated screwdriver to try and bend fenders but it always seems to melt and look fake. There has got to be a better way....
Second, my Tiger will be in the forest, so im looking to add some limbs,leaves,ect.. to the sides but cannot figure out what to use and how they were attached.........any help would be great!!!!

Regards,
Ziggy

Ziggy,

First answer: Don't get the screw driver red hot to use on styrene. Only mild heat needed to bend and shape styrene. And it should be done before it is put together and glued in place. Try using hot water if you do it before placing it in and gluing. Second answer: Sticks, twigs and small branches plus leaves from the yard are great to use and my favorite price... FREE.

Ola Ziggy

Well What you could do is thin the insides of the fenders by sanding it with a motortool and when it is thin enough make it a little warm with a hairdryer or if you are brave enough over a flame from a tea light or lighter and then bend it.
There is the option of scratchbuilding the fenders and things on the side from Aluminum oventray which are very easy to bend and damage.

To answer your question on the foliage added to the tank by ways of camouflage depends a bit what forest it is. If it is a pine forest like in the ardennes your best bet would be the plant called Asparagos Plumosa which looks like this:

You can find it in flowerstores where you also can buy stuff for flower arranging.

If the forest in question is not littered with pines then you could go for something I believe they call Seafoam. (it is called Zeeschuim in Dutch) It looks like this:

Why they call the plant Seafoam is a complete riddle for me since as far as I know the plant neither has anything to do with sea nor with foam. You probably could find this at the florist as well. and other wise the modelrailroad shop has it.

Another option I know of is from a guy in Holland that often uses a grasstype which is very common in Holland... and I am not talking about the grass you buy per gram. Here are some examples of how that looks



For leaves I think I would go with birchseeds. They look quite good as leaves in scale. Convince yourself:

You can buy the stuff in Modelrailroad shops or hobbyshops... several brands are selling the stuff. However if you are a bit patient and you have birchtrees in your neighbourhood then you can pick them yourself for free. I harvest my neighbours tree at the end of July start of august everytime I go outside smoking. Then the stuff is still on the tree and easier to grab. Makes great forest litter too. Make sure you nuke the hell out of it with the microwave since there is a sort of bug that loves to live on these seeds.

I hope this answers your questions a bit.

with friendly greetz

Robert Blokker

Ziggy -

Robert has given you some outstanding examples and uses. I've also gone to local craft shops like "Michael's" and bought the bags of dried flowers or ferns that work well. As for your KT, it will depend somewhat on the what/where as to what type of camo foliage to use, but a KT had brackets on side of the turret with the track hangers for 'wiring' to put foliage on. I've used thread or elasic type thin wire from craft stores, weathered and the you just put your foliage on with the 'wire' to hold it, just like the real thing. Hope this helps some.

Blade48mrd

All I can say is WOW........
No wonder the smartest minds in modeling are on this site.....
Thanks for the solid tips. Gotta jump on this idea quick, Havent seen a K.T yet with heavy battle foliage on this site.

If I have anymore questions, I know exactly who I'm comming to.
Thanks again..
Oh, I'll post you pics of the build.

Cheers!

-Ziggy

steel cable or heavy rope is your best bet for attaching them. but camouflage comes from neccesity so what ever was laying around also having it jammed into fenders wheel wells where ever they could stick it

Ziggy,
Another good source for tree branchs is tree roots. Every spring I go out rooting. A few small saplings, a quick wash and nuke in the microwave to kill of any unwanted critters and you have enough tree branchs for a lot of progects. They also work for trees if you get the long ones.

For heating and bending fenders instead of using a tealight or a lighter try using an incense stick. I saw this method used by a Japanese modeler on youtube with good results.
Good Karma too.

hi
another really easy way to bend/damage fenders is to use your teeth! just bit the edges carefully n twist abit, it works suprisingly well and you dont need heat. it does work best if you thin the fenders down first.

hope this helps
neil