So, now my tale has come to an end, as all tales do. The Commander's M103A2 was a monster of a kit, but I'm glad I tackled it. It's a big monster of a model, weighing in at about 750 g (about a 1 3/4 lbs!). The finishing touches of this model took me on a bit of an odyssey, though. I used pigment powders, which in and of themselves are nothing novel. I did, however, stumble across a much more economical source: paint pigments. I picked up 4 oz. for US$5 at my local Pearl Paint art center! I will definitely be back to buy some more. No more expensive pigments for me, the cheaper stuff works just fine and works out to be more for far far less $$. I picked up burnt umber and I was able to mix it with several other colors to get the earth color I wanted to make the mud on the lower suspension. The dust was made by lightening the dirt color with white powder. My mix is pretty simple, consisting of Tamiya thinner and a little white glue and water.
Here are some pics of the finished model:
The model has done well so far in competition, taking a silver medal at AMPS East back in September. Many of you have some of these older (and unique) kits squirreled away in your stashes. As a contest participant, judge and model enthusiast, it's really great to see these obscure vehicles built into complete models. All for now. Thanks for looking. I'll have another odd-ball vehicle in a couple of months.
Regards,
Georg
