Jeff
Thanks

Jeffrey and Wayne
I went through all my photos and I haven't got one picture of the top of the turret with hatches closed so I can see the anti slip but I bet that all trod surfaces have the anti slip. On the ASLAV PC the areas around the hatches including the hatch edges, hinges, vision blocks etc. were masked off leaving an area of no anti slip around these features, don't know if that would be true on the 25 or not.
Ray's build has the features masked off very nicely on his build.
https://armorama.kitmaker.net/forums/135394&page=1
Does some one have a nice picture or a drawing of the top of an ASLV 25 that shows the anti slip.
Bill

Hi guys, I've taken a break from the turret build to start the paint job on the hull. It's a huge amount of time to mask, paint and touch up an area but necessary to get a good demarcation line. I haven't finished the camo yet because I wanted to post pics using different methods than i had before. They look better but no matter how I position the lights I can't get rid of the shadows, any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks again Bill for the helpful links. Cheers, Jeff.

Jeffrey
A quantum leap! The paint lines are sharp and the colour is a good base coat from which to weather like you do so well.This is looking like an ASLAV 25!
The lighting. Well it looks like you have three desk lamps aimed from the right and left and from the top. What I do to get rid of the shadows is to move the lights away a bit and cover the shade with a thin piece of tissue paper or frosted mylar (Michael's). Be very careful if you use incandescent bulbs because if the tissue paper touches the bulb it will begin to turn brown then burn, so be careful. You will find the lighting to be more diffuse now so you may need more time for the exposure which also means a tripod. I know, I know this is a slippery slope but you can do it relatively in expensively. Go into your camera menu and turn your white balance to bulb then try fluorescent then try sun to see which gives you the best colour for your photo. I bought an Ott-Lite and I use it all the time for modelling as well as for model photography. You can get the expensive adjustable goose neck ones or just get a few bulbs like at the bottom of this link.
http://www.lampsplus.com/products/s_ott/
I bought mine at Michael's but you can find them all over.
To get from the front of your model to the back of your model in focus http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/understanding-depth-of-field-in-digital-photos.html you have to turn your camera to manual and adjust the depth of field. When you focus aim for the mid point of your model.
Look at your light meter then and adjust your speed accordingly. If you are on a tripod this won't matter, it may be 1/30th or even 1/15 of a second but you will notice the results right a way and adjust accordingly.
If you are aware of these considerations then in time you will experiment with increased depth of field (or decreased) to accentuate aspects of your model. You will arrive at a basic set up that works for you.
Your first two shots have good composition and ok depth of field and the image is expose properly, looking more professional all the time, congratulations!
Regards
Bill

Thanks for posting all this info Bill. I hope the other members take the time to read your postings because it is very helpful towards producing better quality scale model photos. The lighting is workshop halogen light stands which are intensely hot so I will have to find a safe way to decrease the brightness and the camera settings will be easy enough after studying the manual. The way the ASLAV is kitted out and painted was a huge reason for me wanting to build a few, they are very attractive armored fighting vehicles. Cheers, Jeff.

Jeff
I know this has been answered in this forum probably more times than need be but what colors did you use for your paint scheme and what type of masking did you use?
Also what color did you use to base out the tires
And one other general question what kind of stowage wo8ld be found in the turret basket for the Phase II/III (Trumps kit o.o.t.b.)? General Military junk ammo boxes etc..?
Oh yeh and the build looks great

Found this
the official colours are:
a. Camouflage Green - Olive Drab Lustreless. Reference 7650/ADE(M) 146-1/1, November 1967;
b. Camouflage Brown - US Federal Standard 595a 30219;
c. Black - US Federal Standard 595a 37038

I am told that the green is very close to FS34082. You should be able to find these in Testors.

Wayne, the paint I used was Tamiya and the mixtures were made close to what some other members mentioned in the huge ASLAV thread. My mixes were:
Tan= 3 parts XF15 Flat Flesh, 2 parts XF 52 Flat Earth, 1 part XF 2 Flat White.
Green= 3 parts XF 15 Flat Flesh, 2 parts XF 58 Olive Green, 2 parts XF 62 Olive Drab, 1 part XF 55 Deck Tan.
Black= 2 parts XF 1 Flat Black, 1 part XF 15 Flat Flesh.
All mixes were thinned at a ratio of 60% Tamiya thinner to 40% paint. The masking was done using Staples Reuseable Adhesive ( same thing as blue tac ) cut in long thin strips and rolled into thin tubular lengths which were then layed out on the model in the desired pattern and gently pressed down. To avoid overspray I cut long strips of paper towel about 1" wide and overlayed them on the edge of the adhesive gently pressing the paper towel into it until it held. It's time consuming but seems to work well.
The tires were airbrushed with 2 parts Valejo Panzer Aces Dark Rubber, 1 part Valejo Thinner, 1 part Valejo Slow Dry and 6 parts distilled water. I have had a lot of problems spraying Valejo paint but this mixture sprayed on beautifully and adhered to the Tamiya primer without a problem. I received the Mouse House ASLAV APC Phase 2 conversion in the mail today and when it's built I want to spray the whole model with Valejo, they have a great color range and the paint sprays/ covers really nice when mixed properly. Cheers, Jeff.

Thanks Jeff
Your build is coming along quite nicely
I look forward to seeing it completed
Im building this one o.o.t.b.

Heres a ?? I noticed the back 4 vision blocks as well as there rear door blocks where covered over on the Phase III
I am building Trumps kit o.o.t.b. should I cover as well accuratly produce a PhaseII/PhaseIII kit

G'day Wayne,
Yep, the blanking plates are a later Phase III mod not used here in Australia.

Cheers Jason

Looking good so far
Cant wait to see it weathered up

Want to see an ASLAV fly?

Come to my house where the fiddy diddy turret side baskets are drving me insane with fit problems and such
Going to take another smoke break. Lav gets one more chance before becoming airborne

Hi guys, have had very little time to model lately. Finished the camouflage painting and added different color filters to the hull, hubs and tires. I have to get cracking on the turret. I have the Mouse House MAD-613 Australian Hexagonal Camouflage Pattern decal sheet on order to cover the right side stowage bin tarp. Hope to update again soon. Cheers, Jeff.
Sam and Wayne, how goes your ASLAV builds? Hope you both will post pics so we can follow your progress.

See above post

Hi Wayne, sorry I had to re-post as I tried to edit my first one and deleted photos. Excellent idea to walk away and chill out. I had the same problem you did my first go around with the turret baskets. I had to create my own build sequence as the instruction method was giving me fits. I cyano glued the bottom and center sections to the side etch panels and let them dry and strengthen. I then added the lower and side etch screens to give the frame rigidity. I added the top crossbar last and had to cyano glue it and hold it in place as it did not fit well. And when this is complete and dry I think you will find the bin does not sit in the hull node mounts and will distort the basket shape if you force it. I just trimmed off the turret mounts and glued it flush to the side of the turret. Cheers, Jeff.

Yeh I just sliced off the mounts. Im on the same page as you with the assembly
Its killin me
I'm going to finish up the build tonite and I will get some photos up before and after paint

Well I couldnt get the basket to sit right the etched angels where off and the thing looks like Shiiiiiiittttt
I dot know what i'm going to do with it now

Jeffrey
The body is looking very good, your weathering is subtle. I must say your photography skills have really improved. The depth of field really emphasizes the area you are trying to illustrate, the shadows are nice and diffused, no harsh shadows any longer and the blue bristol board background really make me notice the model which is the point, excellent.
I have been going back and forth between the ASLAV renamed thread looking at Jason Millers camo paint job on his 25 and it differs from yours. Is there a map in the Trump plans that outlines the camo pattern? The only other thing and this is a matter of choice, is the tan on your model as dark as it appears on my monitor or is it lighter. It could be the White Balance settings on your camera but the blue background looks to be right. Here is your model after I colour corrected it, does this look like yours?All I did was adjust the saturation, lighten and then increased the contrast a tad.

I look forward to your turret attached.
Regards
Bill

Hi Bill, thanks for the comments. I can't seem to find a depth of field setting on my camera, maybe Sony has different wording? It is a Sony Cybershot 12.1 Mega pixels, 4x optical zoom with Carl Zeiss lens. It should have a depth of field setting.
The camo pattern was frustrating as the Trumpeter pattern display print is not even ballpark. I had to keep referring to various photos from M.B. #4 ASLAV and the June, 1996 edition of Military Modeling with walk around photos of a brand new phase 2 ASLAV-25 taken by Mick Toal. It's difficult to reproduce the pattern from photos accurately, trust me.
I like the way you filtered the picture Bill, but the tan in your photo looks like panzer dunkelgelb, on my model it is quite tan colored, more so now that I have just future coated it. It must be my camera setting or your monitor.
Cheers, Jeff.

Hi guys, I am posting some more photos of the completed hull paint job not to waste space in the thred but to show other members of the site who face the same hurdles as I do that it does not have to be intimidating or costly to improve ones photography. Most of the suggestions I've used have been offered by Bill who has basically given me an online tutorial on photography, thanks Bill. Anyone affiliated with Military Briefs #4 ASLAV reading, if there is a second edition of the book please include 1/35 scale plans of the ASLAV F.O.V. with color plates that show the official camo pattern layout as it would be immensely helpful. Cheers, Jeff.

Jeffrey
Wow what variation! Have you selected the one you think look most like your paint job and colours? The way you explored the various settings of your own camera will pay off in the long run, like right now. The colours from your first post of the lower hull and the new pics are light years from one to the others. No more harsh shadows, better depth of field and excellent colour control you're on the right track.
Here is a good photo that shows the camo pattern well. Here is the map I did for the PC, it took lots of time and many tweaks.
I look forward to the turret now.
Regards
Bill

Jeffrey I have been watching this build for a wile. Great work on your LAV you picutres have improved allot. I really like the camo scheme how did you mask it off?.
I have been tempted to build an ASLAV but I have no idea where to start.

Hi Bill, thanks for the comments. To hold the model in my hand and compare to the monitor photos the seventh photo would be most representative of the actual colors. I really like the clarity of the last photo though, but the colors are a little light. Its a shame Trumpeter provides a beautiful color print sheet and provides the wrong paint references and camouflage pattern, I don't get it. The photo you posted Bill was one of many I was trying to work from in the book. The problem is you can not see the pattern under the turret of the gun cars.

Jaymes, thanks for your comments. Please go back in the thread to where I just got the camo started and I explain the masking there. It is basically Blue Tac and shop towel.

I am having major problems with the Mouse Armor genric ASLAV decal sheet. Model has been future coated and I've tried Micro Set/Sol and then Solvaset. These decals will not sit down and keep curling up no matter how much solution I apply. I have lost enough decals now that I only have one more try to decal Scorpion King, if they don't work for me I will have to use the Echelon Fine Decal sheet and make Courage which changes the configuration of the car. I'm not happy, any last ditch suggestions to get the Mouse decals to work? Thanks, Jeff.

Jeffrey
It is 3:30 am in Australia right now but if you hold off on your last decals I'll email Jason to give you a hand or offer some advise. The colour pattern is the same on the front of the PC as it is on the 25, the turret of course is obviously different.
Hang in there help is on the way.
Bill