Now, I will start the interior detailing ...
Although this hull does not have the option to open the hatches (and I do not think making this radical surgery ...), the interior can be seen through the hole turret and the driver´s hatch......
I'll glue the hull to the chassis (I hate demountable kits ...)...
Therefore, the detailing of the interior is to have a nice visual effect only, no hype or crazy work ...
Well, after that commitment (or justification ...), here we GO:
Setting the .30s caliber support of the hull... I had to cut the tip of the Academy part for the necessary fitting ...( The paper tape is to keep the .30 in a position ...)
Glued with super glue ...
After removing the .30, I made a lateral reinforcement with a piece of sprue ...(poetical license...)
I reinforced the joints with dental acrylic.
After that, I did, with a strip of styrene, the support of the instrument panel (I´ll use the Academy panel)
Panel testing... Ok!!!
Now, interior white, to reduce claustrophobia ...
Building the 75mm gun...Gun barrel, counter-wight and rotor shield from Formations. The rest, Academy parts. All parts fits perfectly...
In the hull:
The gun kept their movements ...
One thing that was bothering me was the gap between the rear fire wall and hull´s ceiling ...
To fix this gap, I thought of adding a material directly into the gap, perfectly filling the defect ...
The best material for this is dental acrylic. The problem is that it attacks the styrene (monomer of the acrylic, or the liquid part, is an excellent welder ...)
I solved the problem by isolating the fire wall with a sheet of aluminum ...
Here is a photo of acrylic applied to the hull ...
To apply the acrylic, I used two ways:
1 - Mixed powder and liquid in equal parts and waited for him to begin to gel ... With aspatula, I applied this "goo" in the gap (glass bootle, in the picture below...)
and 2: Before the acrylic hardens, I was stroking and applying more acrylic with a brush dippedin liquid acrylic. The technique of applying acrylic with brush is to moisten the brush in acrilic liquid and touch the powder with the brush tip moistened.
The brush captures a small amount of powder (which dissolves in the liquid brush ...)and you apply this paste in the desired location with the brush ...
I use caps from PET bottles as containers of powder and liquid. They are disposableand practice ...
And..
After drying acrylic (it releases heat in an exothermic reaction ...), the result is as follows:
Fash in the posterior portion of the patch (red arrows - that were removed with Dremel ...):
Well... Now, a very crazy Idea:
While I repaired the gap of the firewall, I was looking at the result of my efforts through the turret hole in the hull ...
And I noticed that the hull, although fantastic, was not prepared to detail the interior ... That is, through the turret hole I saw the inside, but not the details of the hull hatches ...
The hull is presented necessarily closed (all hatches are blown in the hull)
But there is the option to left open the driver's hatch ... and through it (and the hole turret ..) the interior is partially visible ...
Based on this premise (Interior partially visible), I had an idea:
Why not make some visual effects to simulate the hatches??
Bingo !!! Decal !!!
I can almost see the purists with renal colic and barking, with foaming mouths and eyes rolling:
Anathema!
Blasphemy!
Crucify him ...
But what I really want is a visual effect, with minimal work ...
I know that the ideal would be to dig and sculpt the inner portion of the hull, but after one month of work, which would be visible would be a rough picture of a hatch ...
And life is too short for this!
For me, model kit is a hobby, not a religion!
But enough about philosophies and justifications, and we practice the sin!!
The Idea:
I designed the interior portion of a side hatch in Corel Draw (who want the designs, just write ...) and print on paper, for a test drive...In Black and white, for economy...
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The exterior and interior of the hull;
The visual effect, through the hole in the hull. For me, is enough ...
Printing the decals in color, because the interior of the hatches were the color of the hull, not in white ....
Protecting the decals with gloss varnish:
As the varnish in decals dries, I will make some texture in inside of the hull, to disguise the repair of the firewall...
Putty diluted in acetone, applied with an old brush ... Notice that the local of the side hatches I left without the texture ...
In the hatches path and chassi floor, some "putty mud":
White again:
The gap is over !!!
And decals in the hull...Future !!
Like the Sauron´s eye: “I see you !!!”
Ready !!!
Madness was consummated!!
Consumatum Est!!!
And I quite liked the final result ... Now, let weathering a bit ....
Well, Lads ....
After this act of heresy, the next step is to finish the inside detailing, close the hull and start the painting ...
Kepp´n touch !!!
.. and sorry for my heresy ... (but I'm not penitent!)
eehehehehehehheheheehheheheheheheheh
