Hi All,
It's been a while since I last posted pictures of the build. However, I have not been idle. I got the tracks finished, the tools painted and somehow I managed to piece the front suspension back together (don't ask, it was messy). I really didn't like the RPM missile, so I replaced it with one scavenged from a Heller AMX-13 kit. I think it looks the part better. Anyhow, here are the pics:











I gave the tracks the "gun blue" treatment, now that it's socially acceptable. I'm going to give the tracks a couple of red-brown washes to give them more of a rusted look.



That's all for now. More tomorrow!
Regards,
Georg

Hi All,
I did some more work tonight, among other things. I was able to get the styrene rods cut from the front suspension and painted, so they will blend in well. Also, I did some touch-up painting. I was able to get a gloss coat on the hull and turret in order to get the decals on tomorrow night. Finally, I made up the spaced armor plates for the nose and "hump" in front of the turret. These are just thin sheet styrene with some evergreen rod spacers. They'll be painted completely different from the model to look like add-ons. See you tomorrow!
Regards,
Georg

Hi All,
I just finished decaling this beast. I made the markings using my Alps printer. They represent "national" markings of the U.S.W.E. (the United States of Western Europe: France, England, Belgium, Holland, Italy & a piece of Germany). I was also able to get the spaced armor built here are the pics:





Here are the markings:







All for now. More tomorrow!
Regards,
Georg

Hey Georg she is comming long just fine.
Did you use microsol on the back door decal?
It really came out great a perfect fit.
Looking foward to the weathering phase
keep it up.

Regards

Horst

Hi All,
We had a busy day running around yesterday, so the wife and I decided to stay in last night. I was able to get more work done on the half-track as a result. I got a dark overall wash done as I didn't think that a pinwash was going to visible or practical. Here's where things stand right now:







I was also able to get some paint on the spaced armor for the nose and top panel:



I thought it would look cool with a couple of penetrations, so with the help of an awl and a small hammer, the appropriate damage was inflicted.




I wasn't super happy with the way the tracks came out, so I gave them a thin overpsray of acrylic craft paint, called candy-bar brown which is a deep red-brown color. I think it looks good.



The missile saga continues. I really like the Heller missiles from their AMX-13, but they don't have any sort of propulsion nozzles! So, I added one using some styrene tube I have.



I'm planning on painting the nose and a tail cone some contrasting color from the light gray for some contrast. I' leaning towards either yellow or red. We'll see on this one. I should have more ot post this evening when everything is done. Happy Weekend!
Regards,
Georg

Hi All,
As promised, I got 2 posts in today. This is more of a technique than an update, but here goes. With the overall wash dry, I moved onto "dot filters," which I thing really enhance the model and give it a very weather-beaten look. It's great for paint discolorations, dirt streaks and the occasional rust streak. First, I place some oil paint on my pallet (margarine lids are great for this).



Next, using a small brush, I place various colored dots all over the panel.



Then, using a 1/4 inch wide chisel-shaped brush moistened (not wet) with Turpenoid, I drag the brush over the dots to either streak them or "mush" them up. Here's what it looks like when dry:



I also did some weathering work on some of the wheels, using AK interactive's "fuel stain" mixture. It's great for fuel stains or seeping grease from overfilled or leaking bearings:



That's all for now. More tomorrow. Good night!
Regards,
Georg

Hi All,
I'm back again with another update. I used the technique from above for the entire model and here's how it looks:



As you can see, I used red for the nose and tail of the missile, which is dry-fitted at this point.





I'm shooting for the dirty-filthy weathered looked as to a neglected rusty look, so I keep rust-colored effects to a minimum. I wanted to show a vehicle that had on capaign for a while but had not been severely damaged.



As I stated before, I wasn't 100% satifued with the tracks, so I gave them a thin overcoat of red-brown. This was followed by a quick airbrushed wash of sepia ink in Windex to bring out the detail. It's going to need a quick light sanding job to hightlight the wear points and mud/dirt coat for final weathering. Here's what it looks like now:



I'll be putting a flat coat on the model tonight, so there won't be too much to report. Tuesday night should have more.
Regards,
Georg

Hi All,
As with all stories, this one now draws to a close. When i last left you, the model had gotten its overall wash and dot filters. It was now time to add the final touches. First, I located a set of the stick-on clean "buttons" used in scrapbooking instead of the costly MV lenses for the headlight lenses. The product is made by Sticko (I think this is appropriate) and is part number 52-20049 and are called "shimmering silver dots." For about US$5 you get 90 of them in various sizes. A great deal, I think!



The final step was to apply weathering powders and make some mud. I used a couple of colors from MMP, who are now, unfortunately, defunct. I used their "medium earth" and "concrete dust" mixed up with some white PVA glue, water and a drop of rubbing alcohol (to break the surface tension to aid in mixing). First and thick"glop" of the stuff was applied to the lower hull sides, running gear and track to show, dried, packed earth. This was allowed to dry and then dry powder was piled in various places and thinner added to fix them in place. Finally, a thin mix of a lightened version was mixed up with alot of windex and airbrushed overall to blend everything together. Once this had dried, I added a little more dark brown to the mix and then dipped a large round brush into the mix. Using my airbrush at about 40 psi, I blasted the contents of the brush onto the lower hull and sides to show dirt/mud splatter.
The final bit of weathering was to show leaking or overfilled bearings. For this I used an AK Interactive product I picked up at the last
IPMS/AMPS East show. It's part of the "Engines and Metal Weathering set" and includes a "Fresh Engine Oil wash which is perfect for seeping oil or grease.



Well enough prattle, here are the pics!











I plan on doing a small vignette with this later, using some really disturbing figures in WW1 uniforms wearing gas masks and carrying modern-looking weapons. But for now, the vehicle is done and I'm getting ready to move on to the next one. Any and all comments are welcome.
Regards,
Georg

very nice build..i was having fun trying to identify the various bits and bobs from your spares box......

Excellent build! Have you seen the movie "Sucker Punch"? There is a great "Alternate / Fantasy" WWI sequence that this vehicle would fit right into. Great job.

Jeff

Guys,
Thanks for the kind words. For a while there I was starting to wonder if anyone was actually reading my build log. Watch this space. There is more to come.
Regards,
Georg

Good work Georg....

@TheGreatPumpkin – Georg,

I’ve been lurking and checking out your build and think you’ve put together an interesting vehicle. For me everything was coming together until you shot that Picasso of a paint scheme. But after the weathering treatment it brought it back and looks outstanding! Thanks for the tip on the ‘Shimmering Silver Dots’.

~ Eddy

Eddy,
I kinda used a "stage make-up" approach to the paint scheme, knowing I'd be crudding it up later. I was a little nervous when I shot it, though! Thanks for the kind words. With a little luck, my next build will be up later this week.
Regards,
Georg

Great build, Georg! IMHO (very humble) the missile is a little unweildy looking. All I know for sure is that I wouldn't want to be the guy reloading it.

Thanks for the pictures and tips on the pin-wash too, they were very helpful for me. Looking forward to those figures you promised.

this a great build,is the main gun a 40mm bofers,i like your build.