Hi
I'm getting back into model building and have purchased two Hobby Boss Leopard 2's one German and one Canadian, I also purchased all of the etched parts, Bronco track, short barrel and tail lights for the Canadian Leopard. As for the German version I only purchased AFV track, I plan to build this first. Can anyone provide a few pointers as to tools required for the brass, and will I have to cut/remove any of the plastic. Plus what paint should I use (I used to use Humbrol, Model Master and Tamiya.) I have purchased many tools for this endeavor so any help will be appreciated.

Thanks

all I can say is welcome back,and hace a good time.

Martin;
welcome back into it.If you are planning on doing a current era Leo then the Tamiya Nato series (Black, Green, Brown) are all close enough to make it look right. Not sure where you left off, but you might check out the painting section, specifically the Weathering Sequence thread for a few pointers and thoughts.

Remember a few things. Post pics whenever possible. This will allow you to see your own work up close and you will be able to more easily see the flaws errors when they are there. This also allows others to offer up pointers on what you might not be seeing or something that you might want to correct if accuracy is important to you, (its not to all of us all of the time). Ask questions and when you are having an issue a picture is worth a thousand words. A good pic of a problem is much better than the best description. There are lots of people here from all over the world and we all started out with a kit at some point. It only gets better from here. Cheers.

Thanks

It's been 20+ years so the etched parts didn't exist at that time so we made our own. I hadn't planned on weathering yet. I am planning on two LAV lll's one a TUA and the other I'll kit it out. But before that I have four 1/24 scale planes ( a MK1 Spitfire two Hurricanes and a ME-109E-3/4) to put all the detail bling on plus I have five 1/48 scale planes to bling out as well. If my eyeballs don't fall out after the Canadian Leopard I'll try weathering the LAV's. I think building up to the fine detailing might be the best way to start.

Thanks

For the PE you might want to purchase one on the bending tools available, but I've found a couple of really good pairs of tweezers will cover 90% of the work. If you haven't picked up on it yet, you'll need to use some kind of superglue (CA) to attach the PE. The instructions in the PE set should tell you if you need to cut or remove any plastic.

Bob

Thanks for the pointers. I have a set of Craftsman electronics pliers 5pcs from a long time ago so I m set there I have a set of tweezers, pin vises, scrapers, panel scribe, dental picks the whole 9 yards on its way as we speak. I have a large bottle of Locktite prizm. After looking at several other sites it looks like i will have to solder joints, will I need a micro torch or will my Antex high temp soldering work? I wish I didn't give away all of my hobby tools its costing a arm and leg to re-equip my self.

Martin

Hi Martin,
Welcome back to the hobby!

As Bob said, unless you plan to use PE extensively for all your future projects, I would not invest on a bending tool. A good set of flat nose pliers should be fine.

Regarding soldering, it's something I really avoid. Maybe you already have experience or a natural talent but otherwise, it's a hard job. Either use CA glue or stick to the original parts... maybe not 100% accurate but at least you will not get discouraged and leave it unfinished.

So, over all, enjoy!

Best regards,

Carlos

No, you don't _have_ to. The parts are much sturdier if you do, but there is no requirement to solder. If you are comfortable with it, do it, as it results in a better join, but CA will work fine as long as you are careful with the parts afterwards.



And _that_ is a painful truth.

Paul

Hi again, if you use pliers with ridges in the jaws be very careful. Those can mar the brass if you're not. As far as soldering goes, I'm not the one to ask, since I've yet to master it, myself. I've been sticking to just using glue, but have run into situations where the PE pieces would be much better with solder joins. I do imagine your current soldering iron will be just fine, though.

Carlos, Paul, Bob

Thanks for the help I'd rather use Ca especially on the RB barrel there is a small sight or something at the end which has to be folded it is really small 1/8" I don't wan't to solder it.
I'd probably drop it on the floor and loose it. What about priming the brass prior to painting? Will grey metal primer suffice and will I have to file any of the etching (sharp edges) aside from the tabs?

Thanks

Hi again,
Until now I have been using grey automotive primer on a rattle can and it has been fine for both plastic and small PE parts. However for the kit I'm currently building, I plan to switch to vallejo airbrushed primer, I want more control on the amount of primer used, this kit has a very nice detail and I would not like to cover it with a thick layer of paint.

As for edges file, I like to *very* slightly round the edges, I think when they are perfectly square they do not look real... but it's just my opinion.

best regards,

Carlos

Martin, I use standard model primer (either Testors or Floquil) on my builds. Both work well.

You can work the corners a bit, as Carlos suggested, but definitely make sure you remove any tab remnants. Those leftover little nubs take on a life of their own when the primer hits them!

Happy Holidays

Carlos/Bob
Thanks again. I received the German Leopard, AFV track yesterday plus the PE for the Canadian leopard......lots of small stuff easy to loose on the floor and fragile one of the intake fan grills is bent in the package I hope I can fix it. Plus allot of the tools have arrived. I wish my younger brother didn't his hands on my tools when I moved. I ordered the Tamiya NATO colours and primer. If I don't post you gents in a while have a
politically correct Holiday season.

Regards
Martin