You've got it looking pretty good, Rick. I really like the camo job. Take your time applying the mud so as not to overdo it. From your posts, you sound like you have a pretty good handle on it.

Thanks Bob .. Yeah I really want to get it right .. Still have the streaking and dust along with the dirt ... I'm still thinking of what to do .. Oh yeah still got a few scratches to do too.

Just finished my streaking effects using 8 different oil paint colors from white to black with greys yellows and greens ... I snapped a few pics on my desk because I didn't want to move it since everything is still wet..









even the roof got a bit..


yhat's it for tonight stnce we lose an hour of sleep tonight ..

Rick

That's the wrong way to look at it Rick. To be proper it's that you lose an hour of bench time!

By the way, good job on the streaking.

Coming along really well Rick.

Al

Thanks Al ..and Bob you're right ! What was I thinking???? LOL!

Rick

Started adding different shated of pigments using both Mig and AK products ..Also used the AK paint that you add Plaster of Paris to to give it some texture..





















There is still a bit to do I want to try and get a wet look for the darker pigments .. I'm going to try adding a coat of Future over the pigment to see what that looks like .. I also have AK wet look to try out ..

Let me know if you have suggestions

Rick

Hi Rick,

Looking good, the amount of mud you'll need to add is obviously dependent on the final setting but I'm not sure what you have in mind there. What you've done looks great, for a wet look try some Mig Dark Mud (it's a strong pigment) and will add a bit more contrast. Both future and matt varnish will give you a wet look.

I'd add more contrast into the mud over all, dry mud, desert sand, light dust will all give you a more interesting contrast. You might consider the blue clay of the Somme too.

Nice work.

Al

Thanks Al ... Just the kind of comment I needed ...I will work in the contrasts .. I was thinking a few washes in the mud will vary the colors some what.

Rick

Ok This is it .. I'm calling this one done.
First I would like to thank Jim for trusting me with this great kit ,I hope it is up to your standards..

Takom for taking a chance and building kits out of the ordinary..(Who would have thought we would have a St Chamond and a 1/16th scale FT17) Keep up the great work.
As a final note I can only praise this kit . Sometimes I was worried as to how things would come together ,but in the end everything came together perfectly. If anything I would hope that Takom would just try to make the joints and attachement points a little more precise. but if you take your time there is no problem .
Decal and paint schemes in the kit were challenging and I could have done either one but I wanted something different and after some research there are many very interesting schemes out there. It would have been nice to have a few more options. Maybe some of the aftermarket companies will come out with a French WWI set ..
So I can recommend this to any modeller ..No big problems to work out but the tracks took a couple of minutes to figure out . After a couple it got easier..
So here are the pictures of the finished kit .. The base is just a base and was not made for this kit ,so I know the fit is not perfect ..it's there just to change the look a bit. I will have the kit photographed by a friend at the end of the month and will send in the pictures as a photo feature.
I hope some of you found the blog interesting .. I must admit I found it a bit frustrating not having more feedback ,and any tips would be appreciated.
So here it is.. Since the last time there were more different colored pigments and washes added to the mud .. I went back over the panel lines and rivets with a black wash to bring out the shape of the beast.































So that's it ... Any comments and suggestions are really very welcome...


Rick

That's a really nice piece of work Rick. I love the mud effects and the cammo job. Well done

Hi Rick,

First two pics are a bit fuzzy but the rest show a quality build. Excellent work.

Cheers


Al

thanks for the comments guys

Richard as you have the pictures you could send in a build feature or a photo feature, that way this may get the viewings it deserves.

Hi Darren ... I'm having some good pictures taken next weekend and I'll send them to you asap.

Rick

Great job.
I too have this one in the wings. So your experiences will be a great help in sorting mine out.

Well off to look at my kit again and think thoughts of a great and wondrous build--- knowing the reality will be a bunch different

The grass on your base looks great. Do you use a static applicator?

Hi Mimiflea .. The grass is a product called Silflor and they make many different landscape products ..It comes as a carpet type grass but I cut small sections and glue it to the base ..This way you can mix different types and colored grass to make a more natural look ... Here's another example that I think came out better ..







Rick