I haven't played with Silly Putty since...., well, just say for a long, long, time. But it came in handy for masking around the tracks, along with a lot of masking tape.



After painting and removal of the masking.





There was a tiny bit of over-spray and obviously it will need some touch-ups, but all in all, it worked out much better than I had hoped. Al

I noticed last night that the rearmost white ID band was a little too wide. So, I re-masked everything and repainted.



While I was at it, I masked around the track tension adjusting assembly and sprayed that with the Field Drab. My references showed that the red and white stripes weren't painted over it.



A little more touch-up was needed of course, but the bleed-through wasn't too bad at all. I think that the re-painted tension adjuster helps tone done the effect of the stripes a bit. Al

Weathering has begun with the application of some washes.









The base color was a ModelMaster Enamel, Field Drab. For the washes I used acrylics, MM Field Drab and Tamiya Khaki Drab. The Tamiya paint is darker than the MM. I tried mixing the two for variation and had no problems. They mixed well. I also used Mig's Dark Streaking Grime which is not acrylic. I approach painting a vehicle kinda like painting a figure, employing shadows and highlights. I painted the bottom of the sponsons with the straight, darker, Tamiya Khaki Drab. Then painted the lower, angled sides of the sponsons with a mix of the MM and Tamiya. This accents the shadows and breaks up the monotone of the base color. I also painted the exhaust.



I heard about a product called Sophisticated Finishes for creating a rusty appearance. I might give that a go. I believe it's available at A.C. Moore, Michael's, and maybe Hobby Lobby. I'll have to experiment a bit, before committing to using it on this model. Al

Looking good Al. Keep it going.

Thanks, Jim. Barring a Zombie Apocalypse, or other natural disaster, (I.E. Honey-do list) I'll keep at it. Al

The track 'Grousers' (Not sure if it's the right term for WW1) painted, attached, and weathered.







I wasn't sure at first if I was going to use them. But I'm glad that I decided in favor of adding them. I think they add a little more visual interest. I guess it's on to the un-ditching beam next. More to follow. Al

I started working on the un-ditching beam. This involves small lengths of chain, PE, and plastic parts. You have to pry open a link to separate the appropriate length of chain. Then crimp it shut to attach it to other parts of the assembly. I started with the length that attaches directly to the beam itself.



The right side of the photo shows the 1st piece with the plastic shackle (Part C3) attached. When I attached the shackle I separated it where the 'bolt' passes through instead opening the link on the chain. I then carefully spread the ends of the shackle, slipped the chain over the 'bolt', then used a drop of super glue to fix it to the chain. On the left side you can see the 1st of two pieces that need to be added to the shackle. This will form a "Y" shape. The photo below shows the 2nd length added to complete the "Y".



Both sections done.



The chain proved impervious to "Blacken-It", so I'll have to paint it after it's all assembled. I'm taking a breather before doing battle with the PE parts that make up the bracket that attaches to both ends of each "Y". Each one consists of three pieces. These brackets would be used to attach the beam to the tracks in actual use. TTFN, Al

It was a tough fight, but I prevailed after much effort and many, many, words that I can't share in print. I'll leave it to your imagination. The PE brackets attached, first one.



Then the other.



The instructions would have you assemble them around the rails that the beam rides up and over. This way lies madness! And to me it just didn't look like an efficient way of securing the beam. Luckily for my sanity I found plenty of images showing other ways of doing it. Most photos show the beam with chains wrapped around it and the rails, holding it in place. That's how I'll be doing it, With the brackets and their chains piled in the stowage box on the hull roof. Paint tomorrow, then I'll secure the beam in place. Thanks for looking. Al

The un-ditching beam painted, mounted, and secured.







Even though it was a royal pain in the.....neck, in the end, the result was worth it. Assembly wasn't too difficult, it was the inevitable search on hands and knees for an errant teentsy-weentsy piece of PE. Luckily, I did eventually find it. If I hadn't, it would certainly would have put a crimp in getting the tank finished. I still have the top hatch to add, having decided against placing a figure in the opening. I need access through it though, so I can insert a screw to secure the tank to it's base. That's next, the base that is. Then dust, dirt, mud, and the figures. Al

Haven't had a chance to do much, so just a small update. When I first painted on the white/red/white ID bands I had extended them to the outside edge of the track horns.



After further study of photos of the actual tanks, I noticed that that was partly incorrect. On most tanks, the bands should only have gone up to the strip that runs around the horns, just inside the outer lip. I had a chance to correct them this morning.





That's all for now, thanks for looking. As always, any and all questions, comments, or critiques are welcome. Al

Haven't had a lot of time at the bench until this morning. Managed to add a little clutter to the stowage area on top of the hull. A few spare track links and some tools from the scrap box.







Working on some boxes and tarps and such to add to the top of the tank. Thanks for looking. Al

Some stowage added.









The items are from Value Gear (IMHO very aptly named). Still playing around with some ideas for the base. Not sure which way I'll go with it. I've definitely become a fan of mounting my vehicles on a base. Besides protecting the model from damage caused by handling, I think it adds a lot to presentation. Al

Very nice!

Thanks, David. Al

Very impressive work as always Al I knew you were the right man for the job.

Thank you, Darren. High praise indeed and much appreciated. Al

Hey Al, I don't see any wine bottles in the storage box?

They drank the wine, and being veteran soldiers, knew enough to get rid of the evidence. Al

Although many MK.IV's did not display a serial number, I wanted to add one to mine. As the kit did not supply any decals I sourced them from a sheet of RR Dry-transfers from Woodland Scenics. Each number was applied individually. I applied a small piece of Tamiya masking tape to act as a guide in aligning them.







A Word of WARNING, the tracks proved to be Very Fragile. One track separated in several places while I was handling the model during the application of the serial numbers. I tried to be as careful as possible, but still managed to over-stress them. Thankfully I was able to repair the damage. Be very careful handling the model once the tracks are mounted. I seriously suggest mounting the model to a base to avoid the chance of damage. Especially if you plan on exhibiting it at any Model Show(s). Al

Lookin great but which part of the tracks would you say is the weak point?

Very impressive work so far.

Thanks David, The tracks snap together and I've had either the pin or the ring (that the pins snap into) break. As long as you don't apply any extra stress to them after assembly they'll be fine. The links can be separated with care and Takom gives you plenty of extras if you need to replace a broken link. But I found a little super-glue and a drop of accelerator works very well to join the links to repair a break. Al

Thanks for the kind words, Jesper. Al

Sometimes I just don't understand the logic behind the choices a company will make. There is a company that makes a sheet of markings for the Mark IV, in 1/72 scale. They also have a selection of markings from different eras in 1/35. They have a sheet in 1/35 which covers the Mk.I, Mk.II, and Mk.III (also available in 1/72), but none for the Mk.IV Series. Since there are currently several kits of the Mk.IV available and none (so far) for the other Marks, you would think that logic would suggest they scale up their existing 1/72 scale sheet to 1/35. But for some reason known only to themselves they did not (yet). One can only hope that they realize this missed opportunity and release a sheet in 1/35. Meanwhile, I'll make do with a couple of sheets of Dry-transfer letters and numbers, in various sizes, made by Woodland Scenics for the Model RR crowd. Which I've ordered from my LHS. Al

Began working on a base, I started with a plastic Picture Frame Box from Michael's.



Some Styrofoam.



A few .030 thick styrene sheets.



And this is where I'm at so far.



And finally, a photo to give you an idea where I'm headed.



Still a long way to go, but there's a tiny glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. Al