My local armor club's February group build is using a "cat" theme. As one of my entries, I decided to build the old Tamiya Tiger I and use the group build as an opportunity to try making a snowy winter diorama for the first time. Included in this is my first attempt at a winter whitewash camouflage on the Tiger. I am using the Tamiya Winter Assault figures and for the Tiger's commander, the body of the pipe pointing figure out of Dragon's Sturmartillerie crew set. For the tank commander's head, I used the head from the Tamiya Late Tiger I kit. These pictures show some of the progress I have made. Let me know your thoughts. There are a few more pictures in my gallery of this and my other current projects.













Excuse the quality of the pictures, expecially on the figures, still learning to use my digital camera.

I really like the whitewash on the tiger, what method did you use? And I recognized those winter figures right away I am using a few of them in a diorama I am working on right now, Your a little ahead of me at the moment and I cant wait to see what you come up with. Keep up the good work and keep us posted Kevin

kbn

This is your first attempt at a winter camo? You nail it. the tiger looks great. I really like the pose on the figures. I can't wait to see the final dio.

Wolfsix

Wow looks really good, i have been meaning to ask someone, how do u do those whitwash's on winter armour? cheers looks kool

good paintwork on the Tiger and good figure choices for a winter diorama...will you add helmet straps after painting?

Nice work till now the winter scheme is very good and the figures so nice improvement.

Thanks for the positive comments.

Jackhammer81: I had done a great deal of reading on this and other modeling websites and eventually developed "my" method for the winter whitewash: first I painted the model using MM Acryl Panzer Schwarzgrau and then placed the decals over areas where I had first applied a gloss coat and then did a flat coat on top of the decals. I applied the decals first as the example in the picture that I was using as a guide had obviously brushed the whitewash onto the tank and left the numbers etc. uncovered. I allowed that to dry for a couple of days (more due to lack of time to work on the kit than to any feeling that it needed that much time to cure). For the whitewash I initially used Windsor & Newton Tube Watercolor that I had diluted in an old paint jar and brushed it on and kept brushing until I had created what I thought was a nice filmy white all over the tank. I allowed this to dry overnight. I then took FolkArt Winter White acrylic paint and thinned it considerably and "quickly" brushed it all over the areas of the tank I wanted covered (using my picture as a guide). I allowed this to dry for a few minutes (less than 10) and then took q-tips dipped in rubbing alcohol and rubbed it across the painted surface to create what I hoped was a worn and faded look. I was not too happy with the FolkArt paint as it seemed to have large pigment that wouldn't dissolve no matter how much I thinned it. These were eventually rubbed down with the alcohol doused q-tips, but they show up as spots of white now on the tank. I allowed the whitewash to dry overnight and then applied the gloss coat in preparation for the washes.
Graywolf, hadn't thought about helmet straps. I will have to think about that one, as the rifle straps were hard enough!

kbm,

what'd you use to make the rifle straps? Are they PE or homemade? Bravo! they look great!

Ambrose82: Thanks for the compliment regarding the rifle straps. I made them from scratch using the foil tops to my son's Jello Pudding Cups. I cut them using my exacto to a size and length that looked right and hung them from the weapons using a thin wire I had purchased cheap at Radio Shack. The foil has a bit of texture to it that helps to simulate the look of leather.