Hey guys

Here some pics of two Leopard 2A6 which just got their Anti-Skid coating applied (4 altogether).
I always you TAMIYA-putty (Grey) diluted with turpentine and then sprayed on through the air-brush.
Masking the bl..dy thing is always the greatest challenge.

One is going to be for myself making a 2004 Leo from PzBat. 64 on EX "Rahmenlage Hessen".
The other is one of three I did for a close friend all prepared to fit the lastest style smoke dischargers ... one I believe will represent a very actual tank from PzBat. 104.

And while I was at it I also re-did all Anti-Skid areas for his Fennek in the same fashion.







... and been working on the Aussi M1 as well:




Cheers
Christopher

Your Aussie M1 looks great what colour for the olive did you use like I said it looks fantastic .

Cheers Ben.

Love the M1 too. Great choice of colors Christopher

The Aussie Abrams looks great. Good job on the paint on it.

Thankx Guys !
Glad you like it. To my own astonishment I didn't have to mix any of the colors this time and used them straight out of the jar.

Green: Mr. Hobby # H58 "Interior green"
Tan: Tamiya XF-78 "Wooden deck tan"
Black: Tamiya XF-1 "Flat black"

I already did my "pre-washing" and then went over each spot again too blend things in and over.
If you have the TANKOGRAD mag. No 7028 "ANZAC Army Vehicles" as orientation the colors are quite close .... with more dust and dirt etc. I believe it will look very authentic.

Cheers
Christopher

Superb camo on the Abrams! WOW!

Regarding your title there's an E at the end. Aussie.

Cheer,

Christophe

Regarding your title there's an E at the end. Aussie.

Cheer,

Christophe[/quote]

No there isn't ...

Thankx and Cheers
Christopher

Here some more pics:




After I tone things down a little:


Compared to most washing technics applied by modelers I tend to reproduce a more subtle and less artistic finish on my models. Most might think that all the shadows and streaks are lost ... but they do shimmer through and might be enhanced during the further weathering process.
It's quite difficult to capture the true appearance on photo but if one gets the chance to take a closer look at a "clean" tank parked in some barracks you will be surprised what you'll see the closer you get.
Applying the camo was a little of a change for me since I usually spray a very precise almost "hardedge" pattern, so this time I had to give it a little "overspray" just like the real thing.
Looks like the Aussie's do not paint their tanks according to DIN standards !!!

Cheers
Christopher

always a fan of your freehand airbrushing!

Very Nice work Chris

Look forward to seeing more.

Thanks

Michael

Here some more ..... Just for you

Wow Chris ,

Nice work you have churned out a lot of modern vehicles .

Well done.

Michael

Great work! Just a side note, I have used Rustoliums "Terra Cotta" in the can as an anti slip texture and it works great and saves any issues with the air brush.

Hey Greg !

Thankx for your kind words ... just wish I could get them all finished sometime.
The reason I use this method lies in the relatively "fine" Anti-Skid texture itself applied to AFVs like the Leopard 2s and Strykers for example. These factory applied surfaces (probably some "robot" type machinery) use a very fine grain, even finer then the one found on new M1s.
Until now I haven't found a "Rattle-can" alternative, but it's much like applying Mr. Surface via airbrush ... including the clean up work involved.
The Leclerc for instance has a much rougher texture so the option you suggested would be my first choice too.
The Israeli AFVs are a whole different story from what I see and hear ... lucky me these have not raised my particular interest.
But I would wish all manufactures would stop neglecting this general detail since technically it's a "piece of cake" nowadays.

Cheers
Christopher