Nice painting Colin!

@Gord: Please read my explanation about the hex nut bosses on the hull tub floors. This isn't a concession to toylike features. Those bosses are hidden and will be unused by 98% of modelers.

Starting on preliminary weathering now. I have had some requests to detail how I do my weathering so I will attempt a bit of an SBS here.

Still, if you wanted to detail the driver area it would be a bugger to scrape off. It's kind of a weird choice by Tamiya don't you think?
Gord

But if not, it's still not a big hurdle for the modeler who wishes to drop in their own. This kit's lower hull isn't the tub we've often seen. It's several flat slabs. Thus, to remove the hex boss, all one would need is a razor saw.

The tracks are single piece, vinyl-like flexible plastic that can be joined with regular model glue (I used Tamiya Extra-Thin). Detail is good and they fit snugly.

I like how your weathering is coming along Colin -- have picked up on what oil colors to use for such a base coat.

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The tracks are single piece, vinyl-like flexible plastic that can be joined with regular model glue (I used Tamiya Extra-Thin). Detail is good and they fit snugly.

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Just curious on how you mounted the kit-supplied tracks -- any special care / technique you had to do? I ask as I just read one's ongoing M10 build that had his track torn, thus needed to be stapled.

Thanks everyone! Hopefully I can keep it up for the est of the weathering.

Tat, I saw the torn tracks in the Tank Hunters campaign as well. I clamped mine after gluing to make sure the join was nice and strong as they did have a tendency to want to pull apart. Nothing special for putting them on really.

Since 1997, Tamiya has used a styrene-vinyl blend for their tracks, which is a mixed blessing. It can be glued with normal cement, but the new plastic is more fragile than the original vinyl (which was nearly indestructible). I have had Tamiya tracks snap where they had been folded to fit in the box, for instance. This Tamiya flexible plastic blend must be painted with acrylic paints only--enamel or lacquer paints or thinners will attack the soft plastic, causing it to dry out and crumble, sometimes within days.

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Thanks everyone! Hopefully I can keep it up for the est of the weathering.

Tat, I saw the torn tracks in the Tank Hunters campaign as well. I clamped mine after gluing to make sure the join was nice and strong as they did have a tendency to want to pull apart. Nothing special for putting them on really.

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Thanks Colin! I have the M10 lined up for a campaign so its good to know what's ahead in building this kit.

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Since 1997, Tamiya has used a styrene-vinyl blend for their tracks, which is a mixed blessing. It can be glued with normal cement, but the new plastic is more fragile than the original vinyl (which was nearly indestructible). I have had Tamiya tracks snap where they had been folded to fit in the box, for instance. This Tamiya flexible plastic blend must be painted with acrylic paints only--enamel or lacquer paints or thinners will attack the soft plastic, causing it to dry out and crumble, sometimes within days.

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Gerald, Tamiya re-issues kits like its Pz II F/G. I've bought a couple recently, and judging from the looks of the packaging it clearly is not of either 70's or 80's vintage. Is it safe to assume that that its tracks would be those of the styrene-blend. If so, is there a way to confirm?