Great work, nice weathering and detail work, the netting and Hessian tape really look the part!

Hi Colin,

Thank you for the positive feedback, .

Cheers, ,

G

Hi all,

A number of questions, if I may, ?

Firstly, I have spent a good few hours today trying to paint the 'tarpaulin(s)' (see images below) and, to be brutally honest, I'm struggling to achieve a good look. I have been working on the large cover and the small sheet to the lower right of the cover (not the four small elements towards the top left), using oil paints.

Does anyone have a good/preferred method of painting 'canvas' that's represented in either plastic or, as in my case, milliput?







Second question relates to the exhaust on the Cromwell. Was the Cromwell 'dirty', i.e. does anyone know whether I should represent lots of 'soot', and where would it emanate from, the mesh grille on top of the rear deck, or the two small objects either side of the towing hook on the lower hull back plate?

Thirdly, I have some Vallejo Acrylic Matt Varnish that I was given, but I don't know whether it's a robust enough protection when using dry-brushing and oil paint (non-water soluble) washes on top, does anyone have a view?

Fourthly, and finally, , what is the best make of Varnish, both Matt and Gloss to use on top of any, and all mediums?

Cheers, ,

G

Lovely work Gareth - keep at it.

Coincidentally, I have just finished watching the 1950s film "They Were Not Divided" replete in Cromwells, Shermans (including Fireflies) and a functioning Tiger and a disabled Panther. I almost want to tackle a Sherman or two myself after watching it. It was on the "Talking Pictures" channel in UK, and may come around again. It is basically about a unit of the Guards Armoured Division (Welsh Guards) and their trials and tribulations. I remember watching it on TV when I was around 9 or 10 and found the ending quite upsetting.

However, as a modelling inspiration it's well worth a watch - in my humble opinion of course. Available from Amazon for very few pennies.

Whilst it is of its time it really is quite a good film, just watching the above vehicles is worth it.

Brian

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PMcooGM9ew


From this collection: https://www.net-maquettes.com/pictures/cromwell/

Hi Gareth,
Re the tarp, you could try laying a two-ply sheet of Kleenex over the blob & with a soft flat brush gently dab a dilute wash of PVA onto it – full-milk consistency, dilute enough that there’s little or no sheen when it’s dry. Suggest practice on a spare blob to get the dilution right. You can push the tissue around a bit with the brush to make a few extra creases (very gently or it’ll tear) – it’ll wrinkle up anyway but unless you intervene it’ll just hug the form again when dry. The tissue fibres will mimic the weave of material. Then you can add washes of paint until you reach the right shade(s) - I use powder paint because it dries totally flat/matt so no need for any varnish & it gives that “dusty” appearance too.

Alternatively ditch the milliput blob & make the folded tarp from a sheet of dampened 2-ply tissue. Fold/press as desired, tie down tightly with fine thread, then apply the dilute PVA to fix the shape, when dry fix the ties to the hull & paint the tarp.

I’ve never tried it but a plain white cotton handkerchief could work too – you know, the ancient one at the bottom of the drawer that really needs chucking out because…well, let’s just say perfectly pre-weathered.

Forgive me for posting these pics but the Zis 42 shows both methods, the main tarps made solely from tissue, and the canvas cab roof was tissue laid onto the plastic one provided. I didn’t notice that the latter became “hairy” in the sun, clearly I didn’t dab gently enough & the fibres were raised. A wash of plain water fixes that:

Hi Brian,

Good to hear from you, and thank you for the positive feedback, .

I looked up the film and it is soon due to be rerun, can't recall the exact date, but I have set it up to record, so thanks for the heads-up on that.

Have you displayed any of your excellent work yet on this site?

Cheers, ,

G

Hi Robin,

As always, you're a mine of information, I'm beginning to think of you as the site 'Archivist, .

Thanks for the links, I will check them out later today.

Cheers, ,

G

Hi Tim,

Thanks for the advice, much appreciated. It's a wet and miserable day here, so methinks I'll give it a go, the old handkerchief method sounds a good one.

The photographs are excellent, at first I thought they were of a real vehicle, the mud-work on the running gear is so realistic...brilliant, and inspirational work. Thanks for sharing them with us, .

Cheers, ,

G

Hi all,

Second attempt at 'tarpaulins' based on the advice kindly given by Tim (Dioramartin).

I didn't have any old handkerchiefs, and I was worried about the texture/embossing of the tissue I could find. However, I have just had a parcel from a well known online e-commerce site, and they use a beige coloured, fairly course, paper to stop things rattling around in their box (see image below), so I thought I'd give it a try, .



Below are some images of the material glued in place over my original milliput attempts. The material hasn't yet been painted, but already, imho, it looks better.







Just need to let it dry, and then paint it in a suitable colour.

Thanks again to Tim.

Cheers, ,

G

You’re very welcome (& thanks!), anything to help – that’s looking great & ideal texture too, nice improv. Not sure how the tarp’s usually secured to that deck but if it’s going to be with criss-cross ropes hopefully it’s still soft enough to make dents/channels across it. I guess rope ties around the edges/corners would be easier…although either way I’m struggling to see any obvious anchor points, you might have to weld some field-mod hooks or rings on

Looking a lot better.. I was going to suggest the same. (Great minds think alike? )

This tasp has been made purely from tissue paper too:

Hi Tim,

Thanks for the positive feedback on the 'tarpaulins', you can take some of the credit as to the improvement, .

You have a good point about retention, I did wonder whether a heavy tarpaulin would be weighty enough to hold itself in place once draped over various products...but I guess that's unlikely, so I will have to give it some thought.

You're right about a lack of obvious tie-downs, unlike a Sherman for example which has the tail-light guards and other such obvious elements. It's strange, but the Cromwell doesn't even seem to have tail-lights, I've had a quick scan back through the destructions and it doesn't appear as if I've overlooked them.

Thanks again, and cheers, ,

G

Hi Erwin,

They look excellent, they must have been quite fiddly to make, looking at the size of them.

Cheers, ,

G

Actually the cart (from MiniArt, just as the sacks) is so fiddely, I managed to FUBAR one side. Therefore I had to come up with the tarp, other wise everyone would notice

Doctors bury their mistakes
Architects plant ivy
Model builders cover them with a tarp

Hi Erwin, Robin,

That's why I do armour and not aircraft, you can hide your mistakes more readily under netting, tarpaulins and mud...jeez, this Cromwell must be one huge mistake, and I haven't even started with the mud...yet, !

Cheers both, ,

G

Lucky for me, it seems completely natural in this case

Hi all,

Not much progress today, , but had a go at adding some rope fastings for the large 'tarpaulin' (see images below).







Cheers, ,

G

Looking better and better... It is only the bedrolls on the fender that look as if they are plastic coated...

Works for me too, looks great. I suspect that was the trial & the bedrolls are next?

Hi Erwin,

I have to agree with you, I'm happy...ish with their shape and how they sit, but definitely not happy with the finish. I think the milliput is too smooth and the paint doesn't sit right, .

I have been looking at various images of pre-made 'plastic/resin' rolls and tarps, and it appears, imho, opinion that it is very difficult to get a natural look, often the texture doesn't look quite right...especially when I'm not good at painting, .

Think I will have to have a practice at making my own stowage out of various materials until I can get something I'm reasonably happy with, .

Cheers, ,

G

Hi Tim,

Thank you for the positive feedback.

Yes, the main 'tarpaulin' was a sort of trial, ! To be honest, this is only my second kit that I've managed to get anywhere near fully painted. I have started about five, but I either get frustrated and have to take a break, or I simply loose my drive...never was known for my completer/finisher skills...a typical Libran, . How you manage with your outstanding 'Operation Anthropoid' masterpiece I'll never know...you must have the patience of a saint, .

So I'm using this kit as a practice to try and develop my 'style', .

I've sort of cheated with the rolls, for now I've simply covered the milliput with tissue soaked in diluted wood glue. It looks a tad 'Heath Robinson', but the next ones will be made from scratch using card/paper/tissue...whatever works best for me.

Cheers, ,

G

Hi all,

A small amount of work today, started to paint some of the non-green bits, . Also managed to cover the, very unrealistic, rolled 'bedding' with white glue soaked tissue paper (see images below)...not ideal, but it'll have to do for now, .













I want to start weathering the model and can recall...but can't find, ...and article that suggested using 'floor sealer' as protective layers as opposed to varnish. If I recall correctly, the article stated that the sealer dried very quickly and could be worked on top of in a fraction of the time for varnish...perfect for an impatient modeller like me, .

Is anyone aware of this? is my memory correct? has anyone tried it and, if so, what product(s) should I be looking to use?

Cheers, ,

G

Here is the Guide to using Future Acrylic Floor finish.

http://www.swannysmodels.com/TheCompleteFuture.html