A new project on my bench...



The kit is really nice, everything goes together without any problems. I got Accurate Armour "Heavy" conversion which includes a completely new turret with .50 cal and deals with some interior shortcomings of the kit as well. Unfortunately, the conversion lacks some "Heavy" specific stuff, so I'll have to do some scratch-building...

Anyway, here is the progress so far. The only thing I didn't like in the kit was radio racks build which is awkward and leaves substantial gaps, together with the fact the kit doesn't provide any kind of communication equipment... nothing, nada, zilch.

I used some sheet styrene for a bit of an upgrade:





Accurate Armour conversion includes the comms equipment, but there are no reference photos showing the equipment in the vehicle... so the comms setup and wiring is pretty much my guess.









Mario

Excellent work Mario. Sure does make a difference!

A small update... I was thinking of adding some load to the interior and wanted to use a helmet as well. Although I like painting camo patterns, I just couldn't get the MTP camo right. So I opted to make some decals of the pattern and used those:



And here's a close up of the helmet:





Upon extreme magnification one can see the printing pattern, but this is completely invisible to the naked eye. Although the helmet would probably not be seen well in the interior, I wanted to try this approach as I have several camo bergens and figures in MTP uniforms planned for this build.

Anyway, here's how the interior looks at the moment:





Mario

Good job on that helmet! The rest looks good too.
Are you planning on more weathering/dirt on the interior or do you want to keep it reasonably clean?
/ Robin

Thanks Robin.

I'm planning to use some pigments, but will probably keep it reasonable.

Mario

Looking great, Mario 👍

Looking very good so far Mario. One question, I have read other threads where guys mention making their own decals (love the MTP you've done btw ) .. how is this done ? Is it a difficult process ?

Really excellent work, I'll watch this closely.

I'm glad you like it, guys.

John, making custom decals is not a big deal. I usually find the artwork or design it myself, scale it to 1/35 and print it on decal paper.

These MTP decals were printed on clear decal film, so the helmet was base painted using white color. I applied a lot of gloss coat, as a base for decal placement. There is also option to print the MTP on white decal film, but these decals are a bit thicker and conform less well to surface details.

Mario

Thanks for the info Mario, not sure I'm ready to start making my own but its great to see it done like you have to such an amazing degree of realism. Will be following this closely.

Very nice so far Mario.

I'd recognize your style anywhere Mario. Wonderful and precise. Looking forward to the rest!

Great work, Mario!

What is brush and what is airbrush? Your paint job looks so great that it's hard to tell the difference.

Thanks guys, I appreciate your comments.

Graeme, thank you, it means a lot. Your work was something I aspired to.

Pete, it's all airbrush.

Mario

I damaged my airbrush, so I have to find something else to do... here are some magazines that will probably find their way to the Husky interior.



Mario

Here's some progress... the interior is almost done. It still needs some bits and pieces and fair amount of weathering:









Although it would be completely invisible after closing the cab, I did do some detailing on the roof:





And here's the dashboard... I added hard transparent foil to the instrument panel as it needed some "glass cover" for the gauges. It was pain to cut out, but I think it looks good. The air vents are nicely detailed, but the one on the right hand side is pretty shallow and the wash was hit and miss. I plan to add headphones with coiled wire here to cover it up.



Mario

Great job Mario.
For the MTP, the French brand FFSMC has developed a sheet of decal. It could be helpful for those like me who are not comfortable with home made decals.

Olivier

Thanks Olivier, I didn't know about the company before. Luckily I have my own way to make decals, but it is not easy to apply them.

Mario

Very fine paint work

I like the magazines, original touch !

In France we have

"Raids"
"Opérations Spéciales"
"Assaut" (this one stopped in 2013)

They are doing many other references either for WWII or modern period. For what it's worth.

Olivier

Done!

Some pigments and weathering of the interior floor:









The front panel with VUDT monitor and DAGR added (thank you Ettore for DAGR and thank you Jolly for the custom made monitor holder PE):





And the closed cab:







Everything fits well, I just had to take care of the rear seat roof retention straps, carefully inserting those into their respective openings.

Mario

Very precise work as usual. I like a lot the finish of the paint.

Love this build and the attention to details .. super work .. don’t forget if you are making an operational vehicle in theatre don’t add the TES laser receivers to the roof..
Terry

Interesting precision, Terry. Can you please show how does this device look like ? Used for training ?

Thanks guys!

Yes, TES will not be mounted. I'm a bit puzzled by the lack of Husky Heavy specific modifications in Accurate Armour conversion. I'll have to do some scratchbuilding to the exterior.

Mario