B29
Hi,
Anybody care to share how to paint these kits? What degree of completion before painting?
Any special techniques?
Thanks?





B29

I just picked up the 1/144 Maus with PE grills. I was wondering how to paint the flexible tracks sections. I', thinking that I'll probably just need to paint the whole thing after assembly and touch up the tracks afterwards.

Like Sabot said, I'm "building" mine up 1st, then painting.
I'll likely use Future to "glue" the PE screens on to the E100 and Maus. Can't use the ones with the Tigers.
Lot's of pre-shading into the nooks and crannies of the suspension.
It's gonna get interesting trying to do a soft-edge cammo on these tiny beasts, I don't think my Badger can shoot that fine.
I'm thinking good quality colored pencils from an art store to do some of the fine details - like the molded-on tools and cables, I don't have the eyesite and fine brush to paint handtools on the little guys.

Can't wait for them to release more, I'd like to see them sell them individually vs. the pairs, I'd rather not have a bunch of E100s and Maus's lying around just to do Tigers.

ALSO - suggest you wash the parts in a degreaser dish detergent 1st. The softish vinyl seemed a bit slick.

I read somewhere that they had to use this soft stuff as ordinary styrene wouldn't allow the levels of detail they were after.

I, personally, would like to know where I can find 1/144th armor. Is there modern stuff available?

Lemme know guys!

Cuhail

Hi Guys !

Thanks for the tip. Hi Steve, your review was great by the way.

Sorry if it sounds stupid, but I think I won't be able to get to the lower hull area if I build then paint, you know, the area behind the wheels ?

I think too much paint will ruin these kits. Any ideas anyone?

Thanks



Wang

Hi Steve,

By the way, What is " Future" you are using to " glue " the PE screens?

Thanks

Wang

Dear Murphy,

Check out the site below !



http://www.dragonmodelsusa.com/dmlusa/prodd.asp?pid=DRA14507



Regards

Wang

Future is the brand name of a clear acrylic floor polish used on tile floors. Some modelers discovered that this stuff was superb for model finishing and was about $4 a liter.

It is not really a polish, but we call it polish. Makes airplane canopies and other clear parts appear crystal clear.

As far as the paint scheme, a 1/144 scale aircraft builder told me to try colored pencils to draw the fine camouflage lines. He uses them when building 1/144 scale Me109 and Fw-190s.

Yes, have seen modern 1/144th - but only as built-up "CanDo" or similar brands; HUMVEEs, Abrams, T54, T72, Bradley, Type90, others. Haven't seen these as kits yet. Would be nice!

"Future" - or any brand of clear acrylic floor polish - can act as glue - as long as you are not doing a lot of handling of the parts once they are dry.
Perfect for cinching down the flat PE screens on the E100 or Maus.

I've seen the Panzer Korp Pz IVD kit - the upper hull "superstructure" is a seperate part... tells me there will be many more PzIV variants in the works! I could see a Pz IVH with PE side skirts on the shelf!

Hi Steve,

I intend to use Acrylic ( Tamiya ) paints throughout, is that right?

What paint brush no. are u using. Are u gonna use airbrush?

Thanks


Wang

Have no idea about the brush number, just the tiniest I have, well, that and colored pencils!

I'm brush painting all my 1/144th tanks, then brush-painting a hard-edge cammo of whatever colors.

I'm thinking green over yellow for the Maus, green over red for the E100, "panzer gray" for the Early Tiger, and red/green/yellow for the late Tiger. Decent quality colored pencils may work to do an "octopus scheme" on the E100.
I have a pretty good Badger airbrush, but even with the extra fine tip, there's no way it will shoot a "scale-looking" soft-edge cammo at these sizes.

Dear Steve,

Sorry, but what do you mean by hard-edge cammo , green over red ( do you really mean red ? ) and how do you really use colored pencils?

Will the colored pencils smear when touched ? How do you actually apply it ?

I know a bit about whethering but how do you get the dark/black/grey lines in the grooves at the weld seams .

Thanks

Wang

The colors are, well, the requisite German armor colors of yellow, green, red/brown. I don't pay attention to the RALs and dunkels, and graus, and brauns, et al, I just go by the labels on the bottles!

I'll do the basic dark wash; after the base cammo, I'd do a light Future "wash" to seal the paint.
When thoroughly dry, apply any decals and re-Future over the decals.
Then a thin dark wash to get the details to pop out in required areas.

The glossy Future helps control where the wash flows and prevents splotching of the major surfaces.

When completely dry, selected artists quality colored pencils - sharpened or dulled as needed - and a No 2 pencil. Use the colored pencils to do wooden handles, steel bits, etc; the surface details that I couldn't possibly finesse with even a fine paint brush.

Then a flat coat, then the No 2 pencil for any fresh shiny scrapes, scratches, track and MG barrell highlites. Works out OK.

Dear Steve,

Great stuff. thanks I'll try that out.

Thanks

Wang