Sorry for the delay - been busy, busy, busy...

In the final stages now - putting all the pieces together still. The hardest part (for me) is the graphics part of gun truck modeling. These are like the heart of the crews themselves - endless opportunity for expression and a billboard sized fighting compartment flank to paint it on.



"Eve's" logo is deceptively simple-looking. It's a mixture of four different font styles and had me really looking hard the first time I tried to do them. What I found amazing is that "Eve" was painted and the logo reapplied more than one time during service. Though the location of the lettering shifts a little between repairs and fits - the "style" of the letterring remains pretty much the same.

My logo is hand-drawn in the computer (Adobe Photoshop) sized and printed on white decal sheet with my HP Deskjet 3322. I don't own an ALPS Printer that can do white lettering. Sometimes I wish I did...

The longest part of the process is actually cutting out the lettering from the white decal sheet. It takes a good hour and a half and a relaxing setting - but is well worth the time and effort.



Above, the Fighting Compartment subassemblies before painting. Underneath the Cargo Box, I've applied acrylic gel medium for light dirt/mud accumulation. This gets picked out after painting. For second-generation gun trucks, I usually build the F/C in three subassemblies to aid in painting and detailing. The outer walls are mounted to the Cargo Box and graphics applied to it. The assembly is strong enough for that task. The Inner Armor is a separate piece that's set aside for the Floor to be added. It isn't easy to get the .50cal Ammo Can floor in place if you glue everything together. By making a Floor, I can add the Ammo Can armor readily - and then slip the whole into place into the Inner Wall subassembly. I cast my Ammo Cans in singles and blocks of nine in a row to speed assembly.

When ready, I can insert the Inner Wall/Floor subasssembly into the Cargo Box and join at the lateral braces where the .50cal MG cover the flanks of the F/C. Keeping the two subassemblies separate aids access of adding equipment and stowage between the armor walls late in the finishing process.



More to come shortly...

Gunnie