Hi everyone, I'm new to modeling and ive had some encouragement to pick it up as a...more....constructive hobby. First off, I am doing a Tamiya Sd.Kfz.223 recon vehicle and am wondering...could I use permanent marker for the wheels? The real question is would it show up very well? Also, the figures in the kit are Africa corps and I wish to make the vehicle appear from the Russian front. (Early Grey Colour). I thought the vehicle commander could pass as a soldier on the eastern front, but I am not sure. The other figure is too obvious as he wears the high laced boots, shorts, and short sleeved shirt. Oh, I am just about to begin the kit tonight.

Ok, the hurdles so far I managed to figure out with a little help from the ZZZguy. I'll post a new thread if I run into any major problems, and will try to figure out how that digital camera actually works.

Hi Jordan, I wouldn't use the marker for the wheels unless you dullcote them. I can send you a scan of an article from Tamiya Model Magazine on techniques for wheels if you like. Your figure will be fine as summer eastern front so long as you can't see his legs in the final position.
If you need help contact me at [email protected]
Tank on, Ed

I've been using a Pigma Micron marker for nearly 20 years to define the septation between the rubber and the wheel. Size .005 or .01. Works every time, neat and easy. Follows even the shallowest engraved line.

Well, zzzguy and I were experimenting with a marker just to see and we found that if you sharpen a sharpie marker with a hoby knife you can get evry part of the wheel. However, this wheel job took several tries to get the wheels looking right and would have been easier to just paint them black. The vehicle commander will be fine as he doesn't even have legs, but the other man is a total write off. I'll save him for another model project mabye. I appreciate the input. Oh, I was planning to give the wheels a dullcoat, but the appearance I am looking for is a brand new vehicle (clean) with just some dirt on the wheels (aka at the opening of barbarossa).