Hi all,

I've never gone in for one of these MOM things before, but I've just completed my Chally 2, so thought that it'd be fun to post some pics now just to enter into the spirit of MOM.

As ever, comments and criticisms are very welcome. Of course, there are some things that i'd do differently if I built it again - but ain't that always the way?

Have some pics:

Hi beepboop....Very nice looking Challenger II you got there..I just finished this kit about a month ago...Nice chipping effect you got there. The only thing I think you might have to add are the staps that hold the barrel on the empty mount ...They would still be there even without a barrel in place ..If you need a picture I can send you one . Congrats on a very nice kit .

Rick

Thanks for the feedback - i'd love to get some of those shots if you've got them handy!

I took a look at your chally 2 in your gallery - very nice I must say. I love the Cromwell too - and i'm speaking as someone not generally into Allied armour - beautiful weathering, just right and not overdone.

What are the markings you used on your Challenger, by the way? They look interesting.

Cheers.

Very nice Chally there mate. IMHO, the chally has got to be the sexiest of the lot. Love the weathering and chipping that you did.

No plans to add the figures?

Very nice mate, really like the chipping you made
best regards and good luck on the contest

Really nice Challenger! Great weathering, looks just right. Good luck in the competition....

Vinnie

I really have to admire your weathering efforts. A very realistic approach. It looks like its been out in the field for a month or so but the crew has kept up the maintenence and not abused her.

Here are a couple of sites that really helped me out when doing my Challenger.....

http://krimi.tripod.com/challenger2/chal2.html

http://www.primeportal.net/tanks/david_hale/challenger2_walk_1.htm



http://tonyhoare.tripod.com/id125.html

http://plain-military.tripod.com/id138.html

The decals I used are from Bison and were great to use ...I also used the Bison decals on my Cromwell ...I love em!

Rick

Much obliged for the references, bear - those are some handy pics! I managed to get a few from the net of the desertised version - seems like some of those chally's took quite a pounding out in the desert - my paint chipping is quite conservative compared to some real-world examples I've got photos of! Even modern MBTs seem to lose their fenders and mudguards real easy. I didn't want to do too much in the way of damage, so I just decided to make it look like one of the CIPs had come off at some point.

Couldn't agree more Jazza - the Challenger is, in my slightly biased opinion, the best looking of all modern MBTs. I'm not really into building modern armour, but for the Challenger I was willing to make an exception. Nice kit, too. Still, Tamiya is a bit mean and makes you buy the tiny PE fret seperately.

Wish I could take better Pics. I use a 4 megapixel camera, but there never seems to be enough light in the place. You wouldn't believe it, but the sun was actually streaming in through the windows when I took these ones! Anyone got any tips?

Direct sunlight isnt always the best lighting to take good pictures. The best time of day to take photos is when there is a slight overcast and the light is softer than direct mid afternoon sun. This mainly concerns outdoor photos.

If you are taking photos indoors, you will need at least 2 lamps (left and right) at about 30 -35 degrees above the model being taken. Professional photographers would reflect the light from lamps off white paper as the reflected light is soft enough for good photos.

I personally would suggest you get two lamps behind the camera and fit your camera on a mini tripod. Take the photos without flash...hence the need for a tripod. Vary the light intensity by either shifting the lamps closer or further. If you dont have a tripod, try stacking books and placing the camera on top. You can enhance brightness by lengthening the shutter speed.

Seeing as you will only take photos for viewing on a PC, you can alter the ISO settings if needed but keep it low at best to sustain the sharpness of the photo.

Another tip i learnt from professional photographers is to fully utilise the zoom capabilities on cameras if you have them. Placing a camera close to the subject isnt always best as you would have insufficient depth of field. Placing your camera slightly further away from the subject but zooming in would create a wider depth of field.

I took this photo with a simple point and shoot camera.....as you can observe, i placed the camera real close since this camera had no optical zoom. You will also notice that the focal points (the spare tracks and smoke launchers) were the only clear part of the photo, the rest are a little blurry hence a smaller depth of field.



Best is always to experiment with your digital camera and be willing to take 30 photos just to pick 2 or 3 good ones. They are after all digital photos and can be deleted.

Hope this helps.

If you are using a digital camera to take your photos, turn the "F" stop up as high as you can get it. This will help bring the entire frame into focus, not just the middle section.

Cheers for the tips guys - I appreciate it. You wouldn;t blieve how many shots I had to take just to get these acceptable ones!

I'd fiddle around with my camera right away, but the charger has just broken down so I have no power until I can get a new one. Again, thanks a lot for the info, i'm much obliged for it.