Greetings,

I am an airplane guy working on my frist tank. A 1/35 Tamiya Abrams. Not going too much for accuracy on this build but just trying new techniques and having fun with the new subject matter. Can anyone please give me ideas on how to finish the various windows or "optics" in armor lingo?

Thanks in advance,

Chuck B.

Easiest way to represent modern, anti-laser coated optics is using clear red paint over black. Testors and Tamiya both make transparent paint. I use Testors' Stop Light Red Transparent paint.

Here is my technique:

Paint the "glass" on the optic black.
Paint on a couple thin layers of clear red.
Coat with a couple layers of clear gloss.

This leaves them looking just like the real thing. They also change color when viewed from a different angle; from red, to blue, to purple, to black.

Some other options are photo negatives cut to size and glued on. You can also use shiny confetti or mylar baloons to cut and glue in place as well.

Good luck.

Here is a photo of the doghouse. You can try to paint the lenses to match the photo:

I'd try the Alclad prismatic coatings for a true "flip-flop" effect of the polarized coatings on the actual optics.......Just my $0.02