Let me start out by saying my apologies for asking something that I'm sure has been asked before on here. After seeing many of the great builds created by members on here, especially Mr. Brannigans who's build I'm completely in awe of. I'm perplexed how he and others do it. They make the entire kit with tracks as it seems already installed before painting. How do they do this? I have yet to build a tank where I don't build the tank first, then build the tracks and add them after I have painted the body and the road wheels. Is it just for the camera pics that builders add the tracks then take them off, or do they build the entire thing at once? And if they do, how the heck do you paint the tracks and roadwheels?

Thanks

Jim

Hi James,

I have to agree with you - and it´s also one of my "unanswered questions in life". I can not figure out how they do it, but I guess it's a matter of "what you are used to do".
I have a fellow modeller friend who also masters this trick, but I just cant get my tracks to look anything near his. If you come up with some good ideas in this post, please drop me a line :-)

Best regards
Morten

Hello both.

Well, if my opinion can be useful for you, I will explain that sometimes I made both ways. Sometimes, wehn I use metal tracks or modelkasten ones, I put the tracks in my models just to take photos for the articles, but when I start to paint it , I remove the tracks and sometimes even the wheels for a better paintjob (more easy and confortable)

But sometimes, i cannot do that, specially if you use plastic tracks that you need to glue from the begining, and adapt it to the roadwheels. In that case, is not easy to remove the tracks or wheels, so....you need to paint all together.

the methos is faster, but easy:


1) First, apply the base color to the body.

2) Paint the tracks with airbrush using the apropiate color. Surely will be difficult to avoid to paint a part of the tank body, but we always con fix that. DOn't try to fill all holes and parts of the tracks, just a general look color. After make the weathering in your tank, come back to the tracks, painting now with a handbrush, try to be more carefully.

3) Paint the rubber in the wheels with a fine brush

4) Finally, apply mud or dust and final touches.

This is an example that I painted for the FAQ book. I wanted to show how to paint tracks when the tank is already finished with the tracks glued on it.






And the final look:



If you are patiente with the brush, you can paint it very easily. The last touches of metal was added with a graphit marker.
The dusty look helps to cover possible mistakes or faults.

I hope it helps, but of course, if you can, let separatly tracks and wheels.

All the best

MIG

Mr MIG, you make it look so easy .
I realy am going to have to pick up your FAQ book soon.

Andy

Hi MIG,

Thank you very much - one more mystery in life solved :-). Miguel, I got your book - love it for the great pictures and sometimes I used to curse you to hell and back (just kidding) for the lack of text - until I got behind your idea with the book (yep, I started reading!!). Now the book is actually placed in front of me when modelling - got paint spills, cofee rings and everything around it

I bow humble before you and thank you very much for this track painting 1on1.

PS - Dont know if you sell a lot of these, but your Bronekater is the gutsiest (and coolest) move I have seen in this hobby for many years - it's nice when people actually lean a little out of the window and take risks

Oh and Andy - shame on you for not having bought the book yet - it raises the bar of AFV modelling

Best regards from Denmark
Morten