Good morning,
This weekend (3 & 4 October) is Weekend of the Customer! This includes a shopping Sunday, so Modelist again will be open the afternoon of the 4th.
That's the only administrative announcement I have, so let's just go straight to the models.
One thing I haven't been posting about, but which has taken up a fair amount of my time, is a Tamiya Mercedes Actros in 1/14 scale. I'm airbrushing this one for a customer. Started with a black primer coat, then a layer of Ammo Aotake Blue (a light metallic blue), and I've now applied the final colour of Mercedes 929 Nautikblau. This is a lacquer-based paint I bought from one of those online automotive lacquer shops and it airbrushes pretty well (when I remember to use the correct thinner...).
There's lots more loose parts that have received the same treatment, but these big ones show off the colour nicely. Next step will be gloss coats and some vigorous polishing to get a nice shiny finish.
Nothing new on the other commission; the Fairy Battle. It's in white primer and awaiting colour coats.
Next up: the Strv103. I muddied up the underside some more, using Ammo-1701 Thick Soil (I think, I really need to start writing these things down...).
1701 is in the Heavy Mud range, so it gives a bit more texture. I apply blobs of the paint in the upper corner, then use a rough brush to draw it down in streaks. Most of this will be hidden behind the wheels, tracks and side jerrycan armour (yes, you read that right), but I feel it's important to have at least some texture behind it all.
More importantly, I've finished painting the tracks. First off, every tracks link has two rubber pads that needed painting. That's 58 times two times two: 232 pads to paint with a rubber colour. I used
ATOM-20159, but every brand has their rubber or tire colour these days:
Having done this, I went over all the exposed metal (except where the wheels will run over the track) with
Ammo-1204 Streaking Rust Effect. This gives a nice irregular rusted metal effect:
I drybrushed the track teeth with some light metal paint, to show wear and polishing by the double wheels' inside.
Over all this (again, except the middle of the inside track) I'm going to spray some washable dust to give it a final dry dusty look.
The Hurricane has received its basic interior colours. Most of it is Flat Aluminium, but a few parts received the typical British interior green.
Light weathering and assembly of the cockpit next.
Finally, Jolie Brise. Having finally gotten the push pins, planking is going a lot quicker. First, I had to sand down the inserts I glued under the deck:
As you can see, I've managed to get them paper-thin. This just goes to show that wood glue can be pretty sturdy when you let it dry completely.
Using the pins I can hold the planks in place:
This causes the ribs to split in some places, but the planks will keep everything together.
Progress is a lot faster now:
The length just underneath the deck is too long for one plank, so I need to cut them halfway across a rib and use two planks to reach all the way.
This final half requires an almost 90 degree twist:
I've been looking ahead in the instructions and it will be quite a challenge to build up the poop deck underside towards the keel.
To be continued!
That's it.
See you next week!
