Kinda whiffy Airfix 1/76 M113 FSV

[KiwiZac]

Hi all,
I recently relieved the local Toyworld of its Airfix M113 FSV - it had been there so long the price label practically fell off when I touched it - and added some extras because I felt I needed to:
- rudimentary interior with turret basket
- stretched sprue aerials
- some lights from scrap
- extended the trim vane
- crew figures from my spares
- replaced the guard thingies with guitar wire and sprue

Unfortunately most of the decals fell apart even after being sprayed with Testors decal bonder. Disappointing! But a fun little kit for my third ever AFV build. And yes, I am thinking about doing a Kiwi one in 1/35! And perhaps the lack of markings makes this a whif? 








So if anyone has a spare set of Aussie Vietnam-era M113 FSV decals that will work, I'd be very grateful to hear from you!

[Austanker]

Nice little build I think you can get Kiwi decals for 1/35 from Mouse House not sure about braille scale

[zenrat]

Looks good even if the guy in the turret looks a little porky.

What's a trim vane?

[Weaver]

Nice one Zac.

I must get my quartet of British M113s finished at some point.

Looks good even if the guy in the turret looks a little porky.

What's a trim vane?

The wooden board on the front that's lowered to aprox 45deg to make the thing swim better (official reason) or to carry a shed load of extra kit behind it (most common actual usage).

[Captain Canada]

Nice one Zac ! Great job on such a wee little kit, really looks the part ! I can only imagine what you could do with a 35th scale example !

[NARSES2]

That's come out well Zac, well done 

[KiwiZac]

Thanks all, you're very kind! It was a very fun little build and as soon as I saw the rear hatch was separate I knew I had to do the interior. Great fun!

Trim vane...it took a lot of pictures for me to see what that even was! I was wondering what all these reference sites were talking about. I'm learning all sorts of jargon with this AFV business - there's mantlet covers, engine decks, turret bustles, other things I can't remember which makes this list and my knowledge less impressive...

I actually had an Academy 1/35 M113 in my hands last weekend but put it back, I just couldn't bring myself to get it as I wasn't 100% on what our ones had compared to what's in the box. Luckily there are a ton of photos online and a great reference site for Kiwi ones detailing the differences.

Hey, leave our poor Commander alone! :-D He was rattling around in a built Land Rover that a friend gave me in a bunch of other finished builds, and he's perfect for this job as the turret's actually pretty small inside and he has no legs (plus that pose is great). I do, of course, need to add the silver regimental badge to his beret...and work on my face painting. I showed this model to Sam and she said "So, they're faceless..." "Look, you try painting a face that small!".

Mouse House...I can see a lot of my money going their way over the next month or three...

[zenrat]

Thanks for the trim vane info.

FWIW my method of painting 1/72 figures is as follows.
I prime them with matt black and then add highlights with a quick squirt of white undercoat from above (or you could dry brush them but a squirt is quicker and easier).
I then paint them with acrylics starting with the skin and finishing with the hair and 2 tiny dots of colour for the eyes (with a toothpick).
I then give them a coat of satin clear before finishing off with a very thin black wash.

[Weaver]

Zenrat beat me to it, but I was just going to say that my usual method for 1/72nd faces is to paint them Humbrol Flesh and then give them a wash with Windsor and Newton Burnt Sienna ink. It's literally a two-step, no-skill process, but it just brings out the detail nicely.

[chrisonord]

Nice build there Zac, I have always left the airfix M113 on the shelf when I have seen them, but might just have a dabble at one now as yours looks really good. You could build a 1/35 scale still to put in the back of your next one, as it has been done 
Chris

[KiwiZac]

The trigger was seeing one with a $1 reserve on the Kiwi auction site TradeMe. I missed out on it but had a feeling my LHS had one, so I got to researching...it was a very fun little build, but in no way prepared me for the Airfix Sherman: this has one-piece wheels and tracks. Loads of room for scratchbuilding though. It'd be a very quick build if I left the rear hatch shut.

Figures: thanks for the tips gents. I'd like to include some with my 1/35 builds so I need the practice. I've never used inks or washes before, and the most detail painting I've done on them has been flightsuit patches (blobs of paint).

[Weaver]

You don't have to use ink to do a wash: thinned paint will do. It's always a good idea to test each step on a scrap piece/figure before committing, and if it doubt, over-thin it: it's easier to put more on that it is to take it off again. If you want to get fancy, you can drybrush a lighter shade (flesh + a drop of white) onto the high spots, but I don't think it's worth it in 1/72nd, particularly since my hands have never been steady enough to paint eyes anyway, so my figures are never going to be 'show standard'.

Burnt Sienna is a reddish brown colour BTW: similar to Humbrol Rust, but rather lighter.

[KiwiZac]

I have some Raw and Burnt Siennas but as oils...something tells me that'd be no good!

[zenrat]

No.  You can use oils for a wash.  Dilute them with turps or white spirits.
The trick is to make sure what you are washing over will not be affected by whatever solvent you have used in the wash.
As I paint with acrylics and wash with thinned acrylics I seal between the painting and the washing with satin clear from a rattle can (also confusingly called an acrylic but not the same as the modelling acrylics).
As H says, test before you commit.

[Captain Canada]

The old two-step, no skill process is one of my favourites ! Kinda like opening a beer and putting it to your lips