Thinking tanks

[rickshaw]

That's a nice little hack.   

Found this that might be useful, an infinitely variable circle template:
https://www.wish.com/product/5dea03463a315703fbae9e71?from_ad=goog_shopping&_display_country_code=GB&_force_currency_code=GBP&pid=googleadwords_int&c=%7BcampaignId%7D&ad_cid=5dea03463a315703fbae9e71&ad_cc=GB&ad_curr=GBP&ad_price=14.00&campaign_id=8163884845&exclude_install=true&gclid=CjwKCAiA2O39BRBjEiwApB2IkoYyajQpD_n8HKoOXMYzIM0U1eF5srl_JJBCTP6vDfep2ZvwZegxcRoCr4oQAvD_BwE&hide_login_modal=true&share=mobileweb

And if it doesn't work, it'll be good for 007 selfies... 

Interesting.  Won't the paint freeze the action, locking the aperture in place?

[zenrat]

Hmmm, circle templates.  I'd forgotten about them.
You can also use them, combined with a white paint marker, to put whitewalls onto model car tyres.

[PR19_Kit]

Everything seems to take an age with this tank building.

There's so many teeny weeny parts that need to be placed in exactly the right place, and even though Tamiya make it simpler by moulding alignment marks for you, it's still difficult to see where they go.

And the painting! 

I'm slowly ploughing through painting the wheels black, matt tyres and satin hubs, and it takes for EVER! You have to spray in every direction and there's ZILLIONS of the darn things.....

It sure is different to building an aeroplane!

I've got the tracks glued together, and they're moulded semi-matt black, which looks OK for the rubber tread pads, but most pics of RW tanks show that the INSIDE of the track is mud colour, as are the parts of the outside that aren't the treads, so how do you paint those bits? Will the track stuff take normal model paint or....?

[Old Wombat]

Guess it's what you're used to.

I find building aircraft difficult & confusing. Tanks is easy!


Probably best we don't talk about ships.

[Gondor]

The first one always take the longest untill you manage to work ouot the easiest way to put things together which also allows you to paint fairly quickly too

Gondor

[Dizzyfugu]

Are these vinly tracks or IP parts? If they are made from vinyl, only use acrylic paint. Track finish can be tricky, esp. at the large scale and with modern tracks with rubber pads, where you see the material difference. My approach: an overall black or very dark grey base, and then a kind of "washing" with a mix of grey, red brown and some iron. When the paint is still wet, I'd rub the rubber pads clean again with a soft cloth. Once dry, a black ink washing and maybe some dry-brushing with light grey.

[Gondor]

I would think that as it's a Tamyia tank that the tracks will be the flexible vinyl Dizzy.

Gondor

[PR19_Kit]

They're not IP for sure, they feel like vinyl but you can glue them with normal plastic glue, very odd.

I've got lots of acrylic paints with me here, so I should be OK. Thanks for the tips gentlemen. 

[rickshaw]

In my real world experience, tracks unless the vehicle has just come from the wash point are invariably cover in crap.  Often you can only just make out the pads.  What I usually do is give them, the tracks,  an overall coat of black and then lay on the "weathering".  It hides the features and looks quite realistic.  Now, you can never really lay on too much "weathering".  Mud?  They love it.  Dust?  They're covered in it.  Just lay it on!  The road wheels as well.  The idlers as well.  The upper hull sides, the glacis, the hull rear, hull top/turret. lay it on. It should get lighter the higher you go on the vehicle and you have to take into where it might be operating.  Desert?  More dust.  Grassland?  More dust and also mud.  Bushland?  Loads of dust, mud and scratches, particularly on the tracks.  Jungle?  Loads of mud, less dust and loads of scratches on the tracks and hull. That is unless you want a vehicle on the Parade Ground.   

[zenrat]

Guess it's what you're used to.

I find building aircraft difficult & confusing. Tanks is easy!


Probably best we don't talk about ships.

First aircraft back after years of building cars had me very confused.  How do I close and paint the fuselage, paint the interior and then insert one into the other?

[PR19_Kit]

In my case this Challie 2 will be fighting in an urban environment, thus the 'Berlin Brigade' type camo, so I'd imagine the amount of mud it would come across would be minimal.

Brick dust, rubble and the odd Trabbie may well be found jammed in the tracks, but I wasn't planning on weathering it all that much. 

The idlers are totally invisible under the monster side armour, so I'm not even going top bother painting them. Right now I'm trying to figure out how to do the tail and head lights, which will have to be painted prior to attaching them, and AFTER my painting of the hull.......

[Gondor]

In my case this Challie 2 will be fighting in an urban environment, thus the 'Berlin Brigade' type camo, so I'd imagine the amount of mud it would come across would be minimal.

Brick dust, rubble and the odd Trabbie may well be found jammed in the tracks, but I wasn't planning on weathering it all that much. 

The idlers are totally invisible under the monster side armour, so I'm not even going top bother painting them. Right now I'm trying to figure out how to do the tail and head lights, which will have to be painted prior to attaching them, and AFTER my painting of the hull.......

A light amount of dust on the lower hull and side skirts should do then kit

Gondor

[Dizzyfugu]

Yup, some light pigment dust overall should be enough.

[PR19_Kit]

I'm a LONG away from that step yet, still trying to get the wheels right.

[NARSES2]

Every time I look at the title of this thread the idea of a Dalek like vehicle crosses my mind