Oh why not...?

[Guest]

Soooooo, I decided to take a wee break from my very nearly finished Easy Eight, to join this group build. I've been meaning to build some Soviet Iron for a while, and thought the newTamiya SU 76 fits the part nicely!
 I'm more about the painting, to be honest, and thankfully this model is an easy build up to the point where the tracks are needed - these require great care, as they are not big and chunky. Tamiya include two very handy jigs to get the sag right, but you can't build the tracks on said jigs, as they'd get permanently stuck to them. So, you have to do the old maskling-tape trick, then wit until they are nearly set, then remove the tape, re-fit the sections that inevitablt get seperated (!) and then lay them ontop the jig to harden. Im now at the bit where I'm adding the last sections, phew! All gonna be brush painted with Tamiya paints, with oil weathering to finish.


Worth remembering how much fun it is to not have to worry three stages aheah for masking etc, just build it and paint it . this resulting in one of the most absorbing builds to date, for me!

[Guest]

A nice choice John, you & Jim can compare notes


Although these new Tamiya kits are still easy to build, I'm often disappointed with them. Looking at yours, it seems as though the pioneer tools are moulded on? Or maybe you've added them to paint later?


Hehe have a look at one of the supplied crew members... a remarkable resemblance to a world leader methinks

[Guest]

No, the tools are separate parts, I've just always painted them after the base coat is applied, I only painted the fighting compartment before assembly as it would be tricky not to do so. The kit is, in my eyes, fantastic, the detailing is sharp, the fit exemplary, and the instructions are an example to many others!! The Easy Eight was the same, as was the Matilda, I've had nothing but great experience with their new tool models. In fact, I'm sniffing around a Nashorn more than is healthy...


No primer, no spray, just keeping it simple. Loving Tamiya's Dark Iron paint, for the track base-coat, they looked like fruit tracks once painted!

[Guest]

...and yes, I did notice Vladimir, I have started painting the crew, but will only use them if they come out ok, which is not a given...

[Guest]

Ah that explains it! I've not built any of the new tool Tamiya kits, so I'm still rather suspect about how they are in terms of detail. I guess I've been spoilt by Dragon! My new Panzer IV is simply gorgeous... although not for the impatient or faint-hearted


Come on, we want to see Mr P's grandfather  :P

[grumpa]

Very nice progress indeed John, I myself am woefully behind on my SU76 (Dragon Imperial series) Too much family drama and other obligations have me a bit stymied at the moment but your doing the same vehicle has given me a bit of a bump I must say.


Ammo bins and spare rifle look to be excellently done.......Well... I must get to work then ^_^

[monica]

very nice start to this one,John,looking good,real like the Ammo bins and spare rifle look great so far, 9_9

[Guest]

Very nice progress indeed John, I myself am woefully behind on my SU76 (Dragon Imperial series) Too much family drama and other obligations have me a bit stymied at the moment but your doing the same vehicle has given me a bit of a bump I must say.


Ammo bins and spare rifle look to be excellently done.......Well... I must get to work then ^_^

Thanks Jim! It;ll be interesting to see how the two compare when they're done, I've only done one Dragon kit, and that was a beauty, aside from the cost of it and those pesky instructions > . I must admit, these open backed vehicles do make for interesting subjects, with lots of little details to paint, but I'd hate to have to make all those ammo racks from PE!! Looking forward to seeing your build.

[Guest]

Right, she's painted (Tamiya Olive Green) brush painted - just to prove a point really, Tamiya paint brushes well, if you use water to thin it, a soft brush and 3 odd thin coats. And anyway, I knew I was going to render with oils, so the base colour wasn't so crucial!


I basically picked 3 colours (referring to the wonderful box art), Field Grey, Dark Rust and Olive green - all 502 Abteilung - and daubed a few blobs on the surface (which has had 2 coats of Winsor & Newton acrylic matt varnish) then, with a cheap "Boldmere" 1/4 inch chisel brush, worked the paint into the surface. There's more to do, and I think it is beneficial to have to wait a week before tackling any more - it gives me time to think where I want to add to. I may yet hand paint the number on the side too - as this is how they were done IRL.





Once it is fully cured, I will give it another coat of matt varnish, then add final streaking etc before a dust with pigments and final coat.


Oh, and the Nashorn is in the post...

[Guest]

This is so close to finished, just pondering over whether or not to dirty it up a load more. I reckon I should really...


On a (very positive) side note, Mig Matt Acrylic varnish is the Canine's Cohones!! It works straight from the bottle and takes very little coverage to flatten the surface beautifully. Also it has a ball in it to aid mixing.

[Steve Brodie]

thats fliipen brilliant

[Guest]

Thanks Steve! It has been a thoroughly enjoyable build from start to finish, new-tool Tamiyas have got a lot going for them, especially if, like me, you like to get stuck into painting as soon as possible! Hand brushed (excepting the final coat of Varnish) with Tamiya paints over un-primed styrene (every model is an experiment) followed by oil paints.


I'm conjouring up some mud action though...

[Steve Brodie]

Thanks Steve! It has been a thoroughly enjoyable build from start to finish, new-tool Tamiyas have got a lot going for them, especially if, like me, you like to get stuck into painting as soon as possible! Hand brushed (excepting the final coat of Varnish) with Tamiya paints over un-primed styrene (every model is an experiment) followed by oil paints.


I'm conjouring up some mud action though...

Your welcome John,

Their is quite a skill to brush painting, i know for a fact that if i tried brush painting it would look like the tank was made from corrugated steel !!  , thats why i went airbrush, although it is a lot more time consuming, but hey ho i have got a workflow which well, works okay.


Waiting for that mud  xD

[monica]

like what your done with this one John,looks great ,well well done like the weathering and staining ,

[flyjoe180]

That looks A1 John, very nicely done