T-28 medium tank by Zvezda 1/35

[scottie3158]

Andy,
The other thing to consider is the life span of this equipment was not long. You see a lot of builds very heavily distressed ,chipped and rusted which do show the modellers skills is un realistic and most crewa would look after their rides as it kept them alive.

[rtfoe]

Andy,
The other thing to consider is the life span of this equipment was not long. You see a lot of builds very heavily distressed ,chipped and rusted which do show the modellers skills is un realistic and most crewa would look after their rides as it kept them alive.

Scotties about right there. Sometimes artistic license can get carried away. There is a difference between a knocked out burnt tank and a running one. The ETO in the west only lasted slightly over a year and even if a shot up Sherman was retrieved it would have been fixed and splashed with a new coat of paint. Germans would constantly repaint their camo( they carried their own spray kit with waterbased paint) depending on the terrain they were campaigning during rest and refitting. The Russians just simply replaced with fresh factory units that overwhelmed the Germans although their aces claimed some a hundred Russian tanks each.

An over weathered tank does look good until reality check comes to play.

Cheers,
Richard

[Guest]

Thank you both. Something to bear in mind before I get carried away.

[Steve Jones]

When I first started my first ten or so builds I classed them as practice builds. I remember I did an artillery piece that I rusted to the nth degree. I learnt a great deal about weathering and rust work from that build but it was totally unrealistic. At the end of the day its your build and your rules. However if its realism you are after then there will always be good advice here to help you out.

[Guest]

Thanks for that Steve.

I still very much class every build as a practice or learning experience, which is why I want to learn so many different techniques. I may never want to weather something very heavily, but if I have that in my locker I can use it if I want to. For instance if I move on to diorama and want to do a vehicle stuck in deep mud, I'll have an idea of how to do it. I'm not yet interested in super detailing, but I'd love to learn how so I can have a crack if I wish.

So many things to learn and I know I can't do them all at once, but I figure the more methods I know, and the more models I build, the better understanding I'll get of when to use a particular process or not :smiling3:

[rtfoe]

Good approach Andy. It's good to have knowledge under the belt and used when needed. The new generation Y & Z behave like instant noodles...if it's not achieved in the first sitting then they'll loose interest and move on.

I just helped to conduct a kit building session for a batch of visiting Air Scouts & Cubs from Hong Kong aged between 10 to 14 for their merit badges. They chose to do this so enthusiasm was in abundance at the beginning. Everyone followed instructions on cutting and sanding. Airbrushing was a hit...the girls were better than the boys at it. All was well until decalling where we had to explain beforehand the process and suddenly half of them said they had lost their decals. We suspected they didn't want to go through the tedious process. At least two out of the whole batch showed promise and may take up the hobby seriously.

To show you the range of finishes, two were complete, some hand painted, some underside not painted, half with no decals, one psychedelic color scheme and one pokerdotted. Everyone had a different approach to their first kit. It's when we tell them that's not the way that's when individual creativity is stiffled. So I remind my collegues that this is only an introduction and let them have fun, guide them only when they get into difficulty or look frustrated.

Sorry Andy for taking up space here. You've started this hobby like a duck in a swimming pool. A large proportion of the guys here would love your skills. Carry on and enjoy.



Cheers,
Richard

[Guest]

That looks like it was a fun day, giving them an early taste of the hobby. I certainly wish I'd started years ago!

And many thanks for the compliment Richard, it means a lot coming from someone with your skills and experience.