1/35 M70A2 Krueger MBT, Desert Storm, 1991

[Jim R]

Hi Jakko
I don't remember this although looking back I've posted on the thread :rolling:
Looks good. The paint job/weathering is coming on nicely. Acrylic, water based washes always risk tide marks and pooling even with a wetting agent. Actually what is left of the stain looks quite acceptable.
Jim

[scottie3158]

Jakko,

Coming on nicely where you have dry brushed the tide mark, it adds to the natural patina.

[Guest]

Thanks. The remains of the stain look enough like actual dirt or other staining that I’m not going to try and obliterate it entirely. If the heavy drybrushing hadn't worked I think I would have repainted it instead, though without the sprayed highlight.

[Guest]

Markings applied from a set by Echelon, intended for the M1A1 Abrams and applied in pretty much the same locations as they were on that in the real world:

[ATTACH]440496[/ATTACH][ATTACH]440497[/ATTACH]

Because they were rather glossy, I brushed some matt varnish over them once they had dried.

The markings on the ammo cans on the rear of the turret are from the Tamiya M1A1 kit that I got the mine plough and gun barrel from. I don’t know if the real tank whose markings I used, had these, but I like the look of them and I think it makes it clearer that there was only a three-man crew.

[Jim R]

Hi Jakko
Right or wrong those ammo can decals are a nice touch. Looking great, almost done.
Jim

[Guest]

The beauty of a model like this is that you can’t really get it wrong, of course I beg to differ about the “almost done”, though … there’s still a good amount of work in terms of detail painting, chipped paint, stowage and crew to do.

[Jim R]

Ah well maybe not "almost done" but better than "you're off to a good start". :smiling:
Jim

[Guest]

The tracks alone were a good deal of work I had already sprayed them Tamiya NATO Black (a very dark grey) and then gave them a coat of Indian ink to deepen the rubber colour. Next, I began to wonder how to paint the metal parts — pictures of M1 Abrams tanks in Saudi Arabia showed all-black (painted) tracks, but also rusted ones. Looking closer at photos, it appears to me that the black tracks were mostly in the build-up phase of the war, before they started to wear. The rusted ones similarly appeared to be mainly before the war, and once it was over — then I began to notice that in pictures taken during the actual fighting, the metal parts of M1 tracks were often bare, shiny metal. Probably because of the sand they drove through a lot at that time, polishing the tracks.

With that in mind, I first painted the metal bits medium grey, but not covering absolutely all the black:

[ATTACH]440551[/ATTACH]

Notice that I only painted the bits that will be on view, or almost so. No point in painting areas you can’t see, if you ask me.

Over that went a medium shade of metal colour, Games Workshop Boltgun Metal, again not perfectly covering what went before:

[ATTACH]440552[/ATTACH]

The third step to making the tracks look like bare metal, was to add a liberal coating of Army Painter Strong Tone. This is a fairly dark transparent colour, very similar to Tamiya Smoke but thinner and it dries matt rather than glossy. This photo shows the difference between a side of the track painted with it and one without:

[ATTACH]440553[/ATTACH]

And the whole tracks:

[ATTACH]440554[/ATTACH]

That done, I drybrushed the rubber parts of the tracks twice, once with dark grey and then more lightly with a lighter shade of dark grey:

[ATTACH]440555[/ATTACH]

[scottie3158]

Jakko,
Tracks are looking good.

[adt70hk]

Looking very good Jakko. Well done.

Andrew

[Jim R]

Nicely done Jakko.

[Guest]

Thanks, all Now all I still need to do to the tracks, is add sand. That will probably happen when I also add some to the rest of the suspension.

[Guest]

On closer inspection of photos, I skipped the sand. Instead, I added the tracks to the hull:

[ATTACH]440749[/ATTACH]

I drilled holes through the links at both ends and used copper wire to pull them together. Originally, the plan was to use strong thread, but my knot-tying skills weren’t up to getting the thread tight enough in the small confines of the suspension and angle of the hull. Copper wire worked well as an alternative, until I saw:—

[ATTACH]440750[/ATTACH]

that the idler wheel gets pulled outward because its mounting is rather weak. In the end, I cut the copper wire again and glued the tracks to the wheels instead:

[ATTACH]440751[/ATTACH]

[Guest]

Side skirts on:

[ATTACH]440793[/ATTACH]

The supports I had built worked well, though the skirts themselves had warped a little since I built them two years or so ago. After straightening them out as much as possible, I glued and clamped them to the hull and all seems to be well.

I also glued the machine gun mount into its turret and its hatches:

[ATTACH]440794[/ATTACH]

The rods that automatically open and close the hatches when the gun rises and drops still need to be painted, of course.

And everything together temporarily, other than the mine plough:

[ATTACH]440795[/ATTACH]

This revealed a minor problem:

[ATTACH]440796[/ATTACH]

The machine-gun hatch fouls the driver’s hatch. This is most likely a mistake by Dragon, as these are parts I didn’t alter, but it means the gun turret can’t be aimed straight forward when the driver’s hatch is n the 12-o’clock position.

[adt70hk]

Coming on nicely Jakko. Shame about the minor fit issue on the turret.

ATB.

Andrew