discussion The Road to Singapore: Malaya 1941-42

[TIM FORSTER]

Nice job on the base coat.......unusual characteristics in those paints to cause "chalking" when dry. Is it acrylic, lacquer or enamel base Tim? Rick H.

Rick, they are definitely water-based acrylics, because Hataka have a separate lacquer range. I was also using the dedicated Hataka thinner.

So who knows? All I can say is that I won't be rushing to use them again... Which is a shame, because I believe the colours are accurate.

 

[TIM FORSTER]

Tim,
A lot of interesting information. The paint job looks good.

Thanks Scottie - hopefully I can keep it up!

 

[TIM FORSTER]

Tim,
Are those tow cables on the rear engine plate? This is coming along very nicely, I've never considered a Japanese tank before but you've piqued my interest! Thanks
Steve

Steve, they are indeed tow cables.

I too had little interest in Japanese armour until I went to Japan a couple of years ago and bought the original Fine Molds kit. They are, indeed, fascinating little tanks which do not deserve the bad reputation that they seem to attract when people compare them to later war opponents such as the Sherman.

When you bear in mind that the Commonwealth forces had no tanks in Malaya in 1941/42, they were certainly more than adequate!

 

[TIM FORSTER]

Just had a catch-up Tim.

Rusty is coming on very nicely indeed despite some of the issues you've had.

ATB.

Andrew

Thanks Andrew - more to come!

 

[TIM FORSTER]

OK, so the next stage was definitely the most daunting.

Hand-painting camouflage is something I don’t believe I have tried since I was about twelve… and that would have been either an Airfix plane or a Matchbox tank.

There are other ways, of course. The most popular these days seems to be to use ‘crazy putty’ to mask the different layers of camo one after the other and then apply the colours with a airbrush. Or you can try and mask each area with multiple layers of masking tape.

However, both of these involve a lot of pre-planning and, it seems to me, an awful lot of work before you even get to put paint on the model. Plus this was, after all, a hand-painted pattern and I had a set of paints that were designed (apparently) for brush painting.

So who was I to argue?

That didn’t stop me from trying to be clever in other ways. Initially, I printed out some line drawings of the Ha-Go and started to map out the pattern on those with felt tip pens. But then I thought: “Just get on with it!” So I did…

As I have said, the Type 95 I am depicting here must be one of the most comprehensively photographed examples of the Second World War, so at least I had something of a head start. However, the difficulties with old black and white photos are many and various. First off, we do not have a nice walk-around to show the tank from all angles. Secondly, even when we have what looks like a decent shot (like some of those above), the tricks of light and contrast simply make some of the tones simply disappear.

However, using the parts of the pattern which are visible - most notably the front of the hull, the turret side and the port side of the fighting compartment - I did my best to guess what else was going on. So I am certainly not suggesting that this is anything like 100% accurate…

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At this stage, with no washes or weathering, the results are a bit toy-like I admit. But then that is what the next stage is all about - making this look more like the real thing, albeit in miniature...

 

[Mini Me]

Nicely balanced pattern Tim. Should look the Dog's danglers once you have weathered it up. :thumb2: Rick H.

 

[minitnkr]

Looks darn good to me.

 

[TIM FORSTER]

Thanks guys.

So here is the Ha-Go is chipped and weathered - but only up to a point. I am leaving the final dust wash and other details such as stowage until the diorama is further down the line…

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The large stowage box, in particular, is only pre-shaded with oil washes at this stage and is going to need a lot more work to make it look more interesting. Here it is before I blended the paints…

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The metal tracks were initially darkened with metal burnishing fluid, then speckled with various shades of Lifecolor rust tones (using an old paint brush and a toothpick to flick the paint on). I then built up the earth / dust layer using Wilder water-based washes. Finally I used sanding sticks and wire wool to buff up the metal and added the exposed linear surfaces on the inside (from where the wheels rub against the track runs and guide horns) with a graphite pencil.

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Undoubtedly one of the finest aspects of the Dragon kits are the beautifully moulded machine guns.

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The Type 97 heavy tank machine gun had some interesting modifications from the infantry version of the same weapon: a sighting telescope and a folding stock. The latter pivoted vertically and faced in the opposite direction (from 9 to 3 o'clock) when not required. Presumably it was most useful when the gun was used in the AA mount or dismounted. Given the very limited amount of space in the Ha-Go’s turret, it would seem most likely that the stock would be folded away when in this position. On the model this was achieved by carefully slicing off the stock at the mounting point and rotating it into the stowed position. Once painted up you can appreciate the exquisite detail on this slide-moulded piece.

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Looking at the exterior you will also notice that the MG ball mounts themselves are painted black (actually a dark grey - black rarely works as a surface shade in this scale). I read somewhere that this was standard practice for Japanese tanks of the era - perhaps because the internal mounts were manufactured elsewhere from the tanks themselves.

Finally, there are the markings. This is another puzzling aspect of the kits, both of which claim to supply schemes for the Malayan campaign. The Dragon kit (at least the one I have) has neither of the markings needed for this particular tank. The Fine Molds kit does at least have the Imperial Japanese flag emblem. Yet neither have the inverted ‘Y’ which is prominent in the photos from the Bhakri battle. So I had to resort to some old-fashioned brush painting…

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The white star on the rear plate actually came from an old 1/76 Allied decal sheet in my spares box. This was because both kits supplied a decal that attempted to reproduce the entire black surface of the plate, complete with the tank number. Instead I simply painted the entire plate black and then added the star. Interestingly, the number itself was written in Arabic numerals… presumably even the Japanese had to accept that, beautiful as their script may appear, it was not designed to be read at a distance! So, if anyone has a suggestion for the actual number I should apply to this tank, I will be very interested to hear it…

 

[Mini Me]

Looking sweet Tim.........liking the way you staggered the cammo on the road wheels. Rick H. :thumb2:

 

[scottie3158]

Tim,
Looking good great attention to detail.

 

[adt70hk]

Tim,

That's turned out beautifully. A top, top job. Very well done.

That Life Color rust and dust set is brilliant too. It regularly comes out on my builds.

Again, well done.

Andrew

 

[Tim Marlow]

Looking great now Tim. Research is excellent as well.

 

[TIM FORSTER]

Looking sweet Tim.........liking the way you staggered the cammo on the road wheels. Rick H. :thumb2:

Thanks Rick.

Given the angle and quality of the available photos, it's impossible to know whether this is strictly accurate - but if the Japanese guys who painted these tanks were going to take so much trouble over the rest of the tank then I figured they would go for something interesting on the wheels...

 

[TIM FORSTER]

Tim,
Looking good great attention to detail.

Thanks Scottie!

 

[TIM FORSTER]

Tim,

That's turned out beautifully. A top, top job. Very well done.

That Life Color rust and dust set is brilliant too. It regularly comes out on my builds.

Again, well done.

Andrew

Thanks Andrew.

I love those Lifecolor rust sets too. The dust is yet to come!

 

[TIM FORSTER]

Looking great now Tim. Research is excellent as well.

Thanks Tim. This is a little celebrated corner of the Second World War in modelling circles, but I'm hoping to stimulate some interest!

 

[TIM FORSTER]

So here’s a question:

How do you create a jungle? I had absolutely no idea when I started this project.

But here's how I found my way...

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More explanation of my trials and tribulations will be coming soon!

 

[rtfoe]

Very well done Tim. That's a fine jungle on the perimeters of a rubber estate. Not many can get it right...you did it.

Cheers,
Richard

 

[Mini Me]

Really like the way you laid in the dead undergrowth and then brought in the top foliage to cover it all......top marks to you and your horticultural abilities! :thumb2: Rick H.

 

[adt70hk]

TIm

The base is looking very, very good indeed.

Very well done.

Andrew