discussion Tamiya chieftain tank build (my 5th build)

[Guest]

Finished the camo basecoats, done in IMOT camo design, simple but works with my idea for moss.


I negated the idea of masking, and just went ahead and freehand airbrushed the camo. I think it's ok.


Also given it a coat of poly gloss and that will remain till next week, as I'm away.


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[Guest]

I'm going to also make the proper rubber mudflaps and also the missing sighting pinnacle on the gun barrel. I'll use Milliput for this, rolling out the Milliput to paper thin and giving it some gentle folds for realism.

 

[Dave Jay]

My favourite tank......... I'll have to watch this.

Me too! Then the Sherman, then the Tiger, Panther, Matilda, Challenger...........could go on!

 

[Guest]

Gloss done, I've fitted the wheels, fitted tracks.


Now on to do the first wash, and decals, and also make some skirts round the front wheel arches and also a gun sight out of Milliput


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[Guest]

Wow, this is looking damn fine! The camo was often painted by the crews, my made who used to drive Scorpions told me this in one of his "pull up an ammo box" story moments to me. I reckon it looks absolutely spot on. This beast is now on my wishlist!

 

[Guest]

So before I went away for the weekend, I spent some time with the Milliput, and made the rubber mudflaps which I've seen on some photos, and got them on the front and rear of the model. I also made that sight marker, and have painted them up in Tamiya rubber black, and await some drybrushing with some gloss black to accent the folds.


I also got the decal on, so next step is to klear everything again, ready to do some oil paint washes and streaks.


Photos later, as I'm just out the door to get the wound on my leg sorted. It's become ulcerated,mane last night filled the bed with blood! Nice!

 

[Guest]

Pictures!


Ok, this is how she sits at the moment, the second layer of gloss is on, and I'll be doing the weathering next,


Then it will be making the net system over the barrel, and adding the foliage.


Last pic is the best to show the mudflaps I made, smaller ones on the front, and painted black rubber.


I'm looking forward to doing the mud effects, the oil paint streaking and rain marks, then the moss foliage.


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[Guest]

Hi Dave. Glad I found this thread as I bought this kit a few weeks ago and am about to start building shortly. Having only come back to the hobby I am thinking to leave as much painting as possible until the build is finished as with the few previous kits I have done I found that scraping off paint to get a good join then having to repaint was not great.


Sorry to hear of your problems. I have had a heart attack and three back ops and also now have arthritis in hands and knees but all we can do is keep going and try to make the best of things. Model building is a great stress reliever I think .


Will continue to watch your thread with interest and I can say now that your finished tank will be much better than mine but in the end it is the pleasure of doing what we can that I think is important.


Dave (yet another Dave on the site)

 

[Dave Jay]

Think it must be a Dave thing!............my two brothers in law are Daves too! Are we common or popular? !


I too had a hesrt attack, 6 years ago, 2 stents fitted.


I too have just returned to the hobby


I too have a Chieftain in my stash!


Any other Daves out there........?


And yes, modelling is a great stress reliever and very therapeutic (When they go right!)

 

[Guest]

Is a great stress reliever! Dave is t a safe name at the moment!


This is my second month doing models, so for gods sake don't copy me! I'm still learning!!


I did most of the build before beginning to paint. Although I left the wheels off, painted them separately, and did the camo paintwork with the side skirts on first. Then I cleared it all, did the transfers, and then applied the wheels. Did the tracks with some chrome silver, then some rust, black, dark earth and iron oxide weathering powders, mixed in a pot with Matt varnish and thinner, to a paint type consistency, brush painted the tracks leaving the inner part silver to show wear, where the wheels and sprockets will rub.


I've got to do the rubber road pads on the tracks yet, and then all the proper weathering.


I found building it before any primer, paint or anything was much easier, and the paint lines for the camo line up properly.

 

[geegad]

Just gone through your thread great build and that camouflage work is spot on look forward to seeing more

 

[Guest]

The camo is NATO black and NATO green, which works well.


I spent a few hours with some cockpit green and done some chipping effects on the tank hatches and areas, and it's come out really good.


I also did some rain streaks on the sides, which has muted down the decals some. I've then mixed up some dark earth, black, sand and a small amount of rust weathering powders with Matt varnish and a small amount of thinner, to make a thick gloop, very muddy colour.


The tank was turned upside down on a bowl and using an old stipple brush I sprayed the airbrush through the brush onto the bottom of the tank, and tracks, and got some really good effects.


Next will be some dark earth and black mixed up to the gloop and that will be sprayed in smaller amounts in some areas, to replicate wet mud. Then once dry, some gloss varnish in those areas to look wet.


Then I can turn it over and just touch up any areas where mud should have gone.


No,pics of this at the moment, as the tanks upside down, and I was covered in goop!! Messy git!


Oh, top tip for anyone who wants to make the mudflaps like I did with Millput.


The look is pretty good, but I have broken them off twice now, so I'd advise once you roll the Milliput out, and make the mudflaps, use some epoxy glue, and try to bolster up the mudflaps, because they're really fragile!!


Or, just be more careful and not a clumsy turd like me!!

 

[papa 695]

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Good old black and green can't go wrong Dave

 

[papa 695]

Forgot to add looking good Dave

 

[Guest]

Nearly there!


Today, I added some silver drybrushing on some areas, and some Humbrol Oil spill in other areas.


Then I got the good old copydex out and began to add my foliage camo! No photos of that yet, want to wait till she is done!


Not easy, but I've got the finish I kinda wanted, however, the foliage is a little too bright, so once it's all dried, I'll put some green/black/brown wash in the airbrush and dust it over to darken it down.


Also found a baby wipe, so I cut that up into shape and made a canvas cover on the side of the basket.


Just some finishing touches to do and she is all there!


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[Guest]

Ok, I e finished, finally.


I made the aerials from scratch, I didn't want to make them from stretched Sprue as I'm not happy with the finish.


So I got some very thin soldering gap filler. I cut two aerials from this and straightened it as best as possible.


Then I looked at the photos, and the original aerials have the coiled parts on the bottom which allows the antenna to bend without breaking, so how do I make this?


Well, in the photos below, I took another piece of the thin wire for the antennas and laid it out.


Then taking some very thin computer wire, stripped and remove one of the very thin wire.


This is then wound around the solder wire, and made into a coil. I use this method as the coil then ends up the right size for the wire I use.


Then carefully, I push the coil down to make it look right, and slide it gently off the wire.


Then it's carefully placed onto the antenna and pushed down to the bottom. You could of course do this before attaching to the tank, but I am awkward!


Then I use Tamiya Dark Iron to paint the antennas, as no military vehicle would have shiny metal antennas sticking up!


So there you have it!


I'll do a post in the completed for the final reveal.


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[papa 695]

That's looking very good Dave