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[Andy H]

Thanks for kind words, Atoka 

A little further down the road. Still a way to go...

[Andy H]

Tone down filth, highlight, shade, add filth, tone down filth, highlight, shade, touch-in small details, final highlight, and there she is ready for the tank riders...

[genXgamer]

G'day Andy

Another fantastic job, it's the 1% that makes your work really standout.
Yank tank also turned out great.

You seem to be able to turn these out pretty quick, how many hours would an average model take you?

[Andy H]

Thanks again for kind words, genX' 

Time taken all depends on the kit. With a simple design like a T-34 or a Sherman, I can bang it out in a couple of days given no interruptions, one day to build, one to paint. I've got a T-28 and a T-35 in the stash, both Zvezda. I'm really looking forward to doing them, but they're going to be fairly long-term projects, lots of turrets and complex running gear to assemble. They'll have to wait until I've finished preparing a more permanent workstation. There's a Hetzer - that looks like a very quick build, but the cammo' paint job's a little complicated. The Jagdtiger likewise. Thinking about it, the link and length moulded tracks might slow me down. I'm being drawn back towards modern Tamiya kits at the moment, they're more expensive, but they're nicely detailed and tend to fall together. Recent Russian Zvezda kits look nice (see T-28 & T-35, above), but a little more complicated to put together - they're certainly more affordable. 

I'm thinking this one shouldn't take long if I get fed-up with green...



...fell into my shopping bag yesterday, couldn't resist the crew figures, they should bring the whole thing to life. 

[Atoka220]

I straight up enjoy looking at these (that's what scale models are for)

If you let me ask, what do you use for painting teeny-tiny details like eyes for the figures or very small parts? I tried using a toothpick but failed miserably and had to use some really thin brushes, that spread out as soon as they got wet...

[Andy H]

Hi Atoka - I tend to take the path of least resistance. 

Work beckons (don't you just hate real life sometimes?), I'll do a quick guide over the next couple of days, stay tuned. 

[Andy H]

O.k. Back at the workbench - here's a quick and easy method to bring faces to life...

As a general rule, I use Revell acrylics. Matt white undercoat, diluted flesh applied. With the right consistancy, the figure will start to shade itself.



Here's the no-so-secret weapon. Paint it on neat, if it looks too thick, just brush it away. I'm far from Games Workshop's biggest fan, but I've been using inks and washes for years - this is the best I've found.



The better the sculpture, the better the effect.




That's it. An undercoat and two applications. Maximum effect, minimum effort. 



If you want to go any further, you can, but I've taken to stopping here and painting the rest of the figure using a broadly similar technique.

[Andy H]

As far as I got tonight. As mentioned above, same technique, letting the figure do most of the work. There's no way around the fine details like medals and red star cap badges - I'll come to them soon, but 'wet' paint and Citadel washes (or 'shades' as they're known now) get things off to a flying start.







Thanks for looking in, more soon.

[Andy H]

Just about finished the first two tank riders. Fur hats drybrushed to bring texture out (more on that later), red stars and medals done with a very fine point fairly new brush (it's not how few hairs, it's how fine a point you have on the brush, kids  ). Weapons done, drybrushed and washed...








Tea break while I wait for the last wash to thoroughly dry.

Ready for the final touch. For that, I'll need this trusty old friend...



Back when they're done. 

[Andy H]

Drybrushing - it's really easy. Using an old brush (this will ruin new ones), put a highlighting colour on the bristles (I'm using 'ochre' here, to bring out khaki - for field grey, use light grey, green, use lighter green and so on - I'm sure you get the picture), then wipe the brush off with an old rag, leaving virtually no paint. If you can wipe the brush over your thumb, and pick out the fingerprint, that's just about right. then tickle the figure with the brush, trying to go at 90 degrees to any raised detail (don't worry too much about this). Again, maximum effect, minimum effort, the details on the figure should highlight themselves.







Well, that's how I currently do 1/35 figures - bigger scales are a slightly different story, but if your eyes are younger than mine, you should find these little tricks work on 1/48, 1/72, and 25mm or 15mm figures. No substitute for experience, of course, but it's very easy to master. Get yourself a box of cheap toy soldiers and give it a go. You'll develop your own style. It's good fun, and I find it very relaxing - theraputic, even.

As ever, thanks for dropping by. Back soon with the riders in place. 

[Andy H]

And there we are done. 

So, the final verdict...nice kit, very reasonably priced. Those two-piece vinyl tracks really are a pain in the arse, though.















Well, I've been told in no uncertain terms that the dining table's got to be cleared for Christmas. Looks like my workbench is on the move. 

Thanks as always for looking in - back soon with more miniature mayhem. 

[Forager]

 Top drawer modelling there, thanks for showing and keep them coming, OK?

 I have seen a lot of peripherals but never a two man saw so I had to find out what they cost today, $235. ( from the web: Value of $200 from 1941 to 2021 $200 in 1941 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $3,763.12 today.)
 They had better not lose it.

 I get the same lesson in table manners before every holiday and have to evict any models from living room shelves or mantles during the Christmas Season so Elves, Reindeer and various cute stuffed penguins, snowmen and hugging teddybears can make their annual appearance.