{"id":1692,"date":"2006-09-21T17:28:45","date_gmt":"2006-09-22T01:28:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/fichtenfoo.net\/blog\/?p=1692"},"modified":"2009-02-11T17:32:32","modified_gmt":"2009-02-12T01:32:32","slug":"in-progress-%c2%bb-jgsdf-type-74-mbt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fichtenfoo.net\/blog\/in-progress-%c2%bb-jgsdf-type-74-mbt\/","title":{"rendered":"In Progress \u00c2\u00bb JGSDF Type 74 MBT"},"content":{"rendered":"

09.10.2006 \u00c2\u00bb Concepts
\n\/ Intro<\/p>\n

\"\"Armor
\nis a little addictive I’d say. Sure I love my
\nGundam model kits, but AFVs are growing on me
\nmore and more. My next venture into the real world
\nis the 1\/35 JGSDF Type 74 Main Battle Tank from
\nTamiya. I’ve had to for about a year now and have
\nfinally decided to do it. I searched around for
\nany after-market (AM) sets such as photoetch (PE)
\nor resin upgrades. All I found was individual
\ntracks from ModelKasten. I have them on order
\nas I have no desire to deal with the vinyl tracks
\nthat were supplied with the kit.<\/p>\n

I’ve also decided to do a detailed
\nand well-documented build-up of this kit from
\nconstruction to weathering. I have a lot of detailed
\nGundam builds, but nothing for armor subjects.
\nWith Bandai’s new 1\/35 Gundam line on the way
\nand the fact that most of the members at my forum
\ndon’t usually model these subjects, I hope that
\nthis will become a good resource for modelers
\nnew to this scale.<\/p>\n

I’ll be painting this tank the same
\ncamo scheme as my JGSDF LAV. This is an official
\nJGSDF camo pattern and I’ll probably use it later
\non my Type 87 and Type 82 as well. The scheme
\nis a brown and green pattern. Tamiya makes both
\ncolors which are great right out of the bottle.<\/p>\n

The first step was of course research.
\nWith some help, I got links to several sites full
\nof images of the Type 74. This will help me detail
\nsome parts of the tank which are lacking and also
\nhelp me with colors and weathering.<\/p>\n

09.10.2006 \u00c2\u00bb Starting
\nUp<\/p>\n

I read through the instructions
\nand started building following the steps in the
\ninstructions. I started putting together some
\nof the larger elements such as the chassis and
\nthe turret halves without glue just for photos
\nand fit. I really like the shape of this tank
\ndesign. It’s squat and has that rounded older
\nstyle turret that was rough cast. In fact the
\nturret has a great texture molded into it. I will
\nhowever have to sand a seam smooth and retexture
\nalong that part.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The first bad thing I noticed was
\na sizable gap under the fenders, but above the
\nroad-wheels. I’m not 100% sure what to do here.
\nI could leave it, but I’d rather not. But do I
\nfill the vertical gap or under the fenders? Or
\nmaybe both? I have more research to do apparently.
\nThere’s also slots and icons for batteries molded
\ninside the chassis. I guess this was also sold
\nas a motorized or RC version at some point. I
\nthink it’s an older kit.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

As with any kit, there’s the flash
\n(A) and the sprue nubs (B) to deal with. I had
\nflashbacks of the KV-2 and all the sanding I had
\nto do to the roadwheels and suspension arms flash,
\nbut this kit wasn’t too bad. Good thing too with
\n20 road-wheel halves and 10 arms! I scraped the
\nflash off the arms with an exacto blade and then
\nsanded smooth. For the road-wheels, I filed down
\nthe flash\/nubs then sanded smooth. More in-prog
\ninfo soon…<\/p>\n

\"\"
\n\"\"
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

09.11.2006 \u00c2\u00bb Filler
\nand Grab Handles<\/p>\n

A modeler by the name of Alex gave
\nme the tips on filling in the HUGE gaps in the
\nunderside of the Type 74. First I glued on strips
\nof styrene to the insides of the chassis. These
\nwill help support the horizontal panels I cut
\nwhen glued into place.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I cut several rectangles from sheet
\nstyrene to fit between the strips and the ends
\nof the fenders. These were glued into place filling
\nin the hole.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Then after that set-up I cut large
\npieces of very thin styrene and glued them over
\nthe glued rectangles. This large pieve fills it
\ncompletely and covers all the seams of the rectangles
\nnicely. I won’t even need any putty now. Very
\neasy and will make a huge difference when the
\nkit is all done. Thanks Alex!<\/p>\n

\"\"
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

Next I needed to do something about
\nall the “tabs” that represent grab-handles.
\nAlmost every handle is a solid piece on this kit.
\nI took verious sharp tools and removed the tabs.
\nAfter sanding I drilled .024″ holes at the
\nends of where the tabs were. Next I took .020
\nwire and made lots of new handles. These were
\nmade the same size by placing tape on my needlenose
\npliers so that I knew where to bend the wire each
\ntime.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\n\"\"
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

Then I took my tweezers and pushed
\neach bent piece of wire into its holes. Lastly
\nI added a few drops of liquid glue to secure them
\ninto place.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

09.12.2006 \u00c2\u00bb Turret
\nand Tools<\/p>\n

Today I did a bunch to the Type
\n74. First up I removed the plastic tow cable rather
\nthan sand it and added one I made from wire. I
\ntook 8 thin wires (4 looped) and tied them to
\nthe end of my drill. I held the looped end on
\na pencil and ran the drill to twist the wire.
\nI cut it to length and drilled holes into the
\nends of the “hooks” to insert the new
\ncable into. They were then secured with super
\nglue. I cut the cable brackets too and filed out
\nthe old plastic cable so that the new cable would
\nslide in. Again I secured it into place with super
\nglue. I also replaced the exhaust pipes with aluminum
\ntube since the kit supplied ones were not hollow.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

I also added the tools. These had
\nthe normal faint flash. I removed it by scraping
\nit with a razor and with minor sanding of the
\nsprue nubs. They were then glued into place. I
\nadd them now since the tools are generally painted
\nthe same color as the tank. I may opt to adjust
\ntheir colors afterwards, but that’s no problem
\nto hand-paint. Also shown below is the top of
\nthe turret with the periscopes. These have some
\nflash to take note of and clean-up.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

Next up is the infrared sensor.
\nThis comes in many pieces and has to be glued
\ntogether. You’ll have to take care of the many
\nseams afterwards. No gaps though so no worries.
\nI’ll paint it leaving the 2 front parts off to
\ninsert the clear plastic “window” afterwards.
\nAlso shown is the ammo case for the machine gun
\nand the 2 mounts for the smoke dischargers. These
\nboth have pin-holes. You can fill these with a
\ndrop of Mr. Surfacer or thinned putty and sand
\nlater. The ammo case is hollow underneath. I filled
\nit with styrene and will sand flat later.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

I glued the 2 halves of the turret
\ntogether making certain to place the lower portion
\nof the stowage rack inbetween before glueing.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

When the glue dried I sanded the
\nseams down. I lost the texture and had a few hairline
\ngaps. I took care of this by brushing on Mr. Surfacer.
\nWhen cured I lightly sanded the edges where the
\nsurfacer meet the plastic. This leave the middle
\n“rough” to help retain the rough cast
\ntexture.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Lastly I glued on the top part of
\nthe stowage rack. Be sure to remove the flash
\non this and pretty much all parts. This went on
\nwith a little difficulty as the upper bars did
\nnot hit the holes on the turret. After some putty\/glue
\nI rectified this. I also started attaching the
\nvarious parts to the turret such as racks and
\nD-rings.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

09.13.2006 \u00c2\u00bb Wired
\nUp<\/p>\n

Today I started adding all the little
\ndetailed bits to the turret. The smoke dischargers
\nwent on fairly easily with no need for modifications.
\nThe hatches went on with only a few hitches. The
\nleft hatch had one of the hinge tabs too long
\nso I needed to trim it to fit it in level. That
\nhatch was glued down. The right hatch above the
\nperiscopes will be displayed open since I’ll have
\na figure in there. The inside of the hatch had
\na few pinholes to fill with surfacer before attaching.
\nThe IR sensor has some surfacer applied to fill
\nsome tiny hairline gaps after initial sanding
\nof the seams. The base of the ammo box was puttied
\nafter the styrene was cut flat and the antenna
\nbases had some pin marks too.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

Next up is the headlights. In real
\nlife there’s wires that come from the back of
\nthem and end up below the lights into some holes.
\nI drilled little holes into the backs of the lights
\nand inserted wires. The back of the light gaurd
\nwas missing a crossbar so I added them from strip
\nstyrene. I need to add one on the outside edge
\ntoo still.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

Finally there’s a prominant cable
\nthat runs from the IR box to right behind the
\nleft smoke discharger. This wasn’t included in
\nthe kit for whatever reason. I used some wire
\nand stretched sprue to make the cable and tape
\nto make the tabs and such. The tape was super-glued
\nto the turret for extra hold. I love the way this
\nturret has all this stuff tacked all over it.
\nVery interesting looking.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

09.16.2006 \u00c2\u00bb Antenna
\nGaurds<\/p>\n

I was working on and finished these
\nantenna gaurds right before my wife went into
\nlabor. They were made from bent wire inserted
\ninto small drilled holes. Thin strips of styrene
\nwere then glued onto the ends to finish the look.
\nEasy mod.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

09.25.2006 \u00c2\u00bb Suspension<\/p>\n

One last part of construction is
\nthe suspension to keep the tank level, but keep
\nthe road wheels on the road. I cut all the tabs
\nin the suspension arms like instructed in the
\ninsctructions. Then I placed a drop of glue into
\neach hole in the chassis where the arms will be
\nplaced. I propped the tank up level and laid the
\ntracks down. Then I began placing the suspension
\narms with the road wheels onto the chassis. When
\nthe glue dried I removed the supports and viola!
\nI’ll place the tracks in better obviously when
\nit’s done.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

09.21.2006 \u00c2\u00bb Modelkasten
\nType 74 Tank Tracks<\/p>\n

For this build I’ll be using the
\nModelkasten injection plastic replacement tracks
\nfor the Tamiya 1\/35 Type 74 Tank. Product SK-52.
\nI chose to use these since the vinyl tracks that
\ncome with the tank are just not good. They have
\nsoft detail, are warped, and do not have that
\nnatural sag that the Type 74 track displays. The
\nModelkasten tracks are “workable” meaning
\nthat they will bend and sag with their own pins
\nand such in a realistic fashion.<\/p>\n

The tracks come in a nice cardboard
\nbox with a black and white decal wrapped over
\nthe top. Inside the box are around 90 small sprues
\nof the track plates (inside and outside pads),
\nhundreds of connecting shafts, 2 idler wheel axels,
\nand a “jig” for laying out the tracks
\nwhen building them.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The instructions come with both
\nenglish and japanese text and are well-printed
\nand easy to understand.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

The first step is to cut the “inside
\npad” sections from the sprues, sand the nubs,
\nand place them onto the jig. The jig holds 10
\ntrack sections so I’ve been doing this 5 sprues
\nat a time since each sprue contains 2 tracks.
\nNext cut out 10 of the connecting shafts and sand
\ntheir sprue nubs. Place them into the jig on top
\nof the inside pads.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

Next we cut the outside pads from
\nthe 5 sprues we cut the inside pads from. Sand
\nthe nubs as usual. The next part took me a few
\ntries and different glues to get right. I decided
\non the Testors liquid cement since it is thicker
\nthan the Tamiya Extra thin, Thinner than the Tamiya
\nCement and comes in the perfect applicator bottle
\nfor this task. Grab an outside pad with some tweezers
\nby the outside tread. Apply one drop of glue to
\neach inside tab (see below) and apply over the
\nconnecting shafts and inside pads. Press down
\nto set glue and repeat. Wait a few minutes to
\nremove the whole 10 track sections from the jig.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Now just continue making sections
\nof 10 tracks with 5 sprues and 10 connecting shafts
\nat a time. Place the prior sections of built track
\nat the ends of the jig to connect them into a
\nstrand of 78 tracks.<\/p>\n

Below you can see some detail comparrison
\nshots of the Modelkasten (brown) versus the Tamiya
\nvinyl (black) tracks. Note the great bend the
\nModelkasten tracks have.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

09.22.2006 \u00c2\u00bb One Side
\nDone<\/p>\n

I managed to finish one whole side
\n(78 segments) of track so I snapped some images
\nto go over a few parts that may be of interest.
\nWhen I got to the end of the strand I realized
\nthat I won’t want to connect the two ends together
\njust yet as that would make placing them onto
\nthe tank later a pain. So I opted for a solution
\nthat would leave 3 segments of track non-bendable.
\nThis isn’t a bad solution though as I’ll made
\nsure this section is on the ground so that it
\ndoesn’t need to bend. On one end I glued the inside
\npads to the connecting shaft. On the other end
\nI glued the outside pads to the opposite connecting
\nshaft. This way I can glue them together in the
\nfinal assembly and they’ll be unnoticible. See
\nimages below.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

I also placed this section of track
\nonto the road-wheels and sprockets to see if there
\nwas good sag. It’s perfect! My only concern is
\nthat I might need to add one more segment to get
\nthe sag after adjusting the suspension to lift
\nthe back-end of the tank up on the base. I’ll
\nhave to test that later. I’ll just make\/paint\/weather
\nan extra connecting shaft (for each side) with
\ninside and outside pads on opposite sides to lengthen
\nit by 1 if necessary. Better safe than sorry later.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

09.23.2006 \u00c2\u00bb All Done!<\/p>\n

Whew… it was a lot of work at
\napproximately 30 minutes\/10 segments, but the
\ntracks are all done. I even had plenty leftover
\nto make a section of spare track to replace that
\nsupplied by the kit. Below you can see what was
\nleftover. That’ll go into the spares bin to use
\nas detail parts or sci-fi stuff. I’ll post the
\npainting and weathering of these on the JGSDF
\nType 74 painting and weathering page<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

10.03.2006 \u00c2\u00bb Painting
\nand Weathering the Tracks<\/p>\n

I was going to post this in the
\npainting and weathering page, but it seemed better
\nto keep all the tread info in one place.<\/p>\n

First I primed the tracks in a Dark
\nGray primer. You could prime them in light gray
\nas well and paint them dark gray later. Afterwards
\nI airbrushed them with a reddish brown color to
\nsimulate the rust. Obviously this looks too rusty,
\nbut it’s cool since it’ll be covered up later.
\nBe sure to bend the tracks to get inbetween them.
\nAfter the red-brown dried I airbrushed on a predust
\nshade of Tamiya Acrylics similar to my groundwork
\ndirt. I mixed this 50\/50 with Flattened Future
\nto thin it. This simulates the dust the tracks
\nwould collect.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

After the predusting dried I applied
\na thick wash of MIG European Earth on both the
\nfront and back of the tracks. After that it was
\ntime for some mud. I mixed equal parts of ground
\ntalus (A), dry plaster of paris (B), MIG pigment
\npowder (C), and a little static grass thrown in
\nas well.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I combined these in an applesause
\ncontainer then removed half for later. I made
\ntoo much dry mix, so by removing some I can use
\nit later for another kit. I took my mixture and
\nmixed in a slightly larger volume of Liquitex
\nAcrylic Matt Gel Medium. This is the same as the
\ngloss gel medium I use for water, but dries flat
\ninstead of glossy. I wanted it flat to simulate
\ndrying mud. I stirred this up well with an old
\nbrush until I got a nice muddy consistency. This
\nwill dry about the same color as the mix. Pigments
\nusually dry lighter, but this in my tests did
\nnot.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\n\"\"
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

Using some old brushes I applied
\nthe mud on the outside\/ground-side of the tracks.
\nI worked it into the tracks with a stiff brush
\nthen took my finger and wiped them flat so that
\nthe edges of the track did not have mud… only
\nthe crevases. When the mud had dried I took some
\nMIG Gunmetal and rubbed it between my thumb and
\nforefinger. I then rubbed it on the edges of the
\ntracks that would contact the ground and get worn.
\nI applied it onto the spokes and where the road
\nwheels would hit the tracks as well.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

Below you can see the finished tracks.
\nBe certain to bend the tracks while the mud dries
\nso that they don’t dry in a solid unmovable lump!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

09.12.2006 \u00c2\u00bb Painting
\nand Weathering Concepts<\/p>\n

\"\"On
\nthis page I will go into detail with the painting
\nand weathering steps for the Tamiya JGSDF Type
\n74 model kit. I’ll be using Tamiya Acrylics as
\nusual. Plus they have some JGSDF-specific colors
\nwhich will be great to use. I’ll use the standadr
\nJGSDF camo pattern as seen in the image to the
\nright. The weathering will be as if the tank has
\ntraveled on back-roads and through fields in Japan.
\nNot sure if they will be muddy or dry fields yet.<\/p>\n

09.12.2006 \u00c2\u00bb Priming<\/p>\n

I decided to prime the barrel, turret,
\nand chassis of the tank today to see how everything
\nlooks.Aside from priming to help the paint adhere
\nbetter and to provide a uniform base color for
\nall the paint to cover, it also helps check for
\nmistakes that don’t show up normally until aftyer
\npainting. There’s a few minor seams showing on
\nthe turret halves and the barrel, but nothing
\nthat isn’t easily fixed. Everything else is looking
\ngreat so far!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

09.23.2006 \u00c2\u00bb More
\nPriming<\/p>\n

I primed the rest of the tank parts
\nexcept for the tracks which were not ready when
\nI primed. I’ll do them tomorrow. I primed most
\nof the parts and the figures with Tamiya Surface
\nPrimer. Great stuff that goes on smooth and doesn’t
\nobscure the details. I also used Duplicolor Dark
\nGray on a few parts such as the rifles for the
\nfigures and the suspension arms since they won’t
\nbe seen much being covered in mud and dirt. Why
\nwaste the expensive primer?<\/p>\n

\"\"
\n\"\"
\n\"\"
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

To prime and paint I attach the
\nparts to skewers, sticky tack and skewers, or
\npopsicle sticks covered in duct-tape (sticky side
\nout).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

09.25.2006 \u00c2\u00bb Tank
\nCamo<\/p>\n

The first thing to paint on the
\ntank is the main camo pattern. I’ll be using the
\nBrown\/Green camo scheme. Tamiya makes specific
\nJGSDF colors for this. XF-72 and XF-73. First
\nI painted all the tank parts with the JGSDF Brown
\ncolor. Well… a close enough color as I don’t
\nhave XF-72. I mixed Brown with Kahki instead which
\nis close to my reference colors. Before this I
\nused some scrap-wood and used double-stick foam
\ntape to make a handle inside the hull of the chassis
\nand the turret.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

After that dried a few hours I used
\nsome sticky-tack and masked off where the camo
\nstripes will be for the green. I filled in the
\nbrown areas with tape to mask them. The sticky-tack
\ngives the camo a soft edge between colors for
\na sprayed-on look.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

After masking was done I sprayed
\non the XF-73 green.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

When dry I removed the masking carefully
\nand viola! Camo complete. Next-up.. painting tools
\nand equipment.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

09.26.2006 \u00c2\u00bb Details<\/p>\n

After the camo, it’s all about painting
\nthe tools and other details. For the turret I
\npainted the cloth cover between the gun and turret
\nwith a lightened kahki color. I painted the box
\nwith XF-74 JGSDF Olive Drab and the strap with
\nKahki. The wire for the IR sensor was painted
\nin german gray.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The tow cable end was painted in
\nthe JGSDF Green color and the cable later (not
\nshown painted) in a medium gray. The lights were
\npainted with silver Rub-n-Buff. The small lights
\nwill later be painted over with Clear Orange.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The tools were painted in XF-74
\nJGSDF Olive Drab and will be paint-chipped and
\nweahtered later.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Speaking of paint chips… Of all
\nthe Type 74s I saw images of, there was very little
\nin the way of chipping and\/or rust. These tanks
\nare VERY well maintained so I only added a few
\nchips here and there on high-wear areas and a
\nfew random from tools and such.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

After all the little details were
\npainted and the chips were done, I gave the kit
\na coat of Future Floor Acrylic thinned with Tamiya
\nThinner. This seals in the acrylic and creates
\na gloss base for the decals which will be next.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I wanted to call out the road wheels.
\nThe JGSDF does not camo them, but instead paints
\nsome green and some brown. I brushed on flat black
\naround the edges for the rubber. Almost pointless
\nthough as these wheels will be pretty muddy when
\nthis is all done!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

09.28.2006 \u00c2\u00bb Decals,
\nFilters, Chipping, and Wash<\/p>\n

After the gloss coat had dried I
\napplied the decals. I followed the instructions
\nand added the decals for “The 2nd Company,
\nThe First Cavalry Training Corp”. I used
\nthese because I wanted something “general”
\nand wasn’t thrilled with the other unit marks.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

After the decals, I applied a satin
\ncoat of Future<\/a>. When that cured I drybrushed
\na little light gray acrylic on the edges of the
\ncloth on the turret. Then I applied my first filter
\nwhich was a mixture of Ultramarine Blue and White
\noil paint thinned with oderless mineral spirits
\n(KleanStrip from Walmart).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

When the first filter was dry I
\napplied a second of the same colors as the first.
\nThe goal was to make the tones of both colors
\nslightly bluer and lighter. Below you can see
\nhow it acted as a wash on the road wheels and
\nsee what my filter looked like in the applesauce
\ntub. I love these tubs and use a lot of them.
\nGreat as a disposable container for washes and
\nsuch and holding small parts before painting.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

After the filters were dry I decided
\nto add the paint chips to the tools as well as
\ndoing some “mapping” to the exhaust
\npipes. The chipps to the wooden handles were done
\nby drybrushing Tamiya Buff to simulate chips along
\nthe wood grain. After I used some light gray acrylics
\nthen later red-brown to paint small colored areas
\non the shovel and exhaust to give them a more
\nrandom colored\/chipped\/stained look before rusting.
\nThis is known as “mapping” named after
\ntexture mapping from 3D images apparently. I like
\nto think of it as painting islands and continents
\nor slightly different colors, like a “map”.
\nThis can be used to simulate stains, repainted
\nareas, chips, etc…<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

After that detailing I applied a
\nwash of UM Blue + Burnt Sienna whick made a dark
\ngray-brown when mixed. This was thinned with oderless
\nmineral spirits and applied all over focusing
\non panel lines and details. This will be my first
\nwash and is intended to highlight some details.<\/p>\n

After this dries I’ll apply the
\nfading (dots of oils blended in with thinner)
\nand then the next wash of the dirt\/dust color.
\nBelow you can see the mapping on the exhausts.
\nLater pigments will be added to strengthen the
\neffect.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

09.29.2006 \u00c2\u00bb Fading<\/p>\n

Today I applied the fading to the
\nmodel with oils and mineral spirits. This is an
\neffect that I think truely brings out the realism
\nin a surface. The way it adds subtle color changes
\nand tones really looks great.<\/p>\n

The following 2 images are photoshopped
\n(and exaggerated)to show the process as I didn’t
\nhave time to photograph them. It’s not a technique
\nthat lends itself to photography time-wise. First
\nyou apply clean mineral spirits to a section of
\nthe tank. Then you apply dots of various oil colors
\nonto the clean thinner. I used Colbalt Blue, Yellow,
\nand White. Then you take a soft brush dampened
\nin clean spirits and blend it into the surface.
\nFor sides and inclines go up and down to simulate
\nrain-marks\/stains. For flat surfaces just swirl
\nthem and blend them in.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\n\"\"
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

Here you can see how it looks on
\nthe model. The staining is subtle and works really
\nwell. Using the blues and whites also help to
\nalter the color to more of a blue which I wanted.
\nI used burnt sienna on my Russian KV-2 as well
\nas the white, yellow, and blue to simulate rustiness
\nblended in.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

09.30.2006 \u00c2\u00bb Two More
\nWashes<\/p>\n

Today I added 2 more washes to layer
\nthe weathering effects on the tank. First I applied
\na brown wash which was similar to my dirt color
\non the base. After that dried I applied the same
\nwash, but with more white oil paint mixed in.
\nThis gave me a dusty look similar to many of the
\nimages I’ve seen of the Type 74 on maneuvers.
\nNext up will either be predusting with an airbrush
\nor rain marks with water-thinned tamiya acrylics.
\nNot sure which yet.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\n\u00c2\u00ab first \"\"
\n\u00c2\u00ab second<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

10.02.2006 \u00c2\u00bb Rain
\nMarks and Pre-Dusting<\/p>\n

The past couple days have been busy,
\nso not too much progress. First I applied some
\nrain marks to the vertical surfaces of the tank.
\nI mixed some Tamiya Buff and Brown with LOTS of
\nwater and brushed streaks down the vertical and
\nsloped sides that would have them. As they dry,
\nthe lightness of the marks show up. You won’t
\nsee them when they’re wet if you’re doing it right.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Next I mixed up a shade of Tamiya
\nAcrylics similar to my groundwork dirt. I mixed
\nthis 50\/50 with Flattened Future and sprayed it
\nwhere dust would collect. That was a bit dark,
\nso I mixed in some white and resprayed. The multi-layed
\neffect looks great. THis was applied to the underside
\nof the chassis, the road wheels, the rear panel
\nand front of the tank and in other places.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

When that dried I added more rain
\nmarks and applied the tinted window glass which
\nI cut from clear blister-pack plastic and backed
\nwith black acrylic.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

And last for the progress, I started
\non some of the mud and grime effects. Below you
\ncan see the first of it which is some mud spatters
\non the rear of the tank as seen in some of my
\nreference. I’ll be adding more of this later i
\nlighter shades. It was applied by fliching water-wet
\npigments with a stiff nylon brush. The cheap Testors
\nkind.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

10.03.2006 \u00c2\u00bb Dust
\nand Mud<\/p>\n

Next up in my layers and layers
\nof weathering is the mud and dust. First I applied
\nmore dust and dried earth with Mig Pigments. I
\nused both dark and light to simulate not only
\ndifferent types of dust, but to simulate that
\nsome of the much is still moist.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

After that it was time to make some
\nmud. I mixed equal parts of ground talus (A),
\ndry plaster of paris (B), MIG pigment powder (C),
\nand a little static grass thrown in as well.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I combined these in an applesause
\ncontainer then removed half for later. I made
\ntoo much dry mix, so by removing some I can use
\nit later for another kit. I took my mixture and
\nmixed in a slightly larger volume of Liquitex
\nAcrylic Matt Gel Medium. This is the same as the
\ngloss gel medium I use for water, but dries flat
\ninstead of glossy. I wanted it flat to simulate
\ndrying mud. I stirred this up well with an old
\nbrush until I got a nice muddy consistency. This
\nwill dry about the same color as the mix. Pigments
\nusually dry lighter, but this in my tests did
\nnot.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\n\"\"
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

Using some old brushes I applied
\nthe mud on the lower portions of the chassis where
\nthe tank would have pushed through some wet mud
\nwhich later dried and crumbled off in spots. I’ll
\nadd lighter dry pigments later to simulate the
\ndryer mud.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

This mixture was also applied to
\nthe wheels and drive sprockets.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

When the mud had dried I took some
\nMIG Gunmetal and rubbed it between my thumb and
\nforefinger. I then rubbed it on the sprockets
\n(see above) as well as the machine gun for the
\nturret. The gun was first painted black. Rubbing
\nthe metallic powder on it achieves a great look!<\/p>\n

\"\"
\n\"\"
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

10.04.2006 \u00c2\u00bb Drying
\nMud<\/p>\n

And finally for the weathering and
\npainting page we have progress shots of the drying
\nmud. This was basically achieved by dusting the
\ndarker mud with lighter pigments. Looks great!
\nI also attached the tracks. Love the sag and it
\nlooks great on the base. The tank itself is done
\nso final photos will be up soon… after the figs
\nare done!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

09.12.2006 \u00c2\u00bb Figure
\nConcepts<\/p>\n

On this page I will go into detail
\non constructing, painting, and weathering the
\nfigures I’ll use with the JGSDF Type 74 model
\nkit by Tamiya. I’ll be scrapping the kit-supplied
\nfigures as they’re… so-so. Instead I’ll be using
\na combination of the newer JGSDF Iraq Humanitarian
\nAssistance Team figures for those on the ground
\nand JGSDF driver figures supplied with the Type
\n82 and Type 87 from Trumpeter. More on this later….<\/p>\n

09.17.2006 \u00c2\u00bb Figure
\nConstruction<\/p>\n

I started the figures yesterday
\nfor this small vignette. I’ll be using 3 of the
\nstanding figures from the JGSDF Iraq Humanitarian
\nAssistance Team. They’ll be standing on the railroad
\ntracks. The driver for the tank is not shown as
\nI’m still deciding what to do with it. I know
\nI won’t be using the figure that came with the
\ntank. I’ll be using a driver head from one of
\nthe Trumpeter Type 82 or 87 model kits, but an
\nnot sure if I’ll use the body of one of the trumpeter
\nkits or that of the JGSDF LAV driver. I’ll have
\nto see how each looks\/fits together.<\/p>\n

Here’s a shot of what I’ve done
\nwith the standing figs so far. I’ve managed to
\nget most of the waving figure done, but I cannot
\nadd the misc. bits to the other two figures until
\nI clean-up the putty and glue on the arms. On
\na related note, I have a new background sheet
\nand place to take in-prog photos. The sheet of
\npaper matches this site quite nicely!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

09.17.2006 \u00c2\u00bb Stand
\nand Deliver<\/p>\n

The standing figs are all done.
\nNow I just need to do the driver head and an arm
\nthat will be slightly visible pushing open the
\ntop turret. Painting the camo on these should
\nbe a fun challenge.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

09.23.2006 \u00c2\u00bb Driver
\nand Primer<\/p>\n

I picked up my Type 87 and 82 from
\nFulcy today and was able to finish the last figure
\nby using one of the driver heads from the Trumpeter
\nkit. I needed a figure-head with the driver helmet
\nthat didn’t suck like the old kit-supplied figure.
\nThis went on easy enough with a little shaving
\nof the neck as it was REALLY long. I primed the
\nfigures with Tamiya Surface Primer.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\n\"\"
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

09.24.2006 \u00c2\u00bb Face
\nit!<\/p>\n

The first thing I needed to paint
\nwas the faces. This is because I’m doing them
\nin oils and they take a while to dry. Starting
\nthem now will give me the drying time to start
\npainting the tank. The following techniques are
\na combination of my own and what I learned from
\nCraig Whitaker, another member of my local IPMS
\nand a great figure painter. He’s got some oil
\npainting tutorials on Armorama<\/a>
\nso look them up!<\/p>\n

The first step in my painting is
\nto apply a base coat of flesh. This was a mixture
\nof Tamiya Acrylics (flesh + brown + white) and
\nairbrushed on. Don’t worry about the exact color
\nas that’ll be fixed later. Just do a basic skin-tone.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Next up was hand-brushing a thin
\nlayer of Future Floor Acrylic (FFA) onto the flesh
\nparts. This will seal in the basecoat and protect
\nit during the oil-painting process. Don’t worry
\nabout the gloss as that will be covered later.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Once the FFA cures we can begin
\nwith the oils. I mixed up some White and a little
\nBurnt Sienna on my pallet. (a lid covered in foil)
\nI added a touch of yellow to the flesh mix to
\nget a more Asian tone. Thanks again to Craig for
\nthis simple mix!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Now that the color was mixed I brushed
\nit onto the flesh-painted parts very thinnly.
\nIf this is applied to thick you’ll get brush strokes.
\nThis is where the base-coat comes in handy as
\nit lets you apply a thin layer of oils without
\nthe primer showing through. This thin coat of
\noils will cover the gloss of the FFA and act as
\na blending base for the highlights and shadows.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Next take a small brush and dab
\nsmall amounts of white oils where the highlights
\nwould be. Bridge of the nose, upper cheaks, lower
\nlip, etc…<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Now wipe that brush on a rag (no
\nthinner) and blend the white into the base color.
\nDon’t worry too much if your highlights are large
\nas we’ll blend them out later.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Now take pure Burnt Sienna and dab
\nit where the shadows would be. In the face creases,
\neye sockets, under the brows and chin, under the
\ncheakbones, etc…<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Now again we’ll wipe that brush
\nclean and use it to blend the Burnt Sienna into
\nthe base color. At this point you can see where
\nthings may beed some more blending to look better.
\nDo this as needed. After you’re done, set the
\nfigures aside to dry. I set mine into a warm spot
\nunder a lamp (careful not to melt them, just warmer
\nthan room temp) and this will dry the oils quicker.
\nWhen these oils dry, we can go back and add more
\nwhite and burnt sienna to exaggerate the highlights.
\nAdd a little pink to the lips as well.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

09.26.2006 \u00c2\u00bb Camo<\/p>\n

Next up for the figures is painting
\nthe JGSDF camoflauge fatigues. There’s a great
\nlittle diagram on what colors to use to paint
\nthe camo on the figure box, plus I looked up some
\nreal life references online. After studying the
\ncamo I decided to paint it in the following order:<\/p>\n

First I used a 50:50 mix of Tamiya
\nBuff and Flat Green. I thinned this with water
\nand brushed on a thin layer. This went on thin
\nand you could see the primer and flesh tones beneath,
\nbut this is good as multiple thin layers will
\nminimize brush strokes..<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

When that layer dried I painted
\na second thin coat of the green\/buff mix. This
\ncovered the first and left a nice solid green
\nwith very little base coats showing through. I
\ndidn’t do a 3rd coat (but I would had if this
\nwas a solid color fatigue) as the camo will cover
\nthe rest.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Next I applied Tamiya Red Brown
\nthinned with water with a pointy brush. According
\nto the reference, this color is prevalant, but
\nstill sparse.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Next I applied Tamiya Buff thinned
\nwith water. This color was applied more than the
\nRed Brown and even covers some of the Red Brown
\npatches as shown in the reference. The Buff color
\nis only half-done in these images. After double-checking
\nthe refs I need more small “dots” of
\nBuff.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I appled more small dots of the
\nBuff then I added the final camo color which is
\nsporadic dots of German Gray. After the gray dried
\nI used white glue to attach the helmets. Next
\nup is painting equipment, gloves, boots, straps,
\netc…<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

09.27.2006 \u00c2\u00bb Gear,
\nWash, and Drybrush<\/p>\n

After the camo was done I painted
\nthe dose meters (white ipod looking thingies),
\nboots, vest webbing, gloves, straps, walkie talkies,
\netc…<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

After all the details were painted,
\nI gave the figures a gloss coat of Future Floor
\nAcrylic to seal in the base painting. After the
\nclear coat I needed to decide on how to highlight
\nthe figures to show all the webbing, gear, pockets,
\netc… Oils probably wouldn’t work since they’re
\nnot very translucent. I opted instead for watercolors.
\nI first used a wash of olive green on everything
\nbut the dose meters, boots, and skin. For the
\nboots I used a wash of black + burnt sienna watercolors.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

When the washes dried, I did something
\nI usually don’t do, but thought would work in
\nthis case… Drybrushing. I needed to highlight
\nthe various ridges and such on these figs since
\nthe camo hid everything in it’s randomness. That’s
\nwhat camo does though! I used white tube watercolor
\nand drybrushed it onto everything but the skin.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Lastly I gave the figures a flat
\ncoat of Future. I think they turned out pretty
\ngood and are almost done. Next time I’ll probably
\nuse a very light green instead of white as the
\nwhite makes the figures look glossy a bit even
\nthough they’re flat. Maybe I can go back.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Below you can see the watercolors
\nI used. You can also see the dip I made for tinting
\nthe goggles. The dip was made from Future + 2
\ndrops of blue food coloring. Next I’ll attach
\nthe goggles to the helmets and paint the rims
\nwith semi-gloss black. I’ll also finish the rifles
\nand attach them. I’ll probably add some pigments
\nto the knees and boots as well.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

09.12.2006 \u00c2\u00bb Diorama
\nConcepts<\/p>\n

On this page I will go into detail
\non constructing, painting, and weathering the
\ndisplay base for the JGSDF Type 74 model kit by
\nTamiya. My plan is for the tank to be resting
\non a slight back-road incline and on some railroad
\ntracks. There will be some brush and a few figures
\nas well. I got the railroad track idea from some
\nimages I saw in an issue of Xtreme Military Modeler.
\nThe way the tank tracks sag over the tracks is
\na beautiful thing to behold.<\/p>\n

09.12.2006 \u00c2\u00bb Riding
\nthe Rails<\/p>\n

On the way back from preschool today
\nI stopped into the model railroad shop a few blocks
\nfrom my house. Usually I never step foot in these
\nas they don’t have much I ever need. This time
\nhowever they were the perfect source for a main
\npiece of this dio. Railroad tracks! They didn’t
\nhave anything in a larger scale with only 2 rails
\nand the ties so I opted for what I think is an
\nHO scale length of track. I got 2 feet of it for
\n$5.00 which wasn’t too bad.<\/p>\n

I need to do a fair amount of modifications
\nto it. Yes… I know… there’s 1\/35 scale track
\navailable. I’ve not heard good things about it
\nthough and didn’t want to wait for it to be delivered.
\nFirst up I needed to take it apart and cut it
\nto the length I needed. I slid the wooden ties
\noff and used a razor-saw to cut the tracks. I
\nguestimated based on images of people walking
\non railroad tracks the width I’d need. I decided
\nto use the existing ties in the center and use
\nthe cut-off edges for the parts out-side of the
\ntrack.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

Next I cut a thin piece of balsa
\nwood that fit into the shallow box I’ll be using
\nas a base. This will be the base for the tracks
\nso that I can add them to the base after painting.
\nI glued the widest pieces of “tie” in
\nthe center and the short pieces ou the outside
\nwith white glue. I can remove the metal track
\nparts for painting which is nice. When I place
\nit onto the base when done I’ll fill the gaps
\nand edges with those little gray rocks called
\nballast. That’ll help blend it all in. Also since
\nthe tank will be resting on the tracks, I’ll be
\nadding some wood or rusted metal dimond-plate
\nplanks as a cheap railroad crossing. This would
\nkeep the tank\/normal traffic from damaging the
\ntracks in real life.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

Below you can see the widened track
\nsitting inside of the base (although when done
\nthe track will be sitting up on a slope an inch
\nhigher) and the “scale fig”.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

09.14.2006 \u00c2\u00bb The Grassy
\nKnoll<\/p>\n

I made some more progress on the
\nbase today since I got my Silflor grass mat. The
\nweird thing is… I ordered it from Scenic Express
\nyesterday. I totally did not expect it to arrive
\nso soon. Express is right! Wow. Anyway, I got
\nthe fall sample set which comes with 5 different
\n4×6 inch pieces. These will last me a very long
\ntime I think so the $15.95 price tag wasn’t *too*
\nhorrible. They’re very nice though and have a
\nrealistic look. See an image I shot below.<\/p>\n

I also started building up the
\ngroundwork on the base. I first used floral foam
\nand put paper mache over it. Then I added celluclay
\nover that to get the bumpy base I want under the
\ngrass. I didn’t add any on the “hill”
\nas that’s where the track section will be placed
\nand will be covered with ballast. (little gray
\nrocks) I added styrene around the edge of the
\ngroundwork to section that off flatly. I’ll paint
\nthat black later and also stain the wood.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

09.16.2006 \u00c2\u00bb More
\nGrass<\/p>\n

I had some requests to show the
\nentire pieces of the Silflor grass I got from
\nScenery
\nExpress<\/a>. Here’s all 5 pieces and the description
\nfrom the website…<\/p>\n

Silflor\u00c2\u00ae Autumn Sampler Pack 5 sheets
\n4″ x 6″ each as follows: SF71024 Autumn Short
\n2mm Lawn SF71124 Autumn Medium 5mm Lawn SF72024 Autumn High
\nPasture 8mm Lawn SF72124 Autumn High Pasture W\/Weeds 8mm
\nSF73024 Wild AutumnTone Moorland Silflor gives ground cover
\na whole new meaning. Silflor’s unique beauty will add subtle
\ndistinctions of texture, length and color to any landscape.
\nGrass heights are available in 2mm, 5mm & 8 mm lengths.
\nChoose from a variety of color including spring, early summer,
\nlate summer, and autumn tones and our favorite, wild moorland
\ntexture. A realistic natural scenery can be achieved by
\nincorporating various sizes of mat, textures, colors and
\nheights. Take care when mixing and matching colors. Adjacent
\nperiods of the year must be utilized together. Yellow colors
\nprevail closer to road surfaces while further from the road,
\nground surface is often greener. Fields rarely consist of
\none type of grass. Some places are wetter, other dryer.
\nSome places tufts are longer, others shorter, Feel free
\nto add wild grasses, weeds and flowers for visible variations.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

09.18.2006 \u00c2\u00bb Track
\nBallast<\/p>\n

My tracks should be here in a day
\nor 2 so in the meantime I’m working on the base
\nas well as the figs. Today, since the celluclay
\ncan shrink when it dries, I filled in the cracks
\nbetween the styrene sheet and the existing celuclay
\nwith more celluclay. If that shrinks more, then
\nI’ll use something else for the next cracks. Wood
\nfiller maybe. I also laid my track section down
\nand poured some ballast onto it. I just wanted
\nto see how it would look when done. When I do
\nthis for the final, I’ll have to clean it off
\nthe ties and fill in the edges on the ends of
\nthe tracks. Adding a few weeds growing in the
\nballast will be a nice touch too.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

09.19.2006 \u00c2\u00bb Dirt<\/p>\n

The celluclay finally dried so I
\nwas able to get a good bit of progress in on the
\nbase. A few days ago I stained the base with a
\ndark Red Oak stain from Minwax. When dry the next
\nday I masked it off from the sides and clay with
\nblue painters tape. This afternoon I primed the
\nbase in dark gray Duplicolor primer and when that
\ndried a bit I sprayed the flat sides with a flat
\nblack spraypaint. After that dried for about a
\nhalf hour (dry to the touch) I removed the masking
\ntape and sprayed the whole base with a semi-gloss
\nclear-coat from a spray-can.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

After this clear-coat dried I remasked
\nthe wood and began painting the dirt with craft
\nacrylics. I mixed a color that was very similar
\nto Mig Pigments Russian Earth (P034). I painted
\nit on and left it to dry.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

When the acrylics dried (about 20
\nminutes later) I took some Mig Russian Earth pigment
\nand placed it into a small container. I then dipped
\na medium-sized brush into mineral spirits and
\nmixed a thick pasty slurry. I immediately brushed
\nthis onto the base over the acrylics. I repeated
\nthe dip, slurry, paint process till the entire
\nportion of the base I painted with acrylics was
\ncovered. This went on very dark and shiney, but
\nwhen dry it lightens and makes a very nice matt
\nsurface.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

The plain Russian Earth base color
\nlooked good, but I wanted to add some variation
\nin the tones of the earth to add to the realism.
\nTo do this I dabbed on small amounts of dry pigments.
\n(Europe Dust P028 and Vietnam Earth P031) I then
\nworked\/blended these into the base pigment with
\na brush. This gave me a great overall color similar
\nto that seen in some JGSDF Type 74 training images
\nI was sent. See below for images. Next up is the
\ntracks and ballast.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

09.20.2006 \u00c2\u00bb Making
\nTracks<\/p>\n

More base progress today. First
\nI sprayed the tracks, metal plates (styrene rectangles)
\nand railroad spikes (straight pins) with dark
\ngray Duplicolor primer. (pictured below) I love
\nthe spray tip of this primer as it produces a
\nvertical flat spray that keeps build-up to a minimum.
\nAfterwards I hand-brushed the tracks and such
\nwith a rust-colored mix of Tamiya acrylics.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"
\n\"\"
\n\"\"
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

Meanwhile I used 5 minute epoxy
\nto attach the track ties to the groundwork. Then
\nI glued some sprigs of tall field grass in a few
\nspots next to the ties which will simulate weeds.
\nWhen everything dried I glued thetracks in then
\nthe metal plates to the ties on both sides of
\nthe tracks. When that ried I drilled small holes
\nin the plates with my pin-vice and into the ties.
\nI cut the sharp ends of the pins and glued them
\ninto the holes. Lastly I poured on the ballast
\nand applied Future Floor Acrylic with an eye-dropper
\nto act as a glue to hold the ballast in place.<\/p>\n

This larger ballast will be covered
\nlater with a dry, smaller, crushed mixture of
\nballasts. This will fill in the gaps and make
\na finer looking and more in-scale look. This fine
\nballast is mixed with powdered ballast cement.
\nWhen I apply water to it, it will glue everything
\nin place and hopefully be a strong pile of rocks.
\nI’ll also use pigment powders after this to rust-up
\nthe tracks more. A last step will be to finely
\nsand the track-tops with fine steel wool to regain
\ntheir shine from use.<\/p>\n

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09.21.2006 \u00c2\u00bb On The
\nRocks<\/p>\n

I’ve done a little more with the
\ntrack-bed. I applied my finer ballast\/dry ballast
\ncement mix over the coarser stuff. Looks pretty
\ngood. Adding some water mixed with white glue
\nreally set the plie down firm. I added some rust
\nMig Pigments to the tracks and later will apply
\nsome dust to the rust to blend it in better. I
\nalso sanded the top of the tracks down to the
\nnatural metal to simulate the polishing wear of
\nfrequent use. As a suggestion from BK I’ll darken
\nthem up a bit with a little bit of oils and then
\nsome powdered graphite. I’ll also vary the tones
\nof the individual ties with some oil washes. Below
\nis the latest image and a few reference shots
\nof train tracks. The first image is very close
\nto what I’ve been planning.<\/p>\n

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10.04.2006 \u00c2\u00bb Greenery<\/p>\n

I’ve added the Silflor grass to
\nthe base as well as some shrubs. The grass went
\non great, but it’s a little shiney so I had to
\nspray it with a little flat-Future. I didn’t apply
\ngrass where the tracks are so that the tank sits
\ncorrectly on the ground.<\/p>\n

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