I received the stencils and jerrycans yesterday (thanks Dave, good quality as usual) and spent the evening cleaning the excess off the jerrycans. Today I set about adding the numerals on the bin and turret sided. I wanted a hand painted look rather than a neat finish but first had to trim some of the areas around the stencils so that I could position them properly. This took a bit of juggling as the Funklenk radio antenna is in the way. My tank is loosely based on a Tiger from Panzer Abteilung 301 (Funklenk) and as it is model No. 13, I had a choice of 113 or 213. Having tried both I liked the look of 213 even though it was harder to fit the numerals around the ariel mounting bracket.
I taped the stencils in place then used a fairly dry brush of white paint to give a light outline, then the stencils were removed and I hand painted the white numbers. I used matt black as the infill but made sure it didn't look too tidy. The turret bin has had larger numerals added using a similar method.
I have used various thinned down oils to match the turret to the hull and once thoroughly dry I will add the dust layer to the turret and bin.
I experimented with some shrubbery to see which plants look good as extra camouflage for the Tiger. I used a triple coat of Citadel varnish on each twig and leaves and will see if they hold together over the next few weeks. I have also been online trying to get some 1/6 scale camouflage net and crates/boxes to put on the rear deck without much success. I have started making some crates using box wood from the local hobby store and will see how they turn out.
Ragnar kindly pointed out I had the machine gun the wrong way round and the barrel should be on the left, oddly the Armortek manual shows it on the right. I have swapped it around but the mod I did the keep the barrel central will need another mod as it is flopping around again
Anyway, it is now time for a glass of Rioja so I will wish you all a pleasant evening.
Regards
Gary
- Tiger 213
. I did try to include any mistakes I made in my build thread which may help others avoid them. I read Stephen's painting and weathering guides many times before deciding to use oil paints which have advantages and disadvantages. The colour range available for the Abteilung 502 oils is excellent and the smoke effects and dust layer was very easy to achieve, but the drying times can be quite frustrating. I particularly like the dark rust oil as it looks right and has texture when dappled on. I also spoke to Simon on several occasions who gave me lots of advice as we discussed the excellent paint job on his Famo. Simon uses water-based paints with hairspray between the layers. He says it is easy to do but I think he has a real talent for it. It is a method I may try on the Churchill.