Here's a Tamiya 1/48 scale plastic kit I picked up off ebay from a seller in Japan earlier this year at a great price - about half of what they go for in the US. As with all the Tamiya 1/48 scale kits I've worked on so far, it went together quickly and easily. After spraying it with a coat of Tamiya Dark Yellow (aka Dunkelgelb), it sat unfinished for several months as I wasn't sure what kind of camo work to finish it with. I don't have an airbrush, nor do I plan to ever get one - the maintenance puts me off. So I needed to find a pattern that could be applied by brush and still have a fairly decent result. I found a pattern on the internet the other day which looked do-able and gave it a try.
Here it is with Victory Force Miniatures for scale. There were two long stemmed rearview mirrors on each front fender, but ended up breaking them off while painting. Figured they get broken during gaming anyway.
The irregular, splotchy green pattern with a dark brown border looked cool in the image I found. However, looking at how it turned out reminds me of an Aloha shirt floral print.
I tried to disguise the "flowers" a bit with dry brushing and washes.
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| The "WH" on the rear panel id's it as a Heer vehicle, yet they're Waffen SS guys in and around it; leave it to the SS to commandeer the vehicle. |
If I ever get another one of these, I'll try out a different camo pattern. All in all a very good kit and sturdy enough for gaming (after the fiddly mirrors were removed). I know there are nice 28mm kits, but all of my other vehicles are either 1/48 or 1/50 (Corgi) models.
It was another nice change up from Napoleonic units and makes me think of getting a few more model kits. Well, thanks again for visiting and best wishes to you all.
Nice half-track,bit of a change of pace! Lovely work, nice and grimy!
ReplyDeleteBest Iain
Thanks, Iain. Yes, the weathering helps hide the flaws :) Best, Dean
DeleteLovely work, I just can’t be bothered with a spray gun either. Beautiful photography as well 🙂
ReplyDeleteThank you, Matt. At 1/48th-1/56th scale, brush on camo looks okay - particularly for table-top gaming. Warm regards, Dean
DeleteWell done, love the half track...
ReplyDeleteThank you kindly, Phil. I always wanted one (or two) of these to balance the two Corgi US M3 halftracks I already have. Best, Dean
DeleteVery nice!
ReplyDeleteThank you very much, Aaron! Best regards, Dean
DeleteVery nicely done. I do have an airbrush and can confirm that the maintenance is off-putting. I really only use it for primers on 28's and vehicles and big things like buildings etc, as an alternative to solvent based rattle cans.
ReplyDeleteThank you kindly, Norm. A buddy gave a still-in-the-box airbrush set w/compressor. However, after reading the instruction manual, I decided to give it back. Properly done, airbrushing surpasses hand-painted camo work, but again, I'm sticking to the brushes. For 1/48 & 28mm stuff for gaming it's fine, IMO. Best regards, Dean
DeleteExcellent kit and figures Dean!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mike. The VFM figures being on the larger side of 28mm fit 1/48-50th scale vehicles pretty nicely, IMO. Kindest regards, Dean
DeleteLooks like it came out alright to me. Dry brushing worked well.
ReplyDeleteCheers
Kevin
Thank you very much for your kind words, Kevin. Yes, it'll be fine for gaming, and hopefully I can learn from the experience to improve on the next one. Warmest regards, Dean
DeleteKit looks good and your assembly and paint job look very good to me. “Hawaiian shirt” camo pattern is a good one! Made me laugh.
ReplyDeleteAfter seeing your result, I am very tempted to try my hand at one of these Tamiya Hanomags for CoC.
Mahalo and Aloha, Jonathan! I'm sure you'll enjoy putting together and painting up a Tamiya kit - here's another 'mag from the same seller https://www.ebay.com/itm/Figure-Tamiya-32564-1-48-Mtl-SPW-Sd-Kfz-251-1-Ausf-D-FREE-SHIPPING-SB/272597337946?hash=item3f7811475a Best, Dean
DeleteBeautiful work Dean!
ReplyDeleteAh, you're too kind, Michal. I hope to get a few more and work on the brush on camo work. Kind regards, Dean
DeleteCracking job Dean. Really like the camo work.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much, Simon. I rushed painting the splotches - next time, I'll pay a bit more attention to the overall pattern. Best regards, Dean
DeleteLooks great Dean. I think the Cammo pattern came out fine... not that I'll ever paint any! :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you much, Peter! Kindest regards, Dean
Delete"There were two long stemmed rearview mirrors on each front fender, but ended up breaking them off while painting. Figured they get broken during gaming anyway."
ReplyDeleteDean, your troops don't need to see behind themselves, just keep pushing forward!
The paint job looks good to me.
Dave
Lol! Thanks for dropping by and the kind words, Dave. Yes, no retreat...no looking back! Lol! Dean
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