Why not build your Zelda and we'll display them together in the next show? I'm building mine as the comm version. You can do the Toga version

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Why not build your Zelda and we'll display them together in the next show? I'm building mine as the comm version. You can do the Toga version

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To be bloody honest, I don't have the heart to do Zelda anymore. She sits there, alone. Yeah, she's pretty, but there's that sexy Challenger I and her younger, better sister - Challenger II. And, oh yeah, there's also the lovely M1A2 to become an SEP, and that darling of a T-80UD just crying out to become a T-80UM-2 with Drozd-2 active defense system...

SR - I find AC intimidating because of all the work I need to do, plus their size - particularly in the 1/48 scale. Although armor has more and sometimes even smaller parts than AC, in AC construction, you have to be extra careful with the fuselage, the cockpit, the canopy, the leading edges of the wings, etc. etc. Then there's also the paint job. Armor is easier to paint, while AC - especially when producing sharp-edged camo schemes - I find it hard.

If I ever go back to AC, it'll be in 1/72 this time, as they're just the right size for me palms, as well as not as overwhelming as 1/48. BTW, 1/48 modern AC can be way bigger than 1/35 armor, but many 1/72 modern AC are the same size (not scale wise, but physically) to armor.

Hence, my being intimidated and overwhelmed by AC.

Quoted Text

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Why not build your Zelda and we'll display them together in the next show? I'm building mine as the comm version. You can do the Toga version

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To be bloody honest, I don't have the heart to do Zelda anymore. She sits there, alone. Yeah, she's pretty, but there's that sexy Challenger I and her younger, better sister - Challenger II. And, oh yeah, there's also the lovely M1A2 to become an SEP, and that darling of a T-80UD just crying out to become a T-80UM-2 with Drozd-2 active defense system...

SR - I find AC intimidating because of all the work I need to do, plus their size - particularly in the 1/48 scale. Although armor has more and sometimes even smaller parts than AC, in AC construction, you have to be extra careful with the fuselage, the cockpit, the canopy, the leading edges of the wings, etc. etc. Then there's also the paint job. Armor is easier to paint, while AC - especially when producing sharp-edged camo schemes - I find it hard.

If I ever go back to AC, it'll be in 1/72 this time, as they're just the right size for me palms, as well as not as overwhelming as 1/48. BTW, 1/48 modern AC can be way bigger than 1/35 armor, but many 1/72 modern AC are the same size (not scale wise, but physically) to armor.

Hence, my being intimidated and overwhelmed by AC.

There is no 'secret technique' in armor. I guess the thing that makes armor look good is proper washing and dry brushing which brings out the details. Unlike AC where one is presented with a mostly smooth surface, the detail limited to a few 'bumps' (e.g. grills, antennae, etc.) and panel lines, with most of very details concentrated on the cockpit area - you have seen what Crismag has done to his F-15, right?

Re:AC camo, my problem with hard-edges is the masking itself. I almost always mess up with tape masking. It either 1) not snug hence some leaks, 2) it leaves a sticky surface which - without the proper solution - is hard to remove, and 3) it can lift the paint on a surface that has been previously painted. Of course, with the proper airbrush tip size (fine tip most probably), you can make almost hard-edged camo schemes. Same thing goes with armor. Problem with armor in camo is the masking - unless you use a liquid mask, but that is sometimes notorious for not following your intended pattern as it seeps through other areas by capillary action. My M1A2s were painted without the benefit of any mask, using my airbrush. You can make relatively hard-edges with an airbrush free hand without masking. Nice thing about armor is you can weather it really good - although, yes, weathering should not be an excuse to hide errors in painting and construction.

I think the main difference will be in weathering. Even a brand new tank had a lot of weathering, especially on the track and suspension. You will also find that how you approach the building process will be fundamentally different. You will want to determine what to paint and when. There are a lot more details to add to most tanks than planes. You need to figure out whether to assemble before or after painting and should you put the stowage on before you paint it. I think planes take less time to build and about the same time to paint, but I think the process of building tanks is more complicated than building planes. There is also a larger variety of AM stuff for tanks. Not quantity or availability, but variety. You have full interior sets, pe sets, stowage, tracks, barrels, tow cables, figures, engines, you name it. And the variety within tanks themselves is greater and more evident. You really need to sit down before hand and figure out exactly what you want to do with a tank.

I love interior details! Ever since GI sold me a Zelda I got hooked! Interiors are not for everyone though. They take a lot of time and most of it can't be seen anyway. APCs are a different matter though because if you want to open the infantry hatch at the back you have to have an interior.

Most Tamiya tanks don't have interiors. Most Academy tanks do. An interiorless Tamiya tank goes for at least a thousand bucks. An Academy tank with all the options goes for half that. It all boils down to value for money.

My rule of thumb in interiors is: if you can't see it, don't build it. (I was influenced by Shep Paine's books ) Hence, all of my armor have their hatches closed. Am I a wimp or what?

Guys, here is the first part of the insane guys interior detailing of a Tiger I..

[ http://www.network54.com/Hide/Forum/message?forumid=110741&messageid=1047382175

Its up for you guys to decide if he really is insane....

grabe yung link na yun ah, sobra idol ko na ata yung modeler na yun... sana magaling sya mag paint at mag weather or parang nakakahinayang pinturahan yun model..hehe

btw, san yung accurate? shop ba yun?

Ayos naman eh. He's using real metal there. I can say it's really good. Ang linis ng gawa
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