Tamiya 1/35 Challenger 1 mk3

[col68]

Looking forward to seeing the paint job mate

 

[Mr Bowcat]

Undercoat went on well, the turret in this colour reminds me of a batmobile. :D



I then added some pretty shading to the panels. Unfortunately the airbrush was a little "spitty" with the white, not sure why?

 

[col68]

Looks OK to me Bob was it tamiya xf -2 by any chance ?

 

[Mr Bowcat]

It was Tamiya, but X2 rather than XF. I must have picked it up by mistake as all my other paints are XF.

I was careful to clean the A/B so maybe I didn't thin it enough?

 

[col68]

It was Tamiya, but X2 rather than XF. I must have picked it up by mistake as all my other paints are XF.

I was careful to clean the A/B so maybe I didn't thin it enough?

For some reason tamiya's white paint is a nightmare to use i stir mine then pass it through a mesh before I thin it .
Then I apply it in very thin coats

 

[dubster72]

Tamiya white is always a bugger to work with. But it's looking good & the patchiness won't be noticed - in fact it adds to the authenticity

 

[Mr Bowcat]

Thanks for the advice about the white, I was worried I screwed up.

As you say Patrick, once the top coat goes on it shouldn't show up.

 

[steve5]

very nice bob , been wanting to try the black and white technique , did you try thinning the white at all mate ?

 

[Builder]

Super job there Bob. Very nicely done wheels and really like the preshading.

 

[noble]

Welcome to the forum Bob and that challenger is looking the business so far mate nowt wrong with that.

 

[Mr Bowcat]

Cheers gents.

Steve, yes the white was thinned the same as the black, which sprayed absolutely fine.

 

[Mr Bowcat]

OK guys, I need some advice from more experienced modellers (which on here means absolutely everybody else :D).

I've applied the top coats and reached a stage where I think I should stop, but then I'm second guessing myself and wondering if I should go for one more coat. What do you guys think?

 

[dubster72]

I wouldn't give it a second coat as such. I'd just very lightly mist paint over the entire model from above.

That way you'd keep the pre-shading & fill in the areas that need a smidgen more top coat.

But... if you left it as is, I still think the future weathering would tie it all in together.

 

[Mr Bowcat]

That was kind of my thinking too. The wash is going to be a slightly darker sand, followed by some powder/pigments. I'd intended giving it a final mist coat at the end to represent sand and dust. I'm hoping this will blend it all together.

 

[Mr Bowcat]

Well, I decided it was too patchy (it looked better in the pics than in real life) so I decided to go for another coat. I may well have undone a lot of the preshading work, but as this is my first build I decided to be a bit more cautious.

 

[Mr Bowcat]

I got a little bit of work done today. Detail painted a few bits and painted and fitted the tow cables and MG. I think I will varnish tonight and decal tomorrow, although I'm still not sure what to do with the straps for the fuel barrels.