Alchemy, the dark arts and the Hairy Eyeball.......
This installment involves some dark strong ales, some AK interactive metal burnishing fluid and a BIG mess 🙂 I used the AK interactive fluid diluted as per a recipe I found on youtube. Had I to do it over I would not dilute it. Basically what it does is chemically reacts with the metal of the tracks causing it to darken. In the 3rd pic you can see the difference. Next I used a wash of india ink, future floor polish and isopropyl alcohol. THEN I mixed up various ground pastels with a very thin mixture of dull cote and thinner and blotted it on the tracks. After letting it dry I took a sanding stick and sanded the spots that would normally be bright metal from wear!
There's tank parts there? Maybe more like Tank-ard! Those ales sound delicious...oh...and the treads look awesome as well.
; )
Madre de Dios! Grigori Rasputin on a beer label!
I'm speechless!
I think your method turned out really well, Rob...actually, the top track in that 4th pic almost looks like a snake skin. 🙂 Nice work - lookin' forward to the end result(s).
Or, you could have just let the tracks soak in the stout for a couple of hours and get the same result...
Thanks guys, after the final flat coat and pastels at the end of the build I think they will really look the part. Now cost wise I think will shy away from the Fruils and the AK interactive. The AK cost $16, add that to the $35 I paid for the tracks, well for kits with decent indy links that's pretty steep to replace them. They are very cool looking though!
Looks like motor stables at Grafenwehr. Changing the track on the full size is bad enough, but this is something.
I admire your patience and ability to work with fiddly parts, which are at least real metal.
I had a DML BMP with plastic link tracks once. Been scared off ever since.
Like Rob, I thought you soaked the tracks in the imperial stout ...a lot of extra effort equals an outstading model. Very nice.