Takom Chieftain Mk10 Berlin Bde
This article is part of a series:
- Hull Down
- Takom Chieftain Mk2
- Takom 1/35 Chieftain Mk 11 Stillbrew
- Tamiya Chieftain Mk3
- Tamiya Chieftain Mk5c
- …and the Chieftain Mk 3 progresses…
- Berlin Brigade Chieftain Mk5C
- Chieftain Berlin Brigade Camouflage Masks
- Takom Chieftain Mk5c Berlin Bde
- Takom Chieftain Mk10 Berlin Bde
- Takom 1/35 Chieftain Mk10 Track Bash
This was the final variant of the Chieftain to see service in Berlin before the wall came down. I'm currently working on the wheels, which Takom have moulded the outer set of the tires separately. I'm using the Vallejo Acrylic Wheels and Tracks set for the tires and tracks. The great advantage of this set is that it does not react with the Meng Leopard tracks, unlike enamels, which is why I bought this set originally. I'll be using the kit tracks for this one, I'm saving my Masterclub tracks for another Chieftain project I have in mind...
Looking awesome, my friend @ianfoulk96!
I have similar issues with enamels on vinyl aircraft tires. Acrylics seem to get going well!
That you Spiros. I've never been keen on vinyl tires I have to admit and I have had similar problems. Acrylics do get over the problem, but sometimes the tires themselves are the issue. I've had them react to the plastic and break... With the ASLAV I'm working on I replaced the wheels with resin ones...
One sort of trick I do is to coat the plastic AND the vinyl with Future (or Pledge, or...), before attaching the vinyl part, my friend @ianfoulk96!
Seems kind of lessening the reaction with plastic...
I have always liked this paint scheme. Looks great, Ian (@ianfoulk96).
Thanks George for the compliment
Lots of care and knowledge behind your efforts, Ian. I really like the look of the Chieftain in these colors. It would be interesting to see this camo style in a weathered state on a model. This may not be realistic for real world examples but looked compelling in the apocalyptic movie "Children of Men" - for tanks actually crashing through architecture. Downer of a film but visually striking.
Again, thanks Colin. Yes, I saw "Children of Men" which was an "interesting" film. If you want to see a real disaster film, try and get hold of the BBC's Drama film "Threads". That's how to make a disaster film!
Agreed. I saw Threads when it was first broadcast in 1984. A much better thought out and dramatized post-nuclear war scenario than The Day After, which came out the year before. The best of British TV. Both had an historical effect on changing nuclear weapons policies - particularly for The Day After and the impression it left on Ronald Reagan - allegedly.
Ronald Reagan had been against Nuclear Weapons before, which was part of the problem behind Able Archer 83 (which I was on!). Behind the scenes Regan was sending out feelers to the Russians about banning nuclear weapons, but publicly he was talking tough rhetoric about "the evil empire". It was a result of these contradictions, the massive increase in the military budget and the "Star Wars" project sent mixed messages to the Russians. To make matters worse, there had been a shift in power in the Kremlin with the death of Brezhnev and the succession of Yuri Andropov, ex head of the KGB and someone who was paranoid about the west created the conditions for "the perfect storm". Some good books on the subject are "!983 The World At The Brink" by Taylor Downing and "Able Archer 83" Edited by Nate Jones. Both are well worth reading
Thanks for the references, Ian, I will check them out. What I know about Able Archer is entirely gleaned from TV documentaries. I've always suspected Reagan's motives were driven by more than a TV show - hence I said "allegedly" about how The Day after changed his attitude. You experienced a chilling moment in history. Luckily for the world, it didn't become a moment of even more profound importance if the Soviets had acted on their paranoia. Happy modeling.
Here's some images of the experimental "Urban Camouflage" DPM. It was never adopted as in the all important middle distance you actually stood out more than in normal DPM. This set was made from the actual material, but the experimental sets were cut to a different pattern
7 attached images. Click to enlarge.