Looking great, George @gblair

This is really shaping up well, George. That gun almost looks like a naval cannon.

As usual, it is the last small bits that seem to take the longest. I spent a couple of hours hand-painting a lot of the small pieces that are about to get the glue. This includes a number of lights and spot lights, handles to turn the turret, and a pair of coach lights in a brass housing. I did some more detail painting on the 76mm "anti-assault" cannon and then sealed everything with some flat clear.

I also wanted to rework the rear part of the turret. The kit part attaches in a place that should be a flat plate, so there is a visible seam in a place where there should be one. I don't know how hard it would have been to mold the rear piece so that it would attach in the same place as the real vehicle. I added some filler and will carefully sand and smooth tomorrow.

I added the decals today. There are only 4 decals for the entire kit, consisting of the name of the individual vehicle on all 4 sides. The decals were by Cartograph and went on well, but refused to settle down over rivets. A couple of rounds of MicroSol didn't help, so I resorted some stronger stuff, which finally did the trick.

I hope to assemble everything tomorrow, spray on a protective layer of clear flat, and then start thinking about weathering. Cheers everyone.

11 attached images. Click to enlarge.

You are right, Carl (@clipper). My hands shake when I get to the decals because they have the power ruin the model you have been working on for weeks. These look a little thick, but I will know more after I spray the clear over them.

Hi John (@johnb). There are two different things I use when I need something strong for decals: Walthers Solvaset and Tamiya MarkFit Strong. Solvaset was designed for model trains and is very strong. I have actually had it dissolve a decal, so always check on a spare decal from the sheet you are using. MarkFit isn't quite as strong as Solvaset, but it is stronger than MicroSol. I have never had MarkFit dissolve a decal, but it still wouldn't hurt to test it first. I used MarkFit to get the decals to settle down on the armoured car.

George R Blair Jr (@gblair)

It has been several days since I have logged into Imodeler. I have caught up with reading your build journal.

I must admit, you have been making some wonderful progress. I like everything that you have done, as it looks really nice. Great way to tame the decals. Adding them is the point during a build where everything comes together. It's also one of my favorite parts of the build.

Lately I have been using a Molotow chrome pen to "paint" things like headlights and spot lights. They seem to take a long time to dry, and they dull down some when coated with a clear coat. So I typically use them at the very end of the build. The end result looks very realistic, and is on par with using a MV lens as a replacement for the kit supplied parts.

I picked mine up at Hobby Lobby. I think if you gave them a try, you might not go back to using silver paint on headlights. They work equally as well for aircraft landing lights. It's basically chrome in a pen form, that actually looks like chrome when it dries. You have to be careful not to touch it for several days after application.

My friend, you are on a roll, and making some excellent progress.

Take care, and I look forward to your next installment. 🙂

Hi Louis (@lgardner). I am not worried to much about the shine on the spotlights because there is a clear piece that goes over each of them. I have a Molotow pen but have never used it. It is on my list of things to try at some point in the future. Thanks for stopping in.

Thanks, Spiros (@fiveten). It is great to have another weapon in the tool bag.