MENG Model Sd.Kfz.182 King Tiger [WIP - Micro Paint Chips on selected areas of the Hull and Turret]

Ever been at a point when you're just sick of the sight of the model you're working on? Well, I get the feeling it's happening to me with the King Tiger. That's to be expected when a work-in-progress drags on too long as the German Heavy Tank project has for me. The detailing process of a tank this size is time consuming to say the least. Throw in a perfectionist streak to the work flow and you've all the ingredients for a snail-paced project. And nothing highlights the minutiae of detail work at this scale then the application of micro paint chips on the turret and hull of a large 1/35 scale tank.    

Most obvious area to receive micro paint chips is the commander's turret hatch and its surrounding area

Depending on location, majority of raised surfaces - curved or straight - had micro paint chips applied on them

Another area that would've seen major wear and tear: underside of the secondary hatch

Choice of color for the micro paint chips was dependent on how deep the chips had penetrated into the turret and hull. My final decision was based on pure conjecture combined with an educated guess based on the limited information in hand. Assuming Tank No.124 of the Schwere Panzer-Abteilung 505 had been rushed into operation in late-1944 and knocked out soon after, it would stand to reason that any paint chips on its turret and hull would be minimal. Location of said paint chips should be on areas which saw regular wear and tear or on prominently raised areas. As such, I chose a mixture of Vallejo Red Oxide and German Camouflage Black Brown for the micro paint chip color.

Micro paint chip color was a mixture of Vallejo German Red Oxide and German Camo. Black Brown

On the turret, micro paint chips were concentrated in and around both the command and secondary hatches, the hand rail near the rear hatch as well as any notably sharp edged and raised areas. As for the hull, micro paint chips could be found on the front two hatches and on raised areas towards the rear of the tank. Just for good measure I added some tiny paint chips on the headlight. My reasoning was that the machine gun port would've been shot at and as a consequence some bullets might have grazed the protruding headlight. Where possible, every micro paint chip must justify its existence. 

Red oxide hue implies micro paint chips are shallow, having only penetrated no further than the primer coat

Closeup view of the micro paint chips on the tank commander hatch and its surrounding area

Handle near rear turret hatch would've seen extensive use hence the paint chips

Technically there should also be micro paint chips on the King Tiger's road wheels within the tank tracks and the surrounding areas. But because the road wheels, tracks and the lower bottom hull will be weathered extensively with dirt and dust, I felt it unnecessary to place micro paint chips in placed where they would be covered up by dust and dirt anyway. Truth be told, by the time I had finished the micro paint chips on the King Tiger's turret and hull I was already too jaded to continue on the same for the road wheels and lower bottom hull. If I'm right, I don't need to. Time will tell.    

Micro paint chips were kept to a minimum throughout because at this late stage of the war, the King Tiger would've been knocked out long before getting a chance to undergo an extensive period of operations

Edge of the grille covering the engine cooling vents also had micro paint chips applied on them

Micro paint chips is technically possible as the grille cover is slightly raised thus exposing the edges

Meanwhile, I didn't consider placing micro paint chips on areas of the King Tiger with zimmerit coating. Chips of any kind on the layer of zimmerit would be large by nature as is the case for the few that already exist on the tank (not shown here). That was a huge relief because it meant large swathes of the tank didn't require the tedious process of painting micro paint chips. 

On the front end of the hull, micro paint chips were concentrated on the crew hatches and raised areas

Areas with zimmerit coating were not considered for micro paint chip placement

By my reckoning, any paint chips on the headlight would've been the result of bullets grazing it

Thankfully I haven't reached the stage where I would want to completely shelve the King Tiger project. With mainly the dust/dirt (plus maybe some minor fuel/grease) weathering and tank crew painting left to be done, I believe I can just about get this kit over the finishing line.

My preferred way of staving off hobby malaise is to add yet more scale model kits to the project pipeline. Some might say this is foolhardy as it could all blow up in my face, saddling me with numerous half-finished kits on the worktable and shelves. Yet this is the path I find myself on, consciously or not. So be prepared for more projects to be announced while I inch my existing ones slowly towards that light at the end of the tunnel. That tiny pinprick of light, oh so far away!