A belated look back at 2019

Ironically, as I am hit by the umpteenth mid-life crisis brought about by my birthday, I sought to look back belatedly at what I had actually achieved back in 2019. It wasn't much. In fact it was a pretty meager return for what seemed like a lot of effort put in. Mitigating circumstances abound, well two anyway, saw one project coming extremely close to completion towards the tail-end of last year while another project had actually been finished but I had forgotten to post the final photos. Duh and duh.

Bandai 1/12 scale Star Wars The Force Awakens' First Order Stormtrooper

MENG Model 1/35 scale German Heavy Tank Sd.Kfz.182 King Tiger (Henschel Turret)

I'm almost embarrassed to post the following in my look back at last year's projects but things being as lean as they are I was pretty desperate. There were two "semi-finished" mini-projects in the form of the 1/100 scale FF-X7 Core Fighter and pilot figurine Amuro Ray, both of which are part of a larger project namely the Bandai Master Grade RX-78-2 Gundam Version 3.0 scale model kit. On the plus side, Grandpa Gundam will be a bonus project I can add to the 2020 list. So, yay ... right?

Bandai 1/100 scale FF-X7 Core Fighter (forms part of the RX-78-2 Gundam kit)

Bandai 1/100 scale Amuro Ray standing figure in a pilot suit (part of the RX-78-2 Gundam kit)

Moreover in the dotage of my middle age years, I had a face palm moment upon realizing I had forgotten to post the final photos of the atelier iT 1/12 scale Race Queen resin figurine project that I had already completed. (The photo you see below is one of her in the final work-in-progress stage.) At least she will be another project that I get to add to my 2020 list of completed projects. Silver lining, clouds, and all that positive unicorn over the rainbow stuff. Hey, when life give you lemons ...

atelier iT 1/12 scale Race Queen resin figurine work-in-progress

Looking back, one key advancement I pride myself in having achieved last year was improving my airbrushing skills. I'm feeling increasingly more comfortable with an airbrush. Hopefully that will eventually result in works of better quality. Now that's something I can look forward to this year. 

German Heavy Tank Sd.Kfz.182 King Tiger (Henschel Turret); a MENG Model 1/35 scale model kit [Completed]

Slightly over a year after work began on a scale model recreation of Tank 124 of Pz.Abt. 505 circa September 1944 in Poland, the journey is now complete. In this recreation, a 1/35 scale plastic model kit with zimmerit decal as well as photo-etch metal accessory parts by Meng Model was used. 

Meng Model German Heavy Tank Sd.Kfz.182 King Tiger (Henschel Turret)

To paint and weather the King Tiger, I had to use a wide variety of materials. These consisted of lacquer, acrylic and oil paints as well as pastels, enamels and pigment weathering products. At the very least, by working on an armored fighting vehicle (AFV) project one will expose oneself to many different hobby techniques. Techniques that will certainly come in handy in the future.  

Tank crew of the German Heavy Tank Sd.Kfz.182 King Tiger

Black uniform of the tank crew required subtle contrasting to stand out

'Charging Knight' symbol adorns the side of the King Tiger's turret

Prior to final assembly, I touched up the face one of the tank crews (figurine that is pointing to the distance). My aim was to lighten the shadow near the bridge of his nose as well as improve the eyes. I succeeded in fixing his left eye which was the most problematic but totally forgot to fix his right eye whereby some of the whites of his pupil had leaked onto the eye lining below. But because this imperfection isn't really visible to the naked eye, I've decided to leave it as it is for the moment.  

Oops, looks like I missed a spot when touching up the crewman's eyes

Shiny blue metallic paint mixed with silver made for an interesting lens effect

Look Herr Commander ... enemy tank at our 2 o'clock

Scheiße! It's two T-34s trying to flank us

It's okay Herr Commander, if I point at them long enough they'll go away

A Meng Model scale model kit is arguably best attempted by a modeller with an intermediate to advanced skill set. But this particular King Tiger is one of Meng Model's easier kits, with a lower than usual part count compared to their other kits. So although the King Tiger is only my second AFV project, the aforementioned fact plus my previous experiences with Bandai Star Wars kits meant that the journey I took with this AFV scale model kit wasn't as painful as it could've been. 

Technically, Tank 124 still had half of its front left fender attached (based on historical tank wreck photos) ...  

but I hated the asymmetrical look so I decided to remove that together with the side skirts and other fenders

Overall weathering was restricted to show minimal to moderate dust and dirt accumulation

Inward bending tracks were also noted by other modelers signifying a possible shortcoming of the kit

Tank numbers '124' and 'charging knight' symbols are both water decals ...

... as is the zimmerit layer coating the turret and upper hull

Dust and dirt weathering was applied on the tank tracks and road wheels

Front view accentuates the sloped armor of the King Tiger, which made it difficult to penetrate

Painting little details comprising the tank's pioneer tools and other tiny parts on the hull provided a sense of comforting familiarity for me as I was more used to working with miniature figurines and their accessories. In that respect, the same went for both the tank crew. Unsurprisingly these were the bits that I completed quickly versus the significantly slower pace for the rest of the tank.  

Wood grain on the hammer (and axe, see below) handle was etched out using a sharp hobby knife

Wood grains on both instrument handles were made clearer by treating them with a dark wash  

Spare tracks have paint chip effects while tow cables display weathered metal effects 

Water decals were weathered to better blend in with the hull's zimmerit coated hull

Rear exhaust pipes display soot, burned metal and rust effects

'Charging knight' decal was also weathered as to better blend into the hull

Level of weathering on the tank tracks was just enough to show moderate dust and dirt accumulation

Below are shots of the King Tiger (Henschel Turret) sans her crew from an isometric viewpoint. It gives a better view of the tank tracks, upper hull and turret top.

Isometric view of the King Tiger (Henschel Turret) sans her crew

Without her crew, the King Tiger then had its turret hatches closed

Isometric shots afford observers with a better view of the tracks and turret top

Rear turret hatch actually opens up but because the inner section is unpainted, it remains closed

Color scheme seems dull but this makes sense as dull colors generally provide better camouflage

Even at 1/35 scale this kit is a huge beast, measuring roughly 28 cm (11") in length from gun barrel to rear exhaust

After receiving a coat of primer and paint, the spare tracks fit tightly/securely onto the hooks on the turret

Recreation of Tank 124 of Pz.Abt. 505, albeit with some creative license applied in parts

After the trails and tribulations of a moderately difficult scale model kit, I believe my next AFV project should revert to a simpler and quicker build. However, this'll be balanced by a more difficult painting process that involves learning a new airbrushing technique i.e. color modulation. All I know at this stage is that I would like to work on a German AFV that saw action on the Eastern Front during World War II. Something much smaller than a heavy tank. Until the reveal, I would like to thank my dear readers for having patiently followed the progress of this lengthy project. Thank you!

MENG Model Sd.Kfz.182 King Tiger [WIP - Dust & Dirt Weathering on the Lower Hull, Tracks & Road Wheels]

Scale modelling work on the Meng Model 1/35 scale Sd.Kfz.182 King Tiger (Henschel Turret) has taken me on a long and convoluted journey, but the end is nigh. Dust and dirt weathering on the German heavy tank's lower hull, tracks and road wheels actually marks the last bit of paint and weathering work. So these are the last pictures before final assembly is carried out.

Dust and dirt weathering on the King Tiger tank tracks [Completed]

Road wheels within the tracks also underwent the dust and dirt weathering process

Before any weathering, the tank tracks had been primed with Tamiya Fine Surfacer (Light Gray) and given a basecoat of AK Interactive Track Primer. The former is a lacquer-based primer while the later is an acrylic-based one. Now there isn't really any need to lay on two coats of primer. I did so mainly because I found the Track Primer's hue to be a suitable basecoat color for tank tracks. That means I used the Track Primer mainly for its color. But I'm sure having a strong basecoat layer in the form of the acrylic-based primer surely helped in resisting any corrosive effects in the weathering stage.

Materials used in the dust and dirt weathering process

Weathered tank track (left) versus one in its basecoat color (right)

Materials used in the weathering process comprised AK Interactive Dust Effects, Earth Effects, European Earth Pigments and Dark Steel Pigments, Vallejo European Earth Pigments, Windsor & Newton Artists' White Spirit and Plaster of Paris powder. And while weathering of the tank tracks went fairly well (see above), things didn't go as smooth for the road wheels (see below). Unsightly white spots on the wheels likely resulted from mixing too much plaster of paris into the enamel-based paints and not mixing it well to boot. As a fix, I plan to remove the spots with white spirit later.

Weathered road wheels (top) versus those with only a pin wash over the basecoat color (below)

Inner section of the road wheels aren't weathered as much; after weathering (top) vs before (bottom)

After the tank tracks and road wheels had been weathered to reflect accumulation of dust and dirt, the Dark Steel Pigments (essentially graphite powder) was then rubbed onto sections of the track that was exposed to friction. These are the raised areas of the tracks which look shiny after application of the Dark Steel Pigments (see photo immediately below, refer to bottom track).

Sections of tracks exposed to friction brought out using dark metal pigments - before (top) vs after (bottom) 

Meanwhile, both sides of the lower hull was first given a light uneven coating of Earth Effects followed by Dust Effects. This was done with both enamel-based products first diluted with white spirit before being airbrushed onto the lower hull. Following this, the same products were applied straight out of the jar onto the lower hull using an old brush by hand. The effects were shaped accordingly by wiping any unwanted excess off using cotton buds dipped in white spirit.

Lower hull (left side) airbrushed lightly with AK Interactive Dust Effects and Earth Effects

Lower hull (left side) with heavier hand brush application of the Dust Effects and Earth Effects

Lower hull (right side) airbrushed lightly with AK Interactive Dust Effects and Earth Effects

Lower hull (right side) with heavier hand brush application of the Dust Effects and Earth Effects

Light dust and dirt weathering meant their application was confined to the bottom of the lower hull

As with the front of the King Tiger, the rear received a similarly light application of dust and dirt effects

Minor touch ups such as lightening the skin tone on one of the tank crew and removal of unwanted white spots from the road wheels remain to be done. However, apart from these steps, the King Tiger (Henschel Turret) is essentially completed. All that remains is to put all the remaining pieces together and snap the requisite display photos. All these tasks should be completed soon thus enabling me to put up the final photos for viewing by the next post. Do bear with me for just one more week and this particular journey - my second AFV scale model project - will be completed at long last.