Starting the new year with a look back at 2017 (... and a sneak peek at my new hobby tool)

At the start of every year, it has become the norm for me to take a step back and look at what I had done hobby-wise over the past year. And to be honest, it was a bit underwhelming to see that I had only managed to complete ten figurines/scale model kits. As such my resolution for the new year (other than to write 2018 instead of 2017) is to increase the quantity as well as quality of my work. I've a feeling the latter will be easier to do than the former but I'll be aiming for both. As for my favourite piece of last year ... it's Princess Leia, followed closely by C-3PO and R2-D2.   

A look back at the miniature/scale model projects I managed to complete back in 2017

Last year's hobby pieces were dominated by Star Wars figurines and scale model kits, which formed 60% of all completed projects. 2017 kicked off with a TIE Fighter based on the version seen in A New Hope. This was followed by the adorable BB-8 and a repaint of a Hasbro Princess Leia Organa action figure. And Leia would turn out to be the 2017 project that I was most proud of result-wise. 

Star Wars Episode IV - A New Hope: Imperial TIE Figther

Star Wars Episode VII - The Force Awakens: Astromech droid BB-8

Star Wars Episode IV - A New Hope: Princess Leia Organa (Repaint of a Hasbro action figure)

Then the lovable Star Wars duo of R2-D2 and C-3PO were book-ended by two Warhammer 40K projects namely Slaanesh Chaos Chosen and a Nurgle Chaos Rhino. Apart from Leia, I was also really pleased with how Artoo and Threepio turned out. So in a nutshell my best work for the year 2017 all were based on characters from the same movie i.e. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.

Warhammer 40K: Slaanesh Chaos Chosen

Star Wars Episode IV - A New Hope: Astromech droid R2-D2 

Star Wars Episode IV - A New Hope: Protocol droid C-3PO

Artoo-Detoo (left) and See-Threepio (right)

Warhammer 40K: Nurgle Chaos Rhino Transport

And as the year 2017 reached its last legs, I managed to somehow complete miniatures and scale model kits from three different genres namely sci-fi (Star Wars, Snowspeeder), fantasy (Game of Thrones, Bronn the Sellsword) and military (T-55A medium tank). But even as I look back with some manner of pride at what I had accomplished last year, I still couldn't shake off the feeling of lost opportunities amidst an unproductive gloom. Completing only ten miniature and scale models is a measly return of hobby effort in any given year. So I have to try and do better this year.  

Star Wars Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back: Snowspeeder (Wedge Antilles/Wes Janson version)

Game of Thrones: Bronn the Sellsword

T-55A Medium Tank

Meanwhile, I'm excited about what the hobby has in store for me this year. Having eyed an airbrush tank compressor for the longest time, I still can't believe that I now own one. A whole range of new techniques is suddenly within my reach and the possibilities seem endless, more so when combined with results achievable only through painting by hand with a regular brush. So truth be told it has been a blessing of sorts that I didn't start out in the hobby by using an airbrush. I most likely would've gotten too lazy to learn how to paint by hand. It is an essential skill set especially in figure painting.   

AF186 Mini Air Compressor with tank, pressure regulator and water trap

With the majority of my hobby budget spent on the mini air compressor as well as airbrush paints, solvents and cleaners, I wasn't left with much to get a decent airbrush (duh, I know right). So I went ahead and bought a fairly cheap yet decent Made-in-China airbrush for under USD20. It's for the best too as I would be experimenting a lot with the airbrush; something I'm much more comfortable doing with a cheap airbrush than a USD150 high quality one. Getting to grips with the airbrush will take up lots of hobby-time but hopefully not so much as to put a dent on my new year's resolution. Hope you had a great transition into 2018 ... I have my airbrush system so I'm good!

Tamiya 1/35 scale T-55A Medium Tank [Completed]

With the new year only hours away, I've just barely made a self-imposed deadline to post my final completed scale model project for 2017. So the Tamiya 1/35 scale T-55A medium tank has the honour of rounding up my year of miniature and scale model kit painting. It's the first ever 1/35 scale military AFV model kit I've ever worked on, and a prelude to many more to come. Paint job wise the tank certainly could've turned out better but I'm hoping that that will come after a few AFV kits under my belt. For now I present to you my first 1/35 scale tank, completed with warts and all.

Tank commander atop the cupola of the completed Tamiya 1/35 scale T-55A

His pose is reminiscent of war propaganda illustrations on posters appealing for new recruits

A view of the commander atop the tank cupola from further out

Yet another closeup of the commander's contemplative pose

Back view showing the contrast between the tank commander's black uniform and the olive green hull

This version of the Tamiya T-55A is supposed to belong to the Czechoslovakian army during the cold war. It's background story is that of a tank only one year or less into its operational duty. As such weathering was a bit on the light side with the beginnings on rust on parts of the tank as well as streaks of grime. Meanwhile, exposed metal parts such as the tracks saw a more advanced stage of rust weathering. And there were also some minor diesel stains on the fuel tanks and drums.

Spare tracks were weathered to look rusty, providing good contrast to the olive green hull

Decal markings are for a Czechoslovakian army T-55A

Fuel tanks and tow cables add detail to the tank's upper hull

Unditching beam/log is positioned to the rear of the T-55A

Tracks and wheels of the T-55A medium tank

Initial 360-degree shots of the tank were made against a white background. Subsequently as a comparison, the latter 360-degree photographs were taken using a black background. Personally I prefer the images with a black background which incidentally makes the point for any completed tank or AFV scale model kit to be displayed together with a vignette or diorama. When placed against a white background, the T-55A tank looks decidedly plainer. That being said, a white background has a 'transitional purpose'. It can highlight areas of a work-in-progress tank/AFV that needs further work. 

Tamiya 1/35 scale T-55A medium tank [Completed]

The T-54/55 tank series became the most produced tank in military history 

Back of the T-55A sports two fuel drums, a snorkel and an unditching beam/log

Overall, weathering was pretty mild to portray a tank that had only a year of duty under its belt

Painting with spray cans has its limits. For example I couldn't airbrush a variety of clear paints onto the hull to give it a less monotone look. But that doesn't excuse the fact that the T-55A's paint job could've been so much better. Especially with the subsequent layers of weathering. Don't get me wrong as I'm pretty happy with the results, moreover when considering this is the very first 1/35 scale AFV scale model kit I've worked on. Yet I would be remiss not to accept that I need to do better.  

Tank tracks were modified to sag naturally onto the wheels

Decal markings denote a T-55A medium tank belonging to the Czechoslovakian army

Front view of the Tamiya T-55A medium tank

Arguably the best viewing angle of both the figure and tank combined

With a dark background, the T-55A tank seemed to look much better in the photos (see below). Of course this could just be pure bias on my part as I tend to prefer having miniatures and model kits I've completed placed against a black cloth during their photography sessions.

Ultimate test of parts painted in black (commander's clothes) is to contrast it with a black background

View of the tank commander from a slightly higher up angle

When the whole tank is displayed against a black background, it arguably looks more realistic

Light brown hues of the canvas gun mantlet cover breaks up the monotone olive green look of the hull

Czechoslovakian tank markings, especially the ex-nation's flag, add bright hues to the overall scheme

One's first is always special. And so it is with this Tamiya T-55A medium tank. It's the benchmark against which future 1/35 scale AFV projects will be judged. I'm hoping the only way to go from here is up (as in better paint and weathering jobs) notwithstanding the occasional slip-ups along the way.

For the most part, this version of the T-55A had a final coating of semi-gloss clear

The unditching log/beam at the rear also adds variety to the overall colour scheme

Against a black background, the tank's weathering was more discernible; an optical illusion perhaps?

Storage boxes on the turret and upper hull were weathered with some rust to add faint orange hues into the mix

Tamiya 1/35 scale T-55A medium tank is my final project of the year (2017)

Next on the AFV to-do-list is the Meng 1/35 scale German Heavy Tank Sd.Kfz.182 King Tiger (Henschel Turret). Jumping from Tamiya to Meng in only my second 1/35 scale scale model project seems like a big leap for an AFV noob but I couldn't resist working on the king now could I? Well the king will have to wait until next year. As for this year, it's hours away from ending as I write this blog post. So here's wishing you a Happy New Year 2018. Make it a good one, yes?

T-55A Medium Tank [WIP - Tank Tracks and Wheels]

It looks like I'm on track (... groan, pun intended) to finish my first Tamiya AFV project before the year is over. This second to last step before the T-55A tank is finally completed involved attaching the track and wheels onto the lower hull. A key disadvantage of working with flexible rubber band/vinyl tracks is that they do not sag naturally. First two photos you see below are the tank tracks after they had undergone a 'sagging process'. Bear with me and I'll explain this process in a bit.   

Tamiya T-55A work-in-progress - tracks and wheels attached to main hull

More importantly, the tracks have been made to sag as a heavy metal track should

Prior to attaching the tracks to the hull, they were first primed with Tamiya's lacquer-based Fine Surface Primer before receiving an acrylic basecoat of AK Interactive Track Primer. Subsequently, a variety of rust-hued pigments were applied on the tracks and sealed with white spirit. In hindsight I would've been better served using pigment binders instead. I had used white spirit as it didn't darken colours upon application unlike pigment binders. However pigment binders did a better job of sealing in the pigments. It's easier to adjust to darker hues than having pigments rubbing off the tracks. 

Outsides of the tank tracks - weathering done using pigments atop an acrylic basecoat

Insides of the tank tracks received similar weathering treatment as the outsides

Painted vinyl tracks are glued end-to-end forming a reasonably flexible loop

In keeping with my aim to portray a tank that has been operational only for about a year or so in a mostly urban environment, weathering on the lower hull (where the wheels are attached) was kept to a minimum. To be specific, weathering was limited to streaks of grime and nothing more.

Weathering on the lower hull where the wheels are attached was limited to streaks of grime

At this stage the tracks still look wrong as they aren't sagging as their heavy weight dictates they should

As you can see from the immediate photo above, when the tracks were first attached to the tank ... they looked wrong. In real life, the T-55A's tracks were made from metal and their heavy weight would cause them to naturally sag onto the wheels. But because the Tamiya track parts were of the flexible rubber band/vinyl variety, they couldn't sag due to their inherent tension. To induce a natural sag, the tracks had to be glued onto the wheels. Some wads of tissue were lodged into the spaces above the tracks to mitigate the tension in the tracks and allow the glue enough time to take hold.  

Tracks were glued onto the wheels and some tissue helped maintain the sagged shape while the glue took hold

Final result is an authentic look mimicking a heavy metal track sagging onto the wheels

So the T-55A's tank tracks are on and sagging as expected of them. All that remains to be done is to attach the turret and do a final weathering touch-up to the overall piece. Then the Tamiya T-55A will be the first ever AFV I've completed and the last project of the year. Here's hoping my final hobby-related hurrah for 2017 actually pans out with only five ... nay four more days left until the new year.