MENG Model Sd.Kfz.182 King Tiger with Henschel Turret [WIP - Zimmerit Decals]

For a supposedly straight forward step in the MENG King Tiger assembly process, the application of zimmerit water slide decals proved to be more difficult than I anticipated. This was largely due to the a slight difference in the property of MENG Model decals versus ones that I'm used to. It turned out the zimmerit decals, at least the ones I got, didn't need to be soaked in water for long (just seconds in fact) before it started to detach from the decal sheet. Previously with Bandai and Tamiya water slide decals, I had tended to soak the decals in the water just a bit longer.     

MENG Model King Tiger work-in-progress: Application of zimmerit decals

So why did this seemingly innocuous characteristic of MENG Model's water slide decals cause me problems? Well, one thing that happens when you soak a decal too long in water is that it becomes too soft to manipulate properly. This issue is further complicated when the decal itself is extremely small in size. It makes for hair-pulling moments especially when the said tiny decal folds in on itself. Initially, this happened to me a few times cuasing fairly disastrous results. Needless to say, some decals were badly torn. Thankfully though, I can attribute their condition to being battle-damaged!     

Custom Sd.Kfz.182 King Tiger Zimmerit Decals by MENG Model

MENG Model's zimmerit decals are of the water slide variety

To compound the problem, it become near impossible to place an over-softened tiny decal onto small surface areas such as the edges of the rear turret hatch (see second picture below). That I had even managed to salvage parts of the tiny decal is already in itself a small miracle. 

Zimmerit decals were applied around all four sides of the King Tiger turret

Small surface areas made it difficult for the zimmerit decals to adhere to the sides of the rear hatch

Square-shaped hole in the zimmerit decal on the turret's side was cut out using a hobby knife

Another decal i.e. the 'charging knight' emblem will be placed within the square-shaped hole

After learning from my initial experiences I then made sure I didn't soak any of the decals in the water for too long. But it's highly likely I overcompensated. It turns out that I didn't soak for long enough, a particular decal meant for the machine gun port on a rounded surface area on the King Tiger's front glacis (see below). Essentially this made it very difficult for the flat decal to conform to the machine gun port's curved surface area. As such I damaged the decal quite significantly, again. And similar to this first incident, I will be passing off the torn decal as being battle-damaged. 

Putting the zimmerit decal on the rounded surface of the glacis machine gun port proved challenging ...

... thus causing minor damage to the decal around the machine gun port aka 'battle damage'

Meanwhile, there is also a tendency for the edges of the zimmerit decals to peel after it has dried. I noticed this tends to happen at edges that, through normal handling, came under constant friction e.g. palm of your hand brushing against a particular corner of the hull. One way of mitigating this problem is was to apply a very thin layer superglue underneath the decal on the said corner. 

Large and flat surface areas proved easiest on which to apply the zimmerit decals

Closeup of zimmerit decal on the King Tiger's lower glacis

Zimmerit decals have to be aligned carefully with indentations onto which the pioneer tools will attach

So would I recommend the use of these zimmerit water slide decals? Despite all the issues I had encountered, the answer is a qualified yes. Custom ready-to-use decals are rather pricey, costing up to one third of the model kit's price. But they can be a time-saver especially on larger surface areas. An alternative would be to apply a thin coat of putty and sculpt the zimmerit yourself. This is arguably a more cost effective albeit time consuming method. What I plan to do in the next project that requires a zimmerit coating is to try sculpting it in order to determine which method suits me best.

Zimmerit decal on the rear hull armor before external parts are glued onto it

Having applied zimmerit decals on the King Tiger's hull, the assembly process can now resume. And it's the next few steps that are most daunting to me. I'm not talking about attaching the rear hull armor parts, which should be easy enough to do. What vexes me, and the main inertial force resisting quick progress on this project, is the assembly of the link and length tracks. I'm not a fan of such tracks because they've to be glued to the road wheels before painting. Personally I prefer painting the tracks separately before attaching them to the wheels. So I've that to (not) look forward to. Well, that's it from me for this week. Thanks for checking out the post. Do stay well, and be happy!

Star Wars Imperial AT-ST Walker - Bandai 1/48 Scale Plastic Model Kit [Completed]

It's done! Yet another iconic sci-fi vehicle checked off my ever expanding list of must-do hobby projects. Even as this little vignette of Imperial presence in the land of Ewoks sees completion, more then one new project is rushing to fill what is already an extremely cluttered worktable. Akin to a magpie (read hobbyist) who's attracted to that new shiny thing (an erroneous folklore ... for the bird, not the hobbyist and his new kit), I'm adding more stuff onto the worktable than I can get off it. But I digress. Here then are photos of the recently completed Imperial All Terrain Scout Transport Walker.

Bandai 1/48 scale Star Wars Imperial AT-ST Walker [Completed]

Pilots and cockpit interior are fully painted; just not visible from here

Opened entry hatch improves lighting hence visibility of the cockpit interior  

This version of the Imperial AT-ST Walker actually has a fully painted cockpit interior as well as pilots. One of the reasons I glued the entry hatch and both command view ports in a permanently open position was to allow more light inside hence increasing visibility of the interior and pilots. To a certain extent this works, especially when the AT-ST is viewed with the naked eye. But neither the interior nor pilots are visible under diffused photography lighting as you can see in the shots here.

AT-ST hull has subtle chromatic variations created using oil dot filters

Every edge on the AT-ST is defined via panel lining and washes

Back view of the Imperial AT-ST walker

Weathering has been central to this project and it was applied onto a hull that had received a light grey basecoat as well as panel lining on its nook and crannies. Techniques used in the weathering process include oil dot filters, washes and micro paint chipping. For a better appreciation of the resulting subtle chromatic variations in predominantly light grey hues, please check out work-in-progress closeup shots in a previous post. In addition, mud weathering with enamel paints was carried out on the Imperial scout walker's footpads and the base it stands on. 

Footpads on the base have been 'muddied' with enamel paint

Plain vanilla version on show here; variants will come in the future

Imperial AT-ST Walker on a clearing in the Forest Moon of Endor

Color scheme is largely influenced by (but not an exact copy of) a version of the AT-ST found in the Star Wars Battlefront video game (see below), specifically the first iteration of that franchise's recent rebirth in eighth generation consoles such as the PS4. Personally I don't believe there should be a 'one true color' for the AT-ST. This is because the light grey hull will inevitably reflect the color of the surrounding environment that the scout walker is operating in. This in turn allows the artist creative freedom to add chromatic variations to the hull, within reasonable parameters of course. 

As I was saying at the beginning of this post, the fact that my existing project pipeline is already close to bursting doesn't seem to be deterring me from adding more complex builds to the worktable (i.e. paint many individual parts separately before assembling kind of project - suffice to say it will be Gundams other than grandpa RX-78-2). But as I'm already at the early stages of assembling the King Tiger and still working up the nerve to airbrush flesh paint on the Race Queen, I'm in need of a quick-to-build and little-to-paint project. A sort of calm before the storm if you will. That will come in the form of my to-be-revealed next Star Wars project. Until then, be happy and be well. 

MENG King Tiger with Henschel Turret [WIP - Assembly of Wheels & Sections receiving a Zimmerit coating]

Having underestimated the amount of work that goes into armored fighting vehicle (AFV) projects, it stands to reason any progress I make will be dismally slow. That has proven to be the case for my MENG King Tiger project which has faced hiccups as early as the second step of assembly. In this phase of the build, I'm mostly preparing parts that will be receiving a layer of zimmerit decals. The other critical work at this stage involved the fixing and alignment of road wheels onto the lower hull.

MENG King Tiger work-in-progress: parts prepped for zimmerit 'coating'

Here the assembled wheels were fixed onto the swing arms in the lower hull

First things first though. What is zimmerit? It's a coating used on German AFVs during the mid- and late-World War II period in order to prevent magnetic anti-tank mines from sticking to the hull. If you are interested in learning more of this unique substance, there is an excellent online resource over at Tank Encyclopedia. For a modeller, there are many ways to recreate zimmerit on scale model kits. One of the easier methods is through the use of commercially available zimmerit coating decals, which is exactly what I will be doing for the MENG King Tiger model kit. 

Closeup of the Zimmerit coating on a King Tiger in the Bovington Tank Museum

As with most AFV kits, assembly begins with the road wheels. These were straightforward to put together without any issues. While a non-event for experienced modellers, it does provide newbies a small confidence booster for the more difficult steps ahead. As a rule of thumb, I would advise those new to the AFV hobby to work on some Tamiya or Bandai model kits before tackling a MENG project. The former pair tend to have clearer and more noob-friendly instructions which presupposes the modeller needs a lot of hand-holding. Then there is the higher part count in MENG kits.     

Step 01: Assembling the road wheels of the King Tiger

A higher part count generally means builds are more complex and also a higher tendency of having to deal with extremely tiny parts. Such factors can be off-putting for newbies but its a price experienced modellers are willing to pay in return for the excellent details that arise from complicated builds.

Anyway, moving on to the second step. Yes, it was only Step Two and I messed up. This seemingly innocuous step is actually an extremely critical one that determines proper alignment of the wheels and track. In short, I glued it on wrong; had to remove, re-align and then re-glue it. This was busy work that could've been prevented with a little more focus and attention (see below).  

Step 02: Gluing on guides which help align the swing arms and in turn the road wheels

Remember the hand-holding nature of instructions I mentioned earlier. Well MENG evidently doesn't do that as much as Bandai and Tamiya. For example in Step Three, a small nub or undergate remains on the swing arm after it has been removed from the sprue. An experienced modeller would know to remove them but the same cannot be said for a newbie. And if the nub/undergate isn't cut off and sanded down, the wheels and tracks aren't going to align properly to the lower hull (see below).

Step 03: Attaching the swing arms with the help of the glued on guides

Speaking of alignment, a surprisingly common issue - faced by far more experienced modellers than me - is having the wheels tilt inwards at a pronounced angle towards the bottom hull. This issue arises either due to an inherent kit design flaw or simple modeller error i.e. failure to do Steps Two and Three properly. In my case, I did notice a slight tile of the road wheels inwards (see below) after assembly (Steps Four to Five). Thankfully the unwanted tilt wasn't as severe as experienced by other modellers. Still, I'm hoping the tilt won't become too noticeable when the tracks go on.     

Steps 04 to 05: Attaching the road wheels onto the swing arms and ensuring proper alignment

Steps Six through Ten were skipped at this stage of the build because they weren't needed prior to application of the zimmerit decals. And there was some respite in Steps 11 through 13 with assembly reverting to the easy and painless variety. Here only the necessary upper hull assembly were carried out to prepare its surface for the zimmerit 'coating' process.

Steps 11 through 13: Attaching the front upper glacis and other upper hull parts

But the so-called respite didn't last long. Steps 24 through 30 involves the assembly of insanely tiny parts that tested both skill and patience. Neither was in high supply when a small clear part that was meant to be a vision block on the tank command cupola 'pinged' and was lost to the 'modelling ether' that is the floor. If memory serves, an extra piece on the sprue meant I lucked out big time. Again you might've noticed Steps 14 through 23 are missing; for similar reasons to Steps Six through Ten. 

Steps 24 through 28; parts of 29 and 30: Assembling enough of the turret to receive a zimmerit 'coating'

Meanwhile, one weakness in the turret design was the commander's chair (see bottom right corner of the picture above). The supporting structure connecting the chair to the turret itself was too fragile and broke off more than once. As a fix, I cut out a few small pieces of plastic from the sprue and melted it into the supporting structure using plastic glue. That somewhat reinforced the fragile nature of the structure. That chair is needed to support the weight of the tank commander figurine which is suppose to stand and gaze out with his binoculars, from an open-hatched cupola.

Cut out from the sprue and cleaned, the rear hull armor plate is ready for a zimmerit 'coating'

Finally, the last piece prepared for the zimmerit 'coating' coating process involved the rear hull armor plate being cut from the sprue and cleaned. No other parts can be attached to it until the zimmerit is in place. And here's a sneak peak of the zimmerit decals from MENG that I'll be using on the King Tiger tank (see below). Price-wise it's expensive as it costs one third of the model kit itself. In the future, I will likely try sculpting my own zimmerit coating out of putty. 

Zimmerit in the form of decals produced specially for the MENG King Tiger tank

MENG model kits have their issues but they are absolutely worth the trouble. Straight out of the box, their kits already have the potential to become a highly detailed AFV model without having to resort to expensive aftermarket accessories. I'm glad I had chosen one of the easiest kits in MENG's product line as my level of experience means I'm still able to cope. Every kit is a learning  experience and the 1/35 scale German Heavy Tank Sd.Kfz.182 King Tiger with Henschel Turret is proving no exception. Most importantly, despite it all I'm having fun and already looking forward to the next steps!

Star Wars AT-ST [WIP - Base depicting a clearing in Forest Moon of Endor & Weathering the Footpads]

In this final Star Wars AT-ST work-in-progress post, two significant processes are dealt with namely creation/painting of the base and weathering fresh mud effects on the scout walker's footpads. Completion of both means the walker is essentially completed and ready for its unveiling. But before the AT-ST is seen in its finished state, here's a look at how a base depicting a clearing in the Forest Moon of Endor was created and how its footpads were weathered to blend into the base.

Bandai Star Wars AT-ST work-in-progress: Base and Final Phase of Weathering

To recreate conditions approximating how a clearing in the Forest Moon of Endor might look like prior to having its soil turned into fresh mud, I used common basing materials such as modelling sand and stone, generic all purpose (or white craft) glue as well as two tones of spray paint i.e. Tamiya TS-1 Red Brown and TS-69 Linoleum Deck Brown. Below is a step-by-step process of how the base came together to reach a completed 'dry state' before it was given an additional mud weathering step.

Materials used to create foundation of the base: sand, stones, wood glue and two tones of spray paint

Base after sand and stones are glued onto base with two dark brownish hues of spray paint

Greater tonal variation on base is achieved using Vallejo Model Color acrylic paint

Base after layering in Vallejo Model Color colors of Black Brown, Burnt Umber and US Field Drab

Bright green 'grass' was glued onto the base using wood glue

Closeup of the base prior to the final mud weathering

With the 'dry state' of the base completed, all that was left to do was to remove the adhesive tacks placed onto the male joint connectors. These sticky tacks help protect the joints from being coated with paint which in turn prevents any eventual fitting issues when the AT-ST's legs are fixed onto the unmasked areas. As you can see below, the chicken legs were seamlessly attached to the joints.

Removal of the adhesive tack covering the joints onto which the footpads will eventually connect

Footpads of the AT-ST after they had been connected securely to the base

Why did I choose to depict a clearing in the Forest Moon of Endor? Primarily it was because I didn't have the basing materials needed for a proper recreation of the flora in Endor or what is actually the giant redwood forests of northern California. But luckily for me, the clearing located outside the shield generator bunker - as seen in Return of the Jedi (see below) - looked very similar to a generic grass and soil combo. So much so that I could use the materials I had at hand to recreate it.  

Clearing near the Imperial Army's shield generator bunker on the Forest Moon of Endor

Ground flora on the Forest Moon of Endor comprised largely fern-like vegetation

Meanwhile, further work on the base in its 'dry state' involved the application of an enamel-based weathering product i.e. AK Interactive Fresh Mud. The method of application involved spraying bursts of air at a hand brush loaded with the enamel paint thus causing the 'fresh mud' to splatter onto the footpads. White spirit was used to clean up excess 'mud' to prevent over-weathering. Results of this final (fifth) phase of weathering can be seen in the last three photographs below. 

Materials used in the final phase of weathering for the AT-ST

Footpads of the AT-ST and the base, after mud weathering

Mud weathering was applied by blowing air (via airbrush) at a paint brush loaded with enamel paint

Enamel 'mud' paint was also applied onto the base to achieve overall uniformity

Color used in weathering the footpads are akin to fresh mud hence the darker brownish hue

Soon enough the Bandai 1/48 scale AT-ST project will conclude. And while I contemplate what my next Star Wars project is going to be, I plan to keep busy with the MENG King Tiger assembly as well as take tentative steps in airbrushing skin tones with a better airbrush. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy a productive weekend ahead hobby-wise. Cheers and see you next week!