Simulating Armored Glass on Modern Armor

To replicate armored glass on scale models, I suggest using Lighting Gels. They're thin (less than .004"), acetate-like sheets, available in an amazing array of transparent colors. Companies like ROSCO make sample booklets with over 100 colors. I prefer # 4307, 7.5 cyan, or # 61, 15 cyan, but # 373, # 3208 and # 3216 are also good. You can laminate them with transparent glue ( I prefer Pledge liquid floor wax ) over the kit's windows, but make sure that their faces are flat. Or just replace them with clear sheet. Cut a piece of Gel bigger than all the windows, then put drops of Pledge on it, lowering each window, one edge first, on it's own little puddle. Beware of dust, entrapped bubbles, and which window face is out. Let dry a few days, then trim excess Gel carefully, as shearing may delaminate it. Car and house window tint film also work well, they're pre-glued, but the color range is limited To replicate armoured glass damaged by impacts, you can also just partly spot-glue, together with the gel, several thin sheets of clear plastic, bent until they "craze", and scored with cracks. For vision blocks, especially those that suffer from sinkholes, you can paint blue-gray gel's back side dark grey, and glue precisely cut pieces over them. You can make the eerie blue / purple-pink flip-flop of vision blocks like on the Abrams tank driver's hatch by cutting a clear plastic "window", gluing blue and pinkish-red gel on opposife sides, painting the inside of the housing silver, and gluing the window blue side out. Glancing light will appear to bounce off a blue tint, but looking at it "straight in the eye" will give that profound, purple look. And if you put in a 45 degrees chrome mylar mirror, and glue a painted driver's head under the hatch, face up, looking at the mirror, neck toward the rear, you should see his eyes in the vision block... Lighting Gels are also perfect to replicate modern "optronics", by mounting behind them various "glitter items" like bits and pieces from Christmas decorations cut to microscopic size. Those really put a high-tech look on even the most dinosaur-looking modern tank.

I have done transparent color coatings on acrylic parts with a felt marking pen.  The highlighter colors work well- very easy to do.  Other colors can also be used but you have to use a very light coat else it goes too opaque.

 

Chris, thanks for the info.  I very much appreciate it!  Just ordered a Russian T-90 as well!  Can't wait to build that one.  The missile anti-defense (Shtora) looks like some nice extra detail that should be able to be lit with some red led's.  

Again, many thanks for your advice, it's greatly appreciated.

 

Dean

Greatly appreciate the links and the detailed info!  I was a bomber crewdog back in the day and our glass had a light greenish tint to it, depending on how old the glass was or if it was recently changed.  I see now that I need to make the persicope glass red tinted and the glass at the comanders and loaders glass a slight blue.  Many thanks!

I've been looking at this issue myself lately.

I'm fairly sure the 'colour' changes depending upon the angle, but normally they have a reddish-gold hue or purple-gold or blue colour to them.

I use a similar method to what Phil_H suggested. I normally paint the back of the clear part with a metallic colour, then paint the front part with the clear colour.

It looks ok, but not spot on to the real thing.

With regard to the armoured glass surrounding the commander and loader, yes, i think that is just a green or green/grey tinted glass.  

My understanding is the colour glass is anti-laser material, hence the colours.

I see what you mean!  Thanks.

Also, on the Tusk version, surrounding the hatches on the turret are large panels of glass to protect the Commander and the Gunner if they decide to operate the machine guns.  I was thinking these primarily need the blue tint seeing they are made of bullet proof glass.

Never thought of that.  Look forward to seeing what you're talking about!

 

Thanks!

I thought I saw some models where the periscope glass looked reddish.  Is this just on the movable turret which I know I have seen red but on the turret hatch periscopes as well?

 

Thanks!

Thanks so much for that tip!  I've used Alclad before on my NMF builds and love their stuff.  I'll definitely check into it.

 

Many Thanks!

Dean

Something I tried and it has worked out pretty well is going to the dollar store and getting some of the cheap gems the sell for like a 100 for a dollar. I will admit its a little more work I think the effects are worth it. I will try to post some pics of what I am talking about.

The optics on the M1A2 have a reddish reflective anti-laser coating.

This can be represented by applying transparent red over a dark metallic grey base. It can also be replicated using red metalized gift wrap film.

Tamiya has both clear blue and clear green that work fine. Alclad also has transparent colors that work for armoured glass.