Parade theme

Check out the Armor section of these Forums. Great guys there that are knowledgeable, friendly and helpful.

Jim  

Rocony

I prefer parade themed military Model building. Not into weathered at all.strange...i know! Just asking if there's a club or anywhere on the web that I can go for more info and advice. 

Howdy, Rocony! I am the same way - I prefer NOT to weather my builds, mainly because the few times that I've tried it resulted in crap. Plus, I figure that anything ever made had to be new at least one day in its life, soooooo.......

And, it's rare (in only MY opinion) that weathering is done accurately. When I see the "sludge" washes applied to cockpits, for instance, it is waaayyyy overdone. The thickness of the residuals left is just too much - I'd guess that if you measerd the thichness of the finished wash, it would 6" - 7" on the real thing. You'll never see that on the real thing.

Never heard this called "Parade Theme", though, but it makes sense. I've always called mine "Just Rolled Off The Showroom Floor" models. Like I said - they had to be shiny new at least once in their lives.

Keep On Buildin'!!

Gary Mason

Well the Soviet stuff always looked sharp in their Moscow parades. Fresh paint, white trim, and the Guards insignia.

Ah Stik, you beat me to it!  And here is a timely reference to those Red Square parades:

https://www.themodellingnews.com/2019/03/preview-canforas-soviet-army-on-parade.html?m=1

Gotta love those white pinstripes!

I have noticed that if one is consistent with the finish of their models, it all looks fine.  I visited a fellow modeler who did not weather his kits, not even panel line washes, but his rows upon rows of aircraft looked great, just like the models you see on the sides of Hasegawa boxes.

Stikpusher posted the parade theme pic

Finally someone gets it.i think same way! I don't even do camaflouge. I think it comes from being a car nut,I've owned over 35 cars in my life time,from 60,70's muscle cars to new. Anal with every one of them. So for me to make it look weathered and muddy.....bugs me. So like you said...it had to be new coming off assembly line. That's EXACTLY what I think too. I'm into the design and look of the vehicle. There all still better looking then the yugo and pacer.

So devil dog, keep me in mind when wanting to chat. Not many of "us" out there!

What I usually do is do some research on countries military parades that gives me an idea of colors. I also always pic the plain version color in the model kit 

Even modern US Army military equipment is prettied up for displays or change of command ceremonies. While we don't do military parades that communists countries are infamous for, just about anyone who has put on a pair of combat boots has experienced preparing at least one vehicle to be put on display once in their careers.

Armorall or diesel fuel wiped on the black rubber parts, freshly painted camouflage and pristinely applied markings, etc.

Even some regular use vehicles look pretty when not in the field. It depends on the crew or driver. Just like two of the exact same civilian vehicles owned by two completely different drivers might look so different.

Driver A might take good care of his car or truck, washing it weekly, replacing burned out lights, using tire shine, waxing it. Driver B may not do anything beyond putting gas in the tank.

HMMWV drivers varied in the Army. Some drivers, their only duty is to drive the HMMWV for a commander or sergeant major. They have plenty of spare time to make sure their truck is well maintained.

Other HMMWV drivers have an actual job and only drive the HMMWV when it goes to the field. Chaplains assistants and mechanics have day to day duties, but also have a HMMWV that they use to go to the field. They're too busy to waste time making their truck look pretty.

Hello!

IMO even a machine for the soviet parade shouldn't be painted too simple, or it won't look good, or realistic - it might look toy-like, that is to say looking at the photo of a model you often can't specifically pin it, but it looks off.

Those Hasegawa catalogue builds, although clean, all have the panel lines shaded - that also doesn't always look best, but makes the models more interesting to the eye.

My opinion is that a model, even showing a clean vehicle should be shaded a little bit. Sometimes to show some shadows that a real-life object would cast, and the model doesn't. Like the door seams on a car - those are always black, even on a cleanest car, but on a model you have to specifically shade them to get that effect.

So - sorry, but painting a model one colour and saying it's clean/new/on parade won't quite cut it. Now I'm not telling anybody they can't do it if they want. I would just like to encourage my fellow modellers to look closer at the real thing and try to learn new techniques to make their models better.

Hope it helps, and have a nice day

Paweł

I'm 54 years old and I've been in a lot of hobbies, cars ,guns ,PC Building .with all those Hobbies,there's always people giving there opinions on what's best and not. I've always stuck what interested me,what I liked and makes it fun..for me.

I think classic car hobby is perfect example of what I'm trying to say. You got your chevy guys,Ford guys...etc. They all would say..thats craps or that's craps...etc.made me laugh. Can't you just enjoy the hobby and keep the negative out of it.

So,not trying to be an a$$, but I like doing things the way it makes me happy.because I don't have my models on public display.im the only one that has to look at them everyday.

Pawel

So - sorry, but painting a model one colour and saying it's clean/new/on parade won't quite cut it.

Paweł

Sorry Pawel but I completely disagree with this statement.  I live very close to a world class aviation museum and every aircraft in the collection looks like it's almost brand spanking new.  Many of them have been refinished to reflect the museum's standards.  Others have simply been washed, cleaned up and put on display; the same way the came out of service.  The CF-101 Voodoo, CF-104 Starfighter, CF-5 Freedom Fighter, CL-13 Sabre and CF-18 Hornet are all good examples.  Is there overspray on some bits?  Yes.  Is there a bit of dirt and grime on the landing gear struts?  Yes, but nothing like you would see on some models.  Are the panel lines visible? A bit but nowhere near the pre / post shading on some models. 

The aircraft I have noted above really do look like they've come off the assembly line floor.  BTW, the CF-18 was flown to the museum and donated by the RCAF as it was at the end of its service life.  Basically, it was shut down, drained of fluids, washed and towed into the museum and put on display.

Modeling aircraft as if they came off the assembly line, without any hint of weathering or wear, does cut it, in my opinion.  Neither of us are wrong.  Having seen pristine looking 50 - 75 year old aircraft on museum display validates the no shading / weathering look for me.  That's the way I build mine.

Build them they way you want to.  The only person you have to please is the one looking back in the mirror.

Mike

It's great that anyone can build a model any way they want to. There are no written rules to build by, just opinions, and unless a person pefers to subject themselves to competetive judging of panel lines and counted rivets, the way a model is finished is left up to the imagination and creativity of the builder for their own personal enjoyment.

When you start trying to please others in the way you build then it's not a hobby anymore it's a chore. Do it the way you want to and that's all that matters. 

Heck, building a model without painting it or painting it in ficticious colors isn't "wrong", just not very realistic. On a face book group I belong to, the owner of the group painted a Chi-Ha in a pink color with a Hello Kitty marking. He gave it quite a realistic looking weathering job, but again, it isn't truly realistic.

It was built for a theme, historically incorrect for a show. Hopefully this link will show the tank.

I remember a similar build at a shop here in the display case. It was a beautifully built 1/35 Panther tank. Painted bright pink. And with a huge face of the cartoon ”pink panther” on the glacis plate. 

A pal of mine once did a Chi-ha tank as  Chi-ha-pet tank at IPMS National in the Humorous Cat..  He attempted to have it grow the plant on it as well.  It did not place that year.

Oh Boy!

     You should see what results when a ship goes " In Review ".Gallons of paint ,soap, water and elbow grease is expended .On some ships that is , except for yard paint, it's a four or five day job . 

 When we entered our first port of call to "Show the Flag" as it were, we hired a " Hong Kong Mary" group ( sampans loaded with painters and paint ) to spiff us up after the Voyage across the Pacific . 

     Remember, no ship looks new after crossing that expanse of very Salty water. Salt Water is as abrasive as sandpaper and also remember the ship is moving through it at speed . Lotsa of rubbing there .

 We always tried to look good , after all we were, for a while " Flag " for DesDiv-112 ! Our ship always was kept clean and 'Ship Shape and Bristol Fashioned ".After gunnery excercises for instance, we washed down and painted any concussion damage to the paint .

       Paint is a ship's friend .Keeps her from getting sloppy, rusty and derelict looking . Besides, I saw a show about a ship loss on the Great Lakes ( Fresh Water already ! )She was lost because the company was to cheap to maintain and paint her on a regular basis .Decks had holes and soft spots all over !

     You very rarely see a U.S. navy ship looking grungy .If she does, it's because she has been at sea for a while .No one goes over the side for painting or scrubbing when she is underway! So ,for maybe the first few days she looks ocean battered .

     When I worked for a company not of this country , my first new ship lost about a third of the new yard paint on one evolution from home port to Customers and Back .Yard Time there. Civilian crews don't go over the side and paint. Against Union Rules !

 Well that's it for Floaty Thingies !  T.B.

stikpusher

I remember a similar build at a shop here in the display case. It was a beautifully built 1/35 Panther tank. Painted bright pink. And with a huge face of the cartoon ”pink panther” on the glacis plate. 

 

Like I said, all hobbies are the same . people like to make rules and be opioinated. People's nature. Just have to sift through the trash and talk to the ones that just want to enjoy a hobby.

I'm done with this thread. Bye

Well, well, well... I have re-read my post - just a humble opinion on what can make a model look better. I have probably worded it wrong. What I meant was: let's try a little harder and get a little better results. But that gets allergic reactions from people...

Now Rocony - if you didn't want my comment, why did you post? Or did you just want me to reassure you you're doing everything just perfect? But would that give us an interesting conversation?

Good luck with your builds and have a nice day!

Paweł

It’s just unbelievable how a thread around here can go south so fast without good cause.Why someone could get so offended over someone’s opinion on a discussion is beyond me.A discussion is supposed to be an exchange of opinions.It is so typical in society today,everybody says they want free and open exchange of opinions,as long as your opinion agrees with theirs and isn’t different ,then you are shut down,protested,and boycotted,or in this case they take their toys and go home.Snowflakes,please,run to your protected areas So no one will question your opinion or disagree.

Pawel,please continue to share your opinions,if I like them,great,if not,that’s okay too.

Remember,we all put stuff in print and it may not sound exactly like we hoped,so unless it is a full blown attack,we can give each other the benefit of the doubt.

My Bf-109 has it's canopy closed, flaps and slats up.  I know that is not the way it would sit on the ground, but it's the way I want it.  Build it the way you want it.

Tojo - thanks a lot!

roony - if you don't mind, I'd like to ask you something about that Bf-109. I don't know what kit you had, but if you had one with separate flaps and slats, would you still build it gear down, flaps and slats up? And why?

I'm building models for like 34 years now - dang, when did that happen? - and many times I have finished a kit and then started to have doubts about some details. For example my first OH-6 was built with some mods, but it still had the doors removed on the left side and installed on the right side (the way the Italeri kits shows it). It bothered me for like 20 years and the I have built the kit again and corrected it. Now for me that doesn't contradict having fun with building models. So when I say I would build it differently I don't mean you MUST build it differently. But if someone is getting angry because he's getting a creepy feeling there's something to my remark.. Sorry, I can't control the way somebody feels.

Thanks for reading and have a nice day

Paweł

My post was an observation based on one statement made by Pawel.  I countered his statement with my thoughts and that's why I concluded that neither of us were wrong and finished with the observation, to everyone, that it's your model and you can build it any way you want because you only have to satisy yourself and nobody else.

It wasn't my intent to have anyone get upset but it was a counterpoint to someone's statement in what I think is a mature conversation.  If anyone is uset with my post, I apologize.

Mike

Pawel

roony - if you don't mind, I'd like to ask you something about that Bf-109. I don't know what kit you had, but if you had one with separate flaps and slats, would you still build it gear down, flaps and slats up? And why?

The Bf-109 was Tamiya's.  Designed for the flaps and slats to droop.  The aircraft looks cleaner, as it would in flight, but I need to gear down to set it on the shelf.  Not the way it's suppose to be, but I like it better.    

Well this thread did remind me that I would like to build a Soviet tank, preferably a T-72, in Red Square parade look. One day...

stikpusher

Well this thread did remind me that I would like to build a Soviet tank, preferably a T-72, in Red Square parade look. One day...

Rob Gronovius

 

 

stikpusher

Well this thread did remind me that I would like to build a Soviet tank, preferably a T-72, in Red Square parade look. One day...

 

 

 

I've always wanted to do some Soviet Cold War tank in parade finish with Red Guards marking, just never got around to it.

 

 

I built my Meng T-90 parade style complete with the rubber pads in the tracks.

Just a couple quick thoughts: I always feel if you're trying to be realistic, study your subject first, most WWII aircraft with hydraulic actuators as they sit on the ground have the hydraulics bleed off with the result being drooping gear doors, flaps, bomb bay doors, etc. Thats why Mustangs always have things hanging on the ground. At an Airshow, watch one start up, once the pressure comes up up come the flaps and gear doors. Something with electric actuators will have everything tucked up, like a B-17 where everything is on a screw jack, which is why the bay doors take so long to open and close. 

In the military vehicle collectors/restorers realm there are two recognized levels of restoration - factory fresh and motor pool, with fairly obvious connotations, that don't get judged against each other. Some motor pool Jeeps go a little far IMO with everything but the kitchen sink piled on them (there are far more Jeeps with MGs on them today then there ever were in operation, ditto radio gear). Again researching not just the vehicle itself, but the time and place it's from goes a long way.

It all comes down to what floats your boat. I think one of the hardest pieces to recreate has got to be the just delivered piece, factory fresh with the edge knocked off. You just can't move a plane or vehicle without something dripping or getting some exhaust staining, getting the appropriate amount is what's key and overdoing it is so easy. 

Hello!

Thanks a lot for the explanation - I see the logic in it. Good luck with your builds and have a nice day

Paweł