1/72 Leclerc ready to be primed...

Brian, it's a plasticky feeling and looking product that's used to decorate garments. You'll find stuff like that in art/craft stores, or even in haberdashery shops. WalMart had a nice selection too (I love that shop!). As it dries, it keeps its '3-Dness' and it's therefore useful to replicate rivet heads and stuff like that.

Several brands are available but Tulip and Plaid are probably the best known. They come in dozens of colours and that's handy so that by using contrasting colors between model and paint, you do not get your eyes crossed (too fast!).



Applying the paint is easy, but getting an even line of regularly sized rivet heads can take some practice. I use cocktail sticks to apply my rivets. If you're not happy with your work, just scrape the paint away with the cocktail stick and try again. It's fairly resistant once dry, but I often seal it with a bit of Future applied with a brush.

Domi, what the heck is "dimensional fabric paint?"
Sounds like something from "Red Dwarf!"

Gip, there's a touch of PE over the driver's periscopes and at the back of the new A/C unit, just some left-over metal from an old Tom Modelwork's set for Fokker Dr.1, then it's plastic card, plastic rod, stretched sprue, foil, mesh, wire, dimensional fabric paint and of course in this case, masking tape.

I know of the Grant line stuff but it's rather expensive and at 1/72, most bolts can be replicated by a blob of dimensional fabric paint. Rivet heads can too. Faster, cheaper.

Looks nice. Good luck with the sealed-tape technique.

Thanks for sharing,

AHA!! Another modeler suffering from a severe case of AMS (Advanced Modeler's Syndrome). Am happy to report it's contagious!

Domi, I'm curious. Is all the added detail scratchbuilt stuff, or is some of it aftermarket? And the bolt/rivet heads...what did you use? Have you ever tried Grandt Line or Modelkasten's bolt/rivet heads sets?

Incredible work in 1/72! I am impressed. Can't wait to see it painted and weathered! Keep up the great work...

Gip Winecoff

1/72 scale, WOW!!! I'm having a hard time with 1/35. That is Amazing work. looking forward to the camo'd pics.

Thanks, Brian

Great fun, and great results, Domi!

It's something I normaly do too, Brian, but I just did not for this one..! I guess it's because looking at all the ref I had, I kept adding, over nearly 2 months, bits and more bits all over... Probably well into the 200 mark, without counting the bolts/rivet heads replicated with the red dimentional favric paint... I know the sight at the end of the barrel is made of 23 parts... There's another 8 for the co-axial machine gun barrel... (those are the last things I added).

But the back of the hull with the fuel system from the 'brackets' that hold the drums to the pipes themselves must account to a great number of additional parts (50 - 60 ?). The new hinges for the front elements of the skirts also consummed many hours and bits of styrene... While the added A/C system (the 'box' added to the turret, towards the back, on the right) - the big external difference between the T5 of Revell and the newer T6 - probably has 40 to 50 parts...

All good fun!

He's a maaaaadman, I tell you!

Magnificent, Domi. How many extra bits do you figure you put on there?
I always do that: count all the non-kit bits I attach. Fun!
The count for my E-100 was around 275. Got the exact number written down somewhere...

(edit) Ah, you said several hundred!! Missed that the first time through!

Allan, thanks for your kind words..! Those greyish areas are the anti-slip areas. Some sort of rough coating is applied there, over the vehicle surface. Unfortunately, for all its good points, the Revell kit does not come with those engraved into the plastic, and I had to find a way to replicate them. After some thinking, I used masking tape. After being cut into shape, it's applied onto the model then 'sealed' with liquid glue applied all around.

I'm not sure how it will look when the camo and the weathering have been applied, but so far, after priming, it looks like the real thing, scaled down..!

Spectacular, Dj!! Absolutely spectacular! Well worth the effort, my friend. You can actually display that without paint and modelers like me will still be awed. Btw, what are those gray stuff on the hull and turret?

Thank you Guys, and Gall..! I primed the kit yesterday, with a black automotive acrylic, and this did not reveal any problems, so all I need now is a bit of time to mask and airbrush the sand camouflage (I'm doing the desert scheme, sand/black).

Great Build Domi!

Please post pictures once the paint is dry!

nice one domi!!!!

WOW Domi...........

You say that's 1/72 and you added all those small parts?? I wouldn't even begin to start a project like that [:0]

Can't wait to see the finished product!

Looks to be another winner Domi. Like the others, amazing stuff. Looking forward to next steps.

The detail on the Leclerc is simply amazing, Domi.

Can't wait to see it painted as well.

Regards, Dan

You're attention to detail on this build is second to none !!!!

Can't wait to see the final product.

Thanks Domi !!!

Another superb work in the making, DJ. Couldn't expect less from you.

The detailing you did is amazzzzzing.

Can't wait to see it painted! I really like the newcomer to the latest generation of Western MBTs. There's something exotic about the LeClerc.

Domi:
u have really outdone urself w/ this one !
glad u posted the pre-paint shot, it lets the work u've done
show so clearly....
i'm getting psyched 2 work on my M32 when i get home,
got a whole lot of little bitty parts 2 make !!!
thanx 4 sharing this, ur work (as always) is a
source of amazement & inspiration 2 me !
frosty