Dilapidated Tamiya 1/35 M41 Walker Bulldog

I think your vehicle blends in with your background pretty well. From what I can see, it certainly looks heavily weathered.

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AaronTankBuilder

This is my first attempt at 1/35.... I wanted to make a completely rusted, peeling paint, has-not-been-used-in-thirty-years tank. Did I somewhat succeed?

In a word, no.

Here's why. Unless the tank was parked muddy in a rainfree environment, the mud will eventially wash off.

Your peeling paint and rust (hwever well done) appear behind and around the stars and numbers but do not significanly affect the stars and numbers.

You have left on the .50 cal and gerry can. These, as well as any usable equipment, such as radios, bow and coaxial mgs, antennas, etc. would have been removed at the time of storage/abandonment. Since US M41's never saw combat, this can't be a battlefield write off where these items might have been left.

A bit of advice...before going for advanced techniques, try to master the basics.

I see some serious mold lines on the gerry can and holder,and decal film on the side numbers. The paint on the headlights and blackout lights extends over from the lenses over the housing. The blackout lights should be black as in this photo:

Even with a lengthy exposure, you may have over done the weathering. It appears the photo below is an ARVN tank at Cu Chi, VietNam. The photo in this linkappears to have been taken in 2005, 30 years after the fall of Saigon.

Tips for helping weather the decals? I have had practically nil experience at that.

I didn't even notice i forgot to take off the mold lines on the jerrycan... woops.

Here is what I used for reference:

However I like stars and numbers. And of  course I dont know how to make decals look more realistic.

For your decals you need to put down a clear gloss base to apply them to. Once they are dry I seal them with another clear gloss coat. If I want to show them scraped up I'll scrape them a little with a hobby knife. Otherwise I just weather the vehicle as normal and allow the decals to be blended/faded or discolored along with the rest of the vehicle. It takes a little practice, but it's not all that hard.

     For a first time 1/35 build and a brand new member on only has second post I say good job. I find that you can make a better rendition of a subject with lots of research(coming from a less experienced modeler like myself) Keep at it, take criticism well and in no time, with the help of seasoned modelers, you will have competition quality models in no time!

Chazzer(Scott)

Never give up.

thanks Steve!   I put down a clear gloss to lay them on, but i didn't seal it as they seemed to be sticking pretty well. looks like I just need to practice, then.

AaronTankBuilder

However I like stars and numbers. And of  course I dont know how to make decals look more realistic.

After your base color, apply a layer of clear gloss, this can be any brand of acrylic gloss, Testor's Glosscote (via airbrush) or the acrylic floor polish, Future. Let this dry thouroughly and use a decal setting solution/solvent, such as SolvaSet, MicroSol, MicroSet or other brands. Be forewarned, howeever, that some solutions may have a deleterious effect on Future. While the setting solution is still wet, apply your decals and move them into position as quickly as possible. Apply some more setting solution and don't look at the model for a while, since many decals may look to be crinkling up and you don't want to be even tempted to touch them at this point. But not to worry, that is a natural effect of these solutions. Let them dry overnight. Now you may chose to recoat the model with clear gloss which will further smooth out any clear film or you may apply a clear flat. DO NOT USE TAMIYA FLAT BASE AT THIS POINT. This is an additive to flatten paint and will dry milky white on the model unless diluted by an alchemist. Some people prefer doing a pin wash over gloss to deepen recesses. I don't like the idea of a so-called sludge wash where you cover the model in diluted paint then at the opportune moment wipe off the excess without smearing, staining or completely lifting the wash and possibly the paint.

In any case, you should apply whatever weathering/aging techniques over the decals since you want them to show the same wear and tear as the rest of the paint job.

AaronTankBuilder

I didn't even notice i forgot to take off the mold lines on the jerrycan... woops.

Here is what I used for reference:

 

Here's the front of that tank:

Note that in your picture, the exhausts have been pulled, so the engine may be gone as well. The tail lights are also gone. In the second picture, you'll note there are no gerry cans or straps for them in the holders. In the picture I posted of the same tank, the headlights have been removed, the fender brace on the right side of the picture is damaged, Of interest on that site is the person identifying the tank does not know thge front from the rear of the vehicle.

Not bad at all for a first time . If you want to build one of these that was used in combat the ARVN used them in battle at  Operation Lam Son 719   in 1971 .

For a first time I think you did a good job. The question to ask is do you like the way it turned out? If so... sucess!

Keep at it and take a look at some of the stuff that our very own Scratchmod pulls off.

i like it nice job.

Ron

Anyhow Great job Aaron. That’s a Beautiful build. You should be proud.