Bayonet Recon, I bought the tank last on Saturday 1st of March, and finished it on 9th of March. I must have spent about 20 hours on it, most of it in the painting/weathering stages (so many bolts!). I'd greatly recommend this kit to anyone looking for a change, although care must be taken in the assembly, or one might end up with gaps all over and spend hours filling them in. I used milliput filler in only two little areas. Most A7V (only 20 were built) were rarely on the front, because the state of the ground in that trench and crater filled landscape was not very suitable for this machine, but from all accounts, when the conditions were right, the A7V were apparently very superior to the Mk IV and St Chamond that the Brits and the French used. Only the Renault FT was considered superior, although it did not match the A7V armement...
Thanks for the links, I had not come across them in my earlier searches. It's always useful, since I'm planning a few more of those.
The painting was done with an airbrush for the sand colour (over a spray applied primer coat), then with brushes for the reddish brown and green. The flash of the picture make them look brighter than they really are. Next came the German crosses and the name of the tank (Cyklop), that can't be seen in this shot. I do not like using decals on small scale AFV, so those were painted in a weak white and a very dark grey (pure colors would stand out too much). All that was done with Revell and Humbrol enamels. I then applied washes (watercolors): burnt sienna and sepia; this is followed by weathering (acrylics): sand, light sand, then white. After 2 days, I then use artist oils to replicate all the stains, spills, exhaust dirt. Finally, a light dusting (with the aibrush) of Humbrol 29 Dark Earth completes the weathering and the model.
The actual camoflage shown here might not be very exact, but it is based upon a colour drawing that appeared in the French magazine 'SteelMasters' a couple of months ago. It is supposed to represent 'Cyclop' in early June 1918. Apparently, A7V were often repainted and repaired, so my weathering might well be too heavy... But it looks good.
The base is made of a plaster Paris / PVA glue / Water / Dark Brown acrylic paint mix, applied with a very old brush. The tank is added while the plaster is still fairly fresh (I added pins in the bottom of the track to secure the model into the wooden base I used). The same mixture is added to the tank to represent mud splatterings on the tank. Once dry, I gave the ground two heavy washes (water-based sepia / water / vinegar / washing up liquid), then a third directly around the tank to give that area a slightly 'wetter' look. It is then drybrushed with a very light sand color (artist's oil).
That's it! Probably not a prize winner, but I had a lot of fun building it..!