Finally Finished!

Hey Ben,

Nice work - the razor saw trick works wonders on sheet styrene/plasticard too; you can make some excellent grain effects when you want a couple of planks etc.

I use 46 links per inch chain from tank workshop for most of my chain stuff. They do various sizes-try Googling them.

One trick I was shown was get hold of some wire - diameter relevant to what sort of guage chain you want - wrap it around a pin or tack then remove the coil and bang it flat with a tack hammer. You'll get an effective looking chain. It will be fine for the log. Maybe fuse wire or copper wire taken from some electrical flex. Just weather it up and you'll be laughing!

Hope this helps buddy,

All the best,

Ben

A couple of nice builds there Ben. I like that log, it looks very good.

Nice work on the pair.

You're only fifteen?!?!?

Love em both Ben..... more so the  ASU.

Watch out guys this fella is good.

 Good tip from Hinsky on the chain. I just use a long length of wire folded in half around a paintbrush handle and hold the other ends in a vice grip and carefully twist them in one direction.          

 Instead of a tack hammer I use jewelers pliers with a smooth flat surface for a more controlled press and then use tweezers to twist each link 90∘further for added realism.This method allows you to shape them on the model in a more realistic and controlled way.

 If you want to buy a chain I use the ones sold at Hobby Lobby in the jewelry/crafts department (16 inch 44hk printed on the tag). This type of chain may or may not need to be secured in some manner so as to stay in place.

I used one of these on this BT.

Thanks all for the kind replies!

Ya i'm fifteen Disastermaster. I think your BT (-2?) is amazing. I hope i'll get that good ! 

And I'll try out your technique Hinksy. Thanks for the help

NICE.

wow sweet builds! Ben323 looking forward to your next builds.

Clay  

Ben323:  This is AMAZING work ...you're 15, really?!?!?  most of us old guys would be proud to call these our own. 

There's a lot of talent on this forum..be sure to take advantage of the variety of thoughts and styles.  If you want helpful commentary and critiques on your builds, I suggest posting in-progress photos.  It's more work and it takes more time but you'll find the input to be invaluable.  Also, if you have a topic you need help or suggestions just start a thread...like the log chains.  There's a wealth of knowledge available here!

ASU-85:  Cool subject!, nicely done. 

The finish has a bit of a shine, maybe it's the photo but more likely your oil wash needs to be diluted more.  You described this as a well-worn finish...actually this would be considered "clean" by most modelers.   For comparison, check out any of disastermaster's builds...that's the "well-worn" look!   Lastly, You can use necklaces from a dollar store or Walmart for scale accurate chains to secure the log.

Stuart:  I applaud the additional efforts...I admire modelers who challenge themself!! 

Antennas are easily made by stretching sprue (keyword search-it).  You said a "ton-of-dust"..again, this is pretty clean by most standards but you did a real nice job applying the dust...very convincing.

photobooth:  Bend (without creasing) a piece of light-weight white cardboard from the arts-and-craft section of Walmart as a backdrop...it's called a "sweep"  You'll eliminate the corner shadow effect.

Thanks for sharing your work...you have quite a future as a modeler!

Thanks for the awesome tips and feedback SMJmodeler! I will try the photobooth next time I post pictures. 

With the oil wash, it was my first time so i didn't know better

I'll try to post some in progress pictures of my M117 and the M3 lee. 

Thanks 

Ben323

Thanks for the awesome tips and feedback SMJmodeler! I will try the photobooth next time I post pictures. 

With the oil wash, it was my first time so i didn't know better

I'll try to post some in progress pictures of my M117 and the M3 lee. 

Thanks

You're welcome Ben 323, I was a new guy several years ago and there were a lot of gracious veterans willing to help me too. 

Live and learn on the oil washes.  Keep it thin, use more coats and let it dry completely between each application. Generously applied  acrylic basecoats seem to help too...they absorb the oil pigment very well and help knock the shine down.

Get the M117 and M3 theads going, let me know when you do...I'd like to follow along!

Really nice work.  I especially like the photo booth; I think it’s WIP is in order here. hehe

All joking aside  both pieces look great.

Awesome build!  How did you weather the white 1601 on the asu?

You got a couple of good loking models there. Nice job!

Some lovely work there. I think some of the old hands will have to watch there back's

Deffinatly a builder to watch out for.

I weathered it with oils and some pigments. I used burnt umber, white, burnt sienna, raw umber, raw sienna and some vandyke brown. 

Hope this helps