My First Model In More Than 25 Years

Thanks, all.

Bish - I was never really a fan of rusted tracks either.  I decided to try it though after reading Sheperd Paines' "Modeling Tanks and Military Vehicles" because he seemed insistent that it had to be done and he was my only "professional" source at the time.  But now I have you guys to help with that!   Anyway, now that I've done it I like the look better than I did. *shrug*

Eagle - My wife's awesome.  She bought me the Dragon Late Tiger I w/zimmerit for my birthday in June, and is already talking about building a pirate ship!

Hey bitbite.  Looks great for a first build in a long time!  You can always redo the decals.  Having your wife in on the hobby with you is a plus!  Let her in on it and have fun.....how knows, she might get the bug to build one herself!  Great job on the build, and I look forward to your next project....keep the pics coming!

Eagle90

looks better then my 1st for sure.I find that outside in the sun with no flash works good for photos

Nice looking build. Looks like you have all the advice you need from the other guys. Personally, I am not a fan of rust on tracks, but that's just a personal thing. Look forward to seeing your builds in progress.

As for photo's, if your wife's happy doing it, then don't stop her. I have had a lot of help from guys on here regarding that as I couldn't get decent photo's. I think the main points are lighting, using a tripod and using the depth of field on the camera.

1st, Welcome back to model building! 

2nd tank looks darn good youll just get better very soon.

3d "rebend" plastic by dipping it into hot (not boiling) water and  "persuading" it by slowly bending it to you will  er, as best you can, hold it in the new position till cool; repeat as needed until success- or you're tired of messing with it - then just call it battle damage and move on .

4th let your wife "enjoy" the hobby with you and let her "participate" by being your photographer----- no matter how much she sensibly tries to demure 

SERIOUSLY : good job keep us posted on your next project, we all love to help and see how your getting on.

Thanks!  I did paint Tamiya gun metal on the sprockets but it only seems visible at certain angles and definitely not in these pictures.  I'll redo it with something that shows better.  Thanks so much for the tips.  Even though I'm not technically a beginner, I consider myself one.  All the models I made as a kid were  hand brushed and I really didn't pay any attention to weathering.  This was actually the first armor model I ever airbrushed, washed, and did dry brush on.  Again, thanks for the advice.  I've got more than enough time right now to fix this stuff.

I like this one better than the Jumbo (and I LOVE Jumbos). I would suggest more bare steel dry brushed on the inner face of the end connectors. Those contact the sprocket wheel and any rust on them is quickly worn right off as soon as the tank moves, except in the recesses.