Not bad... as far as the .50 goes, give it a base coat of gun metal, a wash of flat black, then drybrush hiighlights w/ steel very lightly...

Looks good to me! Might want to tie down the storage though.

I'll give it a try.  Thanks, stick.

Got it.  Any "how to" advice for that?

Use tan thread that looks like 1/35 rope and tie it using the brush guards and lift rings in a plausible manner to keep the stowage items in place. Or make up some tie down straps from tape or lead foil, paint them up and using the tie down brackets on the kit to simulate the gear being tied down. Take a look at photos of real tanks, in this case a Sherman, to get an idea of how stuff is stowed and secured.

Looks like you're on your way.....

Bitbite, wow, great weathering stuff on this one!  How did you do the mud?  Great tips from everyone else on the detailing!  I write down a lot of what everyone says to help me remember!  Great job!  

Eagle90

Thanks, Eagle.  The mud is some of the "new stuff" I was talking about in the Welcome Forum that came about during my absence.  It's just Mig Europe Dry Mud (fine texture) applied with an old paint brush.  It looked too dark to me, so after it dried I brushed Mig Europe Dust Pigment over it, then a little Mig Dry Mud Pigment in spots over that to add some variation.  I had never heard of this company until a couple weeks ago but these three things are really easy to use and I really like them.

I have been thinking about getting some of that MiG mud. I like the results you have got with it. Its a nice looking build all round, lok forward to seeing some more.

Here are some photo examples of how I have done stowage tie downs

Remember, stowage should not be placed where it will interfere with basic overpation of the vehicle- blocking hatches, vision blocks/periscopes, or interfering with movement of the turret & weapons.

That looks awesome!  Thank you.  

I was actually just looking around the house for some thread too. ;)

You're very welcome. Worst case a trip to the local Wal Mart, Michaels, Hobby Lobby, or other such establishment will take care of your needs. One spool should do a whole armored brigades worth of builds.

Stik, is that just normal sowing thread you use.

I AM SO AWESOME!  I found some string, painted it, started to tie it . . . and proceeded to break the lift ring off the tank.  hehe 

Luckily, I found it after a thorough search of the carpet.  Oh well.  I think I'll drink a couple beers and take a nap while it's drying.  Cheers!

LOL! yes, word of advice- BE GENTLE...

bitbite

Thanks, Eagle.  The mud is some of the "new stuff" I was talking about in the Welcome Forum that came about during my absence.  It's just Mig Europe Dry Mud (fine texture) applied with an old paint brush.  It looked too dark to me, so after it dried I brushed Mig Europe Dust Pigment over it, then a little Mig Dry Mud Pigment in spots over that to add some variation.  I had never heard of this company until a couple weeks ago but these three things are really easy to use and I really like them.

I have seen the Mig products, but have never tried them.  I think there will be a purchase made in the near future with Mig products in it (where did you get yours).  I like the results you got from them.  Great work!  And thanks for sharing!

Eagle90

I got mine at Megahobby.com but I just looked there and for some reason they don't seem to have either of the dry versions listed as being available.  They do have the wet ones though.  I found the dry versions on Ebay, and they also have their own website: www.migproductionswebshop.com.  Google turned up a lot of other sites that have it too.  I put a couple below.  Hope that helps.

www.thathobbyplace.com/mig-productions-europe-dry-mud-fine-texture.html

shop.lastcavalry.com/mig-productions-europe-dry-mud-fine-texture

Gentle, got it.  Still not completely dry yet though so back to the beer.  And maybe some rum too.  ;)

yeah, best wait overnight... go enjoy the beverage and perhaps some music or other entertainment...

So I tied up the stuff on the back and did the .50 as you suggested.  Once the antennae that I broke off is dry again it'll be done (maybe subconsciously I feel the need to break stuff on my models so that the process takes longer). :)  Thanks for the help!

Whoops! Just trying to be helpful, not get you to break your model! Sorry!!!

No worries! It's all fixed and looks better than it did thanks to the tips I got here.

Pictures... or it didn't happen... ;-)

My photographer was not available today.  Hopefully tomorrow.

Ok, my official photographer is still unavailable so I tried taking a picture.  My hands were shaking from too much coffee and, to be honest, it seems that I just suck at taking pictures.  But at least you can kind of see that the ropes are on there.  Maybe later I can get a better picture.

That's looks a lot better.

As for the photo, just one word.

Tripod.

Since I don't have a tripod yet, I made a couple sandbags and tried again.  Kidding.  Actually, I just let the coffee wear off, and although they're not perfect pictures, I think they're a lot better.

Wow! That is some great heavy gauge thread!  Looks great! Now find something to fill up that empty shelf ;-)

For the love of God!  Are you never satisfied?!?!?!   It was full of schnapps until some captured Germans escaped and stole it all before the crew could traverse the turret to stop them. . .   that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Fine, fine.  I'll see if I can rustle up some Jerrycans or something.

BTW - the "rope" was part of the kit my wife found at the garage sale.  I think the guy built ship models.