Primer was next in black and for that task I used Krylon black color in a can. The cover is great and its dries in 15-20 minutes.

The instructions give you a guide of color for the engine, but I used instead the pictures of the reference book.

Weathering of the engine started with a wash of black, then another with burnt umber.

Test fitting of the hull, always do this from time to time to detect any issue before you get to a more complicated stage.

Beautiful fitting, like a glove, and look at the size! okay is smaller than almost all the tanks but still is a great one.

For the next part I started weathering the engine compartment, I wanted to show a lot of everything but not in a exagerated way, so with that in mine I used a very fine wash of burnt umber to tone down the white, chipping and scratch marks using a mix of black and burnt umber applied with a toothpick, a fine brush and a sponge. Later I added stains and some 3 tones of rust due to water exposure, etc.

On the other side, that reside inside the tank's belly, the story is a different one. The rust is not present, only stains, scratches and grime.

The driver floor also receive a similar treatment as the previous parts, except for the rust.

This recipe is repeated to the interior walls of the tank, then I added the pedals, the seat, and all the small details on the driver's area, and glued in place the complete engine. Here I put one side to test again the fitting, and still perfect. A lot of retouches were done overall to match the tones between the parts.

Very nice work.  The wear and weathering is top notch, and I love the worn paint on the gear shift.   Just a thought...maybe add some wear to the pedals and the seat, depending if they are going to be visable after assembly.

What a treasure!
That motor is just awesome.

Really solid work so far. This should be a beauty in the end.

Turning out a nice bit of work on this beauty. 1/16 really is ideal for this particular subject considering how small the original is. 

After inspecting the tracks vs the reference I found that they were casted and the textured was missing in my plastic kit. So for this task I used the Tamiya Thin glue and cover the whole track, then I used a stiff brush to tap all the track, showing the following result. ( I think I overdo this one, but the next ones are ok)

Nice work.  I'm working through the Meng 1/35 scale version of this little jewel.  Having fun with all the paint finishes.  I also added wiring.  Unfortunately, my reference was bad, so the little 4-cyl has 2 plugs per hole.  Oh well, few will even bother to count, and I'm still having fun!  You've added some very nice weathering effects. 

Gene Beaird,
Pearland, Texas

Wow, I hope the engine hatch can be posed open to show off all that work you did, the engine looks so good I'd be tempted to display it beside the tank as a model in itself. 

And nice work there on the tracks, that's one of the things I always seem to overlook. 

FT-17: gun barrel. I found that the gun barrel was wrong in shape in comparison with the book reference so I decide to switch to brass tube for the gun and for the sight. Also drill the hole for the periscope too, still need a flat ring to make a better look on it. Here you can see the results, I think they look much better. Next the turret!

I'm still thinking in what colors & nation I would paint this fella.

I'm Between a Polish Version I found named "Janka" (take a good look at the wheels, they look like in bare wood)

or a postwar option in Japan under testing. (1919-1930)(type 79 Kogata)

For this one I was thinking to make the wheels in bare wood, and Kanji marking like the one done in militar weapons on that era.

With this Legend I can decifer the type of Equipment . For example here in the gun sight means " Type 44"

More evidence that this fella at some stage of production was used with unpainted wooden wheels.

And another good reference for the Japanese version. Look at the Kanji at the side of the hull.

Just a small update.

I remove the numbers from a sprue using a new blade and here is the result after applying it to the track.

Really nice work 

And gee friggin' whiz those wheels do look like unpainted wood. 

I just received the last piece I needed for this work, the resin wheels simulating wood. Thanks Todd Michalak and Inside the Armour for a fantastic piece!

Starting the painting with a white primer, pieces are loose, just put it in position for the picture.

Following my previous work on a Sherman howitzer, I wanted to start the kit in Black & White too. This help me a lot to know were I'm going with the painting and weathering of the kit.

Here is the First Step of the Black & White process, started in white, then black for deep shadows, they will soften on the next steps, more to come.

I'm really enjoying this wip.  Very nice work!                        gk

I ordered the resin to cast the wheels, but while waiting I wanted to experiment a bit painting the wood grain and see the results.

Started imitating the lines using a fine brush and Tamiya Linoneum deck brown xf-79,

Then I sealed using satin varnish so I can start with the first wash using black very diluted.

Here I experiment using filters of yellow and brown applied by brush, then another thinned black wash, and painted the metal parts.

For the base color I was looking for a inital color use in japanese war machines, Steven Zaloga have some articles about the theme, and also found some more inf here (http://matadormodels.co.uk/tank_museum/xcamo_ww2japan.htm)

So after a research I decided to go with a very light Olive Drab. So I use the Color Modulation set from AMMO for the task.

Here the results using the Basic Highlight Olive Drab.

Here some practice of the Kanji before applying it. Some retouches to the wheels, installed as well but not glued, only for fitting purposes. Also painted with a tamiya flat earth xf-52 the tracks to initiate a more weathered look.

Starting the initial dust using a mix of Tamiya Buff, Deck Tan and Flat earth. Still a long way to go.

Detailing of the layers of dust, dry and wet mud in process using the whole line of Dust & Mud from Ammo.

here is the progress on the tracks too, still in half-stage of weathering process, more details to come.

Also the side with the Kanji

Wow, that's some sharp work!