need help

Like Claymore I do basicly the same thing except the painting.I put together the subpension and the hull together,bogies sprockets everything without painting them.After this has been done then I go for the turret and gun.I leave out the machine guns till nearly last after I have sprayed paint the completed model of subpension,hull and turret.The tracks I do last and hand paint them to what I want under field condistions.The black rubber on the bogies get painted by hand after I have sprayed painted the the rest.It is easyer to do this way and keeps you from having to touch up in case you paint a bogie a different color by mistake.Then after all has been put together and spray painted,sub,hull,turret,tracks and all the little thing that go with it:like shovels axes and cables.Then take your time and hand paint and weather details that you want on this beast.Add tracks and decals weather them to match and you are done.Then set back and enjoy your handy work.Digger
The colors you want to use on a project like this are:OD green ,rust ,steel,ft.black,dk brown ,tan and sliver.Most of your tans and browns are used for weathering.As far as painting tools I would put them on the hull and spray them the same color as the tank and dry brush highlights of steel on them to show wear.Most tools were paint in od green for protection from the elements.Your tracks are basicly steel and black with a series of washes done with rust as a dry brush and tans-browns for drit.Feul spills and greese is done with a ft black wash.You can use the color rubber for greese and apply around the bogies and subpension areas followed by a tan-brown wash to show drit.

Here is how I do a Sherman:
First I put on a light coat of OD on the wheels and Bogie parts and assemble them, the black for the rubber can be done after assembly.
After that i build the lower hull, uper hull and turret as seperate sub-assemblys and hit them with a layer of OD. As for the pioneer tools, you can add them right away using tiny drops of glue and then slip paper between them and the vehicle to paint them after spraying the OD or you can leave them off paint them seperate and attach after basecoating. I prefer the first method.
Now I combine the bogie assemblys (6 of 'em) and the lower and upper hulls into the complete hull.
At this point there should be a hull assembly and turret assembly.
I then do the final coat(s) of OD, paint the rubber part of the road wheels and paint/add the tools, Tracks are painted and added and weathering is done.

I don't prime figures but it seems most people do.

Tamiya XF-62 is one of their flat paints.