Hi guys - great work going on everywhere (not that I'm surprised),
I've been really busy at work and have been working most weekends recently so I'm getting an hour here and an hour there BUT I have a proper little photo update to give now re my Friuls - plus I'm on holiday on Wednesday so I'm hoping to get this tank well prepped for final weathering next weekend going into December. I'd LIKE to have this complete by 25th December so it counts as a proper 2012 build.
Like I said this update all relates to my Friul work. I had experienced problems with AK's solution not taking to certain areas - especially where CA has had to be used to secure the track pins SO I decided to blacken the Friuls first then hit with the pin-vise and assemble. I wasn't sure how this would work and Hasenpfeffer summed up a lot of the issues that I'd come across perfectly in a recent post of his! See below by the bullet point!
- Ben - Nice tracks. I've though about burnishing beforehand, but was afraid if I had to drill out holes again the shiny stuff might show through again. Or that the pins would be seen in the same shiny way after assembly. How's it working out? Maybe the weathering just clears all that up.
Righto. I had to work from home yesterday and made a bunch of 15 link lengths of Friuls that could be assembled in one go when I'd made up 95 links which is about the correct amount for a Tiger I. I find if you make a length and keep adding to it the run takes on a bit of a bent look when complete and the run isn't perfectly straight. making these little short runs and adding them together stopped that happening this time.
I assembed and installed the right hand run this afternoon with the left hand run to go on later. They'll be coming off again as it was just a dry fit and like Hasenpfeffer raised in his point above - the drilling out of each hole made the track pin entry holes show bare metal where the drill bit had been so when both runs are complete I'll be flooding the two runs with Mig Russian Earth Pigment and thinner to show a nice dry mud finish. If this still leaves the bare metal around the holes I'll be dry-brushing black oil paint over the mouth of the holes to sort that problem out. These are BY FAR my best Friuls yet and I do honestly think that treating them with the Blackening Solution first is the way to go. There are no missed spots at-all.
When the two runs are off I'll re-treat them with the solution that I used before as it always has a bit of reaction power left in it. It will help me fill in a few of the odd spots that I couldn't do with the toothbrush as obviously they weren't assembled when I originally - it helps to treat them fully assembled as the toothbrushing thing is a lot easier when all the links are all assembled!
I used 97 links on this side. As always one link extra was too loose and one link less looked over-taught! I may fine tune later but it's okay at the minute.
When that is done as one last effect I'll take the mini flat-file to the raised areas to show some wear to the track faces and guide horns - the base is going to made up to look like a rocky/rubble type track.
Finally I also fitteded treated Friul links onto the spare link mountings onto the turret wall.
Due to my lack of display space I'm going to use the base shown below with the tank mountd on it in the position shown. I'm thinking Northern Italy above Cassino Ridge and I'm seeing mountains i.e. some rubble/rock detail and some grass tufts. I'll also add some spent shell casings to the rear engine deck and base - there's the reason for leaving the rear turret hatch open - I still need to paint that to provide interior detail in the correct colour.
One question - re painting the inside of the round turret hatch on the side? Should I paint the inside all 'off white' except the hatch release bar and handles? Also, should the off white go right around the outside of the door and stop where the outside basecoat is? What about the 'frame' thhat closes around the round hatch - I'm assuming that should be off white, too?
Cheers guys,
Ben - have a good week! 