Mike, sounds fantastic! I must admit I still haven't gotten much done- I did paint the chrome on the hydraulic pistons that elevate the gun which I'd been dreading. Shouldn't have, the Alclad chrome worked great.

Great to hear -- sometimes we put off jobs that seem like they'll be a PITA, but they work a charm! (And jobs that seem straightforward fight us every step of the way...)

M/TB379

Thunderbolt379

Great to hear -- sometimes we put off jobs that seem like they'll be a PITA, but they work a charm! (And jobs that seem straightforward fight us every step of the way...)

M/TB379

gee sounds like putting of airbrushing, specifically for this build my DANA and an M-1117 4x4. both are base coated and i know i don't paint that badly. BUT TODAY i really stripped down and cleaned my BADGER PATRIOT and dired up my SOLTAR for the first time. that was sweet i see freehand spidey web german camo in the future.

Okay, this should be my last WIP shot! I identified 11 jobs remaining on the AS-90 and got to six of them today. Here she is right now:

Remaining to do: one last part to reattach (port side smoke discharger that fell off) -- that completes all reattachments/repairs. Fit the headlights and protective grills, fit the driving mirrors, get that last decal on somehow, do the radio mast, give her the dust treatment, and -- if I have the brainpower left for it -- remask and get some clear flat over the decals on the stowage boxes.

At that point, she's done!

Tomorrow -- with any luck!

Mike/TB379

Okay, guys, I'm calling this one done! Only a week over the deadline, and that's not bad considering how far over I've been at other times!

I have research photos of AS-90s without an external radio antenna, and photos of them with the driving mirrors dismounted, so I decided to leave off these details. The mast pedestal would have required modification (which the plans fail to mention) and the mirror parts were so incredibly fragile they broke in removing them from the sprue.

I got all the bits that had fallen off remounted, finished up the driving lights and applied that last decal (I shaved off a moulded tie-down so the decal would have a chance of fitting), then gave her a quick touch of dust. I tried some experimental streaking, going to a chalky kind of stain to create contrast against the dark camo -- the jury is out in how effective it was... One day I'll do a round of flat over shiny decals, and I'll bring several models up to date on that count, but at this time I'm all done with this one. I could keep on adding dust, dirt, stains, scratches and such, but the bench is piled high with other projects and I need to declare this one ready for display.

So without further ado, here's the evidence!

Thanks for looking, and it's been an educational build -- I've never used so much PE before (and may never again!)

Cheers, Mike/Thunderbolt379

Mike: Wow! Looks great to me! I think some people do over weather peacetime vehicles, the rain streaks look good, and overall she looks fine for a well-maintained peacetime AFV.

I do notice a little silvering on the turret decal on the last photo. Since it's a flat surface you could probably just slice it in a few places and flood it with more decal setting solution or gloss and then recoat it with matte varnish.

Gamera

Mike: Wow! Looks great to me! I think some people do over weather peacetime vehicles, the rain streaks look good, and overall she looks fine for a well-maintained peacetime AFV

i agree it looks really nice. not overly weathered. my modern vehicles tend to be in good shape, no rust or chipping. depending on the location, environmentals are a different thing. motor pool in Germany looks like yours. 1 week in somalia, half the country is on board.