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Iraqi T55 wreck nearly complete, lots of new pics

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  • Member since
    February 2009
  • From: mass,USA
Iraqi T55 wreck nearly complete, lots of new pics
Posted by scratchmod on Sunday, May 3, 2009 2:01 PM

I started a build log of this pair of T55's over on Armorama and thought I'd post some progress pics here too.

The kits used are the older ESCI kitswhich need a bit of work, but that's what I like to do. One will be built as an Iraqi wreck and the other will be a T55 rusted up and sitting some where.

I started by adding some weld seems where needed. Any basic kit parts will be replaced with scratchbuilt items such as the searchlights which I finished today. Here is what they look like so far.

This is the first modern russian tank that I've built so it's a learning process for me. Of course there will be more wrecks of the T55 that I will be building in the future.

 

Rob

 

  • Member since
    July 2004
  • From: Sonora Desert
Posted by stikpusher on Sunday, May 3, 2009 2:10 PM
Some beautiful work there! What are you using to replicate the weld seams and armor texturing? I love watching these less detailed kits get dressed up!

 

F is for FIRE, That burns down the whole town!

U is for URANIUM... BOMBS!

N is for NO SURVIVORS...

       - Plankton

LSM

 

  • Member since
    April 2005
  • From: Piscataway, NJ!
Posted by wing_nut on Sunday, May 3, 2009 2:15 PM
Nice texturing on the turrets Rob.  The scratched details really add to it too.

Marc  

  • Member since
    March 2008
  • From: Cheney, WA
Posted by FastasEF on Sunday, May 3, 2009 2:16 PM

That green putty looks exactly like some stuff I use at work to block out undercuts on teeth, (i'm a dental tech).

Josh

  • Member since
    February 2009
  • From: mass,USA
Posted by scratchmod on Sunday, May 3, 2009 2:18 PM

 Thanks guys,I used Mr Surfacer for the texturing. This is my first time using it so we'll see how it looks when the paint goes on. For the welds I used squadron white putty, my miliput dried out so I had to resort to the white putty.

I enjoy building the older kits too, I happened to win these two on ebay, both for $15, not a bad deal I think.

Rob

  • Member since
    July 2004
  • From: Texas
Posted by wbill76 on Sunday, May 3, 2009 2:33 PM
More wrecks from Rob, why am I not surprised? Big Smile [:D] Nice work on the details so far Rob.
  • Member since
    February 2009
  • From: mass,USA
Posted by scratchmod on Thursday, May 7, 2009 6:57 AM

Thanks Bill

I managed to add a few more details to dress up the turrets a bit more. Their basicaly ready for painting this weekend. Just have to finish off the one turret and that's about it.

I'm looking forward to when I get a Tamiya kit that's more accurate and needs less detailing.

Rob

  • Member since
    February 2009
  • From: mass,USA
Posted by scratchmod on Thursday, May 7, 2009 2:00 PM

Hi guys

 

Icouldn't hold back on the painting so I started on one of them, the wrecked T55. 

 

Still needs more work but you get the idea of how it's going to look.

 

Rob

  • Member since
    June 2005
  • From: San Tan Valley,AZ
Posted by smokinguns3 on Thursday, May 7, 2009 3:29 PM
Holly Crap that is just awsome. your gona have to give us a tutorial onhow you did  the  rust  and  the weathering.
Rob I think i can I think i can
  • Member since
    January 2008
  • From: Bournemouth UK
Posted by Bodge on Thursday, May 7, 2009 3:52 PM
Sign - Ditto [#ditto] Im enviouse of the pure talent you have.
  • Member since
    September 2004
  • From: Tulsa, Oklahoma
Posted by mm23t on Thursday, May 7, 2009 5:25 PM

amazing work on the turrets. Would like to know your technique for the rusted look. I think we are all anxious to see the the final results.Thumbs Up [tup] 

Medals are not "Won", they are "Earned".

Mike..

 

 

  • Member since
    November 2006
  • From: Massachusetts
Posted by jadgpanther302 on Thursday, May 7, 2009 6:32 PM

hey scratchmod, those T55's are stunning.

 

I have a question for you, i am building a recently knocked Brummbar and i was wondering how to achieve a heavily burnt look. BTW, i do not have an airbrush.

thanks

 

-Jagd-

  • Member since
    January 2009
  • From: clinton twp, michigan
Posted by camo junkie on Thursday, May 7, 2009 6:45 PM
Sign - Ditto [#ditto] with everyone else!!!
"An idea is only as good as the person who thought of it...and only as brilliant as the person who makes it!!"
  • Member since
    February 2009
  • From: mass,USA
Posted by scratchmod on Thursday, May 7, 2009 8:50 PM

Thank you all for the great feedback it's very motivating.

As far as my technique goes...hmm.. I really don't have a certain technique, and I don't follow the normal painting sequences that is the norm nowadays.  I like to mix things up and change the order of painting depending on how I want a tank to look. I always go thrue the order of how I'm going to paint a model while I'm still building it. I have a mental image of how it will look when done and that's how I paint it.

I have been applying my rust "dry" on the model for a couple of years now..but I switched back to my old way of mixing it with oil washes. Confused..sConfused [%-)] me too. Ok here is an easy way to apply it with oils and pigments to get the look as in the first pics.

1.  Prime the model. I use a dark color like black or a dark brown. Over this I paint a mixture of a couple of srops of black with dark brown. This is the base color for the rust and burnt areas.

 

2.  Decide where you want the burnt/rusted to be, paint the rest of the model in the normal tanks color except for the burnt area.

 

3.  Apply the normal washes and filters to the model including the burnt/rust area.

4.  Now this where the fun starts... while the burnt area is still damp from the wash and or filter give this area another wash with lots of oils. I usea little bit of black and lots of Van *** brown. The trick is to get oils on the paint and discolor it as you would with the dot/spot method. If the model is too wet use a damp cloth to wisk some of the thinner off. When I do this , it looks like I smeared dark mud on the model.

5.  Go drink a beer and have a smoke, 15 minute break to let the oils set in a little and the thinner to start evaporating. A hair dryer speeds thing up too but a cold beer sounds better.

6.   When the burnt/rust area is almost dry, use a large soft brush danpend with thinner to mix upand remove some of the oil paint. You don't want the oil paints on too thick, let this dry a bit ( one more beer ).

7. Using an old paint brush apply the rust pigments to the damp(wet) area mixing and blending it with the oil paint. Try not to apply it too thick, a little bit at a time, wetting the brush a little as you go. What I do is start with dark shades of rust to a lighter rust. The surface of the model should not be wet or dry, kinda in that half dry stage of painting. If you think there's too much rust, no worries, use a wet brush to remove the excess pigments. I always have a damp cloth and Qtips at the ready.

8.  Let it all dry or use a hair dryer on a low setting to speed it up a bit. Here is where you can start to see the results. If it look blotchy, apply more pigments or remove some. If the rusult is good for you then all that's left to do is blacken the burnt area. See step 9.

9.  The blackened burnt areas on wrecks are the burnt paint and soot, for this I use black pastel chalk ground to a fine powder. I have also used charcoal in the past. Use a soft brush to apply the soot to the desired area. An example would be around hatches in turrets and the engine deck hatches and don't forget above road wheels on the fenders ( not on all steel road wheels).

10.  Have another beerMake a Toast [#toast] your done.

 

OK if you made it this far, cool , I didn't bore you too much.I used this method on the T55 turret and it only took less than 1 hour. Practice makes perfect so try it on an old model first.

 

Hope this helps. I'll try to post step by step pics.

 

Rob

  • Member since
    November 2006
  • From: Massachusetts
Posted by jadgpanther302 on Thursday, May 7, 2009 9:05 PM

thanks scratchmod, this helps alot and i only have to get one product for this, some more MIG picments!

 

-Jagd-

  • Member since
    January 2007
Posted by the doog on Thursday, May 7, 2009 9:19 PM

Awesome as lways, Rob--you must use as much hairspray in one week as I did back in the 80's lol!

BIG HAIR RULED! ha ha!

Looks tremendous, really! 

  • Member since
    February 2009
  • From: mass,USA
Posted by scratchmod on Thursday, May 7, 2009 9:29 PM

I'm glad I could be of help to you. You can also apply dry pigments where needed to give it the fresh rust look too.

Here is a pic of a Brummbaer I did about 7 years ago when I first started the wrecks.

Good luck and I hope it works out for you, I look forward to seeing how yours turns out.

 

Rob

  • Member since
    June 2005
  • From: San Tan Valley,AZ
Posted by smokinguns3 on Thursday, May 7, 2009 9:51 PM
thanks for the how it will come in handy.
Rob I think i can I think i can
  • Member since
    May 2005
  • From: Dublin Rep Of Ireland
Posted by terry35 on Friday, May 8, 2009 7:26 AM

Rob, as always its a great pleasure to look at your work, you are in posession of a pair of show stoppers there.

Terry.

  • Member since
    April 2005
  • From: Piscataway, NJ!
Posted by wing_nut on Friday, May 8, 2009 7:30 AM

Such artistry.  Beautiful.

 

 

Edit: I cut and paste that toot in a Word doc for easy retrieval.  Odd how step #5 shows more times in my copy.  Not sure how that happenedWhistling [:-^]

Marc  

  • Member since
    February 2009
  • From: mass,USA
Posted by scratchmod on Friday, May 8, 2009 7:43 AM

thanks Terry and Marc glad you like it so far. The one turret is finished but I can't seem to be able to take decent pics, the rust color is either too bright or doesn't show.

These pics give you an idea of how it looks with rust applied.

 

Rob

  • Member since
    January 2009
  • From: clinton twp, michigan
Posted by camo junkie on Friday, May 8, 2009 9:09 AM
just curious scratch...if u apply the rust first...how do u apply the paint? your model looks great but i guess what im asking is your paint (which also looks great) has "bits of rust and soot "within" the paint itself...wouldnt an airbrush or whatever u use to apply the paint "cover" those areas?? thanks.
"An idea is only as good as the person who thought of it...and only as brilliant as the person who makes it!!"
  • Member since
    December 2003
  • From: Colorado
Posted by psstoff995 on Friday, May 8, 2009 9:37 AM
Looks amazing... Shock [:O]

-Chris

US Army Infantryman

  • Member since
    January 2007
Posted by the doog on Friday, May 8, 2009 9:49 AM
 camo junkie wrote:
just curious scratch...if u apply the rust first...how do u apply the paint? your model looks great but i guess what im asking is your paint (which also looks great) has "bits of rust and soot "within" the paint itself...wouldnt an airbrush or whatever u use to apply the paint "cover" those areas?? thanks.

Rob, I just had a minute to read through your "how to" a little more completely than last night, but I have to ask--are you saying that you haven't used any Salt weathering or Hair Spray on this finish?

That "bits of rust in your paint" thing that camo junkie is talking about looks like the results of the Salt method to me?

  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Friday, May 8, 2009 10:06 AM
 scratchmod wrote:

thanks Terry and Marc glad you like it so far. The one turret is finished but I can't seem to be able to take decent pics, the rust color is either too bright or doesn't show.

These pics give you an idea of how it looks with rust applied.

 

Rob

This is really some impressive work depicting a knocked out tank; really about as good as it gets, IMO...

One thing I would wonder about is the chances of the mantlet dust cover remaining intact...?

  • Member since
    January 2009
  • From: clinton twp, michigan
Posted by camo junkie on Friday, May 8, 2009 10:32 AM
 the doog wrote:
 camo junkie wrote:
just curious scratch...if u apply the rust first...how do u apply the paint? your model looks great but i guess what im asking is your paint (which also looks great) has "bits of rust and soot "within" the paint itself...wouldnt an airbrush or whatever u use to apply the paint "cover" those areas?? thanks.

Rob, I just had a minute to read through your "how to" a little more completely than last night, but I have to ask--are you saying that you haven't used any Salt weathering or Hair Spray on this finish?

That "bits of rust in your paint" thing that camo junkie is talking about looks like the results of the Salt method to me?

yeah what he said! Smile [:)]

"An idea is only as good as the person who thought of it...and only as brilliant as the person who makes it!!"
  • Member since
    December 2003
  • From: Colorado
Posted by psstoff995 on Friday, May 8, 2009 10:39 AM
One thing I would wonder about is the chances of the mantlet dust cover remaining intact...?

When I built my own version, I collected a lot of reference that suggested it would not- especially if the tank burned up from the inside; the heat took care of stuff like that. That being said, if it was abandoned and rusted out quickly due to the elements, the cover might be able to hold out a little longer.

-Chris

US Army Infantryman

  • Member since
    January 2009
  • From: clinton twp, michigan
Posted by camo junkie on Friday, May 8, 2009 10:42 AM
i wish i could find my desert storm pics (since the move i havent been able to find anything...lol). had plenty of iraqi knocked out t-55's i could show you!!
"An idea is only as good as the person who thought of it...and only as brilliant as the person who makes it!!"
  • Member since
    February 2009
  • From: mass,USA
Posted by scratchmod on Friday, May 8, 2009 10:55 AM

Hi guys

Hmm... I guess I forgot to mention the Hairspray and salt. I did use both on the turret. The basic how-to was for the burnt/ rusted area only. I normally do these areas after the main tank color is on, but reversed the process on this turret to see how it would look.

It worked out ok. The oil paint/pigment forms a barrier similar toapplying a gloss coat. When you slowely remove the paint/HS and salt, the underlying rust/burnt area is revieled. Weathering of the model can then be done in the normal fashion,pin wash etc. the very last thing I do is to apply rust and black pastel powder as a touch. Nothing is sealed on my models so I'm always careful not to touch these areas.

I like to try different ways of achieving a realistic finish and someday I'll get it down.

I have seen pics where the mantlet covers are still in tact, beside I will have the turrets turned so the mantlet is not over the tank itself.

 I hope I cleared things up a bit. I usualy have to try and remember how I painted each model because it's always different.

 

Rob

  • Member since
    February 2009
  • From: mass,USA
Posted by scratchmod on Friday, May 8, 2009 11:38 AM

I manage to dig up a pic of a tank that has some of the cover on the mantlet. This tank is not a total burn out so it would still be on.

I plan on only burning/rusting out the rear section where the tanks were located on the fenders, so not a total wreck. I also wanted to build these models without any AM products.

When I build the Tamiya kit, it will be a WRECK with some interior work as well. These are just practice models to get my feet wet so to speak.

The "how to" was mainly to help Jagd out who has no spray gun, a basic how to. For those of us with spray guns, the salt/HS techniques improves the effects. I have an old KV that fell off the shelf( the wife got too close) and will use that for a quick tutorial.

The oxidation varies greatly, so it depends on the effect your going for when using rust.

 If you still have any questions,fire away.

 

Rob

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