DML Bison II Complete 04-28-12

Thanks Mike glad you like the dusty old girl! Tomorrow will be a fun-filled day for class prep, no doubt about it!

Bill - Very nice. It is subtle....now over the top cam or any other eye draw which make the whole model a draw....nice a subtle. Also just right....not heavy weathering but enough to be noticed.

Love the look. Now hit the books!!

Rounds Complete!!

Thanks Rob! Glad you enjoyed the project along with me. Next up I think will be a Brummbar.

Tojo appreciate the comments as well, thanks!

Terry, yes classes started up again and I've got a long push for the next 12 months to complete everything without a break of any size, so it's going to be a grind of sorts! Thanks as well, nice to see you poke in every now and then!

Well Bill another beauty well worth the wait, I'd forgotten that you had gone back to school, good luck with that.

Regards,

Terry.

Another great blog to follow,a typical good job

Fabulous build Bill   Dust cover looks great on there and the part.  Really enjoyed watching this one come together and look forward to the next one.

Tony, I'll keep that in mind and thanks for the offer!

Wingman, appreciate the comments and glad to hear that the builds and reviews on the site are helpful. I'm not settled just yet on what the next project will be, there are several promising candidates that I've been considering in the stash, just have to make up my mind on which!

Andy, glad you enjoyed the ride along with me! I'm sure you'll get to the Bison before too long...Tony's SPG influence will see to that I'm sure! I don't have any Shermans in the stash, so no luck there unfortunately.

Marc, thanks for commenting as well!

Reserve, I've yet to build a DML kit that didn't have at least one error somewhere in the instructions and some kits are worse than others! Thanks for the comments and glad the techniques description has provided some inspiration for your own work.

Looks as tho one could start it up and take it for a spin, a fine job sir. Its gotten to the point where I don't pay much attention to Dragon instruction sheets past where everything is supposed to be located and this has saved me more grief than it has created. The DAK palm decals are infuriating...first time I saw this I had to look twice to make sure my eyes were not lying to me. I managed to get them on with much fiddling and cursing but they still do not look right.

All that aside you've done a splendid job on what looks like a very tricksy and fiddly kit, thanks for sharing I have made note of a few of your techniques I'll be sure to include on the next one...

Regards,

Mark

Dusty and crusty... just right.  Looks great.

Just beautiful!   Too beautiful to take it out to the front.  It was FUN following your WIP... I will definitely use your log when I build my Bison.  Hope you will have the website up and running when I am ready in five or ten years?  

Like always I am looking forward to your next build... maybe a Shermie?

Another wonderful build. And you make it look so effortless. That's quite a gift. When I have time, I read through the builds and reviews on your site. A few things have even managed to sink in. Thanks for that. Can't wait to see what the next project will be.

Tony

Hey Bill, Catherine said you could barrow her Swiffer

Tony lee

Thanks Karl and Tread! 3 months seems to be about right for build completion speed these days when the model is a complex one like this one was since it was an open-top vehicle. Figured I would go ahead and post the finish today instead of wait until tomorrow...now all I have to do is clean off the workbench and decide on the next victim!   

Kudos, Bill :  ) 

What a terrific job !  I would echo what Karl has said except on one point....

I don't think it took too long,man...they take how long they take...quality not quantity !  .. and it's not even

Sunday !

Thanks for the ride man... it was great

tread

Well, Bill, that's a beautiful and unusual model, finished with your consistently high standards. The cool two-tone paint job makes it even that much more individualistic and different--great job, even if it took a lot longer than we're both used to with things getting so busy.

I'm traveling right now for the next three weeks I won't be back at the bench. Back and forth from NY to NC, working. Ughh. I can't wait to get more bench time! Hopefully my next project will look as fine!

Again, a really notable job making this model look so intriguing.

The final stage of the weathering process is at hand, the application of pigments to give the Bison a nice dusty desertized look. To achieve that, I mixed some Mig Pigments Gulf War Sand with regular tap water with a drop of dishwashing soap added to break the surface tension. The wet mix was applied to the lower hull with an old brush and left to air dry.

That of course leaves an ugly mess that needs more work and adjustment, so I used a round stiff bristled brush to remove the excess. Dry q-tips were also used to further fine tune things to get the desired accumulated dusty look.

The tracks were given the same treatment to get them ready for installation.

Then it was time for baby to get her shoes on! After the tracks were installed I did a series of walk-around shots to see where any additional adjustments were needed. The camera never lies and is always helpful in finding the little spots that need a touch here and there.

The last little detail was the installation of the RB Models brass 2m radio antenna. This was added with some CA gel and the position adjusted slightly to keep it vertical.

The antenna was painted with MM non-buffing Metalizer Gunmetal. I reset the white balance on my camera and it was off to the photo booth for the final walk-around shots.

I think this class could actually help Dupes quite a lot...I've heard the legends about his stash records that he carries around with him from show to show! It's an intense class (all the classes are since they are 6 weeks in duration, fours per class per week) but am learning a lot to go with my previous experience crunching numbers for project management and six-sigma.

wbill76

 I'll remember that tonight when I'm sitting for 4 hours in my Quantitative Reasoning class.

I think dupes is in your class!...He's taking the class because he wants to understand the "Reason for the Quantative" [^o)] amounts of kits in his stash!!! 

 4 HOURS in Quantitive Reasoning?!  My brain hurts after one minute wondering what that means!!!

Marc and Steve, I'll remember that tonight when I'm sitting for 4 hours in my Quantitative Reasoning class. Thanks for giving me a smile with that cartoon!

SMJmodeler

DANG IT BILL!......will you hurry-up please.  I've been checking here for three days waiting to see the pigment weathering pics!  OK, I'll wait patiently...

JEEZ... did someone say "PIGMENTS" out loud with Steve in the room?

MBA= More of Bill's Armor

Please sir, may I have some MBA?

(used for discussion only)

wbill76

...I'm pursuing an MBA full time among other things so have to manage the bench time carefully. 

I assume MBA stands for: M odel  B uilder of  A rmor, right!?

Rob, thanks for the comments! Testors has two different lines of stuff...there's the "regular" line under the Testors label that just has Glosscote and Dullcote. Then there's the Model Master line which has three types, Gloss, Semi-gloss (satin), and Lusterless Flat. I've always used the Lusterless Flat and it really does make everything dead flat...so I've used it over the standard Dullcote as many years ago when I used it I would sometimes get a slight sheen still present vs. the Lusterless Flat. I buy the stuff in the spray can for ease of use vs. mixing my own and applying via airbrush. That's all I can say about it, HTH!

Tojo, the key with applying the wash is to do it very lightly (one pass with the brush) and not soak the tracks when you do it. That way it won't attack the underlying paint coat but will still blend with the dry-brushed steel. Takes a little practice to avoid applying too much wash but I've used this method for some time without issues. It won't do anything to the styrene one way or the other so you should be perfectly fine with it on Magic tracks.

SMJ, patience my friend! I typically don't build during the week and only work on builds on the weekends so that's when updates will usually get posted. I'm pursuing an MBA full time among other things so have to manage the bench time carefully. Hang in there!  

DANG IT BILL!......will you hurry-up please.  I've been checking here for three days waiting to see the pigment weathering pics!  OK, I'll wait patiently...

Looking good Bill.a question,doesn't the enamel thinner in your wash attack the plastic tracks not to mention your burnt umber basecoat,I am hesitant to try your process on Magic Tracks,what do you think ?

Another nice set of tracks   Look forward to the pigment treatment .  Is there much difference between MM Lusterless Flat and Testors Dullcote?  I have always used the Dullcote is the Lusterless Flat better?

True enough Tony! With a crew of 4-5 guys, 30 gallons of water wouldn't have lasted very long in the desert heat. Thanks for the comments as always!

Plenty of water was good

Fuel wasn't in great demand because these never got very far before they broke down or overheated anyway.

Looks fantastic Bill,you've done well so far.

Tony lee

No problem Mike! DML is famous for reusing sprues and the Wasser cans have been around the block many times...so many that they don't always correspond with the PE inserts that DML also provides for them in terms of fit/alignment!

Thanks Bill for the clarification. I guess DML wanted to save money on the molding.

Mike T.

Thanks Eric!

Mike T, all of the cans that DML provided are stamped as "20L Wasser" so I marked them accordingly with the white crosses for accuracy sake. You are correct that fuel cans and water cans were marked differently (no crosses on fuel cans) to prevent contamination. Thanks for the comments and the question!