DML Beute T34 Complete 12-02-2012

Picking up from last week, the latest round of effort dealt with the white wash scheme as well as the remaining exterior details and getting that squared away.

First up, I used an old brush and stippled and dry-brushed MM enamel Russian Armor Green over the previous air brushed Flat White finish to create some wear and depth to the finish.

The same process was repeated with the Flat White to overlay the Green and mute some of the harshness and create the sense of brush strokes and transparency between the two colors. For the cupola the process was the same but I used Panzer Gray instead of the Green to keep its contrast as an add-on part compared to the original green of the T-34.

The process is pretty hard on the brush, so be prepared for it to consume the brush potentially in the process! By the time I was done, the brush was worn down pretty good but it was a noble sacrifice for the result achieved.

With that done, it was time to add the tools and other details for the exterior. Tools were detailed with MM Metalizer Gunmetal for their metal portions and given a light dry-brushing of Steel, the wood handle for the shovel was done with a base coat of 50/50 Light Gray/Panzer Dunkelgelb followed by a treatment of umber artist pastels, and the Bakelite handles on the wire cutters done using Italian Dark Brown. Spare track links were also detailed and installed at this point.

Rear hull got some attention as well, the exhausts were detailed with a base coat of MM Metalizer Gunmetal followed by a light wash of thinned enamel Rust. Once dry, some Burnt Umber and Black artist pastels were used to deepen the look and create some diesel soot accumulation. The rear Notek lenses were picked out with Tamiya Clear Green to round things out.

Front hull saw the addition of the hull MG and the driver's periscopes picked out using a combination of enamel Silver and Tamiya Clear Smoke. Enamel Silver was used for the reflective insides of the headlights as well.

Next up will be laying down the protective Future coat, adding the decals, and then starting in on the remaining weathering for the hull.

Looking really nice Bill   This last picture is my favorite

How do you say

Papuska

Tony lee

Thanks Rob and Tony, glad you like it!

Sweet looking build Bill.

Hi Bill 

She's looking real good. I like the ' dirty ' look you have been able to obtain, but I kind of miss the traditional streaking look of the whitewash as it naturally wears away from wear,moisture, and the crew climbing around it. As you told me, with enamel, you can't use the hairspray method so scrubbing away the whitewash doesn't work. For my own curiosity , have you tried it ? I ask because I did a test panel with pretty good results and no barrier coat of Future or anything else. Most of the chemical components that could cause lifting are in the propellant and as long as you don't  'Hose it '  a mist will not lift the enamel, but under warm running water does remove an acrylic topcoat applied over it .  The hairspray is actually drying before it hits the surface. I am still experimenting, but when I have it down to a system, I will post pictures. This is certainly no critique of your fine work, just an experiment, and I must admit, painting with enamels does have some inherent advantages sometimes. (smoother in tight corners, and less coats) Any way man your build is looking super , sorry for rambling on about my crazy experiment.

Don't ever say never... LOL

tread

Bill-your build is progressing nicely.  I really like the weathering-thanks for sharing your techniques.

Thanks Bish and Bob!

Tread

looks good Bill can't wait to see how you improve on this even more

Thanks Clint! Hopefully I will get some 'extra' time this week due to the holiday to work on this one.

Gives me the chills looking at your winter camo ............sweet !

Thanks Carl!

OMG Bill OUTSTANDING BUILD i've always love your paint work very nice i need some one on one paint course to get better my friend. HELP.

Clay

Thanks Clay! Don't sell yourself short there bud, painting is just a matter of trial and error and practice, practice, practice! If you have a double-action airbrush and can control your paint/air flow mixtures, that's the key to getting the most out of your equipment.

Small update in honor of Thanksgiving here in the States! Hope everyone who is celebrating has a chance to spend time with friends and family on this holiday.

Did a little bit of work on the hull underside by applying a light thinned wash of MM enamel Flat White and installing the road wheels and idler wheels. The road wheels also got some added treatment via the Flat White wash to supplement the previous airbrush work. The hull treatment is aimed at providing some subtle contrast background for the pigment weathering to come as opposed to the dark green color of the hull prior to the wash.

Applied a sealing coat of Future by airbrush to protect the paint work and lay the foundation for the decals. Markings are simple, just a pair of crosses for the turret. These were treated with Solvaset to ensure no silvering or air bubbles remained. After they had set, I airbrushed a 2nd coat of Future just for the turret decal areas to seal them in and protect them from the weathering stages.

Now it gets to sit for 24 hours to thoroughly cure before starting in on the next stage!

Looking real sharp, Bill, so far your effects are very convincing ! Happy Thanksgiving and back to the Detroit  game.....waiting for my wife to tell me the ham is ready !

Happy Thanksgiving to All !

tread

Thanks Tread! Getting ready to head over to the in-laws for Turkey Day dinner, enjoy the game (and the ham!)

Amazing how much a simple decal makes things look.  All is really coming together and looking great   Really like the contrast of the cupola also.  Looking forward for more ! 

Thanks Rob! Should have an update after tomorrow if everything goes to plan.

Thanks Terry! Glad to have you pop in and follow along!

The weathering process is always one of the most enjoyable steps in a build in my opinion but does have the downside of requiring large blocks of time to tackle it effectively. Fortunately the holiday weekend provided the perfect opportunity to start in on this stage.

I started by applying an overall wash of roughly 90/10 thinner/MM enamel Raw Umber to the whole vehicle. I used a round 0 sable brush to apply the wash. This of course darkens the finish but is meant to provide a foundation for the dot filtering step to come and not something that will stand on its own.

The dot filters came next and I opted for only two colors in combination with the Raw Umber wash from the previous step. Using small spotter brushes, I applied dots of MM enamel Panzer Olivgrun and Light Gray, working in small sections at a time. Using a square tip blender brush lightly dampened with thinner, the dots were drawn together and blended away until the filter and streaking I wanted was achieved. Since this process involves using lots of thinner, I wore a breather mask throughout in addition to the usual ventilation precautions for my workbench area.

Here, using the front glacis plate as an example, you can see the before/after with the half of the plate around the hull MG with the filters applied while the half around the driver's hatch yet to be treated.

Here's how the entire vehicle looked after the application of the dot filters.

This led to the next step in the process, getting some of the detail level to 'pop' via the use of a pin wash. I used a roughly 90/10 thinner/paint ratio using MM Burnt Umber and a pointed 10/0 brush to apply the pin wash around the raised detail, various panel lines, and the weld seams. The pin wash was adjusted using the same brush and clean thinner to remove any excess or blooming that had occurred.

Next up will be working on the tracks and getting ready for the pigment weathering on the lower hull and suspension.

I've said it before but your weathering technique is the best  

Thanks Clint, appreciate the comments!

Bill - I totally love the white wash work. Fantastic. As usual the details are beautiful....

Yea.....I'mmmmm back.... and watching. Looking great

Rounds Complete!!

Glad to have you back online Mike! Glad you like the finish as well, going to let this one sit over the week and take another look at it for any fine-tuning before tackling the remaining weathering stages. Almost across the finish line with this one.

Agree, fine show of the white wash !  Being that it is all done in enamels is even more impressive   Keep at her and I'll be there at the finish line waiting to see her come across.

Been spending a lot of time in the GB section... and... other places

Looking my-t fine.

Thanks Rob! Working with enamels does present advantages and challenges vs. other mediums. All part of the game! Glad you like it so far and are sticking with me to the end.

Marc

Big progress to report on this build as the weathering has been completed and it has crossed the finish line!

First up were the tracks, these were airbrushed with MM enamel Burnt Umber and dry-brushed with MM enamel Steel to prep them for the pigment weathering.

Next I applied a light wash of MM Flat White to the rubber portions of the road wheels to give them a little added color also in prep for the pigment weathering. The entire finish was sealed using MM Lusterless Flat in the spray can and left to sit overnight.

Pigments were applied using a dry mix of MIG Dark Mud and Russian Earth added to regular tap water with a drop of dish-washing soap added to break the surface tension and make it easy to apply with a brush. This was allowed to air dry before making additional adjustments.

I used a series of stiff bristled brushes to remove the excess pigment while wearing a sanding mask to avoid inhaling the fine particles. More adjustments were made using both wet and dry Q-tips to get things to where I wanted them.

Tracks were weathered separately using the same pigment combo and adjustment process. After the pigments were done, I went back over the track contact surfaces and lightly dry-brushed some MM Steel to show a little wear.

Then the Beute Baby got her shoes fitted and the idlers adjusted slightly to get the sag and tension needed.

The clear lenses were added to the front headlights and the glass blocks installed into the cupola. The cupola was fixed permanently in position and I also added a flexible rubber mount and RB Models brass 2m antenna as another common 'beute' feature.

Then it was time to take the walk-arounds and check for any last-minute adjustments that the camera might reveal.

Looking mighty fine, Bill   ... it was strange, when I first clicked on your update there were no pictures showing , only a link. In any case the proof is in the picture and they are very fine !

You have really  ' captured '  the look !   

Back to the NFL !   have a nice Sunday 

tread