FT-17: gun barrel. I found that the gun barrel was wrong in shape in comparison with the book reference so I decide to switch to brass tube for the gun and for the sight. Also drill the hole for the periscope too, still need a flat ring to make a better look on it. Here you can see the results, I think they look much better. Next the turret!

Wow, I hope the engine hatch can be posed open to show off all that work you did, the engine looks so good I'd be tempted to display it beside the tank as a model in itself. 

And nice work there on the tracks, that's one of the things I always seem to overlook. 

Nice work.  I'm working through the Meng 1/35 scale version of this little jewel.  Having fun with all the paint finishes.  I also added wiring.  Unfortunately, my reference was bad, so the little 4-cyl has 2 plugs per hole.  Oh well, few will even bother to count, and I'm still having fun!  You've added some very nice weathering effects. 

Gene Beaird,
Pearland, Texas

After inspecting the tracks vs the reference I found that they were casted and the textured was missing in my plastic kit. So for this task I used the Tamiya Thin glue and cover the whole track, then I used a stiff brush to tap all the track, showing the following result. ( I think I overdo this one, but the next ones are ok)

Turning out a nice bit of work on this beauty. 1/16 really is ideal for this particular subject considering how small the original is. 

Really solid work so far. This should be a beauty in the end.

What a treasure!
That motor is just awesome.

Very nice work.  The wear and weathering is top notch, and I love the worn paint on the gear shift.   Just a thought...maybe add some wear to the pedals and the seat, depending if they are going to be visable after assembly.

This recipe is repeated to the interior walls of the tank, then I added the pedals, the seat, and all the small details on the driver's area, and glued in place the complete engine. Here I put one side to test again the fitting, and still perfect. A lot of retouches were done overall to match the tones between the parts.

For the next part I started weathering the engine compartment, I wanted to show a lot of everything but not in a exagerated way, so with that in mine I used a very fine wash of burnt umber to tone down the white, chipping and scratch marks using a mix of black and burnt umber applied with a toothpick, a fine brush and a sponge. Later I added stains and some 3 tones of rust due to water exposure, etc.

On the other side, that reside inside the tank's belly, the story is a different one. The rust is not present, only stains, scratches and grime.

The driver floor also receive a similar treatment as the previous parts, except for the rust.

Test fitting of the hull, always do this from time to time to detect any issue before you get to a more complicated stage.

Beautiful fitting, like a glove, and look at the size! okay is smaller than almost all the tanks but still is a great one.

Weathering of the engine started with a wash of black, then another with burnt umber.

The instructions give you a guide of color for the engine, but I used instead the pictures of the reference book.

Primer was next in black and for that task I used Krylon black color in a can. The cover is great and its dries in 15-20 minutes.