M8 Armored Car in the Ardennes Winter WIP 7/27/08 *Complete* Figs IP

Mike--awesome!---but it ain't finished yet, IMO!

I would like to see you take some base color, and drybrush/chip those grab handles, and think of the areas where the crews' climbing on the vehicle would necessarily rub off that whitewash. An overall "outlining" of the panel lines with the side of a wide.flat brush (kinda like a chipping effect?) would look cool too--the vehicle looks a little too pristine white for me....

It needs some very sparse vegetation sticking up through the snow--if you really look at snowy fields, you'll always see a stray blade of grass or twig sticking up. 

Your snow looks great! Deep, fluffy--but IMHO, uninteresting--too white and unbroken. Good and nice in real life, but for a diorama, not aesthetically the best choice, IMO.

Either that or a road sign to give it some sense of place.

The figures are not bad--the first one reminds me of John McCain! It would be better, IMO, to put them in the model because it wouldn't make much sense to have the vehicle just out there in the snow, unattended. You almost have to have figs in this one. If it was a tank, you could button it up, but not here.

I can't get over the fluffy snow! What is it exactly?  

Well, the blizzard has passed. Here is the completed M8 in the Ardennes Winter.

Manny and Doog....please be kind....here is my first attempt at figures. I could not find any that seem to fit so these are the old Tamiya WWII tankers...not the best, then again as I said this is my first try

Do you guys think they will detract from the model??? Are they at least semi good enough to include?? And of course any help all you guys can give would be appreciated (I know the pics are not the best...first time photographing figs too!!)

All comments are appreciated and Thanks

Rounds Complete!!

RBaer - Thanks for the comments

Rounds Complete!!

Marc - The parka is on for the big snow!!  Thanks

Karl - Thanks for the comments. Since the sides of the grooves have only a thin layer of Celluclay, it was not a problem. Also the grooves are slightly bigger than the need to be and once the vehicle is placed I will backfill with snow for level and fill in. But your warning is well taken.

And yes, it is 1/2 inch potting foam from your favorite store....Michaels

I'm getting cold just thinking about it!!!!

Rounds Complete!

Outstanding, Mike!!!!!!

This is coming along awesomely!

The base looks like it's gonna be a winner, too! It reminds me a little of the potting foam thing I did in my Field Kitchen dio! The Celluclay on top is a great idea! 

One thing I would recommend is to put the wheels on and sit that model in the groove real snugly until the celluclay dries enough to keep its' shape--you don't want to have an uneven sit there!

This is turning out so cool!  

BRRRRRRR...  It's getting cold in here.  Colder then a witches...... well... it's just cold

Looks great Mike.  I think I might try that base idea for my winter PZ IV 

Mobious - Weather forecast....snow for this weekend!!

Thanks

Rounds Complete!!

 Hey redleg12,

 That foam base is goona be cool. Can't wait to see the snow fly! I wonder if I should be making out my Christmas list.

 Santa'a other sled the "M8 Greyhound", Keep posting.

 Best Regards,

Bill - Jingle Bells in July....Hummm.

The styrofoam cuts down on the weight, gives a nice flat surface, but with the cuts, allows depth for the tire tracks.

Hopefully the blizzard will finish up this week, now that I have thawed out....Brrrrrr.

Thanks for looking and your comments

Manny - Not quite to the rims, similar to the actual photo. The nice thing with the styrofoam is after I "snow" the surface, I will take a depth measurement. If I need to build up, I will add a little more Celluclay to get the height I want. With the tacks cut in the existing cut, it will give something for the new clay to stick to and I will just roll some new tracks.

Thanks for the comments.

SMJ - I hear you on the "dirty" snow. I'm not going to go too dirty, again looking at the picture even though it is B&W, lots of fresh powder....not too much dirt. I will give a final look once I put the ground work and vehicle all togeather and see how everything looks.

I may at least use a "small" amount of MIG pigments on the "fenderburgs" to get them a little bit of black/dirt.

As always, thanks for your comments, thoughts and recommendations. If I go forward with them of go another way...they are all looked at. The judgement is on the bench. Thanks

Rounds Complete!!

redleg12: Well done, sir...well done .  Don't forget to dirty that snow on the undercarriage a bit.  Even if it's fresh snow you're depicting, there would have probably been some old snow still wedged in the corners that was dirty.  Maybe even add some more old, dirty snow wedged deep in some areas, the contrast adds realism...

I'm going to use that foam technique in the future...great idea!

Stick man - If you use the pre-made stuff, don't use it real wet. It should be dry to the consistancy of play-dough. Mix in the glue and use a small spatula to apply. If you need to keep some use an old pill bottle with strech wrap betwwen the cap and bottle.

Have fun with it.

Disatermaster - Glad you like them. I like the way they turned out also. The combination of the plaster which gives the sense of packed snow in the treads and the WS snow with the lighter snow hanging on to the edges and chains.

Thanks for looking and commenting!

Rounds Complete!!

redleg12 wrote:

 
    Man, those wheels really add the life! 

Wow your snow efect is superb! I'm going to remember the white glue/sheet rack spackle idea.

It's 95 degrees outside but there is a blizzard on my work bench.

I had a lot of input (and I am thankful for all)....and there have been toots in the past (I know Doog), but like Frank Sinatra said..."I did it my way"...so here is the winter weathering.

First in areas where snow would build or to fill in tire treads, I used some sheet rock spackle compound mixed with some white glue (90/10 mix).

This is the fender wells

These are the tires

To seal the spackle and make the areas look wet, I coated the tires, model underside and fender wells with some Model Master Acryl Satin Finish. After drying I began the snow. To apply the snow in areas I wanted, I used a #5 brush, dip in landscape cement and then dip into a tray with some Woodland Scenics Snow. The brush would become covered with the snow and when it was applied moved with the consistency of "slush" (no pun). After applications in the wheel wells and tires: I also made a wash from the clear to give the wet effect to the lower half or the vehicle.

Wheel wells and underside 

Tires

Once all the snow set up, it was time to mount the tires. I also mounted the antennas and the antenna tie downs.

Here is a look with the original picture

The only thing left to mount is the M2 which is just about ready, so I moved on to the base.

After cutting a piece of Oak, putting through the router table for a nice edge, one coat of stain, 2 coats of urethane and mask after completely dry. Then I cut some thin Styrofoam for depth and measured and cut tire ruts into it. The Styrofoam is mounted using Styrofoam spray contact cement.

Once the contact cement set up, I mixed up a batch of Celluclay tinted white and applied over the Styrofoam.

At this point I am waiting for the clay to dry, so I am going to take my parka off and head to the pool.

Next week should wrap it up except for figures. Manny, I'm still playing with that!!

Thanks for looking in. All comments welcome

Rounds Complete!!

RBaer, Bill and SMJ - Thanks for the support. All three of you (and there are others) emulate the learning/teaching role of this forum. I'm humbled by your agreement with my statements. It's people like you that make this the fun place it is for armor modeling.

I am on other forums also, like many of you. But I have not found the "brotherhood" there is here in the FSM armor forum. It is a testament to you and all those involved.  

Panzerguy - I hope so. The vehicle is just about finished except for "snow weathering". Then there is the base and lastly some figures. If I get tight on time, I may forgo the figures for Danbury.

But yes, the room is reserved, and the plan is to bring this (along with some others) to Danbury (fingers and toes crossed).

I am looking forward to meeting you and some of our other forum friends there, hopefully starting Friday evening.

Rounds Complete!! 

  Mike just got done catching up on this wip from the begining and man this is a great looking build. Everything looks perfect. Any chance we might be seeing this in Danbury? 

redleg12 wrote:

I love to get comments to learn and to teach. The sharing of ideas such as SMJ and I trading thoughts on snow helps me or Bill and his decal which was a huge help. More than this exchange helping me is some of the other things I did and these exchanges helping others THAT'S WHAT THIS FORUM IS REALLY ABOUT!! As the old Army saying goes, "cooperate and graduate"....we all get better together

redleg12: Well said, my friend...glad to help others, as they have helped me

RBaer wrote:

Well said, redleg 12. That's the point of all this, isn't it? My builds have gotten (in my mind) quite a bit better since I started hanging out here. I even enjoy seeing AI's builds..... But seriously, folks, it's the free sharing of information that makes this forum so rewarding to me personally.

Knowledge that is not shared is useless. I've never understood those who think that hoarding it or locking it away in an exclusive forum or repository is the best use of it, especially when they had to come by it through secondary means for the most part themselves.

Well said, redleg 12. That's the point of all this, isn't it? My builds have gotten
(in my mind) quite a bit better since I started hanging out here. I even enjoy seeing AI's builds..... But seriously, folks, it's the free sharing of information that makes this forum so rewarding to me personally.

RBaer - I thank you for your comments and I am happy that you want to use this as a guide. That make all the effort of doing a build log WIP worth while.

I love to get comments to learn and to teach. The sharing of ideas such as SMJ and I trading thoughs on snow helps me or Bill and his decal which was a huge help. More than this exchange helping me is some of the other things I did and these exchanges helping others

THAT'S WHAT THIS FORUM IS REALLY ABOUT!!

As the old Army saying goes, "cooperate and graduate"....we all get better togeather

Thanks RBaer

Rounds Complete!! 

SMJ - Thanks, we will give it a test run tonight

Ron - Thanks for the comments and I agree THANKS BILL.

I wish we could set up an area to share things like custom decals. Bill saved me a BUNCH of time. I have some stuff for US howitzer ammunition I did. I'm sure there are others. If they were all in one place like a catalog, it would give help to others. As long as they were copyright free ware, so no one tries to make money on someone elses work.

Pordoi - As far as the Alclad paints:

• Brushing - Since it is really set up to be sprayed, it is very thin and settles fast. You need to shake, do some painting, shake, do some more, and so on. 
• Prep - The chrome and polished aluminum require gloss black prep. The steel is dark to begin with so just used Tamiya OD as the base. Two brush coats seem to get the desired effect. 
• Spray - Since this a thinner coat than brush, it is more important to follow the Alclad instructions for base coat. Since it is so thin, lower your air pressure to the AB and try some test shots. Also you need to ventalate as the solvent smell is tremendous from Alclad when spraying.

Hope this helps

Rounds Complete!! 

redleg12 wrote:

Painted the inside of the turret with Tamiya Flat White, detailed the turret gears with Alclad Steel, and seats with Tamiya Black. Then gave an oil wash for weathering.

Redleg,

I've recently played around with the Alclad metallics.  Heard that they required a black primer coat for best effect and that they needed to be sprayed; they don't brush well.  Based on my limited experience so far, I'm not sure that I agree.  What type of prep work did you do before using the Alclad Steel?

Don

redleg12 wrote:

SMJ - We keep thinking the same way...somewhat!...

Hey, doesnt the saying go, "great minds think alike"?

redleg12 wrote:

SMJ - I was going to try a mix of the snow and elmers tonight. I may also try a mix of the plaster and WS snow, This would be an effort for in the wheel wells and compressed material. On the wheel wells, I wanted to make some small "fenderburgs" (that built up compressed snow that stick to the fenders).

Stick...with the elmers, IMO.  Try varying the water/elmers ratio.  You may even want to let the elmers/water/snow mix set-up a bit before applying it to the fenders, that way it will be stickier.  I KNOW the exact look you're going for on the fenders...and it will look sweet if you can pull it off!  That Woodlands stuff is great!!!

SMJ - We keep thinking the same way...somewhat! I tried a test last night of the plaster on a kit wheel (using resin wheels for the build so the kit wheels are available). While it looks ok, the problem is the variation in color from the WS snow. I was giong to try a mix of the snow and elmers tonight. I may also try a mix of the plaster and WS snow, This would be an effort for in the wheel wells and compressed material. On the wheel wells, I wanted to make some small "fenderburgs" (that built up compressed snow that stick to the fenders).  

Two more test wheels tonight!!

Thanks for the thoughts and the help. I appreciate you keeping up and lending comments. It is the true reason for this forum.

Rounds Complete!! 

redleg12 wrote:

SMJ - ...For the "compressed" snow on the tires, in the fender wells and tire tracks, I was going to use sheet rock compond mixed with white glue to form what is needed. Coat with a clear, wash to "yellow or dirty" the color sloghtly and then give a coat of satin and gloss mixed.

redleg12: Try using some watered down elmers mixed with the Woodland Scenics snow for this effect.  I used plaster (older build, not my SU-122) on tracks and it worked OK but the snow takes the mixes well and will give you a more realitic look.  You made need to apply it in coats but it WILL work.  The snow will also absorb your mud and grime better than plaster, and looks very realistic:

I'll keep following along...