Tamiya 1/35 Panzer II Colour modulation technique

[dubster72]

Hi all,

I wasn't sure where to post this, it's not really under construction as it's built, but the 'painting' section didn't seem quite right & 'tutorials' is a bit above my standard! Maybe a mod can put it where it's most appropriate....

Anyway, here's a little project I've been working on, painting Tamiya's Panzer II. This is the old 70's kit, not the new tooling, but it's a lovely little dinky model to build! I wanted to give colour modulation a real go. I've had a stab at it before, but not really in the proper stages it needs.

In essence, the technique uses varying shades of paint to add extra highlights & create a kind of 3-D effect. It's therefore most suited to boxy vehicles like this one. That's the theory at least!

And to anyone who isn't into armour, fair warning there's lots of pictures!

Firstly, here's the basecoat in a very dark grey

I then mixed a lighter grey with a touch of blue & sprayed it a la Verlinden in a 'bloom' pattern, trying to aim for the edges & flat surfaces

After that, I lightened the mix further & sprayed this very much at the edges, concentrating on the upper surfaces & trying to get a graduated effect ( not as successful as I'd hoped! )

Then to complete the painting stage, I masked off the main areas to allow me to add a very light blue to certain bits such as the toolbox hatches, a couple of box upper surfaces, the turret viewports & the commanders cupola

Next will be glossing & decals and then onto the weathering.

Thanks for looking & all comments or criticism are gratefully received.

Cheers

Patrick

 

[mobear]

i know nothing about tanks so i`m just watching,looks like the overall effect is working though

mobear

 

[dubster72]

Cheers Ole, I'm actually trying to replicate a build I saw in a magazine. The guy built the same tank, although his was in 1/24 scale.

It's up for sale at $1250 but I'd be lucky to get 12.5p for mine!

 

[CDW]

the overall effect is very promising and at the stage you're at now i can imagine how it's going to progress after getting such a decent base to work from.

It's almost like building up your oils when painting a landscape, very effective and does increase the 3d effect somewhat.

I'm impressed Patrick.

 

[Polux]

Hi Patrick.

What a great thread!! You know for me is perfect!!!

I like very much all the work of painting and the very guessed right color.

I was looking at his tank, and though mine is enormous, this have the half of details than the small one... I wait eagerly to see the weathering!!!

Thank you very much Patrick for your photos and texts, they will be very useful!

:cheeseygrin::cheeseygrin:

The only problem is that you were a fantastic excuse to not construct mine, but now already I cannot... Your is nearly finished!!!

:grinball1::grinball1::grinball1:

Regards

Polux

 

[tr1ckey66]

Hi Patrick

looks a very nice clean build.

I've always been a bit reluctant to use colour modulation as to my eye it sometimes looks a little bit extreme and the vehicle doesn't appear one colour anymore. I've sort of adopted a colour modulation technique but I'm always keen to make sure the different shades come together as a whole, calming it down with a diluted top coat of the base colour if necessary. I'll be really interested to see what results you get Patrick, the progress so far looks really good.

All the best

Paul

 

[AJay]

Looking great so far, Patrick!

 

[dubster72]

Thanks for the positive comments guys! I know what you mean Paul, it's a bit of a leap of faith but i guess it's all about trying new things and seeing how they turn out! Hopefully at the end, it'll look ok.

Got the gloss coat & decals on. I was a bit worried about the decals as they're nigh-on 40 years old but they went down ok. The turret markings are actually from my spares box. For the 1st time I airbrushed the Future & found it goes on better that way.

This photography lark isn't easy either - these pics make the paint look very grey, when in reality it's quite bluish...

Cheers

Patrick

 

[mobear]

with my pc they look bluish,though if i move my head to one side its greenish then the other side its greyish,cracking job so far but cross on back is slightly off lol

mobear

 

[dubster72]

with my pc they look bluish,though if i move my head to one side its greenish then the other side its greyish,cracking job so far but cross on back is slightly off lolmobear

I knew someone would spot that Ole! Flipping thing must have moved when I wasn't looking!

 

[mobear]

glad to be of assistance lol

mobear

 

[aaron]

WOW. And of one of my all time fave panzers.

This is wicked handy and useable, Thank you so much for this Patrick.

Just put some tamiya tape over the offending decal and rip the tape off and decal with it . Then you can add another balkenkreuz.

Assuming you used klear under the decal this will work.

Great thread i will be watching .

 

[dubster72]

Thanks Aaron, glad to be of service! Unfortunately I don't think I have any spare balkenkreuz, plus I used micro set/sol to apply the decals which might make it harder to remove.

I think some mud splatters will do the trick!

Cheers

Patrick

 

[tr1ckey66]

Hi Patrick

I wouldn't worry too much about the decals. If I were being picky the other Balkan kreuz also look a bit out of register and could have done with a bit of a trim but I don't think that's the main aim here. I like the fact you're trying new techniques, once you get the result you can see what else can be done or what can be improved and you can make the technique your own.

Cheers

Paul

 

[aaron]

Mud splatters...Great idea, I didnt even notice they were off untill i read the post.

I really really like the early panzers, They did some fantastic stuff in the early years of the war and have some of the best stories.

 

[dubster72]

Well, it's nearly time to stick a fork in this one! Unfortunately, I've committed the cardinal sin during a build thread & done lots without stopping to take pictures! Still, here's an update:

Managed to get the tracks on & add a touch of sag. This wasn't easy with awful rubber-band tracks, especially those that have probably been in the box almost as long as Iv'e been alive! Most of the weathering & chipping is done, just a little more is needed to finish it off.

A few close-ups!

And just to show how quickly things moved on, here's a shot of the Panzer ii next to a WIP Tiger

Some difference eh?

Thanks for looking, all comments for & against are always both welcome and useful.

Cheers

Patrick

 

[Ian M]

Some great paint gone down there. I like the tracks they are looking very good. In fact I am feeling guilty about now having to tell you that one of them is on the wrong way round. I could not help but notice they are pointing each their own way...... sorry.

Ian M

 

[dubster72]

Ha ha well spotted Ian! I realised once the glue had dried & then it was too late!

 

[CDW]

Bout time we had an update Patrick

Like it a lot, dont know about anyone else but the pictures seem to have a deeper "feel" to them, you can notice this via comparison in the image with the other model.

Oops on the wrong-side-round track, "no biggie" though as they say

To "sag" the tracks, I use cotton thread - looped through the tracks and tied around wheel axels etc (where it won't be seen) you can tighten/loosen it as needed then just touch the thread with superglue to set it in position.

Don't know if you use this idea but it works nicely.

 

[dubster72]

Thanks Colin. I'm very pleased with it so far & for such a small tank it certainly has 'presence'. I think the colour modulation helps to add depth, which is what I was hoping for.

As for the pesky tracks, I tried everything with little success. They were simply unwilling to go where I wanted, mainly due to their age I think. But they look ok & I'll put the mismatch down to the crew wanting faster turns!

Cheers

Patrick