SimonT - Tamiya T34/76

[scottie3158]

Simon, I have to agree with Rick the finish looks spot on.

 

[SimonT]

Hi Rick - there are plenty better but thank you for the sentiment, glad you like it

Scottie - thank you too

 

[Neil Merryweather]

I was thinking exactly the same as Rick and Paul as I read the post.
It wasn't wasted effort

 

[SimonT]

Cheers Neil

Did some more on this last night






highlighted some bits of the white patches with white oilbrusher to take off some of the grey look

added some more dirt streaking

painted the spare track links, tow cable and exhausts - started with track primer then random dark, medium and light rust deposits enamels


I then had a bit of fun throwing this dry mud stuff about


applied with these little make-up brush things to get into corners plus a little blasting it off a paintbrush with the airbrush - that was a laugh. Lot harder to control than it looks. No idea where some of it went - no doubt I will find it stuck to all sorts of things at some point





most of this will not be seen on the sides once the tracks are in place

it needs further work to impart some shadows and highlights


this was an SU100 at Duxford after it had been charging around the arena - I don't plan on going quite this mad but it will get another layer in places

Note the large amount thrown up on the track guard at the rear - definitely going to try and replicate that

I think the texture of the acrylic mud does a fair job of looking like the real thing

 

[Steve Jones]

What stands out on the photo is the tracks and running gear is completely covered in mud yet very little if any on the armour. What was the back end like Mr T??

The model certainly looks very realistically muddied. Lovely work Simon.

 

[SimonT]

It was seventeen years ago Steve - I have trouble remembering what I had for breakfast this morning so absolutely no recollection of what the rear end looked like. Only managed to get a couple of similar shots from the front as it was parked nose on to the fence
There is quite a deposit of muck on top of the rear left of the track guard it as you say, apart from the odd splash, the rest is remarkably clean

I am adding some mud to the lower areas, splashes front and back and a bit in the wheel details but not going for total obliteration like this

 

[Steve Jones]

I have trouble remembering what I had for breakfast this morning

Who are you?

 

[Jim R]

Hi Simon
Like the others I really do like your worn winter look. Looks suitably well used and uncared for. Mud is always difficult but yours is looking good. Can you mix that mud with acrylic gloss to make wet mud?
Jim

 

[Jakko]

What stands out on the photo is the tracks and running gear is completely covered in mud yet very little if any on the armour. What was the back end like Mr T??

I suspect the lower plate, that slopes outward, would be filthy, but the upper plate, that slopes inward, to be fairly clean. Look at cars on the road in winter: any (near-)vertical rear panels get very dirty, but sloping rear panels stay much cleaner.

 

[Tim Marlow]

Yes, but with cars that is down to airflow and turbulence, which deposits muck in the dead air surfaces. Trains show the same effects, with crud building up between carriages. When the conditions are right you can see how brake dust is deposited when the train slows down. It is unlikely that a tank would go fast enough to mimic those effects.

 

[SimonT]

Who are you and why are you asking....?

Jim - I guess it is looking rather well used. Once you start it is hard to stop - good fun. I think spending more time on the painting is starting to pay off though. Definite improvement on my old slosh some paint then dry brush the hell out of it approach.
The washable paint is a much easier way of getting the worn look - easy to paint a bit more on if you take too much off as well
The mud has a slight shine to it when it dries
Since it is acrylic by Mig it should mix with MIG paints or varnish as well as AK and Vallejo and dry pigments of course so plenty of scope for changing the look. In addition, once set you can wash it with enamel or acrylic and of course dry brush to highlight and add more dry pigments so even more scope there
I have found that it thins nicely with Medea so that it can be run into the recesses on the wheels

Jakko - agreed. I have spattered my mud from below, aimed up the rear panel and the upper panel does stay quite clean

 

[Jakko]

Yes, but with cars that is down to airflow and turbulence, which deposits muck in the dead air surfaces.

True, but I’ve usually observed dirt getting deposited in much the same way on military vehicles: vertical or outward-sloping rear panels get much dirtier than inward-sloping ones. On this T-34, with its missing rear mudguard pieces, some mud would probably get thrown up on the upper rear hull, but mostly just inside and above/forward of the drive sprocket, I’d think.

 

[SimonT]

This video has some great reference of mud flinging - with the angled end plates on the track guards a lot of the muck gets thrown out sideways but with them removed it gets flung straight up on top of the track guards especially when the driver puts his foot down

See the T34-85 around 1:57 - absolutely blathered up top. Rear plate still fairly clean

 

[SimonT]

traces of dried mud added to the wheels but not enough to obliterate the detail


mud spatters by using the airbrush to blow the mud off a brush from below


same idea at the rear


exhaust staining added with engine oil enamel and black pigment


diesel spill stains added to the tanks on the back

 

[JR]

Morning Simon.
Don't think you could better that as an example of very worn winter wash.
Had a smile when I read your account, thought It only happens to us mere mortals.

 

[SimonT]

Thanks John - I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

Looking forward to trying that washable paint on the braille scale T34-85

Need to assemble the crew now for this and then try my luck at painting them

The Tamiya crew don't look too bad - whether or not I can paint them remains to be seen

 

[JR]

Thanks John - I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

Looking forward to trying that washable paint on the braille scale T34-85

Need to assemble the crew now for this and then try my luck at painting them

The Tamiya crew don't look too bad - whether or not I can paint them remains to be seen

At least they don't have loads of kit

 

[SimonT]

Looking at the picture of the back end it looks like there are paintbrush bristles stuck in the paint - actually static grass that was mixed with the mud

 

[JR]

Simon maybe a few extra clumped together, like it has been ripped out by the tracks and thrown upwards would alleviate that ?

 

[Steve Jones]

Someones been having fun! Nice muddy work Mr T