i decide to stop, momentarly, the construction of planes, why? may you ask simple: this is a TANK forum, so i will restart my old kingtiger, last week i finished the tracks, by modelkasten ( it was a pain in you know where :angry: ) since monday i started to put the zimmerit to the hull, will post some pics later :roll: so see ya!!!!
Look forward to them Me262, if the usual high standard of your work is anything to go by these should be well worth seeing!
Hey, Me262 - what is your preferred method for zimmerit? I have seen many methods, and am not sure which to try. My only zimmerit attempt was done by applying poly cement to the surface of the model, which softened the plastic, then making the zimmerit by pressing in a small screwdriver blade... It actually worked fairly well (this is 1:72 scale) but I would not recommend it!
well, i do not have any favorite, but the way i do it, is to apply some liquid cemment to the surface and then apply a coat of putty and spred it in to surface with a flat plastic or anything similar, after it is a little dry i use a knife to create the grooves, nothing special
Don't know if it's any use to you Ricky, but here's something on Zimmerit from "The Modelmaker's Handbook" which arrived today. "One application method used by some modelmakers is to apply a thin coat of Polyfilla to the model and then texture it with a fine saw blade. This method is very similar to the way the real material was added but it is difficult to apply the paste thinly and evenly. The best technique for adding this finish to a model is to engrave the plastic surface with a pyrogravure or a hot needle. It is easy to control the tool on very small scale models which are difficult to texture with paste. Check to see if components can be worked on before assembly as the pattern is easier to apply on a flat surface and it can be touched up after construction if necessary. Mark the parts where they will meet so that the engraving will match on both sections."
I'm interested in trying my hand at a tank kit. Any suggestions of a good kit to start off with? As I'm more of a plane man rather than a tank man I'm not overly sure of what kind of thing I'd want to do. I was thinking of avoiding doing something like a Panther or Tiger as these seem relatively commonplace as kits, maybe going for something a bit less common like a Matilda? I don't really know where to begin to be honest, I'd quite like to do something British (Which was why I mentioned a Matilda) as a starting point, but if anyone can suggest a good kit of another nationality I'd be more interested in starting with a pretty good kit of a poor tank than a poor kit of pretty good tank.
The Airfix Matilda is actually a pretty good kit, and the Matilda is a fairly nice tank to start with (very few annoying wheels to paint). Don't do a Churchill yet - hundreds of easily broken / lost little bogeys / wheels. :angry:
Good advice. Although the simplest tank to build has to be the Airfix Mk1 tank. no wheels at all - just build the hull and strap the tracks on!
Went to the local model shop today, couldn't see a Matilda so I nearly bought what was the next best thing they had - a Churchill - until I remembered your advice... Might give a T-34 a go, but I have a feeling they're a bit "Ten a penny". They do have a Warrior kit that looks interesting though.
