Part Three
of his article on this WWI light tank from MENG Models sees Andy add to his box
review and construction review with now a painting and weathering to a very
high standard. See how he did it and what he thought after building this kit in
today’s build review…
Build Review Pt. III
Mk.A Whippet Medium Tank
Mk.A Whippet Medium Tank
Meng Models
Kit no.
#TS021
1/35th scale
In the last
part we got Meng new Whippet built up and ready for paint. The only decision
was which scheme to go for. Meng give two colour options with the kit, but also
supply decals for extra markings, including a Russian civil war example bearing
the name Sphinx, and this is the one I decided to go with. Time to break out
the paints.
Before
starting, I drilled a hole in the base of the hull, to attach the threaded end
of a mini tripod, which would act as a convenient handle during painting.
I didn't
bother with a primer, instead going straight to a loose basecoat/pre-shade
using Tamiya Dark Green. This was thinned with Gunze self-levelling thinner,
which helps the paint bite into the surface of the plastic, and gives a good,
strong base to the following paint layers.
After that,
the main colour was applied using Gunze H48 Field Grey, to which a little
Tamiya X-22 clear was added to leave a smooth finish. Some of the previous
pre-shade was left along panel lines and in corners.
I wanted to
end up with a very faded look to the paint, so the next step was to add a very
pale green, for which I used Gunze H70 RLM02 Grey. All those angles and panels
on the Whippet make it a great subject for some paint modulation. This was done
in stages, masking off certain panels and spraying the paler colour to leave a
dark to light graduation.
The
modulated panels look quite dramatic compared to those yet to be done. The
final effect will be much less stark after the weathering has been added.
The
finished look after all the highlighting. This technique works really well on
angular subjects like this, helping to emphasise the shape and volume of the
vehicle.
Now it was
time to pick out some of the finer details such as the bolt heads and the edges
of panels and brackets. You'll need a steady hand and a good brush for this, but
it's a worthwhile step. Without the highlighting, many of the small details
begin to disappear during the weathering stages.
I'd left
the front mounted fuel tank separate for painting, as the Russian Whippet I was
doing had the tank painted with red and white I.D. Bands. After painting the
sides in the base green, the top and front of the tank were painted white and
the stripes masked, ready for the red.
After the
red was applied, the making was removed to reveal the finished stripes. There
was a bit of overspray here and there, mainly due to the masking tape running
over the rivets. I didn't bother to clean this up as the weathering would hide
much of it, and the stripes wouldn't have been painted that cleanly on the
original vehicle either.
The last
step before weathering was to add the decals. The code numbers, Sphinx name and
Russian roundel come as one piece, but here I cut the number away and added
that first, followed by a light over-spray of the pale green to fade the number
slightly.
On to the
weathering, and the first step was to add some paint chipping with a dark
brown. Some areas, such as the grouser hangers on the sides, were masked off to
limit the chipping to those areas. A piece of torn sponge was dipped in the
paint then, having first removed most of the paint on a paper towel, dabbed
randomly onto the surface using tweezers to hold the sponge.
It's
important to think about where you add the paint chips. Areas like the floor in
front of the entry door would get far more wear and tear than other, less
exposed, areas. Always add the effect gradually. It's much easier to add more
later, than remove existing ones.
With the
chipping done, the fuel tank was attached and the whole model got a clear coat
to protect it from the upcoming washes and weathering.
A dark
brown pin wash was added around the details, then oil rendering was applied to
add more tonal variation to the finish. A piece of cardboard was used as a
palette to allow some of the oil to soak away, which will help the paint dry
faster.
The oils
were applied around details, then blended with a clean brush. This helped to
deepen the shadows and add more contrast to the finish. Lighter colours were
used in the same way to add highlights.
The washes
and oil rendering really start to bring the model to life, adding more depth to
the finish. As a preparatory step to the mud weathering, an earth coloured wash
was splattered around the track frames and hull sides. All this was left for a
couple of days to fully dry, then a light coat of satin varnish was applied,
ready for the next step.
To get the
mud weathering underway, I scattered dry garden soil onto the mud chutes and
around the running gear. The soil was moved around with a brush until it looked
like a natural build up, then fixed in place with a sand & gravel glue. If
the glue is carefully applied with a brush, capillary action will draw it
through the soil without disturbing it.
After the
soil was dry, a wetter mud mix was made from AMMO pigments mixed with earth
effects enamel wash and white spirit. A little static grass was added to the
mix, which was then washed over the mud chutes and track frame. As the mix
dried, the edges were blended and softened with white spirit and a clean brush.
More
pigments were applied dry to the upper hull, and worked into the surface with a
soft brush. Heavier applications of pigment were fixed with a pigment fixer.
Up till
now, I'd kept the exhaust pipes separate, as I wanted to add some hairspray
chipping to them. They were first primed with AMMO Rust primer, then painted
with watered down acrylic medium. While the medium was still wet, different
rust toned pigments were stippled on to the surface.
When the
acrylic medium has dried, the pigments were fixed solidly in place, and left a
very realistic rust texture. This would be fine as a finished effect, but I
wanted to show remnants of the original paint remaining on the exhaust.
To achieve
this, the parts were given a couple of light coats of hairspray and, once dry,
a misted coat of AMMO Stone Grey (A.MIG-075). The grey was given a few minutes
to dry, then the surface was moistened with warm water and lightly scrubbed
with a stiff bristled brush, until the paint began to chip. Once I'd got the
level of chipping I was after, I left the paint to fully dry.
With the
exhausts fitted, we're getting near the end of the build. Before the tracks
were added, I gave the muddy areas a light over-spray of earth coloured Tamiya
acrylics to blend in any patchy areas, followed by a selective wash of dark
brown oil paint to show damp areas of mud.
Now the
tracks, and the only point where I struggled with the kit. When I'd originally
made up the track runs, I'd added an extra link, as the recommended 68 links
didn't seem long enough. In the end, the extra one wasn't needed, but I still
couldn't quite get the ends to meet. Every time I tried to clip them together,
they'd split apart somewhere else. There isn't quite enough give between the
links for them to stretch enough to clip the ends together. On top of that, the
small dimples that hold the links together aren't really big enough, and the
resulting join is very weak.
In the end,
I found the best solution was to clip away the teeth on the driving wheel,
which allowed the tracks to sit tighter against the frame and gave enough slack
to join the ends. The drive sprockets can't be seen once the tracks are in
place, so the lack of teeth doesn't affect the final look.
So, I
finally got the tracks fitted. Even now they remained quite fragile and any
rough handling would cause them to split apart again. In hindsight, it would
probably be better to glue them in place during the build, although doing it
that way does make painting trickier.
The same
pigments that had been used for the hull, were mixed with white spirit to make
a thick wash, then painted over the tracks.
AMMO gun
metal pigment was rubbed over the raised areas of the track with a make-up
applicator. A quick polish with a cloth leaves a very realistic metallic
finish. The same pigment was rubbed over the machine guns, and around the edges
of some of the hull panels.
To finish
the build, the track spuds were added along the rails on the side of the hull.
They'd been given a woodgrain texture, and this was emphasised with a dark
wash.
And that
puts the wraps on Meng's Whippet. It was a fun build, and the painting was just
as enjoyable. If there's a weak point with the kit, it's the very fragile track
links, but it's not a big enough issue to spoil what, in every other respect,
is a fantastic model. The rest of the detailing is excellent, and you can
really go wild on the weathering. And best of all, the kit is cracking value.
So buy one, buy two... buy a whole fleet. You won't regret it.
Andy Moore
Here she is, completed and in detail...
...And all built up.
