Takom WWI British Mk.IV Male – Part 2, Paint and Finishing. (The part in which Clayton gets dirty with a Male)

Just recently we have seen a few WWI tanks in 35^th scale enter the market – a few of them even built up intrepid people called modellers! What we have not seen so far is quite enough mud and dust to go along with a vehicle who’s main job was to fjord muddy trenches and shell holes – Clayton gets dirty with his Takom MKIV male in 35^th scale in pt.II of this build.

WWI British Mk.IV Male: Part 1-The Build.

Takom kit #2008

1/35^th scale

Highly detailed workable track-links and wheels

Accurate suspension and drive system

2 pcs metal gun barrel

Photo Etched details

 Two markings For English and captured German tanks

You can get these through Takom’s Distributors Worldwide.

Model by Clayton Ockerby

Pt.I of Clayton’s build is here

With the build of my Male Mark IV all complete it is now time to paint and finish the behemoth off.

As chance would have it the opportunity to use and review the latest colour range from AMMO presented itself. AMMO by Mig Jimenez has recently released a colour set of WWI British & German Colors (Reference: A.MIG-7111.) The set includes accurate colours for WWI British & German subjects. Ammo have taken all the guesswork out of the genre and made it very simple of the modeler. If you are anything like me your knowledge base would be firmly based around vehicles of the Second World War, so the subject of WWI can be somewhat daunting.

It is hard not to get swept up in the whole Mig marketing machine. This is a guy who approaches the hobby very differently. I really admire what this guy has done and is doing, and I make no secrets of the fact that I am a massive fan of his business, his ideas, his willingness to share and most of all the amazing work he produces. The Weathering Magazine that Mig produces is, in my opinion, the best value for money and most useful tool any modeler could call on. Whether you want to improve your skills or just be inspired by the talents and techniques of other people, this magazine should be the first place you turn. I cannot speak highly enough of this fantastic publication and the amazing work of Mig Jimenez.

Enough said, I think I have made it pretty clear I have a hobby hero.  On with the painting.

The model was first primed using Alclad microfiller. I don’t always use a primer but thought I should give the future layers something to grab hold to on this build. Given the photo etch parts in the build the primer is recommended.

I very roughly did some pre-shading using a thinned AMMO Matte Black. Was looking to help add some variation in the colours that were to come.

I gave the model a very quick coat of the AMMO Moss Green. It is patchy but with purpose. I am intending to build layers of tone moving forward. Being the first time I had used this range of paints there were a few things I immediately liked. The ease of the bottle to dispense the paint in the airbrush is a real bonus. I know the screw cap, dropper bottle is nothing new, but I believe it is the easiest container to use. Secondly the ‘yellow cap’ on this range of paints denotes there is a small ball bearing in the bottle to help mix the paint when shaking.  This is an handy thing to have in your paint bottle and no danger of the bottle breaking like Alclad sometimes did (so we hear).

Pouring the paint into the airbrush I notice that the paint is quite thin out of the bottle and looks as though it will go through the airbrush nicely as it is. Starting to spray it became quite apparent that the paint, although being thin was really quite heavy. What I mean by that is that the colour was very dense and was covering the model surface far better than I was expecting.  Very little transparency or show through. All of the pre-shading was lost even during this quick all over coat.  

The Ammo Green Moss was now lightened with another colour for the WW1 British & German Colour set, Stone Grey.  I painted highlights and middles of panels. The tones will give the model a more realistic and interesting finish. Vertical lines were added to give the illusion of wear and weathering.

Still using the Moss Green as my base colour, I darkened it using the matte black and started spraying in some darker tones. I worked around the areas that would have natural shadows as well as emphasizing panel lines, rivets and the like. Again vertical lines and run marks were airbrushed over the model to give a sense of dynamic and wear to the model.

Tracks and exhaust have now been sprayed in a mix of the Rust primer and black. The entire model also received a really light dusting of the Moss Green as I felt it was losing too much of it’s green tinge.

The front parts of the tank and the roof of the driver’s armour were now masked up in preparation for the bold red and white markings seen on this tank. I used a combination on Blutac and some self adhesive tape I had. Due to all the rivets in the molding the tape wouldn’t sit flush on the model. By ensuring I sprayed directly over the top of it I could safely say I would still get a clean straight line using this method.

White went down next.

Once the white was down I masked up for the red stripe. Here you can see the end result.

The model was then hit with a coat of mate varnish from the Alclad range. This was to prepare it for the next stage.  Here you see a pin wash applied carefully over the model. I used the ‘Dark Brown for Green Vehicles’ Enamel wash from the AMMO range. Care was taken to spot out all the rivets and deep recesses on the model. Any excess or parts that looked too heavy were cleaned up using a clean brush with some enamel thinner.

This simple technique really has the power to improve a model instantly and is a technique every modeler should be employing. It is so easy.

The unditching beam has been bothering me. From what I understand the beam was essentially a heavy piece of timber with steel plates bolted to it.  The molding in the kit didn’t give the impression of timber, so I decided to create a look of grain in the timber. I ran the blade of a razor saw over the surface randomly. Once painted and washed it should now give the impression of a timber beam.

The unditching beam is now undercoated in a blackened brown colour. I gave the tracks a wash using NATO Camouflage wash from AMMO / Mig.

Some small paint chips were also painted on using a German grey colour I had on the shelf.

Finer chips and wear marks were enhanced using the sponge technique. A dark grey paint mix is applied with the sponge. Most of the paint is removed before gently dabbing it on the surface of the model.

AMMO Gun metal pigment is now used to pic up some high points in the body if the tank. It is also used extensively on the tracks to give them a worn metallic look. It was applied using both cotton buds and the tip of my finger. The harder you buff the pigment on the model the more metallic the look.

Most of the pictures you see of these old Mark IV’s have them caked in mud and grime. The battlefields of the First World War were a pretty dirty and hostile place. I wanted to portray the tank in a heavily weathered and worn state. Here you see a mix of thinned oil paint and pigments being working into the top of the tank.

A paste of pigment, thinner, plaster and some ‘forest scatter’ is mixed up. The scatter should add some interest in the mud paste and help portray realism.

I was really happy with the way the paintwork was looking, so adding the mud to the side was weighing heavily on me.  I decided to press on.  Application was done randomly using an old, damaged paintbrush.

The mixture was also applied to parts of the top of the tank especially around the tops of the sponsons.

A heavily thinned mix was then applied to the tracks.

The result is quite dramatic and really looks like dried mud. We still need to squeeze some definition from the weathering though.

Another angle shows the build up of mud around the bottom of the tank.

Here you see where I have worked in rust toned pigments on the exhaust. Starting off using a dark tone and working back to lighter tones. The pigments will blend naturally.

From this angle you can also see the effect through the tracks and the heavy layers of dirt and grime on the top of the tank.

Still not 100% happy I worked in some darker tones of pigment using a mix of Dark Mud with a touch of European Earth and Sand. The colours are tying together a little better now and looking a little more realistic. The tracks were again sparked up using Gun Metal pigment.

The unditching beam is now ready to go. You can see the grain effect I added using the razor saw earlier. Fitting these chains to the main model was a real challenge…so prepare yourself before you tackle this part. It will take time and it will frustrate you, but the finial result is worth the trouble.

SO there you have it.  The Takom 1/35 Male Mark IV painted and weathered using AMMO Paints and weathering product.

I am really happy with the end result on this one. The paintwork was something that really evolved during the build. Single colour paint schemes can sometimes look a little toy-like, so I wanted to make sure I had numerous tones and textures in this one.

in detail...

The AMMO product performed beautifully. It was a little different to what I am used to in texture and application and has a very unique smell to it. It went down on the model very well and gave a good even finish. The colours mixed and blended well together.

And the whole tank..

Whilst I only used a couple of the colours out of this new WWI British & German set, I can really see the benefit of a package like this. Like I said earlier, it really takes all the guesswork out of the genre and is a must for any WW1 modelers out there.

I can also highly recommend these pigment powders and enamel washes. They are a must for any modeler serious about taking their craft to the next level.

Clayton Ockerby

Thanks to Takom for sending this kit to build - You can get this kit through Takom’s Distributors Worldwide.

Thanks to the peeps at AMMO for sending us the paint to get dirrrrty with!

You can see more of Clayton’s work on www.theworkbench.com.au