Monday, September 28

Painting & Weathering Guide: 1/72nd scale Chieftain Mk.11 and Chieftain Mk.10 (1+1 boxing) from Takom

So you want to make the same tank as the one you made in 35th scale - with one of the most difficult camo patterns, but in 72nd scale? That was the challenge Clayton gave himself with the painting and weathering of this 72nd scale  Chieftain Mk.11 and Chieftain Mk.10 (1+1 boxing) from Takom. See just how he pulled it off so well in the second part of his guide today in the news...

Painting & Weathering Guide: Chieftain Mk.11 & Chieftain Mk.10 (1+1 boxing) 
From: Takom 
1/72nd scale
Kit # 5006
Price: $41.50 AUD/ $30.32 USD/ £23.52 GBP/ €25.69 EUR from Hobbylink Japan


We last left off this story with Clayton having built the tank ready for paint, Today we continue through his step by step guide and see how he finished it off in the intricate and effective "Berlin Brigade" camouflage"

The road wheels and the engine deck section are painted in Tamiya Dark Green 2. Some variation was added by mixing the base mix with white.
The track section was removed to paint and it was painted using a mix of Red Brown and Black to produce a weathered colour to the tracks.
The rubber pads are painted using a fine brush with a mix of Black Grey and Medium grey. Some variation is added to the rubber blocks by changing the ratios of the mix. The rubber parts of the wheels are also hand-painted at this stage.
The wheel and track sections can now be attached to the model. The wheels sitting flush with the tracks is going to take a little bit of a rework, but I'll deal with that later. It is close but could be a little better.
The side skirts are attached to the model using a CA glue. Each side is supplied in 4 pieces, so positioning is pretty crucial. In reality, the skirts would have been made like this, but I think working at this scale, this section would have been a lot kinder to the modeller if they were supplied in a single section.

Because I am intending to do a lot of masking for this scheme it is crucial that the paint adheres to the etch parts properly. The pieces were cleaned using Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA) and the Mr Metal Primer is applied using a brush.
The engine deck and track sections are now masked using Tamiya masking tape.
Whilst it is probably overkill given, I used the metal primer earlier, a coat of Mr Surfacer 1200 is now applied. 
With the engine deck and tracks still masked, the model is painted using SMS White lacquer paint. I am using lacquers in the hope that they will survive the onslaught of masking that is to follow.
The "Berlin Brigade" Camouflage...
As I mentioned earlier, I did produce and release a paint mask set for the 35th scale Berlin Brigade version of the Chieftain. The set was downscaled in the system and printed at 72nd scale, and now the first layer of the mask is applied in place.

When I painted the 1/35 version of this kit it became apparent that the colour scheme supplied in the kit was inaccurate. From my understanding, the Berlin Brigade Chieftains were all painted in an identical scheme in an effort to confuse the enemy. 
There are stories of tanks doing their patrols and then heading back to base and changing the serial numbers and heading out to do their patrols again. The idea being that the Russians would account for two different tanks when in fact they were looking at the same one. All this in an effort to appear a lot greater in numbers than they actually were.

British Army Chieftain tanks of the Berlin armoured squadron, taking part in the Allied Forces Day parade in June 1989 
I am no expert here, but from what I can tell the scheme provided in this boxing is also incorrect. I decided to ignore it and stick with reference photos and the plan my mask set provided.
Blue Grey was then sprayed over the first layer of masks. It is very important to keep the spraying angle perpendicular to the mask. This will help avoid unwanted under spray under the mask where it can’t sit flush.
The second layer of the mask is the applied…again following references and the footprint on the mask set. A few areas needed a little of additional masking with Blu-Tak and Tamiya tape. A mix of Red Brown 2 with a touch of black was made to simulate NATO Brown.
The masks were carefully removed once the paint was dry. Everything stayed in place and the foundations for the scheme were now in place. There were a few touch-ups required, but it was a good start.
The sub-assemblies were prepainted and now attached to the model. The light guards were very chunky and overscale, but they are very small, and I guess there had to be a compromise somewhere. The small PE splash guard at the front of the tank is attached and proved quite a challenge to work around the light guards. I have no advice other than being patient.
I felt the NATO Brown was a little dark and heavy for a model so small, so the panels were lightened using a mix of the Red Brown 2, yellow and white. This gave the model some life and extra dimension.
Gloss varnish was then applied and after it had dried the decals were set in place. They settled through the corrugations nicely with the help of Mr Mark Softener.
A pin wash was applied in recesses and raised detail areas using Shadow Brown and Starship Filth Oil paints.
To gain a little more depth in the colour, small dots of white oil paint are worked into some of the horizontal surfaces on the model. This will add more highlights to the paintwork.
Using AK Light Dust enamel effects, some fine slash effects are added to the lower edges of the model. The paint is simply loaded onto a brush and flicked carefully at the model.

The effect is further enhanced by then using a darker shade – Brown Earth Deposits and repeating the process. 
Some tarps were added using a 2-part sculpting putty and after a few touch-ups with a fine brush, the model was complete.
Conclusion
I don’t know why I always do this to myself… I see 1/72 as a scale and assume I am going to power through these builds and move on to the next one within a matter of days. Whilst the model is obviously small, and clearly requires less paint to cover it, it still presents a lot of hours in planning, building and executing the scale well. Mind you, I did make life a little difficult for myself by choosing the scheme I did!

Some close-in details of the completed, but minuscule tank
As a model, it is a really tidy and buildable kit. The part count is quite high for a 72nd scale kit, and it will have its challenges for some, so a certain degree of patience and planning is crucial. The moulding is highly detailed and the fit is generally good. The inclusion of the photo-etch is welcomed however some of the pieces are realistically too small to use. (I gave up on some because they kept getting knocked off.) 
It’s can be easy for manufacturers to oversimplify 1/72 armour, so Takom should be congratulated on this release. They have produced a lovely kit that doesn’t compromise on detail.

From a lower angle...
Don’t forget, this kit comes with a second model included…the Mk11. I’ll be saving that one for another day. Need to give my eyes a break from the scale.

The alternate hull of the Mk.11 - maybe later!
Regarding the mask set…I am toying with producing a 72nd version of this to sell through my website. I would need a certain level of interest to make it worth my while, so if anyone is interested please feel free to drop me a message and let me know. Be warned though, it is a tricky scheme to execute at this scale. 

Are you up for the challenge?
Clayton Ockerby
Thanks to Takom for sending this kit to Clayton to build and review
Thanks also to AK interactive who sent me the real colour pints and the weathering materials you saw in this build
See more of Clayton's amazing works on his modelling website "Workbench Hobbies" or his FB page