nightshiftmodeller

HD pics

Hey friends, here are some pics with washes, streaking, speckling and staining applied :)

I finished the video on Saturday, so today I'm about to start with some chipping!

Grimy

Well, I decided to make the most out of that single bottle of DAK wash and here's the result. I spent a good amount of time today thinking whether I should do this or move on with the chipping. But before I talk about it, I want to welcome all new Patrons and say that, as usual, I'll be sending out refunds to everyone who joined in the past few days because Patreon will charge your card again very soon 😊So...

This whole post-shading method was inspired by my friend's work who really ...

Early video

Workbench toooooour https://youtu.be/lbYlDNO4rtE

Both kits are here

Alright, the Mk IX arrived the other day. After looking at the contents I'm tempted to build it completely because the amount of detail is just incredible compared to Tamiya... but then again, if the metal fenders won't fit... and also, as we know, paints can make even simplified details pop.

Another option would be to use parts from the Bronco kit to improve the Tamiya hull, if they'll fit of course. 

And the Mk IX also comes with full interior! 

Finally some enamel stuff

Hey friends, so I finally got the Crusader washed.

Well, in fact I also applied a grey filter on it, just two light layers to blend the black camo with the sand tone a little bit. Then of course I had to give it several hours to dry which slowed me down a bit (it's ideal to apply a filter, let's say, in the evening, so you can give it enough time to dry overnight). 

The wash was DAK wash from AK and I diluted it a bit to make it less intense. I used it to also add some streak...

I just can't stop shopping

Hey friends, something arrived today, but it's only a part of what I need! 

It's strange how I'm constantly getting in the mood for a certain type of armor... First the Rutscher + Tiger, now Crusader and Valentine 😆

But anyway, the point is that I decided to finally build a specific tank I had in my inspiration folder for the longest time. The photo was actually sent to me by Adam Wilder. 

The BW photo shows a mangled Valentine Mk IX of the Red Army somewhere in...

HD pictures

"The overspray is strong with this one."

- Darth Sploder 2020

But I'm not too concerned about it! I'm actually very happy with the outcome, and even happier with those pics. The video won't do it full justice because the sand/black combo makes the camera sensor go all coo coo. 

If you don't look at it from very close, it's not so noticeable and I think even the initial techniques like a pinwash will do the same thing to it like they do to distressing �...

Ready for weathering

Alright friends, I got it all ready. Repainted the fire extinguishers into a dark vivid green color, also repainted the 2 flimsy cans and applied the markings. Your advice to make a sand colored strip on the right side was spot on, I think it looks very interesting! Finally a sealed everything with 2 layers of VMS satin varnish and that makes it ready for some washes, maybe a few oil paints here and there, and chipping. 

But first I have to make a video out of this 😊

Ready for varnish

Well, I think all the initial painting is done! I did the black camo yesterday and all the detail painting today, but I wasn't home last night so I wasn't able to post an update. 

So the camo was hard, just as expected, I'm not very good at airbrushing and no matter how thin the paint was or how low or high the air pressure was, it always sputtered some paint, which, as you can imagine, is a disaster if you're spraying black over light sand base. I was able to fix it to a point whe...

Early video

Finally, the base:

https://youtu.be/WC5RQpTd6oM

More shadows, more lights

Exactly as the title says 😁 The first photo is the result from today, photos 2,3,4 show the progression of each layer. Everything was painted with a mixture of 95% thinner and 5% paint. The air pressure was zero-point-nothing PSI 😅(about 2-3 PSI). Good thing about this ultra thin glaze is there's no chance of getting orange peel effect. The huge amount of lacquer thinner actually makes the surface slightly glossy. 

Next: highlighting bolts and rivets with a paintbrush and the...

Surprise!

No distressing this time, post shading! 

The idea came out of nowhere and I already know it was a good call, because it's such a nice change. What you see is just a dark base layer + dirt passes + light "real" tone. Tomorrow I'll continue with more lights, shadows and stains. Some places will have more contrast, others less. It's just about playing around until you get what feels right. I could almost compare this method to painting tarps or figures with diluted acrylics... adding ...

New toys

Hey friends, these new toys arrived today! The static grass applicator (can't wait to give it a shot, hope it won't give me a shot in return 😆) and a beautiful new rotating display. 

The old one which you've seen on the channel pretty much since the beginning was a cheap 10$ one from eBay and it had a very weak motor, which means it couldn't carry heavier models. For example, it really struggled with the Tiger even though it's not the heaviest model ever. Overall its movement wa...

HD pictures

And here's the desert boy in HD! 

Damn, stowage ain't easy

Hey friends, what a lovely weekend trying to figure out how to do stowage! 

I sat myself at the workbench last night thinking "alright, give it a two hours and it'll be finished" and by the end of those 2 hours I was only starting to get an idea where to place stuff 😫

Not sure what's the cause of this mental block, I think it might be just plain old lack of long term experience with this stuff. 

I had several photos of the real thing in front of me, but trying t...

Ready for stowage

Turns out there wasn't that much work left yesterday, just a couple of lead wires and several missing rivets and bolts. The only more complicated detail were those copper L profiles under the air filters, which felt like a throwback to a time when I used to scratchbuild half of the model from copper 😂 

Hopefully I'll finish it today with stowage, but I'm not 100% sure because the weather is better today and I'll go for a ride, we'll see! 

Almost done!

Well my friends, the build is almost finished. I actually assembled the entire turret today. Yesterday I didn't do that much, just the external fuel tank mount and repositioned one towing cable. I just didn't like them so symmetrical, the tank didn't look "natural", so because I already fixed it firmly in place I chopped a few things up and managed to reposition it without any damage. And to make it more unique I scratchbuilt a towing hook seen in a few historical pictures. 

What r...

Early vidyo

Let's finish this! https://youtu.be/m6qpzTYhhY8

Hull (almost) done!

Heeey friends,

sorry for no update yesterday, I wasn't very productive and all I did were the headlight covers (which I made using another plastic jig which was made using the original kit part 😆 - it'll be all shown in the video). 

So today I decided to do a lot more and pretty much finished the hull, except the external fuel tank mount at the back. After that it's just turret! 

This time I decided to add tow cables, because I think we haven't done these detail...

It was inevitable

We're making 0.3mm rivets now! I was hesitant with this decision at first because riveting does take time, but it'll be all worth it in the end. Also check those 0.2mm grab handles. British designers wanted to avoid welding as much as possible, so they decided to also rivet grab handles in place, resulting in this complicated shape. I always hate making these, but this time it was quite easy. The most important thing was making a simple bending jig from a strip of styrene. It'll be all shown ...

New phone - better photos!

Hey friends, it's been a pretty interesting weekend!

First of all, yeah I managed to do some stuff on the Crusader, the hull is pretty much ready for all the smaller details - most of the large components are in place. I'll see what I can do about those stowage boxes tomorrow, the real ones were always kinda bent in all directions, not sure how I might do that with plastic, but I'll try to figure something out. 

You can also see Mr. Surfacer in some panel lines. Riveted tanks...

Tough stuff today

Hey friends, just one more quick update for today, I'll get back to everyone tomorrow morning :) 

Got the side skirts on, banged them up a little according to a few photos, also assembled the photoetched engine grill and added a couple more details on the back. 

Next up will be the front, or maybe the engine deck 😊

Not sure if there will be an update tomorrow, cuz you know, taking that special day off and everything 😊😊😊 

Early video

Let's take a look at that stowage!

https://youtu.be/JI2M44irxkc

He's already standing on his own

Hey friends, so this is the progress from last night, already got the Crusader's running gear sorted out 😁 

This time I only assembled the visible portion of tracks. This way they'll be easier to remove for painting (they're again dry fitted) and I'll have the upper run as a spare for track impressions in the terrain. 

So far I can't really tell if this 2007 kit is better or worse than the Easy 8, everything went together without a hitch so far. There were again tiny ...

This thing is 🔥🔥🔥

My stoke levels are through the roof right now, this foam cutter is amazing! 

Don't want to exaggerate and say it's a game changer, but it'll definitely have a positive impact on all future bases, or as Rubén in FAQ Diorama book puts it "decorated display stands" 👌

One important thing is to keep the foam moving at a constant pace, if you slow down, it's gonna leave a small mark. But even then it's very easy to level out with sandpaper. I think the perfectly smooth surface...

Huge mail call, next project and other news

Hey friends, with the final Sherman video completed it's time for some news 😁

A bunch of stuff arrived over the past 3 days, but first the most important question: 

The next project will be a Crusader Mk III, again from Tamiya in 1/48th scale. Initially I wanted to paint it in a dull khaki green color, but considering how many generic green tanks we built over the past few months, I'll go with the more colorful sand/dark brown camouflage. Obviously there will be a desert s...

It ain't that bad when it's in HD

Hey friends, we're finally concluding the Sherman Easy 8  project with a final set of HD photos 😊 It doesn't actually look so bad when photographed properly, also the video came out pretty well. 

In other news, the foam cutter just arrived, I bought a digital edition of the FAQ Dioramas book and my brain expanded like 300%, and much more, but I'll make another post about all the hot news! 😁

Officially done

Alright friends, it's time to call it a day on this one! 

I already started putting the video together, and it actually doesn't look that bad over there. We'll see what HD photos will do with it.

After I fixed the Sherman and blended the lower track runs with the ground, I went for a quick ride and looking at it again after returning home, I gotta say, I kinda like the result. There's a ton of oopsies on this base, which is strange considering how the first Syrian base went s...

Pretty much done

Hey friends, 

so I pretty much finished the base. All that's left is to fix the tank to the road and make it "sit" with textured earth, just like with the T-90.

What I did since the last post was to brush some Aqualine on the ground, then speckle some dry earth from Ammo - all the same colors like I used on the tank.

Then I went over the grass again, this time with pure Yellow Green and then a few spots of that XF-89 to tone the brightness down a bit.

Next was the...

Colors!

Hey friends, so I painted the base with basic colors. Most of the work was done with an airbrush and Tamiya paints - the road was done the same way as pre-dusting on the tank, and I'll be making it "muddy" with enamels, again, just like on the tank. 

Grass was airbrushed with the new XF-89 (the new German olive green) and Yellow Green for some variety. It looks okay from afar, but looking closer it's obvious I'll need that static grass gizmo. I'm gonna order it right after I'm done...