I had a few old mold Tamiya kits in stock and decided to assemble them and cut them down. For this purpose, I took the 1/35 scale M48A3 Patton tank out of stock and took it to my workbench. You know, old mold Tamiya kits are very popular because of their low prices. The downside of these kits is that they are less detailed. However, I had one of these fun kits, and I immediately started assembling.
Although the assembly process of the tank was not troublesome, there were errors in some places due to the old mold. There was a problem sitting in the cupola of the tank commander on the hill. Again, there were gaps in the body, since it was actually a kit that could be made mobile. Since the barrel was given as 2 pieces, it caused trouble during assembly. Apart from these, we have an easy-to-assemble kit.
After the assembly phase of the tank was finished, I primed it with gray color. Now I'm thinking of lining the tanks with light colors rather than dark colors like black. If the primer is dark, the color will be dark at first and then it will be impossible to lighten it.
I threw routine olive drab on the tank as the main color. Since I'm going to make this tank as a trial model, I wanted to do different things. I lightened the color a little more and sprayed it on flat surfaces. Finally, I lightened the color a little more and sprayed it on the extreme points.
I thought this was how I broke the monotony that is the biggest problem of monochrome tanks. It looks very nice when black soot is sprayed on the grilles on the back of these tanks. I also made this app.
Again, I made black soot spots on the barrel end of the tank. After this stage, I was actually satisfied with the color and moved on to painting the details. First of all, I painted the palette pods on the side. While I was painting the machine gun in anthracite, I also painted the rubber parts of the rear wheel parts with anthracite.
I painted the tracks of the tank with tar black and the wheels with anthracite. I painted the front lights white and black. I painted the transparent part of the light source attached to the top barrel with crystal black and finished painting the tank. Actually, how would I know that it wasn't over.
At this stage, I sent the picture of the tank to Mustafa. He told me that I had painted wrong and that I had to paint by changing the green color to yellow. Again, he suggested that I highlight the protruding parts with a very, very light color.
Painting works got out of hand after this stage. I did what Mustafa said and changed the color to yellow and painted the tank once again. Then I lightened the color well and painted the protruding parts one more time. This is how the main paint is really finished.
When the tank was repainted, I had to fix the green details. So I went over them again with the colors I originally painted. Now it's time for the clarification part.
At this stage, I had to lighten the color too much and apply it to the protruding parts. I lightened the color well and applied it to these parts with a brush. But I think I misunderstood this light color part. The color was like phosphorescent. I needed to fix this.
Since this phosphorescent color is incompatible, I opened the main color with yellow and white and painted it over again. But for some reason, the color at the bottom was very dominant and I could not break this color.
In order to solve this problem, I applied the main color directly to the parts that I highlighted. At first though, this color did not break, but as it dried, I applied another coat and finally got rid of this highlighter color.
After correcting the mistakes of the painting, I varnished the tank with glossy varnish and waited for it to dry. It is very important to apply glossy varnish before and after decals. In this way, we imprison the decals between two layers of varnish and prevent them from shining and being artificial.
I preferred the yellow ones from the decal sets. That's how I decided because I thought they would contrast nicely with the green color. Putting the C23 code on the sides of the turret was difficult. The protection and pallet parts found there were obstacles. So I had to cut and then paste.
I placed the playboy mark inside the decals on the front of the turret, even though the tank is actually historically unrealistic. As a result, although it does not comply with the references, I think that small changes can be made in this way.
Finally, I added lips and eyes to the front of the tank. Naturally, these decals are the most distinctive feature of the tank. The upper and lower parts of the lips did not match. I also painted the gaps in between with red color.
After the decals were finished, I applied glossy varnish again and left it to dry. In the meantime, I also painted the tow ropes that I forgot to paint. After the varnish has dried, the colors have completely settled into place. The varnishing part is really a stage that shows the paint of the tank. That's why the tanks look so beautiful after varnishing.
The part that I did not pay attention to was the dullness of the places I painted in transparent colors after varnishing. I painted the light mechanism with crystal black. I had to repaint after varnishing because it turned dull.
There were too many periscope lenses on the tank. These parts had to be painted in accordance with the original. First, I made transparent glasses for 3 periscopes on the front. Then I made and glued clear glass to the only periscope lens in the turret.
I painted the turret and hull lenses in crystal green. I painted some of the lenses on the commander's cupola with crystal blue and the rest with crystal green. The fact that these parts are painted in accordance with the original should not be neglected as it adds realism to the tank.
There was no longer room for painting on the tank. After the varnish was completely dry, I proceeded to the washing process of the tank. Since I didn't want the tank to get too dark, I had to not do the washing process too intensely.
I used the ready black solution for washing. These washing liquids from Humbrol are very thin and do not leave much residue. I recommend using these solutions if you don't want to over-contaminate the tank.
After washing and drying, I varnished the tank with matte varnish. Matte varnish provides convenience in the aging part and makes the tank look more realistic. That's why I prefer matte instead of semi-matt as a varnish in the final stage.
While I was waiting for the varnish of the tank to dry, I started to prepare the trinkets that I would place on it. For this purpose, I took 2 magazines, 2 jerrycans and 3 bags included in the kit to the counter. I reused the remaining blanket from another tank for this tank.
I used green tea for the camouflage net that I will place on the tank. First I wet the piece of paper well with glue. Then I poured green tea on it. When it dried, I painted and washed it. In this way, the camouflage in my hand became clear.
Again, I dipped a napkin in a mixture of water and glue for the canvases I would place on the tank. Then I gave it the shape I wanted and dried it. After it dried, I painted it with khaki color and washed it.
I added 3 flasks, 2 backpacks, wooden saddle, chest, binoculars, 2 rifles and 4 helmets from different kits to the tank. I tried to break the monotonous image by painting these materials in different colors.
I added some of the materials to the saddle and the rest to the rear of the tank's hull. I also tied the materials in the body with a rope. It is important to place and connect these materials realistically. Otherwise, the image spoils the naturalness.
After adding the junk, I started to wear out the tank. Normally I start from the trunk and work my way down, but this time I tried a different method and started from the pallets. First of all, I washed the pet part of the pallets with earth color. I also washed the iron parts in rust color. Finally, I did dry brushing on the pets. I applied the same processes to the pallet parts in the turret.
While I was wearing the wheels and side body, I took the mud, dust and rust effects to the brush. Then I sprayed these effects on the tank by blowing the brush with the airbrush. A more natural look was created when sprayed instead of applying directly.
While I received the airbrush, I also polluted the back and front of the tank in the same way. I sprayed mud and soil on the sides and on the top, thinking that there would be splashing on a tank with such mud on the sides.
I started to wear the body part of the tank with sponge and black paint. This time I did not exaggerate the sponge aging application too much. Generally, once it starts, it doesn't stop. But this time I restrained myself and let it taste.
It was time to make the current tracks. I did the streams, first with streaking grime and then with rust effects starting from the turret. These currents are really important. Because tanks are not vehicles that are constantly cleaned, and over time, traces are formed on them in this way. These add realism to the tank.
As I always do, I completely covered the tank with white spirit and got a wet surface. I took a small amount of the rust and dirty washing liquids that I had and applied it to the wet surface. In this way, instead of accumulating in one place, rust and dirt spread and remain in a fine texture.
When you apply rust on a wet surface, rust also accumulates in parts such as the springs of the covers. In this way, we prevent it from remaining in the form of sediment and corrode it naturally. Rust texture is too much in some places in this tank.
I also added some powder on the tools that looked very clean compared to the tank. After all, since they stay on top, it is natural for them to get dirty. I also ran mud on the rope holding these tools. I got it dirty too.
I was actually going to use this tank for testing purposes. But the production phase has developed so much that it has been like a lesson that has taught me a lot. Although it is not a very high-level model, I think it is a work that I take a step higher for me.
After the model was finished, I put it on display and continued with the construction of one of Tamiya's inexpensive kits.
