Here is A wip the Pershing i got on Tuesday afternoon:



the camo scheme is inspired by my favourite tank camo from World of Tanks.

the paint job is not done yet.  still have a couple of washes to apply, some cans and ammo boxes to paint, and then i have some stencils prepared. plus the commander.

still having a heck of a time with the metal tracks.  one end of each track has the metal pin inserted with no next track in place, and every time i try to bang or tap the pin out, either the pin bends or the track deforms(because there is nothing along the pin holding it in shape)

i disconnected the smoker after running it briefly because of the terrible noise it made.  I also had to re-solder the antenna lead  because it had come lose.

at some point in the next month I'm also going to convert it over to IR instead of BB. and switch it to a clark board as soon as Curtis gets those in.

The paint is cool and I like it because it is different.  On Saturday we can show you how to take the pins out. Constant pressure is the trick. I don't recommend tapping or banging of any kind with those pins because they do deform so quickly.
You need not ever take them apart, the drive wheel is the trick to getting them on and off without seperating any links as well.

You might want to run a Black wash over the tank to add a bit of grime! (Also that would be the WOT color scheme that makes my eye's bleed....lol)

i will be running a blackwash. no worries there.  and i like the camo scheme specifically Because it makes your eyes bleed. also it's more fun to paint

Curtis:  the tracks came not-connected(ie 1 long track length), so i need to pull a pin to connect them so i can even get to your stage with the sprockets...

pzkpfw_steve wrote:

i will be running a blackwash. no worries there.  and i like the camo scheme specifically Because it makes your eyes bleed. also it's more fun to paint

Curtis:  the tracks came not-connected(ie 1 long track length), so i need to pull a pin to connect them so i can even get to your stage with the sprockets...

OK I didn't know that and if you posted it  that was my bad. We will get you fixed up mate, I have been there lots of times

Took a few pics of the Pershing as it stands  at the battleday. give a decent view of how my Homemade stencils worked out.  Didn't get one of the Bridge class badge on the lower glacius though, so I'll have to get one of that another time.





I picked up some AK weathering effects, so I'll be adding some of that to the tank to mess it up a bit.

last night i got the bulk of the weathering done on the Pershing.







I use the AK interactive DAK weathering kit, with some dark green slimy grime, and some MIG enamel thinner.

these worked really well, and are fairly easy to use.  this was the trial run as i have never used these paints or techniques before. I'll describe it for people who have never used these techniques.

Basically, you cover the entire tank in the filter. this looks weird initially, but it gets better as you continue.  then you liberally apply the wash in areas you want darkened, such as handles, boats, seams, handles, engine deck, etc.  once the wash dries you brush down the entire tank in enamel thinner(or Minireal sprits, of whatever you wish to call it). this causes the wash to run and softens teh ard edge left by the initial wash.  it also creates rust/weathering streaks. 

I then used the grime enamel paints(DAK streaking Grime and Slimy Dark Green Grime)brushed on  vertical lines along edges and around handles, bolts, anything that sticks out. once tehse dry you again brush down the entire areas you put the grime and it diffuses the lines and makes them look more like streaks.

these techniques work really well.  however you do need to pick your wash and filter carefully.  the DAK weathering kit works well for tanks painted on a light colored base (German tanks with camo based on Dunkelgelb, or my pershing etc)  but it won't work as well for vehicles that are panzer Grey, or standard Nato colours.  thre are specific weathering sets for panzer Grey and for NATO.  the NATO one is best used for colour schemes using greens and browns and darker camouflage. the Panzer Grey weathering set is best used for colour schemes that use predominantly greys.

all in all the AK products are easily worth adding to my painting "toolkit"

Hey Stephen
I ain't picky and I love your color scheme but yall gotta do that rear drive wheel lol it stands out like a sore thumb.  I think this work accentuated the wheels and rear deck real nice though

yup, just need to get some car primer.  nothing else seems to stick to it properly.

Steve,

A little trick for painting metal parts, is to let them soak in water with a bit of dish soap and then rinse and dry.
It helps remove any oily film that might be on the part and helps the paint stick better.

I used Kryon paint my sprockets and haven't had any problems.

yeah i do alot of miniature gaming, so I'm familiar with washing metal parts, although taht never seem to help.. i use krylon as well and am jsut not taht lucky.

Now it's starting to look like a well-loved tank... very nice work on the washes, and great detail work on the road wheels.

Tip for metal. Scrub them down with scotchbright / SOS pads, rough them up. Generally helps with any paint adhering.

Sorry I forgot to say it was it has to be Dove dish soap.  Don't know why but it works the best.