Grr....

Suffered a major setback in finishing the Hummel. I was trying to paint some of the detail parts when I dropped a brush full of Model Master Metalizer. The result is not pretty:

I'm not sure how to proceed at this point. Options are to lightly sand the affected areas and try to repair the existing paint job, or to lightly sand the entire thing and start over. The lower hull and tracks weren't affected so that can be masked off whichever way I choose to go. If I do decide to repaint I"ll go with a different camo scheme. This one is neat but a bit more than my current airbrush skills were capable of. There are simply too many flaws for my liking, so this would be a really good excuse to redo things. Got to think about it some more - maybe while we're waiting for our landlord to fix the broken air conditioner.

I have commited camouflage...

Yep, the Hummel has its camo scheme:

The scheme is for a Hummel with the 2.SS.Pz.Div. "Das Reich" on the Eastern Front in 1944. Still have decals and weathering to do.

Caution: Wet Paint!

Put the first color down on the Hummel:

Model Master Acryl Panzer Dunkelgelb (Dark Yellow). Still have to add the camouflage colors - once I determine for sure which pattern I'm going with, that is! Red Brown and Dark Green, or just Dark Green. Not going to attempt the winter schemes as I do NOT like airbrushing white paint.

I've also been working on painting and weathering the tracks. First time ever doing anything but painting them steel and I think I did okay:

Primed with Tamiya Light Grey, then base coated with Model Master Metalizer Steel (Non Buffing). After that a wash of Model Master Acryl Shokoladenbraun (Chocolate Brown) and a wash of Model Master Rust enamel. Finally dry-brushed with Steel on the contact surfaces. Might have gone a bit heavy on the rust wash but that's okay.

I've always wanted a pickup truck!

As a break from working on the Hummel and Arizona I started on the Revell 1/25 1956 Ford F-100 Ed Roth kit my wife bought for me. I neglected to take photos of the chassis build but here it is completed, painted, and awaiting bodywork:

A closeup of the engine and cab:

And a preview of what it will look like with the cab and bed on, first with tonneau cover:

And then without:

The bodywork has been primed and is awaiting paint. Just need to decide if I'm going with the kit gloss white or something else that will go with the red frame and cab trim.

Tracks!

The Hummel has tracks!

Each side is 103 individual links glued into a continuous track. Time consuming and finicky but the absolute best way to model realistic sag.

More work on the Hummel

Finally managed to get a bit more done to the Hummel.

The model is just about ready for paint. I still need to assemble the tracks (Dragon Magic Tracks) and set the length so I can permanently attach the idlers. Once that's done it will be time to prime and lay some paint! The paints I will be using are Model Master Acryl over Tamiya primer.

I only started using the paints a few weeks ago but I'm really liking them! After a bit of a learning curve (you MUST use a good primer with these for them to stick) I find they go down quite well and give an excellent finish. They brush well, resulting in a smooth, flat coat. Airbrushing also provides excellent results, although depending on the airbrush you may need to thin them a bit for them to flow properly.