Kitty Kitty Bang Bang #2 - Takom Leopard C2

[doogsatx/]

The second Leopard in my double Leopard build got in on the hot sprue cutting and parts-gluing action last night - Takom's Leopard C2



One nifty thing I learned in the course of my research (research = half an hour of googling on my phone) is that the C2 is more or less the combination of a C1 hull with a new 1A5 turret. Canada painted a lot of C2s overall green, but there are examples where the turret was green, but the hull left in the tricolor NATO camoflage:



So I'll be doing one of those schemes...

Initial Construction:

Where the Meng has you glue a bunch of suspension bits in place, the Takom makes it easy by already having them molded on. I'm fine with this. These things are basically next to invisible anyway, and unless you're giving me functional springs and shocks, who cares?

The suspension uses the same captive torsion bar approach as Meng, though the torsion bars feel stiffer and there's not as much articulation as a result.



I haven't ventured beyond the suspension yet, but some notable differences exist between the Meng and Takom hulls. Most notably:

- The Meng has a separate rear bulkhead. The Takom includes this as part of the lower hull (nod to Takom on this one)
- The Meng has integrated fenders, the Takom does not (should be easier to add PE I guess?)
- The Meng has clear parts for periscopes. Takom has molded plastic wedges (Meng wins this round)

The Way of the Gun:

The main gun - not bad. I think I will probably end up using it. It's the lighter green one in the foreground. Meng's 1A3 gun is behind it, and then Voyager's metal replacement for the Meng kit (without all the straps and whatnot added).

doogsmodels.smugmug.com/135ScaleArmor/135-Takom-Leopard-C2/i-WgdzZDk/0/X3/Airfix%20EE%20Lightning%2001-08-15-3-X3.jpg

So far, I'm enjoying this one. The sprue tabs are a bit thicker than I'd like, but the fit has proven very good to the extent I've experienced it.

[TRM]

Wicked...#2!!! Count me in Doogs! THings are already shaping up nicely!!

[doogsatx/]

Pushed ahead more on the C2 last night. This kit is a lot...simpler than I'd anticipated. To me, in a good way, but others could find it restrictive. For instance, the mantlet assembles by 1) gluing the canvas cover piece to the turret and 2) gluing the mantlet to the turret and canvas pieces. There's no movement to elevate the gun. Not a big deal to me, but I could see where it could piss off.

[TRM]

Both are looking fantastic if you ask me Doogs!! You're really making me want to crack open the Leo 2 I have stashed ready to go!! For now I will have to live vicariously through you on that one....LOL!! Keep at it down there!!

[Leon]

Making good progress on the duel Leo's Doogs.

[Deano]

Nice work on this Doog , I do have a soft spot for the ole Leo ...especially the early versions .

[doogsatx/]

Jan 10, 2015 14:40:46 GMT -5 Deano said:

Nice work on this Doog , I do have a soft spot for the ole Leo ...especially the early versions .

Me, too! Always liked them better than the Leo 2. Same with the Challenger 1 vs. 2...have a weak spot for that 70s/80s as armor I guess.

[doogsatx/]

Pushing ahead with the C2. This step was a lot of fun...each G16 has two sprue tabs, and it's the kind that overlaps onto the back surface. They're also tiny. Cleanup was a blast. I'm kind of amazed I didn't lose any to the floor.



Fortunately, this area won't really be seen once the lexan shields go on, so it doesn't have to be super pretty.





I'm anticipating having to go into paint before I can add the shields and massive stowage box - good thing the turret is going to be one color!

[dupes]

Good thing you don't see those G16 stubs! What a pain in the butt.

[mrt51]

Oh yeah I like this!

Terry

[doogsatx/]

Slow going with all the disruptions these past few weeks, but I finally got the wheels painted and mounted and the first run of tracks knocked out. Didn't realize until processing the images that a few of the wheels were riding on top of the guide horns.



Have to say, I LOVE the Orochi workable tracks. Tedious, but so clean to assemble. A walk in the park next to the Meng approach.

Both kitties slowly making their way toward paint...the turret cheek armor and rear stowage box are making things a bit tricky as far as painting and assembly go.

[TRM]

Keep on with the offensive Doogs!! Both cats are looking mighty good!!

[doogsatx/]

The Takom tracks have been built up for a while, but last night the Meng tracks finally caught up, and both got primed. I'm using Ammo Gray Surface Primer due to the Meng tracks being susceptible to melting under hotter stuff.



Overall, Takom made a great call including Orochi tracks with their kit. They're easier to build and better-detailed than the Meng workables.



Paint coming tonight, either in the form of Ammo Dark Tracks, or Vallejo Track Primer.

[doogsatx/]

After a marathon painting session yesterday (ah, the benefits of having the house to myself for the weekend!), I got the tracks painted. AMMO Dark Tracks for the tracks, and AMMO Rubber & Tires for the track pads. The latter had to be hand-painted, which was super tedious!

But, I'm getting closer to the point where I can install the tracks on both the C2 and the Meng 1A3 and move toward painting. Not my preferred process, but both of them are going to need seam cleanup on the forward fenders after the side skirts go on, so the wheels and tracks need to be done first.



A few nights ago I also got the chance to paint the canvas mantlet cover. Happy with the shading for now, but I'm sure it'll really pop with some light drybrushing and washes.

[Deano]

Really coming on a treat here Doogs , luvin the detail in these kits!

[Wes]

Great work Doogs. We need more.

[doogsatx/]

Tracks and skirts installed, along with the big turret box. I have to say, while I much prefer the buildability of the Takom tracks, they were actually more difficult to install than the Meng workables because of their floppiness.

[thug626]

Count me in on this one. I have found myself being drawn to cold war armor and AC of late. This is only whetting that appetite.

Dave

[dupes]

Oh ho, this is cool! Glad that there are finally full kits of these variants instead of aftermarket mods. Nice.

[JimD]

Seems between the two that we don't have an above and away winner. They are both really nice looking builds though.

[doogsatx/]

Working my way through the little details that need to go on before I can move into paint...



The little "side shelves" on the toolbox were a PITA.

[heico]

I am so not a Leopard man, but the C2 part made me put it on my wishlist hehe. Something with those extra boxes on the turret which makes it look cool.

[doogsatx/]

Bench time has been absolutely ravaged over the last two weeks. First it was drizzle and cold getting in the way of real progress, then it was falling sick for a week.

But last night I was able to finally get back to things, and it was a nice night, mid-50s and partly cloudy. So I went ahead and got the C2 primed.



Looking forward to getting paint on this cat soon.

[JimD]

Good to see this one progressing. Bronchitis has ravaged the whole house here for the last week...so a similar situation with no bench time...it's a hell of a mojo drain...but glad you didn't shelve these Hope the Cobra gets an update soon!

[doogsatx/]

Soon! The C2 was the easiest to kick off...still have some final clean-up to do on the Cobra (and have to deal with its idiotically molded positioning lights). But I just got the Werner's Wings decal sheet, so that's a motivator.

[deafpanzer]

Glad you are feeling well now... looking forward to many more updates! LOL

[doogsatx/]

Had to spend a bit more time with primer last night, mostly on some tiny bits for the C2...and took the chance to take a real picture.



Then...on to paint!



The C2 is going to be just green, so I'm trying a few new things with this paint job. First is intentionally making it far lighter than the prescribed color. Weathering always seems to make my armor builds darker, and one of my resolutions this year has been to get a lot more aggressive in lightening the base colors. Hence this thing looking like mint chocolate chip.

The second thing is to vary up the paint job with a few different greens. I'll be getting into this portion hopefully tonight, with slightly tweaked greens for the skirts and parts of the turret box, hatches and so on. Going to lighten some, darken some, add more green to some, more brown to some others, and just generally provide more visual breakup. Figure it'll all get tied back as filters and such go on anyway.

[JimD]

Exxxccceeellleennnt.

I just want to reach into the computer screen and start pin washing all that detail. So much detail. Can't wait for weathering.

[doogsatx/]

Mar 12, 2015 10:35:23 GMT -5 JimD said:

Exxxccceeellleennnt.

I just want to reach into the computer screen and start pin washing all that detail. So much detail. Can't wait for weathering.

Unfortunately a lot of the turret detail is going to be obscured by the kevlar cheek armor.

On the other hand - kevlar cheek armor!

[wbill76]

Mint chocolate chip...hmmmm.... Nice progress Doogs, looking forward to seeing how the varied greens and filters play together on the finish. Looking good so far.