M109A2 UPDATE ( 6/23 ( Calling this finished)

[bigjohn]

Jun 9, 2013 6:08:16 GMT -5 Leon said:

Thanks kindly John :)To quote Micky D's (I'M LOVIN IT)

Micky D's.............Now i'm hungry and the closest Micky D's is 13 miles away...

Ha ha, Keep up the good work buddy!

[deafpanzer]

Sorry I have missed nearly whole week worth of update... back home now catching up. That big gun is looking real good... it will definitely many guys jealous.

If you are not comfortable applying pigments on the hull I always start at the very bottom first to get better feeling since nobody can see that part well.

[fightnjoe]

looks impressive leon. you did a very good job with both the paint job and the initial weathering.



joe

[Leon]

Andy,thanks kindly .Glad you popped in to have a look.

Joe,much appreciated .I'm really happy how it turned out as this is my first time.

[Leon]

Hey guys,i was looking at some 109 images and this one caught my eye.I would like to try this on my 109 what do you guys think?
I have the AK dust and dry light mud acrylics.Think this would look really good if i can pull it off.





REFERENCE ONLY

[fightnjoe]

leon it is definitely doable. i say go for it.




joe

[Leon]

Thanks Joe,think i,ll practice on my test piece first.

[wbill76]

Leon,

Go with what you like, if the pic moves you then give it a shot! Even better if you decide to create a simple base for it to give it context for the weathering. That field scene wouldn't be hard to do at all.

[Leon]

Thanks kindly Bill .Haven't given any thought about a base,but something a long those lines would look pretty good.

[iking.]

the paint job is terrific comrade! love to see this weathered:D

cheers!

iking

[Leon]

Thanks you Iking,very much appreciated .The last pics i posted are with the filter and wash applied.Just trying to decide on a dust or light mud effect.

[TRM]

That would be a nice effect there Leon! You entioned having AK's Dust...do you happen to have some Dust Effects, the wash? Either way you can definately make this happen! Bill show some great lower end dusting on his Neubau-Fahrzeug: modelerssocialclub.proboards.com/thread/3564/dml-neubau-fahrzeug-nr-3 and the splatter is fairly easy to obtain as well!

[bullardino]

Leon go for it. Thet 109 did some wading and the dried mud effect is really nice to see.

I agree with Todd, Bill's dusting is really effective. I used his techinque to dust my shermie and I really like it (and it ain't difficult to control).

[bbd468]

Hey Leon, Id love to see you do something like that! As long as you build up that effect you'll do great and the M109 will look awesome!

[Leon]

Todd,thank you .The AK dust (AK-723) i have is the acrylic dust paint from the tracks and wheels set.I think I'll experiment with it by applying it in thin layers to build up the effect i want on my test piece.

Luigi,thank you .You did a great job on the shermie.I really like the dried mud effect to.Going to paint my test piece to see how much effect i want to get.


Gary,thanks bro 8-)Layering and build up are the key words on this.

[Leon]

Dicky,thanks fella .I am going to give this my best shot and really break out of my comfort zone .Really like how the LAV turned out.

[Teabone]

Leon

One way or the other it will be a giant step in the learning process and if you go slowly in light coats you can adjust and change directions as you go. Learning what you can do is the only way you will gain and learn what you can do and what not to do. Clint Eastwood and maybe DickyF or some Martian said "a man has to know his limitations."

Bones

[Leon]

Thanks Bones,i totally agree with you on the learning process.

[Tobi]

Jun 11, 2013 19:30:14 GMT -5 Leon said:

Thanks Joe,think i,ll practice on my test piece first.

Leon, start with your test piece and if you are confident enough move to the hull underside!

That M109 will look good...

Cheers,
Tobi

[Leon]

Thanks Tobi for the advice.That is what i plan to do.

[Leon]

Hi guys.Got the tracks primed and painted with AK dark track acrylics and the pads painted with AK rubber and tire acrylics.The tracks got two thin coats of AK dry light mud acrylic thinned 50/50 with alcohol.The upper hull got the same treatment but with a little heavier mixed in,also thinned with alcohol.Front glaces and top hull also got a tad heavier coats.Going to do some splatter on the sides of the turret and rear hull.Hope it looks ok. As always ACW

[Deleted]

Hey Leon,to my eye,the 'dirt' looks too contrived?,ie it just don't look like it was caused 'naturally',if you get my meaning?

[Leon]

Thanks CB,that's i was thinking mate.Gotta figure out how i can fix it.

[wbill76]

Looking back at the pic you posted for reference Leon, try to compare how it looks to what you've got on the vehicle and adjust accordingly. You can see how some of the mud was 'thrown' up to a certain level on the vehicle sides but didn't stay everywhere in the same levels of accumulation. You can also see that there's more of a uniform/consistent accumulation on the wheels vs. the tires (because the tires would contact the tracks and there more mud would come off that way and get thrown around). You've got a good base laid down with the pigments, now it's time to remove and adjust it where needed.

[Leon]

Thank you Bill,very much appreciated.

[danb.]

Hey Leon great to hear the muddyfications have started as the others have said it looks a bit un natural but dont panic i had this problem with my abrams i used a dampened brush with isopronol alchol on it gently scrub away dont remove all of it because you can use this as the 1st dirt layer then use pigments for mud splatters apply them by flicking the pigments off of a stiff brush or using a AB to blow pigment mix of the brush please try the thinner idea on a area you will not see as it could ruin the paint work if not done correctly and i dont want to blamed for ruining such a sweet kit

Hope this helps ya buddy

Dan B

[Leon]

Dan,thanks for the kind comment buddy .I already started removing the mud from the tires using a dampened q-tip.So far so good.Going to try and work on the hull when i get home from work tonight.

[TRM]

On the right track here Leon. Good base and then soften it up and add layers adjusting as you go! Agreeing with both Dan and Bill here on the approach and I am sure you are working it out just fine! A slightly damp brush with water or alcohol stippling the brush works well as does a soft et stiff bristled brush working the tires blending the effects. Keep it going there!!

[Tobi]

Hi Leon,

next I would suggest a flat brush moistened (not wet) with thinner and then move from top to down on the hull sides to soften the effect and create rainmarks.

Did you seal the camo with a clear coat before? For dust and dirt I prefer to work with enamel on acrylic base coat, because the thinner won't affect the color beneath.

Cheers,
Tobi

[Deleted]

Jun 16, 2013 18:23:45 GMT -5 wbill76 said:

Looking back at the pic you posted for reference Leon, try to compare how it looks to what you've got on the vehicle and adjust accordingly. You can see how some of the mud was 'thrown' up to a certain level on the vehicle sides but didn't stay everywhere in the same levels of accumulation. You can also see that there's more of a uniform/consistent accumulation on the wheels vs. the tires (because the tires would contact the tracks and there more mud would come off that way and get thrown around). You've got a good base laid down with the pigments, now it's time to remove and adjust it where needed.

Looking again at this picture,the dirt/weathering suggests that it may well have been driven through a 'Tank Dip'/large puddle,and then been re used for another demo?The buses in the background suggest the 'demo' scenario more likely,IMO,...hence the dirtier image than I had envisaged