Kitty Kitty Bang Bang #2 - Takom Leopard C2

[TRM]

Nice to see this one is still on the bench!! Looking great too!! Coming down to the wire now!!

[doogsatx/]

Started gluing more things on last night (mirrors, more tools etc). Hoping to finally install the turret armor soon and then get on to final weathering and installs and such.

[doogsatx/]

Now we're getting somewhere! Got a bunch of junk glued to the turret last night - mantlet armor, kevlar cheek armor, smoke cans. Just about in position to move into the "weather" weathering. Dust and such. Still want to do a few "negative" chips and some scratches here and there first, and deal with a lot of the little details like the tow cable, spare tracks the back and so on first.

[wbill76]

It's got almost a futuristic/space-age look to it once all the different upgrade armor pieces are on. Amazing how much it transforms the look and profile.

[doogsatx/]

Yeah, it definitely transforms the look. Not quite as much as the Mexas armor they're wearing now, though.

[dylan]

fantastic stuff as usual, I love seeing Canadian armour getting the love it deserves.

[JimD]

Yeah I really like where this is going. I think the boot re-do is spot on. I know you had to scrub the armor wash, but I really like the way it weathered in the end.

[doogsatx/]

Okay. So I'm stuck on this one. Just don't know where exactly I need to go next. This is always one of my problems with armor builds...I just don't intuitively get the weathering process the way I do with aircraft.

I've still got some little bits (tow cable, cupola gun etc) that need to be painted and installed. A few periscope covers as well. But I want to drop those on late so I can still hit the periscopes themselves with some clear dark blue. I want to put some gentle dust on the side skirts and lower hull. Some pigments. I think the tracks need more contrast seeing how the tank has progressed. But...not sure which to tackle next and it's making me procrastinate by writing inflammatory blog posts.

[wbill76]

Sept 24, 2015 10:27:34 GMT -5 doogsatx/ said:

Okay. So I'm stuck on this one. Just don't know where exactly I need to go next. This is always one of my problems with armor builds...I just don't intuitively get the weathering process the way I do with aircraft.

I've still got some little bits (tow cable, cupola gun etc) that need to be painted and installed. A few periscope covers as well. But I want to drop those on late so I can still hit the periscopes themselves with some clear dark blue. I want to put some gentle dust on the side skirts and lower hull. Some pigments. I think the tracks need more contrast seeing how the tank has progressed. But...not sure which to tackle next and it's making me procrastinate by writing inflammatory blog posts.

If it were me, I would save the pigments and track weather to the end. Less chance of handling disturbing them or causing funky issues along the way. Couldn't help but smile about the inflammatory blog posts...keep a sharp eye out for neighbors with torches and pitchforks! It's that time of year you know...

[wing_nut]

Looks like I'm coming in near the end of this one. i have a felling you'll settle into a a nice weathering pattern and it will turn out up to your usual standards.

[doogsatx/]

So last night I put my focus into building out the remaining items - next it'll be some quick paint for the periscope covers, tow cables, and gun + mount, then probably diving quickly into final weathering. One of those where...it's a lot further along than I allow myself to realize.

[JimD]

I'm loving the inflammatory blog posts myself. This is one of those instances where I have no idea what to add. I totally feel you about not knowing what to do next in the end stages of armor. Which is why I've been avoiding it. I like where this one is as, but I can see where you might want more dirt and wear...but how...I dunno.

[doogsatx/]

A pretty shot from over the weekend...



Last night I moved on to doing some wash work on the wheels and tracks, installed the tow cables, periscope guards and got the cupola MG painted up. Getting closer now...

Also added the white "rim" evidenced on a random assortment of C2 wheels. Not entirely sure the significant, but it's there on a ton of pics, so I'm adding for a bit of visual interest.

[John Everett]

The weather effects look spot on. But the tools and the extra track links (at least I think they're links) on the front of the tank look too monotone. They're all the same tone of grey and stand out as being different from the subtle effects achieved elsewhere.

I'm not familiar with the original vehicle and the color may be perfect. But the tools "feel" different from the rest of the paint effects.

[doogsatx/]

Sept 29, 2015 9:48:19 GMT -5 John Everett said:

The weather effects look spot on. But the tools and the extra track links (at least I think they're links) on the front of the tank look too monotone. They're all the same tone of grey and stand out as being different from the subtle effects achieved elsewhere.

I'm not familiar with the original vehicle and the color may be perfect. But the tools "feel" different from the rest of the paint effects.

Yeah...the tools are blacked out on the real thing with some small dings showing wood here and there. Mine are the same, but it's kinda tough to tell from the distance shots. As for the front - think they're upside-down replacement track pads - on the reference tank I'm kinda working from, they're straight-up black.







I'll be using some pigments and perhaps some dust effects etc to provide a bit more interest...but yeah the way the tank is really painted introduces some interesting challenges!

[tonylee-Rest In Peace]

Very Nice Work you've done there Satx,good lookin tank.


Tony lee

[wbill76]

Sept 29, 2015 9:56:25 GMT -5 doogsatx/ said:

Yeah...the tools are blacked out on the real thing with some small dings showing wood here and there. Mine are the same, but it's kinda tough to tell from the distance shots. As for the front - think they're upside-down replacement track pads - on the reference tank I'm kinda working from, they're straight-up black.

Those are actually grousers fitted to the tracks for better traction in ice/snow. No idea what they are made out of though, my guess would be heavy-duty rubber given their designed purpose.

[dierk]

Nice job Thumbs Up!
Eventhough I build nothing but armour, I know how you feel about weathering - I'm bricking it every time when I get to that stage. But I think your plan of dust effects and pigments is spot on for this one.

[doogsatx/]

Accelerating into the home stretch now - still debating how/how much surface weathering I want to do. But everything save the aerials is installed now.





The cupola MG is solid - next time around I might spring for a LiveResin replacement though.



I used some Vallejo Dark Gray Wash and black packing foam to create some road spatter on the front fenders. Also noticed the very slight remains of a crease there...damnit. Both Meng and Takom do this, and it's maddening. The front fenders are a solid hunk of rubber and the way they've engineered them, you pretty much have to install the tracks before you finish construction. Surely fenders-as-separate-pieces could be done without too much trouble?

[deafpanzer]

I really dig the look of black painted tools on her!

[doogsatx/]

Too much work the past several days - but I finally got back to the bench last night and, ta da, flat coat!



Moving on to finishing touches and weathering and stuff. Though I'm not wholly optimistic I'll have it wrapped in time for the Austin contest on Saturday.

[JimD]

Knocking the gloss off sure does bring it all together. I think it's pretty spot on now.

[doogsatx/]

The past week or so has been crap for bench time - mix of work and exhaustion has not been doing me any favors. But I did manage to get the SKP lenses installed on the C2 last night.





I wouldn't have minded the inside rear lenses being a bit more orange, but other than that I continue to absolutely love these things. Best lens options I've ever come across by far.

[deafpanzer]

Dig those lens from SKP too! Your beast is looking real good too!

[JimD]

Man those lenses are really nice. Adds such a realistic element to the build. The armor category better watch out this weekend.

[doogsatx/]

Oct 8, 2015 13:13:57 GMT -5 JimD said:

Man those lenses are really nice. Adds such a realistic element to the build. The armor category better watch out this weekend.

Still up in the air on whether I can finish it out in time. Two nights...

[doogsatx/]

Finished her up last night - pics soon! And she won her category today, which is the first time I've done that with armor, and not a bad salve to the Corsair being completely shut out.

[JimD]

I said it on Facebook...congrats. I'm not surprised in the least. It's incredibly good. I think you can give up the "I don't know what I'm doing with armor" thing now

I'm shocked about the Corsair honestly. I'm hella curious to know what happened there, but from what I've heard about judging I'd have to guess "over weathering?" Which is ridiculous if you've ever seen a photo of a Pacific Corsair.

[wbill76]

Congrats on the win Doogs! Doesn't surprise me either but it's always nice to get confirmation from the outside world.

[doogsatx/]

And...done. As I've written elsewhere, I wrapped the C2 up last night and today it won its category at the annual Austin contest. First time I've done this well with armor so I guess I'm doing something right. Though I think the build is far from perfect - could have done better with the tracks and running gear, etc.

Anyway, done pics!













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