Renault FT-17
Made a start on the base.
Making a start on the driving compartment. I haven't filled the sink holes as these will be covered by the upper floor.
A little wear on the pedals, thanks to the cast texture.
Driving seat with leather back rest. Lots of moulded detail to try to bring to life.
Soo many extra appendages to be removed......
Too many small, fragile parts to add now. So, I'll use PVA glue to mask the fixing locations til after the hull has been assembled and primed. Then remove the PVA, and add the smallest parts.
White glue blobs added, and some parts primed.
Tool box painted.
Now comes the tricky bit.....
Next steps: hull walls glued to the floor, and driving controls added to side walls.
Enough for today, but will consider adding a wash to the white paint, to make it more 'lived in'.
Top deck added, and access doors loose fitted, so I can position the two triangular plates correctly.
Engine hatches added, and blobs of white glue in preparation for next steps
Preparing lots of panels for the turret. Main gun also being pre-painted ready for assembly.
Taking shape, slow but steady... All loose fitted for the moment.
Progress for today. Lots of moulded interior details on all of the hull and turret panels, so the visible panels have had a brown wash on top of the white.
Barely enough paint in the spray can to cover the main surfaces..... White glue removed, revealing clean surfaces for small items to be glued to.
Bogies started, with pre-painting and then tiny drops of glue at the fine posts between each half.
Coming together..... Everything is articulated!
First side done.
Parts for the second side prepared.
Both sides done, including some basic painting. Lots to do next weekend, so will experiment with paints for the camouflage scheme, on the dark grey primer on the hull, but not on the running gear.....
Time to try to turn shiny black plastic into slightly rusty cast iron and steel....
Some pre-shading on the turret and hull. Looking like an old galvanised water tank! Hence the name!!
Some colours to the rollers.
Adding some colours to the teeth.
Adding some colours to the steel-rimmed wooden wheels.
A couple of thin coats of the lightest colour added. Inaccessible areas need to be done before the next stages of assembly. Lots still to do...
Painting underway, but still keeping some small pieces off till all dry.
Some tiny PE straps to be fitted, so pre-painted. Hatches and doors painted inside and out, after adding handles.
Taking shape....
Tail skid assembled and painted. Still plenty to do before final assembly.
Dry-brushed high-lights in three colours, so now less uniform. Small areas of gloss added, for the few decals.
High-lights here too, and now the plaques are almost legible! Still to re-visit the large wooden wheels. Later....
Tail skid added, front hatch doors beaded, and PE strap for tools in process of being installed. Exhaust also added.
First side running gear added. Sledge hammer added, but shortened the mounting pegs, so that it sits tighter to the hull, and thus the air intake can fit tight to hull.
I'm going to leave the tool box in-painted, so that it looks wooden, and can be seen against the painted hull. Tiny straps might need to be scratched....
Driver's seat all visible still.
Some more kit parts to add, but twisted wire will try to look like chains. Don't want to drop the shackle pins in the mud, do we?
At last, final parts added, including the tracks. The pivoting bogies really do accommodate the undulations of the terrain!
I preferred not to use such a red-brown as the box art. Still looks fine to me.
The one part that I didn't use was the tarpaulin. So, I used foil from a margarine tub and made my own. Looks okay? I'll tone down the shiny shackle with a black wash.
All suggestions for improvements welcome. It looks very pristine at the moment, so perhaps some dust?
New orders!
Komentáře
30 18 April 2022, 20:11
Bruce HuxtableThanks for your 'likes', everyone. This is a really nice kit, and all is fitting with no issues so far. Lots of wheels and running gear next. I'll have to plan the pre-painting first..
24 April 2022, 18:01
Bruce HuxtableBuilding up the hill and turret, so I can think about priming with a rattle can.
30 April 2022, 12:55
Bruce HuxtableCan't put off starting the running gear, so that will be next, Ben. Lots of careful work to come....
30 April 2022, 19:34
Bruce HuxtableRunning gear done, so back to the hull and turret for next small items to be fitted before the start of painting. A few brackets and PE straps will be kept off til the very end, so that the pioneer tools, etc can be kept out of the way.
3 May 2022, 11:11
Bruce HuxtableThanks, Dietmar. I took the first set slowly, but the second set was much quicker. It all goes together really well. No parts lost to the carpet monster!
3 May 2022, 14:24
Bruce HuxtableLots of painting today, but still some small parts assembly to be done.
7 May 2022, 14:39
Bruce HuxtableMany thanks for your 'likes', everyone. Let's see what gets done later today 🙂
8 May 2022, 06:54
Bruce HuxtableThanks, Robert. I'm really enjoying working with acrylic paints: fast drying, no fumes, and can be applied as a wash too. Definitely recommend the kit. Lots of details, very few mould seam lines to remove, and everything fits perfect!
8 May 2022, 14:19
Bruce HuxtableI think you are right, Dietmar. So, do I use weathering powders, or a pale coloured wash? The finish you see is Matt Acrylic ..
14 May 2022, 15:38
Ben MReally cool result. Maybe dullcote? I flatten flat acrylics with it sometimes.
14 May 2022, 23:33
Bruce HuxtableMany thanks for your generous comments, Bobby and Guy. Every build is a learning experience, so we'll see what tempts me next.
15 May 2022, 11:06
