Tamiya Churchill Mk.VII

Wasn't sure whether to paint the individual parts of the lower hull before glueing together. But after looking at multiple YouTube builds of the same model, everyone seems to paint after gluing, so I'm going to do the same  

Deciding to go for a different approach this time. In the past, I've glued everything together, including the small parts such as tools. Then carefully tried to paint the small details at the end, usually making a mess. This time I'm going to paint all the small parts separately and then glue them to the finished model before the weathering stage. Hopefully, this allows me to have a much neater and full finish to all the different parts. 

The whole turret was quite challenging. It was difficult to get everything lined up correctly, and I was left with quite a few raised areas or gaps, that I've done my best to sand down and squeeze together. In the future, I'll look into getting putty and other resurfacing tools I've watched people use. But for this model, I'll leave it as is. I also nearly broke off the small gun turret multiple times and it was difficult to line up the main turret correctly. But saying all that it was fun to build and for now, that's all of the gluing done. I plan now to paint the small parts and then spray the big parts, then eventually put the whole kit together before weathering. 

On the models I've made so far, I've glued any figures together and left them unpainted. It's the vehicles I'm interested in. Although one day I might paint them. But I really liked this little setup - so I decided to paint it and sort of finish it off. The bottles are unpainted - and the rest is not great - I'm still not used to brush painting and I didn't want to use the airbrush for this. Still happy with the result 

Finally got a chance to do some more spraying. First time actually priming a model - I used Ammo Mig One Shot black primer - I'd heard very good things. Ended up having some issues though. I followed the instructions - but after a bit of spraying, my airbrush started to clog up, and it only got worse. I ended up thinning the primer down a bit and it helped. Not sure where I went wrong. The end result is a bit speckly in places because of this. But I'm still happy with the result and I think it will end up giving me a much better finish once the model is complete 

Sprayed the tracks in XF-72 

Sprayed the tank in XF-61. I'm amazed by the difference priming the model has on the finish. This was my first time priming and I wasn't entirely sure whether it was worth it at first. But now I can see why people use it. The finish is amazing. Considering it's my first time using it too, it'll only get better with time. 

Some better lighting on the turret for a clearer view of the paint finish 

We had an unfortunate accident with one of the rear tow hooks. I would try to repair it, but the other half pinged off into oblivion. So I guess it was knocked off during combat or something... 

Glued everything together. I really like this model, and I really like the Churchill - such a cool-looking tank. Next step - clear coat, decals, and then weathering 

These front mudguard things were awkward to glue to the tank. I'm not sure they are positioned exactly right - but this was about the best I could get without breaking something else. 

Finally managed to get back to this. I gloss clear coated and attached all of the decals. Used MicroSet and Sol again, this time with better success. Next step, matt clear coat and then weathering 

First weathering pass. Pinwash with Mig Dark Wash. For me, this effect is very subtle, probably due to the dark colour of the tank. But I think it's noticeable enough and does the intended job 

Decals are still very glossy in direct light. Not sure how to fix this problem 

Some small fibers are left behind from the cotton buds I used to remove the access enamel wash. It's a lot less noticeable in person. These are very close-up photos. But I will attempt to get rid of as much of it as possible. 

Haven't touched the tracks yet. Going to use Mig Track Wash for them specifically 

Going to use a whole variety of washes to make the most of the cargo on the sides of the turret. At the moment they stand out and don't look good at all. 

Really difficult finding the time lately to do any modeling. Finally moved on to the next wash, which is MIG track wash. Liberally applied to the tracks and as you can see in this photo, the difference is very noticeable. I cleaned the effect up a little bit, but the wash has completely changed the colour and appearance of the tracks. Wasn't necessarily what I originally intended, but I'm actually happy with the results. They look a lot more real now. 

Both sides finished here. 

Next step was using Mig Kursk Soil, to add some extra mud and dust, mostly around the tracks and running gear, with some splashing up onto the sides, front and rear. I'm still getting the hang of these Mig Enamel Washes, so I'm not 100% happy with the result. But I still think it gets the effect across, and looks better than it did without it 

Still got some more Mig washes I want to use, then this model will be complete 

Finally finished the model. Used Mig Streaking Grime wash, mostly around the sides and tracks of the model to give it a slightly more muddy, grimy look. Been working on this model for far too long, so many things have kept me away from scale modeling recently. So it's been good to get it finished and move on. Overall I'm happy with the result and it's probably my best model so far. I'll wait for the enamel washes to fully dry and then take some better photos. But setting this as complete for now 

The "better" photos I promised 

Attempted some photos with better lighting. Tank's getting a bit dusty though...