SCRATCHMOD - THE ART OF DESTRUCTION
Destroyed Iraqi T55
Destroyed Iraqi T55
The kit I used for this project is the old ESCI kit in 1:35 and Fruil Model individual track links. Since this was to be one of my first modern tank models, I went with the old ESCI instead of the newer Tamiya kit. I got two of the ESCI kits really cheap on ebay and will use these to practice on before building the Tamiya kit.
The kit is not all that bad and does require some work to make it look descent, mainly in the details that are not in the kit. Since this is to be a wreck or destroyed Iraqi T55 from Desert Storm I decided to leave off many of the items that were mounted on the fenders, such as the boxes and most of the fuel cells. These items would most likely have bben taken by civilians or military personnel.
The first thing I did was to apply a coat of Mr. Surfacer 1000 to the cast section of the turret, to give it texture. I used copper wire to replace the kit supplied parts and also for the grab handles. Additional items such as the search light were detailed using copper wire and styrene. These added details improve the kit and will stand out when the painting starts.
With the turret done, I then started to add some missing details to the hull and scratch built new fenders using .15 styrene sheet. The thinner fenders then received some battle damage by simply bending and forming the plastic. I used Squadron White putty to simulate the weld seams that are present on the ESCI kit. The road wheels were tackled next with a hobby knife to remove the rubber from the burnt wheels and also to the chewed up rubber on the remaining wheels.
The painting started in my usual manner by priming with Floquil Primer Gray, followed by a base coat using Tamiya Dark Brown, Hull Red and a drop or two of Flat Black. This was then sealed with a Clear flat enamel to protect it from the chipping and weathering using the salt and hair spray technique. When the clear coat was dry I then gave the model a dark was using Windsor & Newton Vandyke Brown with a tiny bit of black. Before the oil paint wash dried, I applied some rust colored pigments to the model using an old paint brush. Once this dried, with the help of a hair dryer, I gave the model two light coats of hairspray and applied salt to certain areas of the still wet hair spray. After a couple hours of drying it was time to apply the desert tan color to the model, again using Tamiya acrylic paint. Some more drying time followed by the normal salt and hair spray method of removing the paint , stiff brushes and some warm water. When the paint was removed to my satisfaction a coat of clear flat was applied and the weathering could begin. Brown oil paint washes and filters were applied using Windsor &Newton oil paints. I used various rust colored pigments for the rusted areas and dust pigments for the final weathering. I added graffiti to the model to add some color and character, the 23 Engineers was the unit I served with in Desert Storm. The model was then mounted on a simple base to display the wreck.
All in all this was a fun little project that allowed me to try different techniques. The second ESCI T55 is nearly complete but will not be ready for quite a while, I'm still debating on how I will display the model.
Rob
(scratchmod)
The kit I used for this project is the old ESCI kit in 1:35 and Fruil Model individual track links. Since this was to be one of my first modern tank models, I went with the old ESCI instead of the newer Tamiya kit. I got two of the ESCI kits really cheap on ebay and will use these to practice on before building the Tamiya kit.
The kit is not all that bad and does require some work to make it look descent, mainly in the details that are not in the kit. Since this is to be a wreck or destroyed Iraqi T55 from Desert Storm I decided to leave off many of the items that were mounted on the fenders, such as the boxes and most of the fuel cells. These items would most likely have bben taken by civilians or military personnel.
The first thing I did was to apply a coat of Mr. Surfacer 1000 to the cast section of the turret, to give it texture. I used copper wire to replace the kit supplied parts and also for the grab handles. Additional items such as the search light were detailed using copper wire and styrene. These added details improve the kit and will stand out when the painting starts.
With the turret done, I then started to add some missing details to the hull and scratch built new fenders using .15 styrene sheet. The thinner fenders then received some battle damage by simply bending and forming the plastic. I used Squadron White putty to simulate the weld seams that are present on the ESCI kit. The road wheels were tackled next with a hobby knife to remove the rubber from the burnt wheels and also to the chewed up rubber on the remaining wheels.
The painting started in my usual manner by priming with Floquil Primer Gray, followed by a base coat using Tamiya Dark Brown, Hull Red and a drop or two of Flat Black. This was then sealed with a Clear flat enamel to protect it from the chipping and weathering using the salt and hair spray technique. When the clear coat was dry I then gave the model a dark was using Windsor & Newton Vandyke Brown with a tiny bit of black. Before the oil paint wash dried, I applied some rust colored pigments to the model using an old paint brush. Once this dried, with the help of a hair dryer, I gave the model two light coats of hairspray and applied salt to certain areas of the still wet hair spray. After a couple hours of drying it was time to apply the desert tan color to the model, again using Tamiya acrylic paint. Some more drying time followed by the normal salt and hair spray method of removing the paint , stiff brushes and some warm water. When the paint was removed to my satisfaction a coat of clear flat was applied and the weathering could begin. Brown oil paint washes and filters were applied using Windsor &Newton oil paints. I used various rust colored pigments for the rusted areas and dust pigments for the final weathering. I added graffiti to the model to add some color and character, the 23 Engineers was the unit I served with in Desert Storm. The model was then mounted on a simple base to display the wreck.
All in all this was a fun little project that allowed me to try different techniques. The second ESCI T55 is nearly complete but will not be ready for quite a while, I'm still debating on how I will display the model.
Rob
(scratchmod)
ontent copyright . Robert Ferreira. All rights reserved.
