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Modeller Build Logs
Tasca Sherman Firefly Vc |
| By James Wechsler | | Started: | Dec 1, 2006 | | Updated: | Apr 29, 2007 |
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OK, I’ll admit it, when I got the opportunity to do a blog using Tasca’s new Firefly kit I was giddy with excitement. I’ve got Tasca’s Pz. II Luchs, and I’ve built about three of their Sherman suspension sets, and two of their 0.050 cal MG sets. Tasca has yet to disappoint.
Now as a total Shermanaholic, I’ll admit that the thought of building a Sherman model that requires only a little bit of extra work is hard to fathom. I mean what is Sherman modeling without a bucket of aftermarket resin parts, replacement tracks, and a huge photoetch sheet? It’s … like modeling German armor (noooo don’t say it’s true)! There, I’ve said it. 2006 has been an allied modeler’s dream and Tasca’s Firefly is the grand finally of the fireworks show.
But in many ways I’m glad to be doing a blog using a great kit. My last two blogs involved extensive use of resin conversion and scratch built parts to make unusual Shermans. So they were heavily focused on construction tasks. Yet I’ve noticed that most of the comments I receive when I post photos of my models are requests for more information on how I do my painting, weathering, and groundwork. So for this blog I will spend less time on the construction tasks and more time on the painting, finishing and techniques for making simple ground work.
Up Next: The Construction Starts.
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| Dirt and Turf | Apr 22, 2007 |
With the base carved and framed, the next step is to lay in the dirt road and the grassy turf areas. There’s lots of ways to make dirt roads but I’ve found that nothing looks more like dirt than … dirt. So I just get it out of my backyard and sift it through a strainer to get rid of the big pieces. I mix it with some white glue, Scenic Cement from Woodland Scenics and some Fixall (a drywall repair product available in hardware stores). This turns into a soupy goop that I lay on the base and then cover with some fresh dirt. In the road section I now put in tire and track impressions and push the tank’s tracks in to have a distinct place for it to sit.
I cover the whole base in this brew and for the turf areas I’ll add various greenery from the Woodland Scenics line. A little mix and match seems to give the best overall effect. In his case I added a few leaves from a Hudson Allen set but if you don’t have them, try using Italian Seasoning that you can buy in the grocery. Look pretty good and mama mia your base will smell great!
Now normally this would be the end of this chapter. But it’s time for true confessions. Although I followed the formula above (which I’ve used many times) I screwed up something (I think too much Fixall) and when the base dried it had a dry parched look which just wasn’t right for NW Europe.
Well I figure a big part of writing a blog is to cover techniques and let’s face it, repair techniques are just as important as any other methods. I can’t remember a model where I didn’t screw something up. In fact, knowing how to fix a problem can often be the difference between total disappointment and that show piece on your fireplace mantle.
To fix the problem I decided to simply recover the surface. I did this by placing large quantities of Scenic Cement on the dirt road and sprinkling more dirt on top. I lost some of the wheel tracks and had to redo the tank’s impression but the road came back to the dirt look I wanted. For the turf areas I also covered them in large quantities of Scenic Cement and redid the grass and vegetation.
Yes it makes a mess to do this but Scenic Cement is water soluble so it cleans right up. So I saved this base and I thought it would be useful to explain how.
Up Last: The end |
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