Phew ! Lots of small parts Bill [Y]
Heya Bill : )
Thats a lot of work, but I know you use these MK tracks all the time, and one thing I know, they sure look great and that is the important part in my opinion.
Looking forward to instillation !
tread[H]
PAINT? Did I hear someone say paint?
Bill: You sure know how to roll with the punches…the tracks look nice. I cringe[:XX] when I think of indy links and this sounds like even more work!
BUT…I’m reaching a point where rubber band tracks just aren’t cutting it! I like the ease and speed but the process to attach them and then gluing them to the road wheels to get the sag stinks…not to mention that it doesn’t look very authentic.
Can you give me a bit more info on MK Tracks?, maybe a web link? A quick PROS vs. CONS?
Thanks Bill…looking forward to seeing the paint!!!
Separate guidehorns? [:|] You have way too much patience. [:D]
Carl, yes indeed…but fortunately MK designed them intelligently so they are easy to handle. [;)]
Tread, thanks for the comments and support! I’ve gotten pretty comfortable with MKs and they’ve become a staple on builds the way some guys always use Fruils.
Marc, I think you’ve been spending too much time on your Enigma…you’re starting to hear things! [proplr]
Steve, it is more work, no question there, but the payoff comes in the end in terms of weathering and handling for installation. As you’ve discovered, working withe one-piece tracks for “dead” track design vehicles is always a challenge. Workable sets overcome that, allowing you to tailor your sag accordingly. This is even more flexible when you have a kit that includes adjustable idler wheels (and some MK sets include parts to allow you to adapt mounts to be adjustable as well depending on the “host” kit you’re working with).
MK stands for Modelkasten, they are a company in Japan that produces the sets (among other things). Here’s their home page (it’s in Japanese, so Google Translater will help). http://www.modelkasten.com/ As far as quick Pros/Cons…here goes:
Pros: Styrene links, no special glue required to assemble, produce workable track runs, sets include spare links/pins, can be painted using standard model paints/methods, not kit-specific, wide range of tracks available for different vehicle types (1/35 scale), cheaper than metal tracks (depending on supplier/source, I use www.rzm.com for all my MK track needs).
Cons: More fragile than metal tracks, time consuming assembly process, sensitive to “hot” paints like lacquers, some clean-up required depending on set in question, not ideal for “live” track types (i.e. Sherman tracks).
HTH! [B]
Eric, separate guide horns add a little bit to the assembly time but not very much…and you can’t argue with the in-scale result! [;)]
Bill: Thank you for taking the time to write that thorough and helpful info on the MK’s…I do appreciate it.[B]
My pleasure Steve! [B]
Ahhh…indy tracks…the knitting of scale modeling…
Just remember, too many indy track sets in succession could cause brain damage [:P]
Looking good
Rounds Complete!!
Very true Mike…that’s why I only do one set per build! [:P]
Progressing along very nicely.
Looking very well done as usual! Keep it up. [Y]
Thanks Will, glad to see you back around these parts. [B]
This weekend was a productive one with a lot of progress on the paint work for the exterior. Not a lot of prep work was required except for the mounting the road wheels, sprockets, and idlers on trusty toothpick handles using blobs of blue tack poster putty. First round of airbrush work involved the application of a primer coat of Model Master enamel Italian Dark Brown. This helps check the putty work and insures there isn’t any bare plastic peeking through the base coat.
Speaking of the base coat…that was applied next by airbrush using a 50-50 mix of MM enamel Panzer Dunkelgelb/Light Gray. I used multiple passes with the airbrush to slowly build up the finish instead of applying as a single heavy coat. This is particularly necessary due to the increased surface area and nooks/crannies produced by the zim application.
Next up was the camouflage pattern. Using the reference photo I dug up earlier along with the box art, I applied a brown squiggly pattern freehand using a 50-50 mix of MM enamel Military Brown and Leather. The pattern deliberately stops at roughly the height of the schurzen plates on the hull side to mimic what the reference photo shows.
Last step involved applying a mist coat from roughly 12" away from the model using a heavily thinned mix of the base coat and opening up the airbrush needle all the way to create a nice wide pattern. This toned down the camo work, fading it slightly, and tying it in nicely with the base coat as a foundation for more work later on in the weathering stages.
The road wheels, sprockets, and idlers got their due as well. They were primered at the same time as the hull and the rubber portions painted via airbrush using MM enamel Gunmetal (not the Metalizer!). The hubs on the road wheels were airbrushed using a circle template to mask the rubber tires.
Next up will be working on the exterior details and getting things ready for the weathering stages.
Thanks Bill : ) … been waiting for Sunday … Looks great man ! [Y][B]
tread[H]
Humm looks like you are up to your usual painting voodoo…
Now as a side note…for the older modelers…looking at all the road wheels on sticks reminds me of the plate jugglers from the old Ed Sullivan show…I hear the music in the background!!
Rounds Complete!!
Tread, thanks for the comments as always! [B]
Mike, painting is always one of those major milestones in the build process…fortunately I was able to get the blocks of time necessary to get it all done this weekend. Next weekend will be a busy one with Father’s Day and what-not so had to take advantage! Plates on sticks…now there’s something I haven’t thought of in a while. [:D]
!http://www.h2g2.com/h2g2/skins/Alabaster/images/Smilies/f_hotdog.gifHOT DOG!
This is gonna be a real weiner!
All corny puns aside Bill,
this is looking great… as usual.
Looks good Bill,I call it road wheel madness,sort of like white line fever !!!
Bill: Really nicely done. That freehand airbrush work is not easy…you executed in masterfully[:D[
Crikey… me likey!