Hi, I’m building Italeris M-109/G 155mm self propelled howitzer. I am building it to represent one to look like one that would have used by the IDF in the Yom Kippur War of 1973. Since I’m fairly new and with little experience at armor modeling I’m nervous about painting the vinyl tracks. I’m afraid that when painted I will not be able to attach the tracks to the model without the dried paint flaking off. Is this a valid concern. Also, what is the best way to represent dirty rust color for the tracks that I see in my references. Any Ideas and/or methods used by yourselves would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Kevin
If you are going to use Super Glue on the tracks you might not want to paint in that area as it will just peel off at the glue contact point.
However, if you are going to melt them with a screwdriver or old hobbyknife blade (my preferred method), then you shouldn’t have any worries! Enjoy.
Please post pics of your Paladin. I really enjoy building and looking at Israeli armor!
I first spray mine with Tamiya Hull Red Acrylic (if you use ModelMaster, use rust). When it dries, heavy washes of black and brown so it covers a lot of the rust color. Then drybrush silver on the highpoints that contact the ground and would not have rust. I then attach them with superglue (like scorn said, scrape off the paint where you are gluing). I have not have any problems with cracking. Go as light as you can spraying the rust color, as a heavy paint coat might crack, but that’s speculation- I have yet to hav one crack. Drop me an e-mail if you have any questions
Kney,
Welcome to the forum. You’ll find a lot of nice, knowledgable people here.
I’ve had a little trouble painting some vinyl tracks in that they’ve gone “tackey” on me. If you use acrylic paints, it probably won’t be a problem. If you want to paint with enamels, put a coating of acrylic clear on them first, but make sure you let the clear cure for at least a couple of days before you start with the enamels. Also, no matter what paint you use, make sure you wash the tracks very well in soapy water and let them air dry completely.
There are many different ways to paint and weather tracks. I start out painting mine flat black. When that’s cured, I do a heavy dry brush with Model Master Steel. Then I do a wash with a thinned mixture of burnt sienna oil paint and Humbrol leather. (Any dark tan should work pretty well.) I do the wash several times until I feel they look rusty enough. Then (when dry), I lightly dry brush the high and wear points with Model Master silver.
Good luck and again, welcome![#welcome]
Thanks for your input on my questions, I’ll put them to good use. I’m fairly new at modeling (3 models and counting) and it’s encouraging to see so many helpful people in the modeling community. Unfortunatly I don’t have as much time as I’d like to spend on my new hobby (2 small children who command my attention) at this point in time, but when the kit is finished I’d be happy to post it.
Thanks again, Kevin
Kney- I know how those small kids can be! They really cramp the modelling (I have a 3 and 1 year old.)
Cool,( Mine are 6 and 3)
You and I are practically neighbors.
I wouldn’t worry about the paint flaking off, especially if you are going to melt the tracks together. I’ve not had it happen yet. Just don’t layer the paint like your tracks are a cheap h***er. Paint in thin, progressive layers. And for tracks, the only solid colour should be the metal basecoat. I’ve had the 203mm version of this kit built up, but unpainted for a while, so let me know how it all goes together for you.
As for the rust, there are a variety of methods. First and cheapest is a series of washes. Mix a couple of rusty shades, thin the mixture, then apply one at a time to the tracks (allowing each layer to dry before applying the next). Apply the wash more in some areas than others, as this will give you variance, which is something you’re gonna want on a track. When finished, drybrush with some metallic paint, or scrape the end of a pencil lead to dust, and use that.
One other method I may suggest is pastel chalk dust, or pigments, which is essentially the same. I actually mix a wash using distilled water and dust/pigment, then apply in washes again. The dust will dry flat, so will have a nice rusty finish, and you can wipe away what you don’t want.