Here is the Tamiya 1/35 Leopard 2 A5 that I have been working on. Just thought I would post what I have so far and get some opinions. The only real thing that I think is a problem is the paint. i think it may be to light of a green. The color it looked in the jar and how it looked as I painted was alot different than what it turned out dry. Still have some spots here and there to touch up before I attempt my first camo job. This is the barrel that I had the problem with also. Still can see some of where the seam is towards the bottom of it which was’nt showing with the primer coat but did with the green. Most likely going to wrap some netting around it to hide it. Have some pics with netting draped around the barrel and looks pretty good. Let me know what you think. Thanks.
LQ not sure of the colour representation in the pic as some parts look pink to me (that damn Pink Panzer again[:p]!)
It does look a little lighter than the pics I have, but a wash will darken it anyway. Try a bit of the brown and black camo on it though, as you are looking at a large area in mono tone. Sometimes darker colours around a lighter colour will change your perspective of the lighter colour.
Just a tip, paint usually dries a shade lighter than it appears when wet but some paints can be 2 or 3 shades lighter.
Looks like a fine build. Yes, the green seems to be too light for NATO Green. But I can’t really say that it’s wrong since the other colors are not yet on.
Peter- I see the pink look to. Thats just some pieces I overlooked and they are still primered. Guess the lighting gives them a pink look. I have the brown and black ready to go as soon as I get some time to do some more work on it. I guess I’m just a little worried about messing up a good kit with my first camo attempt.
Would the age of the paint have anything to do with the color change? It was some that I had around for a while that I am trying to cycle out before I buy new paint.
I think it would depend what sort of paint you are using and where it was stored. If Tamiya glass bottles were stored for a long time in direct sunlight, the pigment may be effected, but then again I am not an expert chemist.
I have tins of Humbrol that I have had for 20 years that are still perfect (I still have some of the old Authentic Colour range that you just can’t get these days). These tins are sealed and have little air in them and of course light can’t get in.
I don’t worry too much about getting and exact FS match, as weathering changes the shade anyway. If you were to paint a 1/144 th, 1/76th, 1/35th and 1/16th scale vehicle with the same lot of paint, the effect would appear different in each scale. As long as it looks right to the references, and you’re happy with it, only the nit pickers with their ever handy FS sample Colour swatches are gonna complain anyway.
Hi again Chris. As I have said earlier, we cannot be too sure at this time about the color because all the other colors are not yet on. Besides the shape and size of the object sometimes create some sort of illusion changing the way we see colors.
When I tried the NATO camo on my M1 last year, I first thought the green was too dark but when the black and brown were applied it looked OK (at least to me). And I didn’t apply any weathering at that time. Also, as the other guys mentioned colors tend to become a little darker after weathering unless of course you fade the color out with drybrushing.
I was also very cautious when I did my first camo job. We all have been in all our firsts.
Just one question. Is the side armor panel of the turret really movable? I got this Italeri Leopard 2 A5 but I don’t think it’s the same.
Keep up the good work. You have been coming out with those finely finished kits faster than I can ever imagine.
It looks like there should have been a Leopard build, I see three posts. Man you can crank out the kits. I’m stuck in neutral. I wish I new more about the color of modern armor, but I guess I’m stuck in the past. [:)]
“It is well that war is so terrible, lest we grow too fond of it.”-R.E.Lee
Other than being a bit thin in places, where it let the color of the primer show through, do not worry too much about the shade of green. As mentionned earlier, the washes will significantly darken it. Maybe next time, Chris, use a black primer… It will give you a pre-shading if your next coats are a bit thin (which then is not such a problem anymore)…
And other than the seam on the thicker part of the gun, your build is real good… Those guns can be a pain! Keep up the good work.
Thanks everyone, got some good tips that will come in handy.
Dwight- Yes the side armor swings out. That caught me off gaurd to since I did’nt paint the back of the panels.
Peter- I used just regular Testors enamel that I have had for a while. I don’t know how old it is but I can’t seem to find the same color again.
Djmodels- Yea I am really getting to hate the barrels and can understand why people get the metal ones. It does look alot better than it did before I fixed it though.
I have the same kit and it was also my first armor camo project, the parts fitted
nicely but had a bit of trouble with the baskets, so I decided to just remove the
baskets.
Its about a year now and I’m still on it, I’ll try to post as soon as I find a camera.
Well turns out it is darker now for sure. I could’nt find the same paint again to finish the base with so I had to go with another color anyway. It is darker now and looks better being completely covered helped how it looked alot. Hope to have it finished sometime soon.
