I just finished my second armor build, a M2A2 Bradley Fighting Vehicle from Tamiya. This is the standard release, not the updated OIF boxing. I used the same weathering techniques as my M60A1 (ground pastel chalk into a powder, and mixed it with water to make a wash. Applied the wash and let dry. Then wipe with damp paper towel.) I also used Tamiya’s Weather Master Set C to provide some smoke stains from the exhaust port on the left side. I saw a few pics of Bradley’s with these stains and liked the way it looked so tried it myself.
Nice work Paul! Impressive for a second build - much better than my second . Looks like you had a good time getting into that weathering.
I’ve got the older Tamiya M2 kit on my workbench right now (A0 or A1 version), the one with the interior. Question: did you scratchbuild the black rubber cover for the swim barrier on the front or is that the kit part? If it’s from the kit it sure is an improvement over the version I am making.
Paul I definitely second Georges comments, great job on the M2A2, even if its your 22nd armor build[tup]. I like the weathering on the road wheels and tracks, and the exhaust adds a nice touch.
I have the same model w/Verlinden ERA added sitting on the bench waiting for a repaint after a disastrous weathering mishap.
Thanks guys! Your comments are very encouraging. I have seriously caught the armor bug now!
George, to answer your question…the piece in question is out of the box (kit number 35-152) It looks different on the version with interior?
Gary…that is the best part about weathering with pastel washes…if you foul something up, just give it a bath in lukewarm water and it washes right away and you can give it another go without a new paint job.
Very nice work…ahhh you are beginning to realize the power of the dark side!!
It is hard to tell by the photos but it looks like you used orange and red for the turn and stop lights. Like I said, cannot tell but clear red and clear orange give a more realistic finish. The scopes look good. A bit heavy on the weathering for the sand use…maybe. Rob G may have a better feel, the Bradley is his baby!!
The swim barrier cover you painted black is normally painted the same color as the vehicle. The paint sticks pretty well over the years, probably due to the fact that the swim barrier was a novel idea that was not practical and thus, not used.
On this photo, you can see the camouflage paint scheme over the rubber cover. Only a few specks of unpainted black show through.
Note that in Rob’s pics above, the first pic shows the trim vane fittted to the M2(A0) and M2A1 varuants, which is not present on the M2A2 and later models. Tamiya’s M2(A0) kit only depicts the front part of the swim barrier, as the two side portions are covered by the trim vane and are not visible.
On later build M2A2’s the swim barrier was deleted. Some rebuilds retain the mounting points for the swim barrier, while new build vehicles have these deleted entirely.
As a legacy of being retooled from the original M2(A0) kit, Tamiya’s M2A2 kits retain the representation of the swim barrier moulded into the perimeter of the upper hull. Being essentially derived from the same kit, Academy’s M2A2 kit also retains this “feature”.
