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PANZER ACES Nº 46 2014

2 ABRAMS TVSK II, scale 1/35

The version of the Abrams protected with special “shingles” does turn this well
known AFV into something special. José Luis López has succeeded in portraying it
with a top notch paint job using his tonal gradation technique.

M-49ª2C FUEL TANKER, scale 1/35

Sergio Fenoy succeeds in the challenge of portraying an extremely realistic 14
fuel tanker which becomes the perfect canvas for all the different finishes that
this kit offers.

24 BRADLEY W/BUSK III, scale 1/35

This scale kit which includes the necessary pieces for portraying both its internal and
external structure is a rather complex kit which requires many work hours and planning,
simply because the hatches, trap doors and ramps and other accesses can be opened and
closed. Add to that the outstanding painting abilities needed for accurately portraying the
interiors displayed brilliantly by its author.

T-72 B, scale 1/35

A Russian AFV with a single color scheme is the challenge that Fabrizio 44
Pincelli takes using a punctilious technique which defines the different
shapes and angles of the vehicle, choosing a pictorial treatment that is just
right for obtaining a showy and highly realistic vehicle.

55 T-55 C1, scale 1/35

Minesweeper vehicles have a characteristic weathering pattern in the frontal areas, and
the minesweeping device also has its own weathering issues as Jari Hemilla proves by
closely guiding us with his research pictures always with a greater realism in mind.

www.euromodelismo.com www.facebook.com/PanzerAces.Magazine?fref=ts
2-13_Abrams_ING_PzI.F 02/07/14 02:28 Página 2

ABRAMS
TUSK II
“ABSOLUTE POWER”

/2
2-13_Abrams_ING_PzI.F 02/07/14 02:29 Página 3

Built by: Cesar González Rubio

Painted by: José Luis López pictures of the author

Dragon 1/35

The first time I saw an Abrams Tusk II

(Tank urban Survival Kit), I felt
impressed. More than impressed, I felt
terrified and excited. In my opinion, it
is the most overwhelming modern tank
in the world, like a Manga comic book
futuristic tank; absolutely sleek but
with an aggressive look. I´ve always
loved the Abrams’ shape, but with this
conversion, I felt that I needed to
make one!

3/
2-13_Abrams_ING_PzI.F 04/07/14 15:06 Página 4
ABRAMS TUSK II
The Tusk program began in 2004 and
the main objective of this program is to
improve the survivability, lethal qualities
and awareness of the main battle tank
and their crews when operating in urban
areas in Iraq. In urban environments the
tank faces and increased 360 degree
threats from enemy fighters with hand
held anti- tank weapons as well as from
mines and Improvised Explosive Devices
(IED). Close range actions and enemies
placed on elevated positions from any
shooter have a point blank objective on
the commander and the gunner.
In our case, the Tusk II kit was appar-
ently only mounted on M1A2 SEPs
including thus far Armor Tiles II (ARAT
II), 360º Shield and rear camera as well
as all the modifications from Tusk I as
/4
well as a Loader´s Armor Gun Shield
(LAGS), Loader´s Thermal Weapon
Sight (LTWS), Tank Infantr y Phone
(TIP), a very important device to improve
the fluidness of the communications
with the soldiers outside of the vehicle
during combat, a Power Distribution Bob
(PDB), a Driver´s Vision Enhancer
(DVE), a Counter Sniper / Anti Material
Mount (CS/AAM) cal 50 over the main
gun, so common on Israeli tanks, used
for saving main gun ammo and firing on
soft skin vehicles or unarmored objec-
tives, Remote Thermal Sight (RTS),
Abrams Belly Armor against IED´s (fre-
quently used on ambushes on the roads)
and a Mine Resistant Driver Seat as most
of the war casualties on AFV’s from IED
attacks are the drivers . All this equip-
ment over the basis SEP Abrams gives us
one of the most advanced MBT in the
US Army Inventory.
These kits are designed to be installed
on the vehicles in small facilities close to
the battlefront, so, it´s not necessary to
carry the tanks home, this being a great
operational advantage. For example, a
Tusk I kit can be completely installed in
just 12 hours in one of these facilities.
And even they clean up your windshield!
But, the story continues, seems that
Tusk III is on its way!
THE KIT
Dragon´s reference M1A2 SEP (3536)
was used as the base kit for the Perfect
Scale Modellbau Conversion set. The
quality of the kit is outstanding, and has
a really nice, no-slip surface and crispy
details. The quality of the kit´s tracks is
really good, but due to the material
these are made of, it´s
impossible to simulate
the worn appearance so
typical in the rubber pads that can be
easily seen on the real pictures of the
tank. So, a workable track link set for
M1A1/A2 from Bronco Model is highly
recommended although a little bit of a
nightmare to build. The detail is excellent
anyway and spare tracks were used on
the turret as extra protection showing all
the extreme detailing in these.
Just some parts of Eduard´s M1A2 PE
set (35259) were used, mostly changing
the original PE parts of Dragon´s kit, not
too nice for Cesar´s taste. Amen!
Another nice addition was a Modern
US M256 120 mm M1 Abrams Gun Bar-
rel from Voyager Models (VBS0163), fit-
ting perfectly on Dragon´s kit and
2-13_Abrams_ING_PzI.F 18/07/14 08:31 Página 5

increasing the realism and detail of the

original aluminum barrel of the kit.
MATERIALS EMPLOYED
I used an SKP lens for the rear and
front lights (SKP 117) and the appear- - Dragon, 1/35 M1A2 SEP,
ance is impressive, as well as an M1A2 is a Trumpeter´s M4 S.I.R&CQBR set ref.: 3536
Abrams Anti Reflection Coating Lens (00510) and for the canvas, I used - Bronco, M1A1/A2 T-158LL'Big
from AFV (AFVAC35012) and its effects Tamiya´s epoxy putty. I just cannot Foot' Workable Track Link Set
can clearly be seen on the final pictures remember the origin of the plastic water ref.: AB3522
and it really makes a difference. I bottles, sorry! - Eduard, M1A2 ref.: 35259
think that it´s impossible to recreate So, this is by far, the most expensive - Voyager Models, US M256
that effect with paint. But this is a kit I´ve made yet! 120mm M1, ref.: VBS0163
Superb product! For the light on the anti- Murphy´s Law states that if you buy - SKP Model, Abrams, ref.: 117
sniper Mg front mount, I added a generic an expensive resin kit, it´ll soon be - AFV Club, M1A1 M1A2 Abrams
lens from AK Interactive which fitted in released in styrene! So, in this case, Anti Reflection Coating Lens
place perfectly. Tamiya will release an Abrams Tusk II for ref.:AFVAC35012
And finally, the star of the show is the Christmas 2012!.… But the question is - Perfect Scale Modellbau, M1A2
resin conversion set from Perfect Scale …. Will it Include a non-slipping surface? TUSK II, ref.: 35042
Modellbau. The conversion kit is free of
any malformation, bubbles, burrs or dam-
aged areas. We only had problems on the
belly armor, which was deformed and
needed a visit from Mr Heat. The kit
includes more than 100 resin parts, PE-
parts and one sheet of clear plastic. The
assembly manual is clear and easy to fol-
low and fits nicely on the Dragon
kit.Tankograd Publishing: “M1A1 / M1A2
SEP Abrams TUSK” is an essential resource
for this vehicle and includes splendid pic-
tures of several of these vehicles.
For the accessories, I employed several
references like Tamiya´s Modern US
accessories and Equipment Sets (35141
and 35266), Black Dog´s US Modern
Bags (35037), the excellent Blast Mod-
el´s MRAP Accessories (35180), the M4
5/
2-13_Abrams_ING_PzI.F 02/07/14 02:31 Página 6
PAINTING THE ABRAMS
THE IDEA
¿What makes the difference between
two exactly assembled and detailed kits
of the same vehicle? The answer is easy,
the paint work. But there´s a clear and
obvious evolution in the way we perceive
and value a paintjob, which is the real
skin of any tank.
In 2007, an earthquake rocked all
modelers around the world. Modulation
was born and modelers quickly took
positions both for and against this new
trend. Time corroborated the success of
this new way of painting and many varia-
tions of it have appeared during the last
few years, including zenithal effects and
other very fancy trends welcomed by
modelers. But they have all a common
issue: how to successfully create a color
gradation from the darker to the lighter
hue. Of course, the modeling industry is
always ready to help and many Modula-
STEP BY STEP
- Priming (1)
An absolutely fundamental step, be it
for the kit’s numerous elements that have
to be painted homogeneously or for hav-
ing a surface for the next paint coats to
hold on to. This kit is particularly com-
plex, with several materials (resin, plas-
tic, PE Parts, metal), so this step is par-
ticularly relevant. Believe me, seeing how
paint peels off is anything but nice (I still
remember an experience over some
schurtzens….)
After having airbrushed Gunze’s metal
primer on the aluminium gun and PE-
parts I also airbrushed a thin Tamiya
primer coat
An important reminder that I always
repeat again and again: Use a very thin
piece of sandpaper or an abrasive sponge
for doing the dishes (I’ve got a 3m ultra-
fine brand), polish the kit carefully, leav-
ing perfectly flat surfaces on those areas
of the tank were necessary leaving rough
spots on the areas that we want to (it is
however mandator y to remove non
adherent dry paint or “orange skin”).
This is not a joke and it is essential for
me, I keep on sanding, priming and
sanding again, until the surface is
absolutely flat and ready for paint.
/6
tion sets come to the modeler’s rescue
with excellent sets for Dark Yellow, Olive
Drab, Russian 4BO, Panzer grey …..
Unfortunately, not all the modelers
like me can afford to spend money buy-
ing all the specific modulation sets for
each vehicle they want to paint. And
some vehicles with uncommon colors are
overlooked by these companies. So, I
started to think about the problem. And
the idea came to me in a strange night,
with a Sapporo beer in my hand and hav-
ing dinner at aJapanese restaurant with
some friends.
As anyone can control without prob-
lems a scale of greys ranging from pure
white to pitch black, why don’t we use
this range as a base color? The real color
of the tank can be just a transparency
which allows seeing the light effects
underneath!
During the last year, I´ve been devel-
oping this idea with different colors like
sand and grey, over moderns vehicles (T-
1
-Marking the shapes (2)
From now on all colors employed will
be a combination of black and white.
And this simplifies things a lot; we just
need two paint cans and the combina-
tions we’ll obtain by mixing these.
There’s more advice here to use when
applying sand colour hues. Our airbrush
kit isn’t a brush which completely covers
the surface as we pass it along. With our
airbrush we apply thin coats using
thinned down paint. The airbrush isn’t
used because it paints fast and easily, but
because with it we can cover a large sur-
face with a minimum of paint.
55 Enigma) and old (Pz II and Tiger I),
including over the B&W base even creat-
ing a complete pre weathering before
even applying the base color. This pre
weathering allowed us to see the final
results of the weathering, letting us dare
and test aggressive or subtle weathering
jobs. We were able to see the results
even before applying the base color. We
worked twice as much, but in a more
relaxed way.
This time, I will paint this Abrams just
using the B&W base without any kind of
pre weathering to make the technique
less complex but a little bit more stress-
ing as all the weathering should be done
in the same traditional way after applying
the general base color. Pre-weathering
with the B&W base allowed us to paint
in two steps the same effects, now,
we´re on our own! No second chances!
A good airbrush is important. And
this time, I had a really excellent
“weapon” in my hands; a Badger´s
Krome airbrush. This tool was a present
from Iain Hamilton, who surprised me
with it as a present when I asked in Face-
book for a good replacement for my old
AB 300 airbrush. It was one of the nicest
human experiences in years of modelling.
Thanks Iain! It really works!!!
Using an almost black grey hue, I’ll
enhance all the features of the vehicle
and its nooks and crevices. If we have to
do this with a thin line, we will hold our
airbrush kit closer to the surface and we
2-13_Abrams_ING_PzI.F 02/07/14 02:31 Página 7

2 will obtain firm and thin lines. We will

have to control our airbrush kit’s pres-
sure and how much we’ve thinned down
paint, and not let our airbrush dictate
our manner of painting. The airbrush
smells your fear! Do not let it to domain
you!
With this step described above we’ll
get a map of the vehicle’s volumes and
shapes.
- Highlighting thr volumes of your
kit (3)
Once we’re set on the “volume
enhancing” done earlier, we can easily
see which areas of the vehicle are
exposed to intense lighting and those
3 which are not. It is very simple to spot
the color gradations when using grey
tones.
Therefore, using toned down white
paint and later on pure white; we will
enhance the maximum volumes (high-
lighted areas that follow the zenithal
light source technique) or simply those
areas that we want to enhance (modula-
tion).
In this step, we will progressively
acknowledge the lighting opportunities
of our vehicle. If in doubt, place your kit
under a lamp and let the lights and shad-
ows obtained guide you.
If you don’t clearly know how to cre-
4 ate your gray paint ranges, do the follow-
ing: Keep 5 containers. 2 of these will
have on the one hand pure black and on
the other pure white. The remaining 3
will contain increasing amounts of black
(25, 50 and 75% for example).
- Maximum shadimg (4)
When using pure black paint we will
get the maximum contrast, and therefore
get the full range of highlighting on our
vehicle. When painting figures these
concepts are routinely handled, creating
areas of maximum shading and maxi-
mum highlights with a logical full grada-
tion in between.
5 This is the last step of the B&W tech-
nique using black and white. A good
result is achieved once your kit appears -
with the base colour applied- to look like
a Black and white picture when you’re
done with this step!
- Transparencies or base color (5)
It’s time to apply our base color.
In order to do this I made a mixture
containing Tamiya’s XF-57 Buff, XF-59
Desert Yellow and a little bit of White
(XF-2). To get the correct color, AK´s
7/
2-13_Abrams_ING_PzI.F 02/07/14 02:31 Página 8
OIF weathering set was of great help and
allowed me to emulate a nice color shade
with this reference. However, I always
prefer to apply a lighter base color than
the originally intended hue. My painting
style always darkens my kits a lot!
This mixture, it is needless to say
extremely diluted, containing 80%
Tamiya’s Lacquer Thinner. And it has
been applied in a very particular way.
When creating our base paint mixture, as
a rule we open the paint gauge in our air-
brush kit to the maximum, and from an
intermediate distance we spray the vehi-
cle everywhere and from every angle.
Now we will proceed slowly and work on
one area at a time. Panel by panel. Creat-
/8
ing a range of different transparencies
that will vary from area to area (high-
lighting) or creating the effects that we
want to reproduce, correct, eliminate or
enhance.
The key is to use highly diluted paint,
work on one panel at a time, working on
it while being guided by the effects it has
and the light it gets. If done right, slowly
and following these simple rules, results
will be like those seen in the reference
picture. If the transparencies are done
right we should be able to see the degree
of highlight intensity, dirt, and the mod-
ulation obtained by following the
zenithal light technique. In other words
we should be able to see everything. We
6
7
see everything as we want it and already
correcting any of the possible mistakes.
Now, an important tip for me and a
question for you, my dear modeller.
Please, stop thinking about the answer
before you continue reading.
What is easier, to lighten or darken a
kit?
Always darken!!!!!. So, make your
base colour as aggressive as you want.
With filters, oils, striking products,
there´s always time to easily reduce con-
trast to your taste. But try to do the
opposite…. A dark kit is always very diffi-
cult, if not impossible, to get back its
brightness. Please, ALWAYS remember
this!!
- Acrylic highlight (6)
For small details, a brush is our best
ally. Using as a reference the AK´s OIF
paint, I highlight this color with buff and
white in order to highlight the details,
angles, rivets hatches, and so on.
Yes, I know, the kit looks like a toy …
have patience and faith (VERY important
for a modeller). Soon, we´ll start to play
with heavy weathering
One of the reasons why I did not use
pre weathering in this step is due to the
lack of chipping in real vehicles. So, I
just added some chips and scratches
here and there using the traditional two
tone chips (a lighter color for the superfi-
cial chipping and a mix of black and red
for the deeper ones).
– General wash (7)
In the first place we apply two or
three generous coats of Tamiya Clear. By
doing this we will succeed in doing two
things, in the first place, we will give the
tank a satin finish, which is realistic
indeed. This satin base will turn matt on
the areas that get the toughest weather-
ing treatments with oil paint or acrylics.
This is precisely the most alluring feature
of a tank (at least that’s the way I see it);
having both satin and matt areas on a
single vehicle. Tamiya’s Clear always
blends in a homogeneous way the paint
nuances underneath.
I used AK´s wash for OIF vehicles
and I must say that it´s fantastic. It runs
smoothly and the color looks perfect for
me. I just thinned it a little bit with
AK´s thinner as I prefer a more diluted
wash, which is just my taste.
2-13_Abrams_ING_PzI.F 02/07/14 02:31 Página 9

– Painting details (8)

8
This is what can be called a psycho-
logically important step, because we
begin to see life and colour on the differ-
ent parts of the tank.
All the reference pictures of the
Abrams Tusk II show vehicles with dif-
ferent colored parts: mudguards, guns,
wheels, extra armor …. So I decided to
paint some of this area in Olive Drab
mixed with buff as we can see in the pic-
tures. This makes the kit more attractive,
but it´s not a modulation style, we´re
just copying the real life tanks!
The rubber part of the wheels is
painted with dark grey paint, and plain
black paint is used to decorate the front
headlight. Different greys are used to
paint the machine guns, in this vehicle a
9 relevant and visually attractive part as we
have as much as 3 just on top of the tur-
ret! I love contrast between satin black,
glossy black, silver, metallic grey … so I
paint these elements by mixing this color
in the different parts of these weapons.
A little bit of graphite gives the final
metallic touch. You can use for this
either specific color pigments or just a
HB pencil. Up to you! Both results look
great!

- Oils (9)
Modulation, zenithal light effects,
new techniques … but oils are still nec-
essary to use and are essential as were
for all painters throughout the centuries.
I use oils in this kit in the traditional
way. I dampen a surface with white Spir-
it, I add dots with several oil colours and
after waiting a few minutes, I take a
brush, and blend all the colours in order
to increase the color variation on the sur-
face, obtaining also a faded look.
But, the difference is that we carefully
choose the color we use depending on
which surface we are working with. I
wanted some of the surfaces with dirt,
and some with a dusty appearance, so I
used mostly brown, white and yellow
(Naples Yellow is a must have color) oil
paint. If I need a more rusty surface, I
use red, orange, black and brown oils.
Variations can also be infinite depending
on the location of the given surface, but
you should always darken a little bit the
kit even if you also create subtle color
variations which should depend on the
location of the surface itself. Also
remember that you must always follow a
9/
2-13_Abrams_ING_PzI.F 02/07/14 02:32 Página 10

logical criteria. Plates close to the engine

grills have a grater rusty appearance,
while upper plates have a dustier, dirty
look. For more visible and stronger
effects, you can also apply oil paint
directly with a brush over the surface and
smash it gently with an old brush until
oil paint completely blends; do not forget
to add some nice textures to the working
surface (a tip courtesy of Filipe Ferreira,
do not miss his works!)

- Vertical Weathering (10 and 11) 10

For vertical weathering (in vertical or
inclined plates), strokes, dirt lines and so
on, I always use highly diluted acrylic
paint ranging from buff to dark mud col-
or or even close to sheer black.
With a fine thin brush, I start painting
the lines little by little, with nearly no
water or paint on the brush. It’s very
important to work this way with acrylic
paints in order to achieve a subtle result.
A rude line is always unpleasant to see!.
Intensity is obtained with several brush-
strokes, not just one.
For rusted parts, do the same but
using different shades of rust colors,
ranging from dark to light rust.

GENERAL TIPS FOR FINISHING

THE PAINTWORK
Now, some general painting tips used
on this kit:
Mud
For this texture, I used Tamiya´s tex-
tured paint mixed with sand (different
grain diameters, and vegetal debris if nec-
11
essary). I apply paint with a rough brush
and let it dry for a day. Once applied, I
airbrush 80% XF-72 JGSDF Brown + 20%
XF-57 Buff covering all the lower parts of
the kit, including the muddy areas.
Once dry, I added some pin washes
using Raw Umber oil mixed with black in
different shades to increase the depth
effects. Finally, using AK´s dust and
damp earth, I splashed -with the help of

/ 10
2-13_Abrams_ING_PzI.F 02/07/14 02:32 Página 11

an old brush- these products on the lat-
eral plates of the tank, wheels and extra
armor. The effect is superb and very
attractive when an evident color contrast
is seen between the splashes and the
mud base colour.
Tracks
These were painted with the same col-
or as the mud described above. Rubber
pad color was painted in a dark grey hue
(close to black) using the old “dr y
brush” technique. It still works!
A wash using a mix of Raw Umber
and Naples Yellow oils was applied on
the tracks so all the worn appearance of
the rubber pads comes to light. This
effect is very distinctive on all the pic-
tures I’ve seen of Abrams Tanks.
Later, I added some of Mig´s Produc-
tions Gulf War and Russian Earth pig-
ments randomly on the tracks, fixed with
White Spirit. Yes, I said randomly. This is
the only way to use pigments, because
too much pigment will kill the effects
underneath and you will end up with a
really dull finish; blend these with alco-
hol, and use pigments sparingly.
The final touch was a subtle wash
using AK´s Track wash for the deeper
effects. I love the slightly satin finish of
this product.
Grease
There are great products available, but
for me, Bitumen or Asphalt oil paints are
the best, mixing these with a little bit of
glossy varnish. Applied in several highly
diluted layers, the effect is unbeatable
–that’s the way I see it at least-. Perhaps
the first application with a brush will be
almost invisible. Do not worry. Let it dry.
Then, apply another one and another
one…. And finally you´ll end up with
the best effect superposed on top of the
irregularly shaped dirt. Remember always
to respect the drying up periods.
Varnish
Strange name, isn´t it?. This is an
important step. Some parts of a real tank
are matt, other are satin …. So, the same
in our tanks. In this vehicle, I´ve tried to
differentiate no-slip surfaces from
smooth plate surfaces, not only in color,
but also in brightness. So, I reinforced
the matt appearance of the no slip sur-
faces with Marabu´s acrylic varnish.
Slanted surfaces do not retain too much
dust, so a satin finish is likely. Moreover,
this contrast is really attractive when you
see the kits live!

CONCLUSIONS
We only learn from kits when we completely finish them, when we have problems
and we improvise and test solutions in order to get the desired finish. Each mistake
becomes knowledge, each finished kit, is a collection of useful experiences. One mis-
step should never be discouraging to us.
Using new techniques, new materials is absolutely necessary to increase not only
our skills, but also to expand our horizons. Many modelers are proud to use the same
techniques and materials for years and even deride those who experiment with new
trends. But modeling is like a good story, if you don´t move on from your favorite
chapter, you´ll never know where the end of the history will take you.
So, never be afraid of testing your skills! Whoever dares, wins!

11 /
2-13_Abrams_ING_PzI.F 02/07/14 02:32 Página 12

/ 12
2-13_Abrams_ING_PzI.F 02/07/14 02:33 Página 13
14-23_Camion FuelTank_ING_PzI.F 04/07/14 15:24 Página 14

TANKER
FUEL
M-49 a2c

/ 14
14-23_Camion FuelTank_ING_PzI.F 18/07/14 08:34 Página 15

By: Sergio Fenoy Cruz

pictures of the author

AFV 1/35

The M-49 is one of the

variants of the M-35
series of trucks that
were introduced in the
U.S. Army during the
50’s to replace the
GMC and CCKW series
having totally replaced
these by the 1960’s.
Some of these trucks
were in service up until
the 1990’s. Amongst
the numerous
countries which made
use of it we can find
Mexico, Israel,
Colombia, Canada and
Turkey.
It had a 1,200 gallon
deposit divided in two.
It was mounted on the
M-45 frame with
double back wheels.
Fuel could be extracted
by using a pump on the
rear compartment
which borrowed its
power from the
transfer case.

15 /
14-23_Camion FuelTank_ING_PzI.F 04/07/14 15:24 Página 16
THE KIT
This is one of those kits that can be
employed to recreate all sorts of effects:
mud, grease, chippings, dirt, rust, etc. I
knew from the start that I wasn’t going
to let this chance pass to put all those
techniques at work, so I got my hands
on the job.
The kit is the well known AFV referen-
ce. The assembly doesn’t have much to
say for itself but it does need a couple of
improvements. The hull can be built in
any of the two versions; one with a
winch just behind the front bumper, or
the one without it which is the one I
have chosen.
Mud on the lower
areas is recreated
with putty and
plaster.
/ 16
The two most notorious improve-
ments made are the canvas roof on the
cockpit and the supports for the rear
view mirrors.
The plastic roof which comes with the
kit has been replaced by a scratch built
one made out of Tamiya putty (the two
component type). In order to do this, first
I had to rebuild the internal structure whe-
re the canvas sits and it’s held in place.
The mirror supports have also been
completely rebuilt out of round shaped
0.64mm Evergreen strips.
Before I began painting I applied with
an old paintbrush a mixture of Putty and
plaster on the lower areas in order to The structure is what shapes and
convey dry mud. sustains the putty roof.
Now it’s ready to paint.
The interior surfaces are detailed and painted prior
moving on to the outside surfaces.
14-23_Camion FuelTank_ING_PzI.F 04/07/14 15:24 Página 17

PAINTING
The first thing I painted was the lower
areas. In order to do this I employed Hum-
brol’s acrylic 5029. This color will be the
base for the ensuing weathering treat-
ments and dampness on the lower areas.
Before I moved on to the remaining
exterior surfaces I fully assembled and
painted the seats, handles, steering wheel,
dials, etc.
The MERDC camouflage system was
the U.S. standard from the late 70’s all the
The lower areas
way to the 1990’s. There were up to eight
are painted and
different color combinations which varied ready for further
depending on the season or the theater of effects.
operations.
The first color applied on the outside is
a mixture of XF-61 (60%) and XF-11(40%)
and I covered the whole truck with it.
Highlights are taken care of by lightening
up the base color with XF-14. Two high-
lights are applied insisting particularly on
the horizontal areas and other flat surfa-
ces. Highlights applied in this fashion cre-
ate volume and weathering in the paint-
job. (All color references above are
Tamiya).
The second color is a mixture of H-72
(60%) and H-52 (40%). Highlights are cre-
ated by adding to the base color some H-
85, following the same criteria employed
with the previous application of green. (All
color references cited above are Hobby
Color).
But before we move on to the brown
areas we have to put some masking.
For the sand colored and black spots,
after doing a few tests, I decided that the
easiest and fastest way for doing them
was by hand. The entire vehicle is covered with green paint.
The sand colored hue contains Hobby
Color’s H-85 (70%) and H-11 (30%). The
ones in black are made with Tamiya’s XF-1
(70%) and XF-57 (30%).

The contour of the spots is drawn on the adhesive paper.

17 /
14-23_Camion FuelTank_ING_PzI.F 04/07/14 15:24 Página 18

The second technique is used for

applying the common paint scratches
which are located in the doors around
the handles and so forth. These are done
by lighting up the base color about 70%
and it needs to be applied highly diluted
and with a very thin paintbrush.
Once we’re finished with both, the
outcome may look a little overdone, but
the treatments that will be applied later
on will integrate your work.
After a safe drying time has lapsed,
the first thing I do is to apply a filter
covering the entire vehicle to unify all
colors. This filter was applied with Titan
The surgical oil paint ref. 78. Once this filter is dry -
paper tape is and always working on one small area at
perfect for large
a time- I soak the working area with
camouflage
spots.
Humbrol enamel thinner and then imme-
diately apply the different oil paint colors
in small dots throughout the working

Sand colored and black spots are

made with a round tipped brush.

Hobby Color paint is employed for

the sand colored spots.

Brown paint covers 45% of the

vehicle.

WEATHERING AND
AGEING
The weathering and ageing process
on the truck’s paintjob has been tackled
with two fully different techniques.
The first technique is used to recreate
the paint chips produced by hits particu-
larly those located in the areas where the
personnel works. I used a sponge for this
and chocolate brown paint from the
Model Color catalogue. It is important
not to soak the sponge too much.
/ 18
14-23_Camion FuelTank_ING_PzI.F 04/07/14 15:24 Página 19

Finished painting process without any weathering.

PAINT CHIPS AND SCRATCHES

Paint chips are made with Model Color’s chocolate brown Paint chips and scratches help out a lot with the realistic
acrylic. Try not to soak the sponge too much. results on any given weathered paintjob.

A wash around
the details is
made to create
and enhance
volumes.

Oil paints procure a greater chromatic richness to the

paintjob.

Decals are set in place after applying the oil paint

treatments.

19 /
14-23_Camion FuelTank_ING_PzI.F 04/07/14 15:24 Página 20

The AK effects accentuate dirt on the

paintjob.

We can add a little rust colored

pigment in order to enhance the rust
streaks.

Effect of poured out fuel reinforcing

the appearance of dirt.

Depending on the area we can apply pigments

with a brush or an airbrush.

On some areas we can find damp spots which

create a contrast with the dirt effects.

/ 20
14-23_Camion FuelTank_ING_PzI.F 04/07/14 15:24 Página 21

PAINTING THE WHEELS

We only paint the tire; The wheel is covered with dry Damp mud is recreated with a “Earth Effects” is
the other effects which dirt created with a mixture of mixture of acrylic paste, used to apply the
will come later will cover acrylic paint and pigment. plaster and pigment. final nuances to the
up the rest of the wheel. wheels.

surface. Without letting these dry up

properly I partially remove paint with a
flat tipped paintbrush in vertical brush
strokes. This is a capital technique to
follow if you are looking for the perfect
finish for your vehicle.
The next step is to apply a Dark
Brown AK wash that will enhance all
details and create a greater feeling of
volume.
DECALS
Decal placement is rather easy in this
kit, because there are not too many, and
all are placed in pretty accessible areas. I
proceed as usual: I apply first a couple of
Marabu gloss varnish coats, I let it dry for
at least four hours, put the decals in pla-
ce using the Micro Set and Micro Sol pro-
ducts and then proceed to varnish the
entire vehicle with Model Air’s mat var-
nish. This varnish not only helps to
DIRT
blend in the decals, it also protects all
previous paint treatments.
In order to increase the worn looks of
this vehicle, accumulated dirt truly needs
to be recreated here. There are a number
of products available which make this job
a whole lot easier.
The first statement of this accumula-
ted dirt process has been taken care of
with AK’s “Streaking Grime” product.

THE CANVAS
Foto 37. The canvas roof is made out of putty (the two
component Tamiya one).
Foto 38. The roof is painted with Model Color’s Khaki.
Foto 39 y 40. Oil paint is not only used on the frame.
These are partially removed with a flat tipped brush a
few minutes later.
Foto 41. Accumulated dirt on the roof is recreated with
airbrushed paint.

21 /
14-23_Camion FuelTank_ING_PzI.F 04/07/14 15:25 Página 22
Mud needs to be enhanced particularly on the fenders; and a good way to make splashes is to use the airbrush kit.
Vertical brushstrokes applied in an up
and down motion are partially removed
shortly after being applied with a flat tip-
ped brush before paint dries up tho-
roughly.
Rust covered paint chips are covered
with small vertical brushstrokes of AK’s
“Rust Streaks” product. This effect can
be enhanced further by adding MIG’s
“Old Rust” pigment.
The next step for this process would
be to apply pigments in different areas to
recreate dirt clusters.
/ 22
This is where I draw the line making a
difference between two different applica-
tion areas and the ways to apply the dirt
clusters on each. The upper areas and
those areas were all kinds of personnel
usually tread or handle, pigments can be
applied with an old brush and can be
fixed in place directly with pigment fixer.
On the lateral and lower areas of the
vehicle, pigments are applied with an air-
brush. After carrying out several tests I
found out the way to recreate dirt in the-
se areas in a simple and realistic way.
First we thin down Tamiya paint (XF-
57) on 80% thinner and we add a little of
AK’s “European Earth” pigment. Using
your airbrush kit and a low air pressure
you can apply this without having to use
any pigment fixer whatsoever afterwards.
The difference in the texture of the pig-
ment particles and the acrylic paint can
easily be told apart when dry. What you
get is a perfectly realistic sand hue that
can only be achieved by mixing both
paint and pigments.
14-23_Camion FuelTank_ING_PzI.F 04/07/14 15:26 Página 23

COLOR CHART
Lower Areas: Dark Brown: AK Efects.
Ref. 5029 Acrlico de Humbrol Base: H-72/ H-52 Hobby AK 17. Earth effects
Green: Colors. AK 23. Dark Mud
Base: Luces: Base/ H-85 Hobby AK 74. Rainmarks
LOWER AREAS XF-61/ XF-11 Tamiya Colors. AK-13 Rust Streaks
Luces: Light Brown: AK 25. Fuel Stains
One of the very first steps taken when Base/ XF-14 Tamiya H-85/ H-11 Hobby Colors. AK 14. Wintwe Streaking
we began painting the kit was to paint Black: AK 42. European Earth
the lower areas with Dark Earth and one XF-1/ XF-57 Tamiya. Ak 86. Dark Steel
of the last steps will be to finish this
work using some AK products. With of the fenders. The most realistic way of I finished the kit by putting the whe-
AK’s “Earth Effects” ref. AK-17 we create doing this is by loading an old brush els in place and a few other details such
the dampened areas in specific places on with it and blowing it on the kit with an as the fire extinguishers or the funnel;
the lower areas. Then, using “Fresh airbrush. It is always advisable to practice these items put a touch of added interest
Mud” (ref. AK-16) we do some fresh this technique on a piece of paper in to the truck.
mud splashes insisting on the inner side order to learn how to control it.
23 /
54_T55-C1_PzI.F 04/07/14 14:56 Página 63

63 /
interior-contra_STAFF_ING_ESP STAFF 02/07/14 01:05 Página 64

Publishing Manager
Rodrigo Hernández Cabos
Editor in Chief
Rodrigo Hernández Cabos
Have collaborated in this
issue
Javier Redondo

Armour Modelling Magazine

Radek Pituch,
Diego Quijano
Fabrizio Pincelli
Cristobal Vergara
Photographers

editorial
Rodrigo Hernández Cabos
Fernando Cañellas Planchuelo
Illustrations
The world is ridden with small and large conflicts which are broadcasted on a daily Rodrigo Hernández Cabos
basis; we can always watch a number of war films as well, -more or less realistic in Lay Out
scope- where we can see modern war machines with aesthetics which are not to the KOMMAD S.L.
taste of many modelers. Contemporary tanks or AFV’s say in the year 2050 –supposing Printed by
that model kits are still fashionable- maybe will have the same allure that WWII Imprimia Artes gráficas
machines have now, I am however sure that I won’t be around to find out. I have to Scanning & filmsetting
reckon that I’m not particularly fond of modern AFV’s, to me they seem to be much ACCIÓN PRESS, S.A.
J. David Hernández Chacón
too streamlined and many look like downright shoe boxes, although I know that some
modern tanks –the Israeli and Soviet ones come to mind- aren’t so much like that to Computer Graphics
J. David Hernández Chacón
me.
At any rate we can see how modelers do know how to make the best out of these Editorial and Technical
Staff, Administration and
“awful” machines by using their imaginations and talents in order to make highly
Advertising
interesting pieces with different aesthetic values just like Jose Luis López proves with ACCIÓN PRESS, S.A.
his highly updated Abrams displaying his painting skills and “gray scale” technique, c/Ezequiel Solana, 16
accurately portraying all the poise of modern AFV’s. 28017 Madrid
Sergio Fenoy deals with his 80’s MERDC fuel tanker with a finesse and attention to Tel.: 913 675 708
realistic detail in an admirable way. In his work we can see a range of matt, satin and 914 086 135
glossy finishes –always keeping within reasonable boundaries- which give us an Fax: 914 085 841
uncanny feeling of total realism. accionpress@euromodelismo.com
We could not do without a white AFV, but not because it has a winter camouflage, In Spain
but because this T-55 C1 mine sweeper belongs to the UN peacekeeping forces. Jari Marisó Chacón
Tel.: +34 913 675 708
Hemilla with contemporary pictures of this vehicle develops a procedure to portray this
AFV as accurately as possible. Published by
ACCIÓN PRESS, S.A.
Fabrizio Pincelli is one of those authors that do not cease to surprise with his
plethora of painting techniques always searching for the best options for each and ISSN: 1886-4457
every vehicle. It is well worth finding out how he deals with the T-72B which is the The reproduction of the
object of his review. images and texts is prohibited,
The Bradley W/Busk III with its complex lateral protection system is a pretty recent using any current or future
kit. The hard part is to give some life to that huge concrete block like structures. The technical medium without
written consent of the author.
subtlety and tonal variation that Javier López de Anca gives to these parts without
ACCION PRESS, S.A. does not
getting exaggerated results is quite a feat of pictorial prowess. The rest of the vehicle, necessarily support its
beginning with the interior areas with the right amount of weathered surfaces by their collaborators’ opinions.
use is a case in point. The diversity of hues in all the different features of the kit is
done with the correct regard for a vehicle with a short operational life. This is quite a
complex kit in terms of the vast amount of pieces it requires for the correct portrayal of
the interiors, –which have received special attention here- as well as the complex
wiring system for these vehicles, that along with the external surfaces which are ridden
with optical collimators, controls and weaponry. This is without question a highly
complex kit.
In spite of my gut reaction against modern AFV’s I have to say that the work done
by all the modelers in this issue deserve my greatest admiration.

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Pub_ModelLaboratory5_ESP_P-51 Allison 17/12/13 17:53 Página 63

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Publicidad_CR_ING_Indice 169 17/06/13 20:41 Página 2

Tanks in Russia

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Tanks in Russia I
•Tanks of the Eastern Front,
1941-1942: Painting and
camouflage
•Pz.Kpfw. I Ausf. B:10. Pz.Div.
•Pz.Kpfw. II Ausf. F:7. Pz.Div.
•Pz.Kpfw. III Ausf. H:3.
Pz.Div.
•Tracks &
accessories:Painting and
varnishing
•Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. E:6.
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•Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. F-1:5.
Pz.Div., Pz. Rgt. 31
•Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. F-2:14.
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•Identification symbols:The
emblems used by German
crews in the Eastern Front,
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Tanks in Russia II Tanks in Russia III Tanks in Russia IV
•A further analyse on •Emblems of Armored •Pz.Kpfw. V Panther Ausf. A,
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superdetailing of Russian •German Camouflage Colors, Ausf. A
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specially the following •Russian Camouflage Colors, Pz.Rgt., SS-Pz.Gren.Div. “Das
models: 1943 Reich”
•Pz.Kpfw.38 (t), •Pz.Kpfw. III Ausf. M - •Perfiles: Pz.Kpfw. Vi tiger
•T-26 Pz.Rgt.3., 2. Pz.Div. Ausf. E
•T-60 •Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. G - 20. Pz. •Pz.Kpfw. Vi tiger Ausf. E ,
•T-34/78 mod.1940 Div. Sch. Pz.Abt. 509
•T-34 mod.1941 •Pz.Kpfw. V Ausf. D - 51. •Pz.Kpfw. VI tiger Ausf. E ,
•T-34/76 mod.1941/42 Pz.Abt., III Pz.Rgt.53 Sch. Pz.Abt. 509 versión
“Ekranami” •T-34/76 Mod. 1943. 30th invierno
•BT-5 Guard Armored •IS-1 (KV-85), Unidad de
•BT-7M, , entrenamiento cerca de la
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•KV-I mod.1941 •IS-1, 13 regimiento de
•KV-IE. choque de carros pesados
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