Matthew Long
@dr-robonator
Historian: armored warfare, Fin de siécle technology and culture. Mostly talk about tanks in pop. culture and scale models. Trans rights are human rights. Don’t ban books.
Doing some inside work due to temps in the garage being incompatible with life. First pic: hairspray chipping dust layer with Tamiya acrylics. 2nd pic: refined with oils. Amazed I was able to color match the dust layer (Neutral Gray and Buff) with oils (Lamp Black and Ground White). #histscalemodels
Figure #1, the driver of the UAZ is done, #histscalemodels. I'm about to snip his support and get him installed.
Home stretch on the UAZ-469, #histscalemodels! Some very minor parts I've been saving for absolute last, a few little details to paint in/clean up, and then I can get the figure installed and seal it up for good.
Okay, #histscalemodel friends. Need some opinions. The decals would not cooperate with the gloss layer, so I sprayed a satin varnish which seems to have engendered the decals to sit flat. HOWEVER, I was really hyped on an automotive gloss look for the UAZ. Can I give it one more gloss coat or no?
Some nice pops of color on. Gotta let these settle with the help of some Markfit Strong, as the Star Decals are a bit on the thick side.
Base coat and first coat of gloss down on the UAZ. I will pinwash this layer, then gloss again and decals, since they are supposed to be flat while the original paint will be shiny. Ad-hoc spray paint camo will go over all that. Canvas roof is removable so I can place the figure. #histscalemodels
Back on my malarkey, #histscalemodels! I have the interior of the UAZ-469 painted up and now it's time to add all those little external details. The canvas roof looks like it will need some encouragement to fit right, but I think I can convince it 💪
Kako se kazes: "I'm done with this joker?" Last Croatian T-55 update for tonight, #histscalemodels. Construction is done and it awaits prime time! Gonna take a breather for a couple days and I'll see y'all in a few!
I'll be in the cold cold ground before I use some dopey plastic parts when I can zhuzh it up with some shiny metal, #histscalemodels.
I took a scan of an icicle and 3D printed it in transparent resin. They came out incredible!
Here's what I mean. The molded coaxial gun was way too long, so I had to go in and reproduce it with brass pipe.
Slooooow progress on the T-55, #histscalemodels. I'm constantly consulting my reference photos and then trying to correct things on the Takom kit. Luckily, I have a Miniart T-55A that volunteered to donate parts.
The rest of the story is just as wild, it was lost in a field for 30-odd years until found, painted up, and sat outside at Fort Knox's Patton Museum. Here's some pics of it in 2004, when I graduated basic training.
A little sneaky snack for my #histscalemodels friends. I want to save the reveal of the whole diorama for when it's 100%, but have these detail shots! Onto the T-55!
The last step before I let it snow was adding the wood veneer to the base. With this done I can start dumping some sick pow-pow on tha mountain, bruh! 🤙 #histscalemodels
Note the grass was not painted in that photo. Here it is with various yellows and greens. I was a bit loose with the airbrush when painting the muddy ground because of an effect I want to achieve when I lay down the snow.
Apologize for the bit of radio silence, #histscalemodels, but I was busy planning and executing a baby shower for my lovely wife. Today I got some grass on the diorama base, which despite looking great will be covered in snow! 😅
Okay, folks! 1,041 photos for your perusing pleasure. @scottroby72.bsky.social, I got a bunch of both the M7 Priest and a couple M8 Greyhounds for you. If anyone needs clarification on any detail pics, reply with the pic and I'll give the context! #histscalemodels drive.google.com/drive/folder...
As is tradition, I met up with my old friend the MBT-70 doggedly standing guard in the parking lot. Took about 47... million photos. I'll put em in a Google drive for everyone when I get home. #histscalemodels
The Haus and greater diorama as they currently sit. All that's left to do with the haus is painting the last bit of wood and some enamels to blend it into the base. The plan is to fully paint the base, then finish the UAZ, then finally tackle the T-55. Easy, right #histscalemodels?
Added some curtains billowing out of the blown out windows to help with how empty the sheer black looked. Would love to get the roof painted and wood trim detailed today, but we shall see!
Progress! I shifted the color tones of the bricks a bit more to the terracotta side, added some orange and red modulations back into certain bricks, and did some work with AK Streaking Grime. Oh, and a bit of detail painting. #histscalemodels
That's mid to upper 80s Fahrenheit in Eagle Units, which is pretty warm! It's actually hotter in my garage than outside right now, so I'm pretty damp in the pits if you know what I mean! 🫠
I am painting the bricks with the wet blending technique using three shades of orange and red, however I'm putting a twist on it by using sponges. This finished section was then hit with Africa Dust enamels in the mortar grouting. Feeling pretty stoked!
I've been busy studying ref. pics and making notes, so I wanted to actually accomplish something. The basic groundwork is down on the diorama, and it only took 2.5 cans of VMS Smart Mud! A big relief to get the haus square on the base so everything will line up nice and pretty! #histscalemodels
This is one among many inaccuracies TAKOM dropped the ball on with this kit (including a -very- wrong šahovnica; see the Star Decals comparison). As Marina was a Polish T-55A, there are many small differences which must be accounted for that Takom ignores or half-asses. Should be infuriating! 🤪