Junkyard Dog

[Buzzbomb]

Moving along very nicely

[Kerick]

I’m going to try this pattern. I might have to simplify it. We’ll see how this goes. I’m still working on the side skirts.

https://defence.nridigital.com/global_defence_technology_mar21/challenger_tank_digital_camouflage

[apophenia]

I’m going to try this pattern...

Nice choice! This is going to be epic 

[Kerick]

I’m going to try masking off each digital pattern separately to keep from adding five layers of paint by the time I’m done. There is some nice detail in many areas and I really don’t want to bury it under layers of paint. I’m also going to try some preshading with very dark green or black. This should be something new for me.

[Kerick]

I attached the side skirts last night with some putty I found at the hobby shop. They look pretty good. I managed to cast enough acceptable quality ERA panels.  I’ll post the pics tonight. Babysitting the granddaughter today.

I don’t know what the problem was with the casting process. I kept getting casts that did not harden evenly no matter if I put them in the sunlight or used the UV flashlight. The finished product had a slightly rippled and uneven surface on the face of the part. The next cast would come out fine. Another chemistry mystery. I need to mold the smoke grenade discharge boxes and cast hopefully four of them.

[Kerick]

Here's some up to date pics. The casting using the UV resin has worked fairly well. Some problems with me over filling the mold and some issues with the resin not curing properly which allowed movement of the part and the face of the part getting basically smeared while still in the mold. This happened both outdoors in the sun and indoors using the flashlight. Weird. Isn't chemistry great?! At least I got enough good parts to finish the job.

This is the braces for the side skirts.





Here's the full skirt combo.

[Kerick]

Here's a product I found for masking curves. I'll use it for the MERDC pattern if I give up on the digital pattern I'm considering. The hobby shop I was at had a whole rack full but some appeared to have glitter or small plastic pieces mixed in. I avoided those.



Works good for tacking parts together but I haven't tried it for painting. Of course AK Products was at the nationals with their purpose made masking putty for only ten bucks. Usually around twenty online.

[Frank3k]

Does your resin require stirring? How old is it? In any case, the results look good.

The Aaron's thinking putty should work. I got some in Galena, Ill. about 10 years ago, for about $10-$12 Their putty on Amazon doesn't look too expensive.

[Kerick]

The resin comes in a black squeeze bottle. No stirring, mixing or shaking required. If you squeeze it out in the sun it hardens before it gets into the mold. I had an old bottle and bought a new bottle and they both performed the same.

[Kerick]

Fiddling around with the fiddly bits lately. Not much to take a pic of at this point. It seems to take more time than anything else to decide where to place things like radio antennas. Making the part is easy.
 I’m making a mold for the smoke grenade launchers from the M60 Blazer kit. Hopefully I can make four of them and get them mounted.

[Kerick]

The grenade launchers are giving me a fit. The mold is deep and the face of the grenade launcher which has the details is in the deepest part of the mold. This makes it hard to get enough UV light into the mold to cure all the resin. I’m going to try poring in two steps, curing the deepest part then poring more to fill the rest of the box. If this doesn’t work then I’ll get some two part resin and pore that. I’ll save the UV stuff for shallow molds.

[Buzzbomb]

Interesting findings on the UV resin, but makes a lot sense around the curing.

Deep, narrow moulds like that often lead to some bubble'o'bill issues as well on the extreme ends, which would often lead to much profanity and eventually scratch building in my case.

[Frank3k]

Ken, maybe it's time to consider a 3D resin printer... And isopropyl, gloves, eye protection and a huge supply of paper towels!

[Kerick]

 I’m going to try poring in two steps, curing the deepest part then poring more to fill the rest of the box. If this doesn’t work then I’ll get some two part resin and pore that. I’ll save the UV stuff for shallow molds.

[Kerick]

I took a mental break from the dog tonight and worked on an ancillary build for my Ian McQue project. I took down an old build off the shelf a few months ago of an old Ricotank (I think) of the West German assault gun from the 70s Kanonenjadgpanzer that I converted to the HOT antitank missile version. It was 1/72nd scale or there abouts and I ripped off the front and have been building a 1/48th “cockpit” for it to become a tracked tug for pulling cargo around. I found the floor and one side of I think a spitfire cockpit, the seat from some other thing, made the back wall from the cockpit floor of some three seater and other parts of sheet plastic. Now I have to rebuild the areas over the tracks and add details. I’ll probably paint it yellow or orange or something construction like. I found a pilot figure to fit without too much chopping but I’ll have to make him look less military. I’ve been checking the supply of truck wheels to hopefully build a wagon for the cargo. I have a set of four from perhaps a deuce and a half that might work I think it’s 1/48th so that’s good. No rush.

[Old Wombat]

Now it makes more sense!

[Kerick]

Now it makes more sense!

Which part? None of it makes much sense!

[raafif]

I took down an old build off the shelf a few months ago of an old Ricotank (I think) of the West German assault gun from the 70s Kanonenjadgpanzer that I converted to the HOT antitank missile version. It was 1/72nd scale or there abouts and I ripped off the front and have been building a 1/48th “cockpit” for it to become a tracked tug for pulling cargo around.

Neat idea !  Might attempt the same in 1/35th

Waiting to see the Dog in paint so the clear bits can be seen .... or are they "stealth" armour

[Kerick]

As usual I’m approaching painting time and starting to slow down. It’s either the British digital or tropical MERDC and I can’t decide which. The digital will be difficult with a great opportunity for me to get frustrated. MERDC could be plan B but boring. PITA. The tug buggy will be easier, just pick orange, red or Yellow. And please don’t someone say use all three!

[ChalkLine]

MERDC could be plan B but boring. PITA.

I worry that MERDC will be to 'busy' if there's a lot of stowage

[Old Wombat]

As usual I’m approaching painting time and starting slow down. It’s either the British digital or tropical MERDC and I can’t decide which. The digital will be difficult with a great opportunity for me to get frustrated. MERDC could be plan B but boring. PITA. The tug buggy will be easier, just pick orange, red or Yellow. And please don’t someone say use all three!

Just do the MERDC scheme transposing yellow, orange & red for the NATO brown, green & black.

[Kerick]

As usual I’m approaching painting time and starting slow down. It’s either the British digital or tropical MERDC and I can’t decide which. The digital will be difficult with a great opportunity for me to get frustrated. MERDC could be plan B but boring. PITA. The tug buggy will be easier, just pick orange, red or Yellow. And please don’t someone say use all three!

Just do the MERDC scheme transposing yellow, orange & red for the NATO brown, green & black.

Wise guy!

[Kerick]

Here's a couple of pics to show off the latest. An antenna mount and two M60 mounts.



I made this one by filing a groove in the end of the tube and gluing to the upright. Way too fiddly!



The two pour system worked better but not perfect. It will do the job.



I'm thinking of a twin .50 set up like this from Live Resin. I'll scratch it myself. Probably $50 for the set.



And some small gun shields. I found a small V shaped shield from something German in the junk box. I may copy that. No resin required! I will need some wire cutters.

[Kerick]

Just a little progress. Finally got the hitch attached. Plus some extra road wheels I cast with the UV resin. Using the two pour method worked the best.



I made some lights with the UV resin also. They will probably get used somewhere on the Ian McQue project.



I found some Testors paint called flat rubber. Not so much. It might make a future off the wall camo color but its not rubber. At least not like I'm looking for. I'll just mix a little after I paint the road wheels camo colors.

[raafif]

For rubber tires I used to use Humbrol 67 but that brand is now CRAP.  Tamiya enamel XF-24 is a slightly lighter colour but good enough.