LRDG Chevy FINISHED

[paddy]

Well after knocking myself down a peg or two and realising my limitations with my recent Hellcat build i decided to do something a little more simple (i hope).
I had great plans for this in my imagination but realisation than i am getting old, my eyesight is not what it was and my fingers seem to be getting fatter means this will be a straight build. As always its also a learning curve as i have been reading about paint chipping and making canvas roles, painting people (HELP !!)

Chassis built took less than an hour so steaming ahead

This grey is my attempt at a base coat for chipping, i figure things dont really rust in the desert but they would get sand blasted with rocks and ...well sand. I just wish Tamiya had given us the rest of the engine, maybe a challenge for a future build...
I am planning to try and dent some panels on the body but that might not work
The instruction point out "jerry cans" on the running boards but they look way to small compared with a jerry can i bought years ago.

However after doing a bit of research i think they are supposed to be 2 gal cans which is probably why the British chucked them away and pinched Rommels Cans when he wasnt looking

Anyway i wasnt going to do this as a WIP as i am sure its been done a 1000 times and there is nothing i can teach anyone here about Armour but hey ! it might interest someone to watch a stupid limey make an idiot of himself

 

[sharkman]

Off to a good start Paddy!

What the hell would you do with a 2 gal can? The only advantage would be it would weigh less to pour.

 

[paddy]

Well it might be a British thing because certainly now (dont know about then) its illegal to store more than 2 gal because of the risk to firemen if that place goes up and there is more than that on site. However the 2 Gal cans were Army and domestic cans even today here are 1 gal.
this is why most period pictures show German (jerry cans) on British trucks because they were 100% better, thicker gauge steel that didn't rust, larger and easier to poor. We never made them, we just pinched them.

 

[moon puppy]

good start Paddy.
So your question about when to paint really depends on the person doing the painting. I've seen armor forks completely build a subject, including tools and tracks then paint. Others build and paint in sections like lower and upper hull. if it's an open top vehicle then it's a completely different scheme.
So to best answer your question would be build something, paint it and see what you think.

 

[Heavens Eagle]

Anyway i wasnt going to do this as a WIP as i am sure its been done a 1000 times and there is nothing i can teach anyone here about Armour but hey ! it might interest someone to watch a stupid limey make an idiot of himself

Thing is Paddy, sometimes posting the in progress stuff can help out. It's not that you are showing anything new. (You never know though) If we are looking over your shoulder through the build, we might pick up on something and give you a helpful suggestion or see something and keep you out of a possible problem.

Also I have not seen this kit before and watching the build shows what kind of kit it is.

 

[paddy]

I went with Tamiya XF24 Dark Grey, then a splattering of Humbrol Maskol and then a top coat of Tamiya Desert Yellow XF59.
Its quite handy seeing what works before i start on the body work
There is a temptation to over do this i can see so i need to be careful.
The Tamiya desery yellow is quite dark so i might try pree shading white on the top to show sun bleach. I also want to put some dents in which could go badly wrong with flames and plastic Good fun though.

 

[Heavens Eagle]

Looks good Paddy! Only thing I would suggest is if it is a North Africa vehicle, the paint would be weathered light as you are thinking. There wouldn't be any dark grime though. No mud or dark dirt to speak of except where there would be oil leakage. Parts like the springs would tend to be dark as the flexing would break the paint loose. You have it right that the areas where the paint is chipped and worn off would be either dark grey metal color or a slight reddish. The tires look really good! The best way is to find some clear example photos. I have some from a Sdkfz 222 I was building and there wasn't any rust to speak of. There was a lot of caked dust in the nooks and crannies, and bleaching of the upper paint surfaces, but nothing other than that.

Keep up the good work my friend! It's looking good! Oh, just a thought, the desert vehicles usually didn't get too beat up and dented. There wasn't all that much out there for them to run in to. There would be small dents and scratches from stuff being banged into the sides and especially around the truck bed. Desert means that light and subtle is better.

 

[RichB]

The square cans are officially known as Petrol, Oil and Water cans, to the troops they were known as flimsy's. There were 2 & 4 gal versions but because of the crimped and soldered seams could leak 20-50% of their contents. They were most useful as a stove. Cut in half, the bottom half filled with gas soaked sand and the top filled with water and balanced on top for a brew up.

Rick

 

[RichB]

LRDG Chev's were painted Canadian Sand overall at the factory, as were all Canadian built vehicles going to North Africa. It is similar to Light Stone and Tamiya XF-60 Dark Yellow is a close match.

Mike Starmer's mix for Lt Stone is 7 x XF-2 + 2 x XF-59 + 2 x XF-3.

Rich

 

[paddy]

Thanks Rich
This is my mix of 7 x XF-2 + 2 x XF-59 + 2 x XF-3.
Left is Dark yellow then my mix then Desert Yellow

The mix is quite a bit brighter but then it doesnt look wrong and is quite a good sand.. maybe a splash more XF59 just dull it down a bit ?

The Mix looks good ove rthe dark grey, just takes the edge off but i wonder if the fugures are correct ? as they add up to 11 and usually it would be 10. My guess is 1 part yellow XF3 would work better that 2 parts as i have added a little extra desert yellow to the final mix

You can see the contrast from desert yellow to the mix here , chassis is desert yellow, body is the mix

 

[RichB]

That is his mix. It is described as a light but very yellow sand. It is not the same as the post war Light Stone that is much paler. Once it is weathered and dusted it will be lighter.

Rich

 

[paddy]

Quick update
I have mostly been experimenting with finish and technique. as well as find i method of painting and construction that doesnt leave me trying to paint parts behind other parts already painted

and balanced on the chassis

thanks for looking

 

[moon puppy]

And you're asking us for advice?

 

[paddy]

I found an article on line that said drag the maskol about with a tooth pick so its not just a round blob or drip. It also says you can use a sponge so i might try that on the back Having great fun with this...

 

[Heavens Eagle]

Looking good Paddy!

 

[helios]

Looking awesome.

 

[paddy]

change of direction for a bit now, this is supposed to be part of a diorama so i have been putting off the figures. I'm not very artistic which is why i tried to paint the plastic rolled up tarpaulins here and ended up making some out of a piece of old shirt which is much easier I did try and paint the kit parts but they looked exactly like painted kit parts ...

So next step figures...........oh dear

 

[Duke Maddog]

Man, you got this! Regardless of what you do it'll still be better than anything I do. have a bit of confidence man, you're better than you think.

 

[moon puppy]

I'm thinking more dust, Looking good!

 

[paddy]

Yes i agree, normally at this stage with an aircraft i would be thinking a darker wash to lift the detail but i dont know what to do with a desert finish ??

What i probably should have done was sprayed it grey for the chipping which i did, then pre shaded in either white or brown then done the yellow ?
These are the things you only really learn by trying it out, if i built another of these there is quite a lot i would do differently.
I just had a look at the driver and now realise he doesnt fit on the seat with the steering wheel so a slight change to the diorama already