AT-TE Republic Cargo walker (custom)

Recently, I took the time to mask off a few areas to paint in a different color. Most Republic vehicles have red markings, but there were a few (like the AT-RT) that had green. So, I opted to use a green/yellow combo.

Here's a masking addict at work: Tamiya tape to the rescue.
wip_cargowalker_50_zps4276a64f.jpg~original


I seal off the outsides of the thin tape with a thicker 3M painter's tape. I then used 2 LifeColor greens to lightly paint the areas (I had sprayed Worn Effects beforehand).
wip_cargowalker_51_zps15d97e9a.jpg~original


When I removed the masking tape, I noticed that the green blended a little too well.
wip_cargowalker_52_zps847533bf.jpg~original


Before chipping, I decided to freely airbrush an olive yellow color inside the green areas. There was a slight overspray, but I like the effect. I think I would have preferred more of a yellow color, but I didn't feel like reapplying masking tape. I then went in and chipped the areas with water and a stiff brush.
wip_cargowalker_53_zpsc77ae282.jpg~original


I haven't yet decided if I'm going to airbrush any markings on the cargo deck...or if I'll just weather the hell out of it.
 
Love it...Wonder how much screen time this would have gotten if it were in the motorpool..
 
Thank you everyone for your comments. It's a good community like this that makes sharing the build a real joy. Hopefully I'll be able to start weathering in the next few weeks (too much "life" going on right now). How dare life come between me and my pigments.


cargoman5126 said:
Love it...Wonder how much screen time this would have gotten if it were in the motorpool..
Click to expand...

It would have been cool to see it trailing the troops carrying new guns to the front.
 
Well, just wanted to let everyone know that this project IS moving forward...though slowly.

Before I started weathering, I did add some faint yellow stripes to the cargo deck (AK chipping and then Tamiya yellow). I painted a few areas, but not as much as I typically would. I thought I'd let the weathering do more this time around.
wip_cargowalker_54_zpsd97dada5.jpg~original


This is the weathering I've done so far. I gotta say that this site has been a big inspiration (not so much on completing the project, but definitely an inspiration for weathering). So far, I've only used AK enamels and a lot of oils. I'm even painting things with oils that I would typically paint with acrylics. The oils are easier to work with, and I don't mind the dry time. In fact, I'm loving the whole oil paint rendering method (thanks to Mike Rinaldi and his Tank Art books for inspiring me to try oils again).

I haven't done any weathering on the top deck apart from a filter. However, I did recently add the ammo to the open compartment, which I will weather later. I may wait until I create the diorama to add pigments in an effort to blend things.
wip_cargowalker_55_zps936b123d.jpg~original


Holidays may be slow for work on this beast, but I'll do my best to keep everyone updated...especially when I start the diorama. Cheers
 
Well, here's the latest slew of pics. I wish I made a more conscious effort to take more "in-progress" pics and post more often, but I do what I can do.

First up, here's an image of what I've been doing with oils. You can see the un-oiled side on the left. It's these little layers that really make things "pop".
wip_cargowalker_56_zps29c8d835.jpg~original


Next, I bought a little chain on ebay and fashioned tow chain using brass tube and some spare hooks. Yes, it is tiny.
wip_cargowalker_60_zps46a92079.jpg~original


I also took some time to paint the cargo containers. The standard wooden tank ammo boxes make nice sci-fi crates, after you sand off the wood grain.
wip_cargowalker_63_zps8b452615.jpg~original


Using the Worn Effects fluid, I was able to quickly chip all the little boxes. I also found a few more random pieces to create storage containers out of. I may make a few more before I'm done.
wip_cargowalker_64_zps97aac30d.jpg~original
 
As a continuation of my previous post, here's the work I've done on the diorama. This is my first time building one, and I never really took any "frustration" photos, but there were a few moments.

I made several dozen rocks out of the various Woodland Scenics molds. I placed some of the molds diagonally to create new rocks and re-use the molds...so in actuality, many of these rocks are from the same 3 molds (one was a multi-rock mold):
wip_cargowalker_57_zpsf0964714.jpg~original


The big rock was a single mold, and I added brass rods to it to help secure it. I also cut out a piece of wood to act as a base. I wasn't too sure of the foam board would hold the rock upright without it falling. Luckily, the wood base worked well, and while heavy...works like a charm.
wip_cargowalker_58_zpsf39934ea.jpg~original


At this point, I started gluing on DAS air-dry clay along with the rocks I picked out earlier. I worked in small sections and blended the edges of each clay section with water. I bought a few carving tools to help remove any fingerprint impressions before leaving it to dry.
wip_cargowalker_59_zps599dc26a.jpg~original


I then added some dirt and rocks. And I added basswood sides. I've heard some people use styrene, but I couldn't figure out how to glue the styrene sheets on to the foam board and wood. Advice?
I also primed it with Vallejo's Dunkelgelb primer. It looks weird, but the contrast was so intense, that it was easy for me to spot mistakes in the clay.
wip_cargowalker_61_zps09684ddb.jpg~original


After I fixed any mistakes, I primed it black.
wip_cargowalker_62_zpsb2c61d6c.jpg~original


At this point, I've airbrushed the dio in several shades, building layers of desert colors. I also placed the walker on it to see how it looks. I have yet to add any pigments or weathering to the dio...but I intend to. Ignore the Jagdtiger, she crept in while I wasn't looking.
wip_cargowalker_65_zps7696a620.jpg~original


Again, any tips on dioramas would be appreciated. I think I did pretty well, but there's probably dozens of tips and tricks modellers have learned over the years of doing dioramas that I haven't stumbled on yet.

Thanks to everyone for following and commenting. Merry Xmas/holidays/annual Die Hard-watching day.
 
Fantastic , inspirational work ! I've already commented on the walker , so I'll only add that it gets better with each update . As for the dio , for a first effort it's o.k I suppose . Just kidding , it's brilliant ! ( Stop it right away , you're making me feel inadequate !)
P.s , as for gluing styrene to wood , have you tried using epoxy ? I've had the same problem in the past , using impact adhesive ( such as Bostik and UHU ) only to find it coming unstuck months later !
 

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