Merkava Mk.3 BAZ 1/35 by Meng

[Junkie]

it does look good - I don't see any issues at all.

 

[Jaitea]

Thanks guys,....the hull straightened out ok,....the vent part on one side doesn't look completely right to me though

Primed top:

Everything proceeding ok,......until I try to create the non-slip surface on the top hull,.....like in these reference pics (one image is of a Mk2):

So I did a bit of research,......Chinchilla powder/sand:

Its meant to be a very fine sand,...ideal for replicating the non-slip surface,.....so a bit of masking:

Then I sprayed it with hairspray,.....and dusted it with chinchilla powder

Then FAIL

I ruined it

The powder just looked too big in scale & a complete mess

I had to wash, scrub, sand & toothbrush all the sand off it

No photos of my panic,....sorry

Straight build again,....I'd decided that I'll try and replicate the effect with paint

Next day I had a brainwave,.....what if I applied really fine sandpaper with pva glue?

.....if this doesn't work out right,...I know all I have to do is put a scalpel blade under the paper and peel it off,....then revert back to using a paint effect

Thanks for looking
John

 

[Jaitea]

I've done a bit more this evening:

I'm pretty happy with the way it's turned out....theres some bald bits but I'm not too worried...it adds a bit of character

Thanks for looking

John

 

[Scrach]

Nice work with the sandpaper, that probably went a lot quicker than the route I took with my Mk.I.

 

[Jaitea]

Ah brilliant Scrach,.....I thought I was going mad!!......brilliant job,....how did it turn out?

Why doesn't these kits come with this texture?

How did you do yours? What did you use for the texture?

J

 

[Scrach]

I sifted a fine aquarium sand to get the finest of the fine and 'glued' it with Mr. Surfacer 500.
I'm fairly satisfied with the results. Keep your eyes open toward the end of the BSC.

 

[Jaitea]

Brilliant.....I don't mind the suspence ;D

J

 

[Cash]

Looks like sandpaper did epic job. Very well done in my opinion. Also nice update. Good job man.

 

[Chris S]

Looks good from where Im standing dude ;D ,seriously tho ,nice work John . I do like these Meng kits ,couldnt praise them enough !!

Cant wait to see where you go with this one

Chris.

 

[Jaitea]

Thanks very much Cash....I wasn't so sure at first, but I think it adds to the look of the kit

Thanks Chris,.....I'm sure you're shocked that I've eventually got round to building this!

I've still got some more sandpaper to add to the main hull but I took some time off to do the turret (which will also need sandpaper :)

The cannon needed a bit of filling to get rid of the seam-line,....I also had to remove some of the locator pins because they were forcing a step down the barrel

Thanks for looking
John

 

[adampolo13]

Looking most excellent!

 

[Scrach]

Coming along great.

 

[Cash]

Once it is done it will look realy cool it seems. The details you add is going to effect the finish for sure.

 

[Grendels]

Sandpaper did the trick!

Looking good.

 

[Junkie]

I love the missing bits of sandpaper, looks well used and freakin excellent in my eyes.

 

[JohnSimmons]

Yeah man this rocks!! 8)

 

[Jaitea]

Thanks very much guys.....definitely a break from the norm

J

 

[Jaitea]

Still taking a break from the sandpaper job,....to add some more details

After adding the balls & chain protection around the neck I discovered that you can't attach the turret to the main body by the tab & turn,....the body collides with the chains,....so I cut the tabs off

The turret just pushes down onto the body now

Gonna get back to the sandpaper texturing soon

Thanks for looking
John

 

[cargoman5126]

Looks amazing.....

 

[Grendels]

Love those chains...

 

[JohnSimmons]

Very cool looking tank

 

[Scrach]

Coming along very well.

 

[Unreality]

So is this based on the 5 footer or the 32"? ;D Just kidding.

Great job so far. This one is looking fantastic. Love the sandpaper texture.

 

[Chris S]

Coming on nice John . The anti slip looks great !

Chris.

 

[TRM]

Very nice stuff here John!! She is one sexy beast!! (IDF metal is just HOT) !! Well done on the anti-skid!!

 

[Jaitea]

Thanks very much guys,.....it really is a great fun kit,....loadsa tiny parts,....but so far none gone missing!!

I had a hold up on some of the anti-slip areas,.....whats left on the main body are sections with circular spots on them.....a real head scratcher

.....I ended up buying a hole punch,....used for cutting holes in leather:

....thats the main body done,.....gonna do the turret next

Thanks for the support guys

John

 

[Scrach]

The sandpaper looks great, way more consistent than my technique, yet probably more time consuming. Keep up the good work.

 

[Quaralane]

Definitely an interesting technique here

 

[JohnSimmons]

Nice work man very clever!

 

[suavetomcat]

Looking great mate. Love the idea of the sandpaper. Genius!

Chris