SU-85, Part II

Last Christmas, I received a set of two SU-85 tank destroyers in 1:72 scale. I worked on the first of the pair within a week or so of the holiday, but saved the other until I had a better plan. As it works out, patience paid off. Since the first tank, I have gained access to an airbrush, allowing me to try another technique that has always had my interest.

I have seen some very good winter camouflage done using a thinned down white airbrushed over a green undercoat, then weathered with paint chips and mud and rust streaks. The best example is on IPMS, showing the technique on a US Sherman.

So this tank started out base coated with a Krylon camouflage green spray paint i picked up at a local hardware store, serving as both base coat and primer. I then gave it a patchy whitewash using thinned Tamiya paint applied via airbrush. On top of this i tried out a technique I saw on battlefront, using a bit of sponge foam to apply paint chips in green to the edges of the tank.

Improving on my last build, the tracks were coated in a glue/sand mixture and painted to resemble a mixture of mud, filth, and road grime. In addition to the green paint chips, some areas were further weathered with chips down to the bare metal itself, which would have rusted in a prolonged winter campaign.

The hatch is left open on top in the hopes of acquiring a suitable driver figure. I may also add some tankodesantniki riders on the back.

Overall, I am really most pleased with the tracks, but somewhat disappointed with the rest of the tank. I may remove the tracks, strip and repaint the rest of the vehicle.

A Fine Lady

I have a very cool wife. So cool that she decided to join the guys for a campaign of 7th Sea. She needed a suitable model for her character, so I picked up this one from my FLGS. The game takes place in a fantasy version of a swashbuckling 17th-18th Century Europe. After so much militaria, it is a kind of relief to paint up something quite different. I found this fine lady among the Reaper Miniatures line, and it immediately struck me as the perfect miniature for her. The gown the miniature wears bears some resemblance to a style my wife wears for reenacting (did I mention she is cool?). This left me no choice but to paint it up to match.

I have always enjoyed painting clothing on models, and have a decent amount of experience replicating various camouflage patterns. This time I got to put that skill to the test with a much finer subject matter and a more critical eye looking at the end product.

 

The pattern came out pretty true to life of the original. It helps that the actual cloth this is based on is printed in a 4 color floral pattern that is actually somewhat large, making it a bit easier to replicate than some of the finer prints that became available on cotton during the later Regency Period.