Tamiya 1/35 M3 Grant

[aur0ra145]

Howdy folks,

This is a kit I've had laying around for a while. It was made in the 70's, so we'll see how it goes.

Goals for this build is to clear our some stash space. Other than that, to have fun!

I somehow have aftermarket barrels for the kit, plus some resin sandbags for the front of the tank.

[Stokesy44]

Off to a fast start. That's a nice looking kit for its age.

I've built their Panther and PzIII Stug from the same era. Not the same quality as their modern stuff but still nicely engineered and well fitting. Enjoy

[robwuk]

shake & bake Tamiya, whats not to like for a quick build... and love frontal sandbag armour....

looking forward to more of your progress

[digger303]

Nearly finished already

[aur0ra145]

After a lot of wrestling with the tracks, they're on. I wish Tamiya made them just a tad bit longer. Thankfully, the joins will be hidden behind the armor skirt.

Sandbags fit pretty well during dry fitting.

[Stokesy44]

Going together like a Craig David song!

Should be finished by Saturday!

Nice work on the tracks, not too shabby considering they're nearly 50 years old! Those 2 metal barrels look the business as well.

[aur0ra145]

It's looking the part so far.

The side skirts did not fit properly; however, it seems not a lot of them retained the side skirts. So, I'm putting on the ones on the front and removing the rest. This was mainly due to a geometry problem with how the lead top skirts and the back fit together. Don't know if there was anything I could have done better with it.

Primer is just a day or two away at this point.

[digger303]

You do what you can with what you have and it's looking great. Love the sand bags are they a aftermarket addition ?

[aur0ra145]

You do what you can with what you have and it's looking great. Love the sand bags are they a aftermarket addition ?

They are, so are the barrels. I won this kit and the extras at a model competition back before COVID, it came with all these extra bits.

[BigWall]

Nice progress. I'll enjoy watching it come along

[aur0ra145]

The MMP paint was not good. Clumpy and I couldn't get it to spray right. Ended up wiping the paint off with a paper towel. Now it is coated with Tamiya XF-57 Buff. Which is pretty close to the right color.

I don't really know where I'm going with this build as I never made a build plan. Probably some decals and filters, maybe some dry brushing, rust, brush painting, the possibilities are endless.

[Stokesy44]

I don't really know where I'm going with this build as I never made a build plan. Probably some decals and filters, maybe some dry brushing, rust, brush painting, the possibilities are endless.

Sounds like a good plan to me! That's the thing with armor kits, feel free to express yourself

Nice save on the paintwork too

[aur0ra145]

Got a bit more done with this guy.

[digger303]

Perfect build

[aur0ra145]

Little bit more done today. Don't really know where to go next with the weathering.

[Stokesy44]

Looking good.

If you're asking for advice I would chip it and wash it. There's loads of angles and features that would get chipped by day to day use.

I would then gloss the vehicle and apply a wash such as Ultimate's dark dirt which is a water based wash and easy to wipe down once applied.

The above is only my opinion. Its your kit so whatever floats your boat

[digger303]

I would put a pin wash over it. Will take a while with so many rivets, but then it doesn't take as long as you might think either and give it a good dusting.

[aur0ra145]

I would put a pin wash over it. Will take a while with so many rivets, but then it doesn't take as long as you might think either and give it a good dusting.

I tried a pin wash. Learned a few things.

First, my plastic shot glass cups I usually mix paint in are NOT for use with enamel thinner. Literally melted the cup. I felt really dumb. Though, I cleaned up the mess and went with a glass jar. That worked much better. No harm overall though, the disintegrating cups are disposable.

Went with a more subtle pin wash. Doing all this over a tan undercoat is a bit hard. Next up will be some pigments. Then a top coat.

The pictures didn't come out too well. I may need to break out the DSLR for better progress photos.

[digger303]

I would put a pin wash over it. Will take a while with so many rivets, but then it doesn't take as long as you might think either and give it a good dusting.

I tried a pin wash. Learned a few things.

First, my plastic shot glass cups I usually mix paint in are NOT for use with enamel thinner. Literally melted the cup. I felt really dumb. Though, I cleaned up the mess and went with a glass jar. That worked much better. No harm overall though, the disintegrating cups are disposable.

Went with a more subtle pin wash. Doing all this over a tan undercoat is a bit hard. Next up will be some pigments. Then a top coat.

The pictures didn't come out too well. I may need to break out the DSLR for better progress photos.

...yes that can happen with the disposable caps and yes I learnt the same way, but if you use the cocktail or medicine cups they are fine.

[Stokesy44]

Got some nice effect there

[aur0ra145]

Thanks guys! This ended up being a fun quick build.

[robwuk]

thats a great looking end point... really nice