Italeri 1/35 Crusader Cruiser Tank

[RangerNeil]

Whilst waiting for paint to dry on the Typhoon - which is taking longer than usual due to the weather being (a) damned cold and (b) damned wet (needless to say the Met Office assure us we are experiencing a heat wave!!) I've made a start on the Italeri Crusader Tank.


Opening the box revealed a pleasant surprise - virtually no flash or visible ejector pin marks!! Its not the Tamiya gold standard but I think its not far off. Anyways - the contents of the box!!

Instructions












Sprues








Decals


The kit actually comes with half a dozen infantry figures - but no crew. I'm not sure about the tracks - instructions say they can be joined with CA - I have my doubts plus I've never had much luck painting that kind of flexible track.

Starting at step 1 the suspension units go between the inner and outer hull walls. You to ask why because once the outer sides are on they are invisible...






Hull top on - fitted like a glove!! - and the turret started.


Road wheels, idlers and drive sprockets sanded to remove mould lines and painted light stone then the tyres have been done on one side, now waiting for that to dry (same issue as with the Typhoon).


The painting instructions call for either overall light stone or a dark grey cammo overlay. However a bit of digging revealed some of the Crusaders sent to the Middle East were finished in the Caunter Scheme which looks a lot more interesting so I'm going to try for that on the finished model!!

[digger303]

I've had awful experiences with paint flaking off vinyl tracks or too short or too long. Ca will join them though. but priming with a little tet first does help, just to get them squeaky clean.

[RangerNeil]

I've had awful experiences with paint flaking off vinyl tracks or too short or too long. Ca will join them though. but priming with a little tet first does help, just to get them squeaky clean.

"tet" as in Tamiya Extra Thin?? Won't that melt them??

[digger303]

I've had awful experiences with paint flaking off vinyl tracks or too short or too long. Ca will join them though. but priming with a little tet first does help, just to get them squeaky clean.

"tet" as in Tamiya Extra Thin?? Won't that melt them??

Never had a problem before , but never tried it with Italeri kits. I know some track manufactuers say to use kit cement. Can always try a bit on the vinyl sprue and see how it goes first.

[digger303]

I've had awful experiences with paint flaking off vinyl tracks or too short or too long. Ca will join them though. but priming with a little tet first does help, just to get them squeaky clean.

"tet" as in Tamiya Extra Thin?? Won't that melt them??

I dug out a 2008 Italeri Saipan kit tracks.
They are fairly stiff, but I applied some to the thinnest section I could find ie the part number on the sprue and had no effect at all. It dried quickly and if there was going to be a problem it didn't have time to eventuate.

[Stokesy44]

Using actual primer to prime the tracks should work.

[RangerNeil]

Thanks guys. I did try using Ultimate Grey primer on a set of flexi tracks before - one of the Tigers IIRC. Scrubbed them with IPA, left a day to dry, sprayed the primer, left that a day then tried flexing them. Flakes of primer went everywhere......
Did wonder about using the etch primer I use on the 1:1 scale Landrovers alloy panels....
I'll give the TET a try - lucky I just got a new bottle....

[digger303]

Thanks guys. I did try using Ultimate Grey primer on a set of flexi tracks before - one of the Tigers IIRC. Scrubbed them with IPA, left a day to dry, sprayed the primer, left that a day then tried flexing them. Flakes of primer went everywhere......
Did wonder about using the etch primer I use on the 1:1 scale Landrovers alloy panels....
I'll give the TET a try - lucky I just got a new bottle....

I was only suggesting tet where you were going to apply the CA.

[RangerNeil]

Thanks guys. I did try using Ultimate Grey primer on a set of flexi tracks before - one of the Tigers IIRC. Scrubbed them with IPA, left a day to dry, sprayed the primer, left that a day then tried flexing them. Flakes of primer went everywhere......
Did wonder about using the etch primer I use on the 1:1 scale Landrovers alloy panels....
I'll give the TET a try - lucky I just got a new bottle....

I was only suggesting tet where you were going to apply the CA.

Glad I caught this first - I thought you meant the whole track as a basis for painting!!!

[Stokesy44]

Thanks guys. I did try using Ultimate Grey primer on a set of flexi tracks before - one of the Tigers IIRC. Scrubbed them with IPA, left a day to dry, sprayed the primer, left that a day then tried flexing them. Flakes of primer went everywhere......
Did wonder about using the etch primer I use on the 1:1 scale Landrovers alloy panels....
I'll give the TET a try - lucky I just got a new bottle....

I was only suggesting tet where you were going to apply the CA.

Glad I caught this first - I thought you meant the whole track as a basis for painting!!!

With the full mudguards on there's not a huge amount of the tracks to be seen. Why not put them on the kit then spray them with the base coat then hand paint with the track color? There will be no flexing as the track will not move and the base color will act as a primer.

[RangerNeil]

I was only suggesting tet where you were going to apply the CA.

Glad I caught this first - I thought you meant the whole track as a basis for painting!!!

With the full mudguards on there's not a huge amount of the tracks to be seen. Why not put them on the kit then spray them with the base coat then hand paint with the track color? There will be no flexing as the track will not move and the base color will act as a primer.

Good point - I might try that and see how it goes. Thank you

On the progress front the hull and turret are 99% complete now so hopefully tomorrow I can get the airbrush going and get the base coat on....










Exhausts are dry fit as they need detail painting and then fitting after the hull is painted.

[Stokesy44]

Good progress

Can't look at one of these tanks without being reminded of the old black and white footage of these things roaring across the desert amid clouds of dust. Such an iconic shape.

[digger303]

Good progress

Can't look at one of these tanks without being reminded of the old black and white footage of these things roaring across the desert amid clouds of dust. Such an iconic shape.

Like the knights of old, aptly named.

[RangerNeil]

Base coat now on. Next step will be masking for the Caunter overlays.

[digger303]

Oh that's coming along really nice. Getting the sharp edge camo around all those edges will be tricky......I'm on the look out for any sneaky short cuts

[RangerNeil]

Went to mask up tonight - and realized I had goofed. BIG time!!

Base coat for the Caunter scheme is Portland Stone. And I've used Light Stone.
Portland is more Green/Grey than the Yellow of Light Stone. I don't fancy re-doing the entire model so I may have to use one of the schemes in the painting guide...

[digger303]

Went to mask up tonight - and realized I had goofed. BIG time!!

Base coat for the Caunter scheme is Portland Stone. And I've used Light Stone.
Portland is more Green/Grey than the Yellow of Light Stone. I don't fancy re-doing the entire model so I may have to use one of the schemes in the painting guide...

Oh damn, isn't always the way when things are going swimmingly something happens to put a fly in the ointment.

[RangerNeil]

OK - track time..... I gave the kits plastic tracks a coat of Ultimate Grey primer, let it dry then gave them a coat or two of AK's "Rusty Tracks". Now - question is - should I give them a coat of gloss varnish before "dirtying" them up??


For now the vehicle has had a coat of gloss ready for the decals.... So has the Typhoon....

[Stokesy44]

Went to mask up tonight - and realized I had goofed. BIG time!!

Base coat for the Caunter scheme is Portland Stone. And I've used Light Stone.
Portland is more Green/Grey than the Yellow of Light Stone. I don't fancy re-doing the entire model so I may have to use one of the schemes in the painting guide...

Oh damn, isn't always the way when things are going swimmingly something happens to put a fly in the ointment.

Unless the difference is serious, a filter should do it. Thin coat of the current base with color adjustment added to the mix?

[Stokesy44]

Re the gloss coat on the tracks?

Personally, I wouldn't bother. You don't want any part of the track looking shiny and that will tend to happen if you apply a wash to a gloss surface.

Just my opinion, your kit - your choice, is what matters in the end.

[digger303]

Re the gloss coat on the tracks?

Personally, I wouldn't bother. You don't want any part of the track looking shiny and that will tend to happen if you apply a wash to a gloss surface.

Just my opinion, your kit - your choice, is what matters in the end.

Unless you want to put it on a base and have it leaving a stream

[RangerNeil]

Re the gloss coat on the tracks?

Personally, I wouldn't bother. You don't want any part of the track looking shiny and that will tend to happen if you apply a wash to a gloss surface.

Just my opinion, your kit - your choice, is what matters in the end.

And a worthy opinion - I asked for it!! If I were doing it on the model it would be a gloss coat followed by dirtying followed by a matt coat. These tracks are a new thing though. The metal Friuhl ones seem to self dirty with the burnishing fluid and then dusting. I need to dry bush some silver over the raised cleats and then some sand/light earth pigments into the recesses and then they can go on followed by the outer road wheels.

[RangerNeil]

Hopefully I finished the infantry figures that came with the crusader - I'm afraid I can't paint faces to save my life.... I think the rest is OK though.








They look shiny because the matt clear coat is still wet.....

[Stokesy44]

Cant beat a bunch of charging desert Tommies.

Looking good

[digger303]

Cant beat a bunch of charging desert Tommies.

Looking good

Charging or retreating depends on your view, but the tanks going one way and the men the other..
Either way it's shaping up well.

[RangerNeil]

Calling this one finished - for now! I have a - small - issue in that the tow cables cannot currently be fiitted. When the rear upper D rings were fitted the instructions showed them in the down position as would be expected.


However last section of the instructions requires these "S" hooks:


to be threaded though the D rings in the raised position and through the cable eye as shown. Currently its impossible to lift the D rings so until I can work out a way the cables are staying off.
The flexi-track has worked better thsn expected but looked ugly on top.




So I've resorted to a dab of CA on top of each wheel to hold it down in position. I know it can't be seen because of the track skirts but I knew it looked horrible behind so I remedied it....

Anyways - heres the finished tank and figures on a temporary display board. Once I get the proper one it can have the sand treatment and the figures secured with CA. Tank crewman came from a spare set I had.

[Stokesy44]

Nicely done..... for now.....

[digger303]