Armourfast SU-85 Diorama

[MelvinVasquez]

I know these Armourfast kits are practically built already and don't require much skill at all to finish but I wanted to try out some extreme weathering and attempt to realistically destroy a tank. I guess this will be more of an experiment than a Group Build, so I hope you'll all enjoy watching me make a mess out of a kit...
Here's the box and sprue:

I've already built the other led lights in the box and I undercoated this at the same time with a rattle can of Humbrol acrylic primer. I hope this doesn't contravene GB rules about using an un-started kit?

These kits are very good.. I have got one and very much satisfied with the results..

[UKscalemodeller]

Hope you get this done on time.

[PhildaFish]

I know these Armourfast kits are practically built already and don't require much skill at all to finish but I wanted to try out some extreme weathering...

These kits are very good.. I have got one and very much satisfied with the results..

Got to say these are great kits and I definitely recommend them.

[PhildaFish]

Hope you get this done on time.

So do I... I've been home a week now and haven't done any modelling yet... Got to get back in zone...

[gosselin2112]

Only a week to go; you can do it!

[Lee]

Come on Phil, really want to see this finished mate

[PhildaFish]

Thanks for the encouragement, guys. Got the German paras painted up today, need to do the ink washes and weathering powders on them tomorrow and then it's just a matter of deciding on the best look on the lighting effects. Will post some pics tomorrow.

[PhildaFish]

Right, catch up time, (sorry for the delays on this) here is the failed experiment for flame effects using PVA glue:
The first attempt was to make rough moulds using tin foil and then pour in a little PVA glue to make a thin layer and then pour in a little more PVA glue and repeat over and over and over again. The trouble with this is that no matter how thin a layer I added it took about 8 hours to dry.

After a few days of adding layers I decided to try plan B, two of the moulded PVA flames peeled out of the moulds ok but one was ruined. Plan B was to take the thin layers I'd already made and hang them upside down and dribble a little glue down each side of each of them letting it run down to make odd, flame like patterns. It dried a lot quicker like this as it was more 'out in the open' but still a long slow process. The benefit of this plan was I could slowly build up the glue around the LED.

Here's how I turned out:

And a closer look at it:

This one was supposed to be flames licking up the outside of the tank on the far side, like spilled fuel on fire, but I've decided not to use it, it just doesn't look right to me. I've saved it for later use, possibly on the side of an aeroplane engine in flight with some cotton wool stretched out behind...
Anyway the other attempt is crammed inside the tank on top of the original two LEDs with the cotton wool covering it so it's almost back to original look but with 4 LEDs and the PVA does brighten it up.

[Lee]

Looking forward to the reveal

[PhildaFish]

Looking forward to the reveal

Thanks mate!

A marathon two and a half hour weathering session and I think I'm done! I am covered in weathering powders and have only just realised that cream coloured trousers and a white T-shirt were probably not the best things to be wearing... Also I've snapped the gun barrel off and the front hatch twice but they're both now glued back in place.

Tomorrow I'll glue all the figures and the tank in place and shoot a video under daylight conditions then wait for nightfall and shoot a dark film as well. Also I'll take plenty of photos.

Now I'm off to wash my very weathered hands!

[Coen]

Yeah Phil... I've been waiting to see this baby... I'm glad that you got her done Dude.
I look forward to those pictures buddy!!

[panzerman]

Good Luck with finalizing your project....looking forward to seeing the end product.....very cool.
Bill.

[PhildaFish]

Still not finished, had a rather busy day and I've decided to add a few last minute touches!

[PhildaFish]

Ok, guys, another update to show you the closing stages of this diorama.
I copied the design that I tried on the earlier Fallschirmjäger because when I put him on the dio and took a photo he really blended in well to the grass and that's what camouflage is supposed to do! So here's the rest of the squad all painted up but not weathered so nice clean uniforms all round. (Oh, I used the camera phone to take the next few shots so I apologise for the quality and the slight blue tint to everything.) It wasn't until they were all finished and I was putting them in place to see how they looked when I realised that there was one missing! He'd gone AWOL under my desk!



Some more work going on in the belly of the beast; here you can see the pegs holding the PVA glue coated pair of LEDs in place on top of the original pair of LEDs giving a total of 2 orange LEDs and 2 red LEDs. Seemed to have spent the majority of my time on this Group Build waiting for PVA glue to dry...



Here it is with the cotton wool back on top. Two photos, one with flash and one without because neither photo is great.




And here it is with the new metal barrel in place and the two halves glued together. Again. For the last time hopefully!

[Coen]

Ooo I'm soo excited. I've been waiting for ever for this one.
Come on Phil you're killin me!

[PhildaFish]

Truth be told Coen, I finished it last night at about one in the morning but I've got a lot of typing up to do on here before I reveal. All the photography was done outside in the daylight this afternoon and I'll do the video with the flickering lights on later this evening when the England football game has finished. Sorry to have kept you in suspense for so long, not much longer to wait, I promise!

[Nige201980]

Ooo I'm soo excited. I've been waiting for ever for this one.
Come on Phil you're killin me!

Your not the only one mate COME ON Phil

[Coen]

That made it worse Phil... you're evil...
You should feel shame.

[PhildaFish]

Right back to the proper camera, here's a close up of the SU-85 with all the painted weathering done. It looks a little heavy handed in this photo but bear in mind that the actual model is about half the size of this photo or 3 1/2 inches (9cm) not counting the barrel.



Now here it is again all rusted and dusted with weathering powders. You can see with these two photos the effect I tried to achieve by painting a dark rust colour (Humbrol 113) and then go over the top with Humbrol's rust weathering powder.

[PhildaFish]

That made it worse Phil... you're evil...
You should feel shame.

Blame my son who brought me a broken Dalek toy a couple of hours ago. The eye piece and gun bit are both missing and now the sink plunger has snapped off. I've been improvising with unused missiles from old kits! Distractions, distractions...

[PhildaFish]

Here's the troops all dirtied up:

[PhildaFish]

And here's the base with the weathering powders done just to take the shininess off.

[PhildaFish]

Ok so here is the wiring. It's pretty simple, the switch and battery came already wired together so I just had to attach them to the LEDs. With a little help from Jim (Bagpiper - thanks mate!) to explain the difference between wiring in series and wiring in parallel, and then taught myself soldering. It's so simple even I can do it - or put another way - I can do it so it must be simple!

[Paul]

Looking good Phil

[PhildaFish]

In the immortal words of Porky Pig "Th, Th, Th, Th, That's all folks!"

I'm off now to make the video and then I will create a thread in the 'Final Reveal' section.

Thanks for all your help, tips, advice and support throughout this build which has grown from a simple armour build into a lesson on electronics and then into a diorama with one step backward for every two forward. If I had to do it all again I... Well I'd probably go build a Spitfire!

[PhildaFish]

Cheers Paul!

[Coen]

That was awesome Phil.
It's weird... I've been following this thread for so long now it's a bit like my favourite show has just done it series closing and gone off the air or something. Haha
So off to the awards then. Can't wait!

[wappynutter]

23 pages of awesomeness, and building, and electronics master classes....That's what you have done here Phil.
Amazing mate.. I too look forward to the video and final reveal thread.
Damn there's gonna be some reading, and picture looking, and video watching tomorrow guys...

There will be no posts tomorrow....... All admin will be real busy all weekend... and no I ain't helping choose a winner..
Good luck Phil mate. Thanks for keeping us entertained all summer..

[Paul]

23 pages of awesomeness, and building, and electronics master classes....That's what you have done here Phil.
Amazing mate.. I too look forward to the video and final reveal thread.
Damn there's gonna be some reading, and picture looking, and video watching tomorrow guys...

There will be no posts tomorrow....... All admin will be real busy all weekend... and no I ain't helping choose a winner..
Good luck Phil mate. Thanks for keeping us entertained all summer..

Hmm Saturday night staring at a load of models














Sounds great to me lol














But seriously that's a Sunday morning job

[wappynutter]

23 pages of awesomeness, and building, and electronics master classes....That's what you have done here Phil.
Amazing mate.. I too look forward to the video and final reveal thread.
Damn there's gonna be some reading, and picture looking, and video watching tomorrow guys...

There will be no posts tomorrow....... All admin will be real busy all weekend... and no I ain't helping choose a winner..
Good luck Phil mate. Thanks for keeping us entertained all summer..

Hmm Saturday night staring at a load of models














Sounds great to me lol














But seriously that's a Sunday morning job

Well there's only X Factor on so why not?
Enjoy your weekend mate..
Sooner you than me......

[PhildaFish]

Thanks guys!

[5Craven]

Well there's only X Factor on so why not?
Enjoy your weekend mate..
Sooner you than me......
:cheers2