Tiger II, part 2: painting
Model and report: Andreas TupyKit: Tamiya
Accessories: ABER PE-set for King Tiger
Photos: W. Bradac
Translation: G. Schachinger
I made it (finally), to finish my paintwork on the Tiger II! As you might have already read the part 1 (construction) and for a long time patiently (hopefully) waited for a follow up... But good things need their time, as a paint job can make or break a model.
Priming
Pre-shading edges and rims achieved first contrasts with dull black enamels using my airbrush (after that it looked like a Zebra).This was followed by the actual priming with dark yellow acrylics from Tamiya, applied in a "cloudy" way, to avoid covering the pre-shading totally.
Again another dark yellow cote this time mixed with a little bit of white was sprayed onto the exposed areas.Camouflage
Now the work needs a break for at about 2-3 days to let the colors fully dry. Then the green and dark brown camouflage patches were sprayed. One needs a really thin needle in diameter (Atzek 0.30mm) to avoid rugged edges of the patches. The color was mixed at a ratio of 1 part color to 3 parts thinner. This is necessary to achieve those sharp edges of the color spots. Also keeping the same distance while painting is important.Applying those camouflage was done in several stages. Then one can proceed to use some filters. At last I sealed everything with a clear dull cote from Gunze.
Details and Weathering
Surfaces
After 2 days waiting I started to apply a washing, detailed washing and a drybrush. To show some wear and tear, I did extensive micro painting for simulating for instance rain marks, oil spots, rust and chipped painting. That is best achieved by using a stiff round brush, which is fine enough to scrub some real tiny scratches into the painting.Painting of the tracks
When using metal tracks one has the great advantage to be able to skip the drybrushing. Metal shows up when rubbing it. First you have to prime them with dull black color.
Then I mixed riddled earth*, static grass and white glue and put it onto the tracks.
*Real earth has the advantage, that you don´t have to think of finding a matching color for it.
This coverage was sealed with some amount of gloss varnish to simulate wet mud. The reason is: I intend to use the tank for an Ardennes diorama.
All spots of the track, , which are in contact with the ground or other devices of the running gear, were then polished with sand paper (grid 600). A last detailwashing to blend the blank metal with the rest finished the work.
I carefully gave attention to keep the track pieces movable to facilitate the mounting onto the running gear.The whole tank was then sealed with a dusty color again applied with the airgun and some places were sprayed semi gloss for a shiny appearance, as it is usual in winter.
© A. Tupy 2003
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