Type 1 SPG Ho-Ni I - 3 Feb 2019 - Completed

[RLFoster]

Thanks guys...off to bed to dream about it drying.

[JED]

Nice effects so far mate

[RLFoster]

Thank you, Jed!

[Dukemaddog]

Wow, sensational work! I would have called it done by now. That's the difference between a novice like me and Master like you! Looking forward to seeing how you improve this.

[dogfish7 (R.I.P.)]

Just keeps gettin better n better Rob.

[RLFoster]

Thanks again, Gentlemen!

[Buddho]

Incredible work here, Robert.

[RLFoster]

After taking yesterday off, I got back to the bench for a couple of hours this morning and think I have the lower hull and associated components pretty much done. I'll pick things up after I applied the mud build-up in the last update.

Once the mud on the lower hull had dried overnight, I got back to work. First, I needed a darker color to provide some contrast that sat somewhere between dark brown wet mud and cream colored dust. Since I'm building a vehicle in Burma, I elected to go with a clay color typical of the region. Not the heavy red clay like that seen in Vietnam, but something a little lighter. Here's my effort at matching the color:



As you can see I applied the color all over the lower portions of the hull including all the previously applied mud. Once it had dried for a few minutes, I blended the upper line using plain thinner, then I left it to dry for a few hours. Once dry, I next added a lighter, dusty topcoat over not only the areas above the clay color, but also over the clay color itself. This color gave the entire lower hull a uniformity. Next, I mixed up some dark brown wash and dabbed it over all the heavy mud areas to give those a fresher, still wet appearance:



That was where I left everything on Thursday and waited 36 hours or so until this morning. Now it was time for some fun! I put three different colors of pigments in separate compartments of my paint tray and added a little alcohol to each. These were then mixed using a small stencil brush starting with the darkest color. After testing the pattern on a plain piece of paper, speckles were added somewhat uniformly to the entire lower hull, the edges of the front and rear hull, and a little to the front fenders. This was then repeated using a medium brown color and finally with a dried mud color. Here is what she looks like right now:



I should note that while ALL of these steps were accomplished on the lower hull - mud, clay color, dust color, dark wash, and speckling - they were also accomplished on the drive sprockets, idlers, and the wheel assemblies.

Now I think it's time to start working on the tracks beyond the base coat. I might get to those this afternoon, but possibly not until tomorrow. This means that the build is finally reaching the home stretch. There are still some little details here and there, but mostly just simple stuff.

As always, all comments and questions are welcome.

Until next time...

[RLFoster]

OOps! Sorry, Dan...missed your comment.

Thanks a bunch!!!

[Buddho]

That is top notch weathering, Robert. Wow.

[JCON]

Looking very well used Robert... I like that you went with a different colored mud instead of the red clay so many go with on all armor builds!!! Well played!!!

[dogfish7 (R.I.P.)]

Over the top Robert!

[RLFoster]

Thanks, everyone! I'm back at the tracks, so maybe another update tomorrow.

[ogrejohn]

Dang fine work Robert!

[RLFoster]

Thank you, Sir!

[BUCKY]

I'm really liking this weathering work!!

[JED]

Cool weathering Robert

[RLFoster]

Thank you both!

[RLFoster]

This is it, guys!

With the lower hull weathered to my satisfaction, the next step was to weather the tracks. This was done by first applying a heavy dried mud layer. Once it was dry, I used a brown charcoal pencil to remove and darker the inner section of the track where the road wheels and idler would scrub the mud and dirt away. Next, I used a silver pencil to lightly burnish the cleats where they might become polished with road use. Finally, I hit all the guide horns with a quick dry-brush of steel to indicate some polishing to these surfaces as well.

I painted the edges of the idler and each tooth on the drive sprocket with steel where these parts would polish with use and then began assembling all of the lower hull components. With everything in place, I noticed that the rocker arms on the inner sets of road wheels were not colored or weathered anywhere near the same as the lower hull - they stuck out like a sore thumb. So, I needed to spend about an hour this morning painting and weathering the rockers so they matched the lower hull as much as possible. In the end, everything went together very well and looks surprising matched to me:



I also added a little Future to the darkest mud areas on the lower hull. It's hard to see in this photo, but in the end, all the weathering steps seemed to come together quite nicely:



Next I turned my attention to all those little details that can make a model "pop" on the shelf. First I pulled out Ammo Fuel Spills mixture and lightly added some around the two fill points. Then I thinned some Abteilung 502 Grease oil paint and added two large areas of excessive leakage (shown below) as well as a few smaller dips and drops just to add variety:





On the mufflers - which I did need to hollow out during construction - I added some blackening to the very ends of the pipes and then continued this idea by adding some soot staining to the very outside edge of both rear fenders:



I kept the weathering on the interior of the model to the bare minimum. I added some dirt and scuffs to the areas where crew would be walking, hit the edges of most metal edges with some graphite to show wear, and added just a couple little dots of oil from gun servicing:



Finally, I realized I've never taken a shot of the model from above. So here's one to rectify that oversight -- an overhead view showing all the horizontal surfaces in their final form.



So that brings this build to a close. I hoped you've enjoyed the journey as much as I have. It finally feels like the mojo is returning.

Without further adieu, here are the obligatory "circle the model" shots:

















Until next time...

[JED]

Excellent work Rob, I've really enjoyed watching this