Meng French FT-17 Light Tank (Rivetted Turret) (2014)

[Bill Plunk]

After giving it some thought I decided to go ahead and continue work on the base area first before I start weathering the vehicle. This way I can treat them all as elements of the same end result more or less instead of working on them independently. To that end, I turned to Step 21 which deals with the trench details (sandbags, wooden frames/braces, etc.)

The sandbags that go in along the top edge consist of 5 different pieces, 4 of which you can assemble together to create one large unit with the 5th piece, K4, needing to be dealt with separately. I had to enlarge a couple of the slot openings in this area to take the tabs on the underside of the sandbags but nothing major. I also cleaned up and test fit all of the L sprue parts that make up the frames/braces for the trench to see how they would all play together.



In Step 20, the instructions would have you add the angled frame plates of the base individually but I found it easier to attach them separately to create a single frame as some sanding/putty was needed at the joins to create a seamless result. I also had to sand down a couple of the tabs as they were slightly too wide to fit the slots in the base frames.



So with that done, it was time to give the airbrush a workout to 'block in' the colors I needed for the trench detail elements. I used Testors Model Master enamel Afrika Grunbraun for the canvas on the sand bags and used my 50/50 custom mix of Dunkelgelb/Light Gray for the wood frames/braces. That may seem like an odd choice but it's just a foundational color that's going to undergo some significant changes before its all said and done! While I was at it, I also applied some MM enamel Flat Black to the base frame.



This will all get a chance to cure before moving on to the next steps but it is moving ahead!

[Bill Plunk]

More progress on the base to report. I applied some weathering to the sand bags in the form of some black artist pastels and some dry brushing to create some shadows and highlights.

For the wood braces/planks, things turned out a little more interestingly. I originally started out planning to finish them as relatively 'new' wood and applied a wash of MM enamel Leather over the previous paint base color. This worked out fine by themselves but when I placed them on the base I didn't like the tonal contrast, so I switched gears and decided to go aged wood instead. Rather than strip it and start over, I decided to keep what I'd already done and build on it instead. So I applied another wash, this time using MM enamel Gunmetal, and then dry brushed some MM enamel Light Gray to bring out the wood grain pattern. Some strategic use of black artist pastels also helped add some definition here and there.



I'm fairly happy with the direction this one's heading in so far especially since it's sort of uncharted territory as I don't usually do bases for my builds.

[Bill Plunk]

Continuing on with the base work, I decided the trench area needed some help in the pigments department. I used a combination of Mig Dark Mud and Dry Mud applied as dry powders with stiff bristled brushes and worked it around until I was happy with the depth/shading it was giving me.



Then the wood braces were permanently installed along with the sand bags and the glue allowed to set. Once that was solid, I blended them in where appropriate using more of the pigments.



Shifting gears a bit, I went back to the vehicle and did some of the detail work there. The sledgehammer, shovel, and pick were hand detailed and installed where needed. Leather straps were painted and detailed and the muffler/exhaust worked on and installed as well. The folded tarp was added to the tail to round things out in that department.





So here's where things stand at the moment as the little scene starts to come together.

[Bill Plunk]

With the trench portion of the base done, I turned my attention to the top side of the base. Once the vehicle is placed, most of it will be covered with the shell crater being the main point of focus. I added some Mig Russian Earth pigments to the inner rim of the crater and in various places where I wanted to create some deep shadows. Mig Dry Mud pigments helped create more variation in the top side look and feel.

I hand brushed some Future acrylic floor polish to the bottom of the crater to protect the paint work done earlier and let it dry. Then a thinned wash of Afrika Braun was added and built up through multiple doses to create some muddy water effects. More Future was carefully hand brushed over the Braun wash to round out the 'puddle' accumulation.







I think I've got the base where I want it now, so will let it sit and turn back to getting the FT17 to match up.

[Bill Plunk]

Started in on the weathering for the actual tank itself. First order of business were the tracks, they received some dry-brushing using MM enamel Steel to add to the previous airbrushed base coat and give them a more metallic look.



The metal contact surfaces of the sprockets and idlers were detailed with some MM non-buffing metalizer Steel and then dry-brushed with MM enamel Burnt Umber. Using an old worn out brush, I also stippled some of the Burnt Umber onto the suspension and lower hull areas as the first round of weathering to create some scuffing/scratching and wear and tear. More to come in this area of course before it's all said and done!





Next up will be a coat of Future to seal it all up and allow for the markings to go down.

[Bill Plunk]

Markings are on! The kit-supplied decals are by Cartograf and the only modification I made was to separate the little '5' numerals for the turret from the heart insignia and applying them individually. Some Solvaset was applied to ensure they snugged down tight and once dry, a 2nd coat of Future was airbrushed over them to seal and protect for the washes and weathering to come.

[Bill Plunk]

Weathering work continues on this little guy, first step was an overall application of thinned MM enamel Raw Umber. This inevitably darkens the finish but is meant to serve as a foundation for the dot filtering step that comes next and not an independent layer per se.



The dot filter application came next. I used small dots of MM enamel Raw Sienna, Light Gray, and the 50/50 base coat mid for the filter. The vehicle is fairly small to begin with, so I used different sized square-tip blender brushes where appropriate to get into some of the tighter spaces.







Will let that sit and the apply a pin wash to help pop out some of the detail as the next step.

[Bill Plunk]

More progress on the weathering, this time it was the pin wash turn to make all those rivet details stand out. I used a pointed 10/0 brush and some highly thinned MM enamel Burnt Umber.



After the first pass, I used some clean thinner and the same brush to remove excess wash or adjusted it where needed to get the desired effect.







And just for fun, a quick check with the base to make sure things are still headed in the same direction.

[Bill Plunk]

Latest round of efforts was all about the pigments. First order of business was applying a sealing dull coat using Testors Model Master Lusterless Flat in the spray can.



Lower hull and suspension areas were given a wet application of Mig Dark Mud. I used normal tap water with a touch of liquid dish washing soap to break the surface tension and a regular sable brush to apply the pigments.



Pigments are allowed to air dry, then the excess is removed with a series of stiff bristled brushes. More pigment is removed using wet and dry Q-tips to get the effect I'm after.



The end result builds nicely on the previous layers, creating a nice effect.



The tracks got a similar treatment but using Mig Dry Mud pigments.



Tracks were installed permanently onto the vehicle to complete the process.





Dry-fit onto the base shows that everything looks like it belongs.





The fit onto the base is a little tricky, will play with that a little bit more before I call this one fully done but it's 99% there.

[Bill Plunk]

Latest round of efforts was all about the pigments. First order of business was applying a sealing dull coat using Testors Model Master Lusterless Flat in the spray can.



Lower hull and suspension areas were given a wet application of Mig Dark Mud. I used normal tap water with a touch of liquid dish washing soap to break the surface tension and a regular sable brush to apply the pigments.



Pigments are allowed to air dry, then the excess is removed with a series of stiff bristled brushes. More pigment is removed using wet and dry Q-tips to get the effect I'm after.



The end result builds nicely on the previous layers, creating a nice effect.



The tracks got a similar treatment but using Mig Dry Mud pigments.



Tracks were installed permanently onto the vehicle to complete the process.





Dry-fit onto the base shows that everything looks like it belongs.





The fit onto the base is a little tricky, will play with that a little bit more before I call this one fully done but it's 99% there.