German V1 Missile Launcher with E-100 body | Modelcollect | 1/72

I decided to build this kit mainly because it included an E-100 hull, and it was a gift from Erhan Atalay. The E-100 is one of my favorite tanks, and I’m planning to build other kits of it in the future as well. I also started this kit to get some inspiration for future projects.

The kit also included etched metal parts. Modelcollect is already known as a high-quality manufacturer, and I had no issues assembling the plastic parts. I chose to assemble the hull without the side skirts, as I personally prefer the look of the model this way.

Before painting, I primed the model using Mission Models MMS-003 Grey Primer. The main issue with Mission Models paints is that they tend not to adhere well to plastic surfaces. To avoid that problem, I preferred to use a primer.

After the primer dried, I painted the entire tank with Mission Models MMS-014 RAL 7021 Panzer Grey. To modulate the grey areas, I used Mission Models MMS-061 FS35189 US Blue Grey. Once the paint dried, I masked the grey sections.

After masking the grey areas, I applied Mission Models MMP-001 White. Once the paint dried and I removed the masking tape, I faced an unpleasant reality: despite using primer, the paint had not adhered properly to the plastic, and large sections peeled off with the tape. I then masked the white areas and repainted the grey sections—but this time, the white paint lifted. In the end, I had to touch up all the damaged areas by hand.

Once the main hull painting was finished, I moved on to the details. There wasn’t much extra equipment on the tank. I painted the tracks using Vallejo Air 71080 Rust and dry-brushed them with Vallejo Air 71065 Steel. I painted the protective housings on the sides of the hull in the same steel color.

After finishing the hull painting, I moved on to painting the missile mounted on the vehicle. I used Mission Models MMS-061 FS35189 US Blue Grey on the lower part of the missile. For the upper section, I used Mr. Hobby Aqueous Hobby Color H048 Field Gray (2), which leans more toward green than grey.

Once the painting was complete, I varnished the model using Vallejo 70522 Satin Varnish. After the varnish dried, I applied decals that I had sourced myself. Following the decals, I applied another coat of varnish and then used Winsor & Newton products to apply grey, white, and blue filters. 

I did not apply an overall wash to the model—only pin washes. For this, I used Humbrol AV0201 Black Enamel Wash. I didn’t wash the missile at all; instead, I used Tamiya 87131 Panel Line Accent Color Black to bring out the panel lines.

After the washing stage, I varnished the model once more to prepare it for weathering. I used Vallejo 26518 Matt Acrylic Varnish on the hull. The slightly rough surface created by matte varnish helps pigments adhere more easily during weathering. 

For varnishing the missile, I used Vallejo 26517 Gloss Acrylic Varnish. Since missiles are not used extensively and are usually launched shortly after production, I assumed they wouldn’t show much wear, so I preferred a glossy finish.

As always, I started weathering from the lower areas. I added a dusty look to the tracks and wheels using AK Interactive AK042 European Earth Pigment and AMMO by Mig Jimenez AMIG0037 Dark Earth pigments. I used the same pigments to dust the front and rear sections of the tank as well.

I later realized that I had forgotten to paint the two exhausts at the rear and decided to weather them directly using pigments. For this, I used Vallejo Pigments Art. 73194 Rust & Corrosion Set. However, without a dark rust base over the grey paint, the effect didn’t look very natural. This turned out to be the most significant mistake in this build.

I didn’t weather the missile, but I tried to heavily fade its color using Winsor & Newton Titanium White oil paint. While it looked quite natural in some areas, it stood out awkwardly in others.

I created streaking effects on the guard in front of the missile launcher using Winsor & Newton Burnt Sienna oil paint. However, since there were too many decals in that area, I couldn’t quite achieve the natural look I was aiming for.

Finally, I highlighted the edges of the vehicle using a graphite pencil. I also rubbed a graphite art pencil on the raised details of the hull to enhance the metallic appearance. With that, I decided the model was finished.

Building a model of such an unusual vehicle—one I had never encountered before—was very enjoyable for me. With this project, I also built my first model of a flying object. I placed the model in my display cabinet and started browsing my stash to decide on the next project.

T-72B ERA I Modelcollect I 1/72

When I first came across the Polish website called Jadar Hobby, I initially looked for kits that were not available in Turkey. I didn't know much about Modelcollect before. I was intrigued by the T-72 tanks I had seen during the Syrian War. I saw the kit of this tank on Jadar Hobby and bought it, thus acquiring a kit from a brand I had never tried before.

 

Upon examining the kit, I noticed that it had a large number of parts and that the plastic was quite soft and of good quality. The lower part of the model's body was also made of metal. Additionally, the tracks were made of a different soft material. The kit passed my quality assessment.

First, I assembled the turret. There were so many details that I got lost in them. After assembling the turret, I placed the bricks called ERA in their designated spots. Such level of detail in this scale is truly remarkable.

When I assembled the entire model, I wasn't quite satisfied with the craftsmanship I achieved. I had always been accustomed to Trumpeter's thin but hard plastic. I ended up damaging the soft plastic too much. I had to make a lot of corrections before painting.

I initially painted the tank with a dark green color. Then, I went over it with a mixture of white and green to lighten the color and break the monotony of the tank.

After finishing the painting of the tank, I worked on the details. Although there were many details, most of them were the same color as the tank. I painted the machine gun anthracite and dry brushed it with metallic paint. 

At this stage, I realized that I had forgotten to paint the rubber parts of the wheels. Since I had also added side skirts, I painted the visible parts. The main painting of the tank was thus completed.

These tank didn't have many decals, but the places where they were supposed to adhere were quite uneven. I only had mark fit at hand. Microsol would have been better for the decals to settle properly. However, the final result didn't turn out bad. 

After the decals settled, I applied a gloss varnish over them. The gloss varnish helped protect the decals and paint.

After the gloss varnish, I proceeded with washing. I washed the tank with AK wash product for green vehicles. But the result I achieved was beyond my expectations. The recessed areas filled nicely with paint, enhancing the overall appearance.

I then applied matte varnish. However, the color of the paint became much darker than I intended. Weathering processes become much easier with matte varnish, but the paint darkens significantly after the varnish.

Initially, I painted the bricks on the vehicle in different colors. Then, I used various washing solutions on them. This helped break the monotony caused by a single color.

To bring out the protruding parts of the tank, I dry brushed them with metallic paint. Additionally, I went over the edges with a pencil. This slightly alleviated the dark appearance of the tank.

I went over the wheel parts with a mixture of pigments I prepared. I filled the spaces between the wheels with pigment. I also filled the hidden corners of the tank with pigment. Then, I went over them with turpentine. This way, the pigment adhered to the tank.

I mixed rust effects with thinner until I achieved a fluid consistency and applied it to the left side of the tank. This side took on a rusty tone. On the right side, I mixed dust effect with water, resulting in a brighter, cleaner appearance. As always, my goal was to break monotony.

Using streaking grime, I created leak effects around the mouths of the fuel drums on the rear of the tank, adding a layer of realism.

Finally, I applied dust effects to the side skirts and soot effects around the exhaust. At this point, I completed the tank. If you're considering trying a Modelcollect kit, I say go for it without hesitation.

After some time, I was no longer satisfied with the results and decided to strip all the paint by soaking the model in DOT3 fluid for a day.

This time, I aimed to build a lighter, more varied-looking tank. I painted the entire tank dark green and then modulated the tone using light green.

I dry brushed sharp areas using the base color heavily lightened with white. Compared to before, the resulting color was much lighter, and I finally achieved the tone I was aiming for.

Once the main painting was done, I moved to the details. I painted the ERA bricks on the hull and turret in different tones to prevent uniformity. The tracks were painted rust, and the rubber parts of the wheels were painted anthracite.

The machine gun was painted anthracite and dry brushed with metallics. I also dry brushed the tracks. I attempted a soot effect on the side exhaust, but the solution turned out brown. The wooden log on the rear was painted to resemble real wood.

Once the painting was complete, I applied gloss varnish and added the decals. Since there weren't many decals, this didn't take much time. I followed with another coat of gloss varnish.

During the oil paint phase, I applied filters in white, burnt sienna, and yellow. Later, I added blue to create subtle variations. This both eliminated the uniformity and beautifully faded the colors.

After the oils dried, I performed a black wash, carefully applying it mainly to the recessed areas. I also adjusted the log's color that I didn’t like previously.

I sealed the tank with a final matte varnish to prepare it for weathering. As I always say, applying weathering over a matte finish makes the process much easier.

I began weathering from the top. Using dust liquids, I washed the sides of the turret and applied sponge weathering to areas frequently handled by crew members.

Metallic weathering was done on the tank’s corners using pencil and graphite. This helped eliminate the plastic look, giving it a metallic appearance.

I washed the rust-colored ERA bricks with rust liquid to enhance realism and added chipping using a sponge.

After completing the turret, I moved to the hull. I reapplied soot pigment around the exhaust and fixed it using pigment fixer.

I added oil streaks on the barrels at the rear and dust washes underneath for wear.

I completed dusting and chipping along the tank's lower and side surfaces using both pigments and washes. Dusty effects suit this tank very well, so I repeated the process several times.

I also weathered the wheels with washes and pigments, then did the same for the tracks, completing the running gear's weathering.

Lastly, I applied downward streaking effects using wash liquids on the ERA blocks and skirts, leaving some residue at the bottom to simulate accumulation.

After going over every missing spot and finalizing small corrections, I completed the tank. The final paint and weathering gave it the look I wanted. 

Compared to the first version, the final model was noticeably lighter. I was happy to have achieved my goal and placed the tank in my display case before moving on to the next kit.