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.

Sd.Kfz.165 Hummel [Initial Version] | Dragon | 1/35

This kit was given to me by İbrahim Öner. I believe he needed a tank for a diorama project. Naturally, I didn’t miss the opportunity and jumped on it right away. It was a very detailed kit. I had never built a 1/35 scale model with such an extensively detailed interior before, so it was a great learning experience for me as well.

The tracks were individual link tracks, which have been my favorite lately. I assembled them link by link and tried to create a natural sag. Since I wanted one side of the tank to look damaged, I used different drive sprockets on each side, as if one had been replaced after damage.

During the modification phase, I first removed the side panel. I wanted it to look as if there had been an explosion there and the panel had been blown off. I recreated the damaged parts using an aluminum soda can and other leftover materials I had on hand. I also placed a spare track link between them, as if it had flown in and gotten stuck there—but it eventually fell off. I painted the damaged drive sprocket using Tamiya Surface Primer Red Oxide Spray.

Once the assembly was complete, I primed the entire model in gray using Tamiya Gray Surface Primer. As I mention in every build, I prefer gray primer because it reveals surface flaws and gives me the chance to fix them before applying the main paint. After the primer dried, I applied pre-shading using Mr. Hobby Gunze Aqueous Hobby Color Acrylic Paint GSI-H12 Flat Black.

After completing the priming stage, I moved on to painting the tank. For the base color, I used AK Interactive German Dunkelgelb Special Modulation Set. I realize I’ve been using this set quite often in my last few builds, but the operational period of these models matched this color, so I didn’t really have another choice.

Just as I finished the main color and was ready to move on to details, İbrahim changed his mind and asked for the tank to be painted as if it had been used in a winter diorama. So I applied the hairspray technique and painted the entire tank with Vallejo Model Color 70951 White. Afterward, I distressed the white paint using water and a brush to achieve a winter camouflage effect.

Once the main paintwork was finished, I moved on to painting the details. I started with the tracks. I painted them using Vallejo Air 71080 Rust. For me, this rust tone is the classic track color for World War II vehicles. After that, I dry-brushed the tracks with Vallejo Air 71065 Steel. 

I painted the rubber portions of the wheels with Vallejo Air 71315 Tyre Black. Using the same color, I also painted the metallic parts of the tools both inside and outside the tank. I then dry-brushed the metal parts with Vallejo Air 71065 Steel. 

I first painted the exhaust at the rear and the spare track links at the front using Vallejo Air 71080 Rust. Then I tried to achieve a more natural appearance using pigments from Vallejo Pigment Set Art. 73.194 Rust & Corrosion. I also painted the rods at the rear of the tank with Vallejo Model Color 70951 White and Vallejo Model Color 70957 Flat Red.

I painted the interior of the tank in yellow using the same AK Interactive German Dunkelgelb Special Modulation Set as the exterior. The areas worn by the gun’s forward and backward movement were painted with Revell Aqua Color Aluminium. With that, the entire painting stage of the tank was completed.

After the paint dried, I sealed the tank with a semi-matte coat using Vallejo 70522 Satin Varnish. Although I’ve stopped using satin varnish recently, I was still using it at the time of this build. Once the varnish dried, I started placing the decals.

The decals included in the kit were very high quality. In addition to those, I also used some decals I already had in my collection. I believe the decal added to the gun barrel tip was a particularly nice detail. I placed all the decals using Tamiya Mark Fit. After the decals dried, I applied another satin varnish coat and moved on to the oil-paint filtering stage.

For the filtering process, I used Winsor & Newton oil paints. I first applied a white filter using Winton Titanium White. 

Next, I applied a filter using Winton Chrome Yellow Hue, and finally Winton Burnt Sienna to complete the filtering stage. Filtering fades the paint very effectively and helps bring the color tones closer together.

After the filtering stage, I waited for the Terlans odorless thinner to dry. While this thinner doesn’t bother me with strong fumes, it does take some time to dry. Once it was fully dry, I began the washing process.

For the interior wash, I used AK Interactive AK093 Enamel Wash for Interior. Unfortunately, this wash didn’t flow into the recesses as well as I expected, and I struggled quite a bit to remove it from the painted surfaces. I suspect that due to its formulation, it didn’t move well over the satin varnish.

For the exterior wash, I used Humbrol AV0201 Black Enamel Wash. I think I was more successful on the exterior than on the interior—at least I managed to save the tank with minimal staining. For the tracks, I used AK Interactive AK083 Enamel Track Wash.

Once the washes were complete and the tank had fully dried, I applied a matte varnish to prepare the surface for the next weathering steps. The slightly rough surface created by matte varnish makes weathering much easier. I used Vallejo 26518 Matt Acrylic Varnish as my matte coat.

I generally start weathering from the lower sections of the tank and work my way upward. I applied dust effects to the tracks using various pigment mixes I had on hand. I then applied the same pigments to the sides of the tank and used a mixture of thinner and AK Interactive AK4062 Light Dust Deposit both to add color variation and to fix the pigments in place.

I washed the exhaust and the spare track links at the front using Ammo Mig Jimenez A.MIG-1004 Enamel Light Rust Wash. Using the same product, I also created streaking effects on the model. Looking at them now, these streaks appear a bit too strong.

To finish the weathering stage, I washed the entire hull using highly diluted pigments mixed with thinner to simulate accumulated dust deposits. Finally, I used a graphite pencil and a graffiti pencil to add scratches to raised edges and completed the weathering process.

I finished the tank in this condition and photographed it. When I delivered it to İbrahim Öner, he wanted the tank to look destroyed, so I added an entry hole on the side and an exit hole at the front. Unfortunately, I don’t have photos of this final state. I delivered the completed model and moved on to a new project.

M1A1 (HA) Abrams I Revell I 1/72

After moving into my new home, I no longer had a proper workbench to build models on. I ended up working on a small side table instead. Years ago, I had built a 1/35 scale Abrams, and I figured it was finally time to make one in 1/72 scale as well. So I put Revell’s M1A1 kit on the bench.

During assembly, I struggled a lot—classic Revell quality, as always. The side skirts at the front refused to meet the fenders properly, leaving enormous gaps. I filled those areas with putty.

The upper and lower hull halves also did not fit together correctly. Those joints ate up a lot of putty. Be careful when assembling the tracks because the instructions are wrong. In fact, the instructions are incorrect or incomplete in several places, so you really need to stay alert while building.

For priming, I used Tamiya Gray Surface Primer spray. Strangely, the primer didn’t cover the puttied areas at all. I had used Vallejo 70400 Plastic Putty, and I had never experienced anything like this before.

Since I didn’t want to paint the tank in the usual desert yellow or NATO camouflage like everyone else, I decided to go with a forest-green scheme—similar to the Abrams tanks we’ve been seeing in Europe recently. I painted the entire model with Vallejo Model Air 71093 NATO Green.

I selected the paints for color modulation myself instead of using a ready-made set. First, I applied Vallejo Model Air 71137 US Light Green over the surfaces except for the naturally shaded areas. This created the first layer of tonal variation.

Then I wanted to brighten the tank even more with a lighter tone, so I used Vallejo Model Air 71009 Eau de Nil D.E. Green for the highlights. This completed the modulation stage. Once the main painting was done, I moved on to dry brushing.

I dry-brushed the raised details using Vallejo Model Air 71321 IJA Light Grey Green. I love dry brushing because it gives the model a lot of depth and volume—but if you overdo it, it can become distracting.

After finishing the dry brushing, I moved on to painting the smaller details. I painted all the tracks with Vallejo Air 71315 Tyre Black. Then I dry-brushed the metal parts of the tracks with Vallejo Air 71065 Steel.

I painted the exhaust grille at the rear with Revell Aqua Color 36109 Anthracite. I used the same color for the machine guns, the barrel tip, and the towing hooks. Afterwards, I dry-brushed those parts with Vallejo Air 71065 Steel. I painted the rubber sections of the road wheels with Vallejo Air 71315 Tyre Black.  

Once all the painting was finished, I sealed the tank with Vallejo 70522 Satin Varnish. This semi-matte coat protected everything I had done up to that point. Since the weather was warm, the varnish dried very quickly.

After the varnish cured, I looked through the decal options. I wanted this build to represent a European-based tank. The kit includes decals for vehicles used in Bosnia, and I thought those would be the most appropriate, so I decided to use them.

I only used a few of the decals. Reference photos show that forest-green Abrams tanks carry very minimal markings, so I followed that approach. To set the decals properly, I used Tamiya Mark Fit.

After the decals dried, I sealed the tank again with satin varnish to eliminate any shine. Then it was time to apply filters. For this stage, I used Winsor & Newton oil paints.

First, I applied a white filter using titanium white. Then I added a filter with Burnt Sienna. Finally, I applied a green filter using Chrome Green Hue and left the tank to dry once more.

After the filters were done, it was time for washes. Since the tank was green, I thought a dark brown wash would be the most appropriate. I used Tamiya Panel Line Accent Color – Dark Brown for the wash. After application, I removed the excess with a brush dipped in thinner. 

The tracks consist of two separate components: rubber pads and metallic sections. I wanted the metal parts to look rusty, so I used AK Interactive AK083 Enamel Track Wash on the tracks. After completing all the washes on the tank, I let everything dry. I usually use Terlans odorless thinner for washes, but for some reason this product dries very slowly.

Once the tank was completely dry, I moved on to the final protective varnish. I used Vallejo 26518 Matt Acrylic Varnish as my matte coat. Matte varnish makes weathering easier. 

With single-color tanks, too much matte varnish can make the model look like a toy. That’s why I thin the varnish heavily and apply light layers. In this form, the varnish helps blend the tones and makes the model look much nicer overall.

I started the weathering process from the lower hull. First, I applied Vallejo 73119 Europe Earth pigment to the tracks. Then I mixed Vallejo 73121 Desert Dust with thinner and applied it as well. After it dried, I cleaned off the excess with thinner.

I applied the same method to the side skirts and the front and rear sections. To add some variation, I also created white streaks using Winsor & Newton Titanium White on those surfaces. After creating the streaks, I applied pigments again over them.

Once the pigment application was done and all pigments were fixed with thinner, I used AK Interactive AK4062 Light Dust Deposit on the same areas to create accumulated dust effects.

One of the biggest mistakes I tend to make when weathering modern tanks is weathering the hull heavily while leaving the turret too clean. To avoid that criticism again, I applied the same weathering steps to the turret—but much more lightly.

I used Humbrol Weathering Powder Smoke on the gun muzzle at the front and on the engine exhaust grille at the back to create soot effects. I kept the application very light; otherwise, it starts to look like chimney soot.

I drew over all the corners and edges of the tank with a graphite pencil. This simple step creates a very convincing metallic effect. I also have a graphite art pencil given to me by Mustafa Dombay. Using both pencils together helps enhance the metallic look even more.

I sent this model to Ahmet Gürkan, who photographed it for me and took it to the 12th Plastic Battle Military Ground Vehicle Competition. My model won a bronze medal at the event. Many thanks to everyone who supported me, and especially to Ahmet Gürkan for taking the model to the competition on my behalf.