Monster Truck Madness – Shermans and Tigers, Oh My!
Hello everybody! Happy Thursday and Happy Independence Day to my fellow American readers!
And what’s extra American than a Sherman tank?
The shot above is of my Heng Long M4A3 1/16 Sherman Tank Professional Edition! I nonetheless want to color my drive sprockets/loafer wheels and treads, however I went forward and added the dimensions equipment and a lot of the decals! The tank is a completely functioned unit, with lights, sound, and a working airsoft cannon. It has has an IR unit for battling different tanks. But what’s it going to battle?
Well, that’s the precise topic I wish to discuss. My Heng Long 1/16 King Tiger Tank Professional Edition.
I picked one up a pair months in the past, and I’ve been engaged on it since then.
The whole tank has been painted by yours actually in an “ambush” kind of paint scheme, which was how most of the 1:1 monsters had been painted in 1944/45 on the Western Front. I used Tamiya XF-60 Dark Yellow, XF-61 Dark Green, and XF-64 Red Brown. Most of this was airbrushed, however I did some normal brushing as properly on it.
For the absolutely steel treads, I used AMMO Burnishing Fluid mixed with heat water to soak them, turning the uncooked steel to a darker, blackish coloration to make them look extra reasonable to what a full sized King Tiger’s appeared like (they used metal tracks).
I then loaded it up with scale equipment to complete it off.
I’m ecstatic with how the large cat turned out. And it’s huge! Even at 1/16 scale, the King Tiger (which was the largest tank of WW2) is freakin’ large. I don’t understand how a lot it weighs, however with the steel transmissions and operating gear, it must be round 12 lbs or so.
Both of the tanks are a complete blast to drive, however the huge Tiger II is a lot enjoyable to look at traverse terrain as I can simply sit there and watch the suspension do it’s factor all day. Yes, I’m a giant armor nerd.
Immediate plans are to complete up the Sherman, after which do some mild oil wash weathering on each of them.
As my familiarity with the mechanics of these items grows, I’m additionally hoping to do a correct 1980’s monster tank truck ultimately (on a brand new chassis).
Next week it’s again to monster vehicles, however I believed a few of you’d take pleasure in listening to about my descent into r/c tank insanity!
Until subsequent time, preserve it on all 4’s! Have a protected vacation weekend, everybody!