martin g

Hi. Im new here, i joined up to hopefully get advice and tips etc. I dont expect it for free so, i guess I can offer some advice on detailing of the Heng Long tanks?

My son wanted an RC tank this year, so I got him a HL one, i soon got into helping him paint it etc, then things got silly and we ended up with three tanks, soon to be four. I have chucked some pics up here for you all. The Walker bulldog is his xmas gift, so ssshhhhh ok? I get the detail from historic photo's and try to match them with painting and weathering, Im a sucker for detail and I even put in welds and rust runs etc, always worth the extra minutes.

Walker Bulldong S+S

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c2...n/IMG_1073.jpg

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c2...n/IMG_1076.jpg

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c2...n/IMG_1072.jpg

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c2...n/IMG_1077.jpg

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c2...n/IMG_1079.jpg

Pershing S+S ( winter wash)

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c2...n/IMG_1081.jpg

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c2...n/IMG_1084.jpg

Tiger 1 (yeh i know, i need to switch the gun around sorry)

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c2...n/IMG_1083.jpg

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c2...n/IMG_1086.jpg

Panther ( winter) funny how a flash shows up the bits you miss!!

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c2...n/IMG_1085.jpg

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c2...n/IMG_1082.jpg

The bunch

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c2...n/IMG_1080.jpg

I am after tips on upgrading the electronics, cheap ways of getting metal tracks and Gear boxes ( so expensive on ebay) and common faults and how to fix them. If you are in the UK, I am considering offering a service to paint and weather your tanks etc, if there is interest of course, no major plans yet though.

Hope you enjoyed.

Martin

Panther F

Welcome and WOW!!


Jeff

Plastic scouser

Welcome to the forum, Great tanks [sm=thumbup.gif] i love the weathering on the exhaust of the Bulldog.

Cheers Ian

FMB42

Welcome aboard MG, and thanks for all the excellent photos. Your rust runs etc are great! Here in CA we don't have rust, we have sun faded paint.

martin g

Thanks guys, Im going to trawl the forum now, see how much I can learn.

Wozwasnt

Hi Martin

Those missed bits on the panther make it look like some of the whitewash has washed off. You'll find that this is a very expensive hobby, and thats before you start looking at the 1/6th scale stuff.

shenlonco

My Feedback: (2)

NICE!!
Your Kid is going to love that walker bulldog!!

schutzstaffel

hi martin ,
your pershing tank [sm=thumbs_up.gif]
it looks great in white [sm=shades_smile.gif].

Rambeast

I must say that is some amazing work. THe only advice I can offer is from Mato toys. They are the most reasonable I have found. I wish I could help more so I could get one of those fancy paint jobs lol !
Keep up the good work[sm=thumbup.gif]

pantiger man

Great work escpecially love the dog and pershing.

Kind regards pantigerman.

Captainbertie

Hi Martin g,

Welcome aboard and excellent work old chap...........plenty of help here......great bunch of guys from all over the world.....pretty amazing really...........good luck.....

CaptB

scradge

looks like my painting skills are gunna come in here!

my other half has baught me S&S Tiger for xmas but when it came she whipped it away and put it in a box!

I HAVENT EVEN SEEN THE COLOUR OF THE BOX!

women can be so mean.

Those pictures are FANTASTIC! i think ill keep my tank panzer grey my favourite the plastic lookstacky can anyone recomend a good paint to use for that? preferrable sprayable?
cheers
scradge.

raimian

hi martin, nice job on the tanks.

for upgrade electronics you would be best going to clark for their range which also has a IR battle system which will make battleing more funand is 100% tamiya battle system compatible. the only problem is that you will need to get a standard r/c transmitter and reciever for each tank, the clark electronics for 1:16 scale are due for release in march/april.

here is a link to the clark site; http://www.freewebtown.com/jyliang/eng/index_e.html

also as you are in the UK i would recommend buying 40mhz radio gear as this will cause less problems for other r/c users nearby.

i hope this helps

raimian

martin g

Thanks all, and im glad you appreciate the paint jobs.

One of my missions for the boy ( ok for me too, i enjoy working on these tanks) is to slowly replace what i see as cheap wiring and motors etc to better quality ones. I have already ordered a pair of aftermarket hi toorque motors for fitting to one of the tanks as an upgrade. I will also change the main connection wires to better wire and re-do some of that very dodgy soldering !! In all to make the kits more reliable really. I must say fro what I see, the Bulldog is much better quality inside than the others, maybe HL have upped thier Qualityas they progress.???????

OwlsfanDan

Love that Pershing!!! Just out of interest, what paints did you use? I hav recently got a HL Pershing (well OK, its for Christmas!!!), and am thinking about one day taking the plunge and painting it, if only to cover up the silver sprocket wheels!!!

martin g

Hey Dan

I use tamiya Acrylic paints. You will need some thinners too, then get creative. I wont use an airbrush as a rule, I think it looks fake for the most part. Remember, when those guys in the field had to do a quick winter wash for real, they didnt have fancy kit at hand. The best way is to use a sponge, a fine one, practice mixing and thinning paints until you get the desired effect. The sponge, used slowly and lightly also gives grained effet that gives the finish a more realistic roughish feel. Finish off with some weathering, either use very thin paint, or you can buy weathering powder ( or pigment) and use your finger to 'smudge' it in. just think about how your doing it, if you are good with powder you can create a 3D effect on edging ( see the panther turret in my pics).

If you need more tips just ask, putting in welds is fun, and a bit smelly, see 5th Bulldog pic for welds and also the effect that a sponge has on the paint finish, you struggle to get that with an airbrush. The dimpled effect behind the mantlet is also a little trick.

martin g

Scradge

The fore mentioned Tamiya paint is a good one, it's number XF-66 named Light Grey. DO NOT spray it mate, get a sponge and dab it on firmly, use a fine brush to get into the cracks. Once dry, dirty the paint job with powder weathering, again by Tamiya (looks like a ladies make up thingy has 3 colours in it) the colour of powder you use depends on where the tank is/was serving, mud, sand or light sand. Pay attention to areas which would natuarally get dirty, even put footmarks on the hull, the crew got up there somehow. On the bulldog, i even put mud on the rungs on the side of the turret from dirty boots. Create a sooty effect around the exhausts etc, it all makes for a better model. My brother was tank crew in the British Army 2nd Royal tank, he gave me tips on where a tank gets dirty!

One final thing I am to do is to get some model foliage and dress the tanks with extra camo. Watch this space for that.