Zvezda BA-10

I built this kit around the same time as my T-70 but never progressed further than being primed. The kit itself is ok for the money. The detail is reasonable and the fits are acceptable. However, the tyres caused serious headache for me. The rims did not fit inside the vinyl wheels and were, too say the least, the weakest aspect of the kit. It may have been a one off molding problem with my particular kit but, you have been warned : ). A couple of months ago I was spraying and had some paint left over, and so decided to coat the BA in green since it was sitting on the shelf already primed. It received no post shading, just flat Vallejo Camo. Olive Green. On Friday the 26th (I am typing on the 28th) I decided to have a go at finishing it off, all I had to do before I began was varnish it. After that I painted various details light green and painted markings, this time in acrylic. I still am unhappy with the quality of my marking painting skills, but seen as this was another experiment  I though 'Why Not'. Anyway, as I was doing a filter, I applied too much white to one of the panels. This is when I decided to do a winter vehicle. Being my first white wash vehicle I was a little nervous, but seeing as it was a cheap kit that wasn't one of my more serious projects I didn't stress too much. I began by dotting white oil paint around rivets and in protected areas, then dragging and stippling it over the panels. The same approach was used on the wheels. As this was drying, I took a stiff, synthetic brush and streaked down  the way on panel edges. This gave the illusion of scrapes and the running of the water-based paint used for white washes in real life.The kit was then varnished again to seal the paint. Green was then dry brushed onto edges to brighten up the faded corners. The markings were then outlined in red to add some contrast. A black/grey wash was then applied to rivit heads and fenders etc. Chipping was done with Vallejo Black Grey using a sponge.
Time for weathering. AK Interactive 'Streaking Grime' was used as a base for the general dirtiness of the vehicle. Abteilung 'Wash Brown' was then used to enhance the streaky effect. Stains were agin, created with first, diluted black, then Abteilung 'Engine Grease'. Rust was done using Abteilung 'Light Rust' mixed with Abteilung 'Wash Brown'. Dots were applied, then streaked down. The mix was then diluted and applied selectively to areas, e.g. rivets. With just some final touches to the weathering to be done, this project has been very enjoyable and has made a change from the usual Green. Only taking 3 days from the first coat of varnish to final weathering, I am reasonably happy with how it turned out, considering I had never done a white-wash before and I was not using the classic 'Hair Spray Technique', I just put on the white oil paint and went from there without any research into how to create a white-wash. Still need to add some final dirtiness to underneath the doors but I am calling this one done for now.
Thanks for taking the time out to read my ramblings! Damn, school in the morning!

On some of the photos looking down on the turret ring without the turret, you will see some patchy white marks coming from the base of the turret. This is where I was trying out acrylic mapping. I liked the effect it gave  but chose to keep the oil base. Just if you were wondering. : ) Also, some of the photos may be in the wrong order. Sorry!