1/35 Eastern Express BT-42

Hi guys, sorry again for the delay, had exams :(
I started this kit back in October just as something to build at the club. I have noticed that a magoirty of the models I do are older ones I only start for something to do rather than focusing on the newer, better kits I have. Weird. Anyway, for its age and manufacturer, I was very pleasantly surprised as superb surface detail and ease of construction led to a simple build. My only additions were a texturing of the BT-7 turret section (probably not accurate but adds interest), exhaust and installation of spare track mounting pins. Games Work Shop 'Liquid Green Stuff' was stippled on for the rough effect seen on the fore-mentioned parts. The front left fender was damaged with a drill before being given the 'Green Effect'. The suspension was also very subtly weighted at the back to create the illusion of traversing the sloped terrain I had envisaged from the start.

To begin with, I sprayed the model with Model Air Matt Black to provide initial depth. next came highlights of white before a final coat of a bright green which I made from various colours. As usual, I am no happy with the way my airbrushing went and feel I must put more effort into this area. Anyway, this was followed by the usual process of Vallejo Olive Green with black infill. The mighty Adam Wilder's 'Speckling' technique was empolyed to add a finer level of chipping. Worn areas were then given shine using a  pencil. One of the fuel tanks was given a layer of the excellent AK Interactive 'Worn Effects' before being painted white. Warm water and a synthetic bristled brush was used to reveal the underlying green. Many stowage boxed are supplied and I painted them all but in the end only  used two :D . Im sure you've become to expect this but, I painted my own markings using a fine brush for the inverted swastika and a home made mask for the razor teeth (the slogan on the right, rear stowage box supposedly reads 'Forward').

Weathering took the form of multiple washes including AK's 'Dark Brown For Green'. Once these washes had dried, AK's 'Kursk Earth' or 'Kurks Earth' as it is spelt on the bottle :D :D, was used in conjunction with various oils from the Mig Abteilung range for creating streaky effects. Concentrations of black were used below the 'air intakes' and exhaust tips to suggest soot expulsion from these ports. Small areas on horizontal surfaces were given patches of different toned browns to replicate dirt build-up. Highly diluted acrylic black was then used to form dried up blotches of oil around the engine access panels etc. Rust was kept minimal as I made the presumption of these vehicles having been recently refurbished. The exhaust screen was the only exception being victim to heavy orange washes before rubbed with graphite. AK's 'Dark Earth' pigment was used frequently throughout this build as it is probably my favorite colour of powder you can get and has nice adhesion qualities