{"id":4401,"date":"2018-02-05T08:49:30","date_gmt":"2018-02-05T16:49:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ricklawler-propaganda.com\/propaganda\/?p=4401"},"modified":"2018-02-05T08:49:30","modified_gmt":"2018-02-05T16:49:30","slug":"full-metal-monster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ricklawler-propaganda.com\/propaganda\/2018\/02\/05\/full-metal-monster\/","title":{"rendered":"Full Metal Monster"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>In a letter written in 1487, Leonardo da Vinci wrote the following; <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI can make armored cars, safe and unassailable, which will enter the closed ranks of the enemy with their artillery, and no company of soldiers is so great that it will not break through them. And behind these our infantry will be able to follow quite unharmed and without any opposition.\u201d<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

However, it wasn\u2019t until 1915, following a demonstration of the Killen-Strait tractor, <\/span>that a young First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston<\/span> Churchill, pushed the sponsorship of the Landships Committee to investigate the potential of constructing a new weapon that, it was hoped, could to break the stalemate of trench warfare.  <\/span>In 1916, a massive iron beast (given the name \u201ctank\u201d to protect its\u2019 secrecy) rumbled across the barren battlefield and into history.<\/span><\/p>\n

Their first operational use was in September at Flers-Courcelette, but this first attempt was a near disaster. Most of the tanks broke down on their way, others bogged down in the mud. However, despite the lack of training of their crews, some managed to reach their designated objective, if only too few. Only 59 were part of this attack, most of them being captured afterward by the Germans. The first issues quickly arrived at the War Office. When they appeared however through the fog, they had an uncanny psychological effect on the German troops, which fled their trenches, leaving their machine guns. The distant roar and clinging of the tracks, and later the slow-moving masses emerging from the fog which resembled nothing built yet were enough. But their ability to take punishment and return fire was compelled by the fact the Germans were caught completely unaware of their existence. A real surprise achieved by the well-guarded secret behind the name that stuck ever since, the \u201ctank\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The Takom MkI kit(s) are really wonderful \u201cweekend\u201d projects as the large surfaces and good fit provide a quick build \u2013 easily done within 2 days.<\/span>  <\/span>Having built both the male and female versions of the MkI and, except for the main armaments and a few accessories, they are identical kits. <\/span> <\/b>I chose to deviate slightly from the instructions in certain areas, mostly keeping the sub-assemblies apart for ease of painting.  <\/span>However, be aware that when you do put everything together that there is a certain sequence that must be followed for everything to fit properly \u2013 especially the trailer.  <\/span>It\u2019s not a big deal, just be mindful.<\/span><\/p>\n

Gone are the days of the simple primer layer.  <\/span>One of the keys to creating a visually interesting presentation is in creating depth and variations within the finish.  <\/span>A variation of our familiar pre-shade techniques, here I use black and white (and shades of grey) primer to establish the underlying tones and textures. <\/span>I follow by airbrushing an uneven and somewhat translucent layer of AMMO Slate Grey as the overall base color.  <\/span>The trick here is to apply enough paint to establish the color, while still allowing the primer shading to show through. <\/span><\/p>\n