Renault FT-17

1
April 18, 2022
Made a start on the base.
2
April 18, 2022
3
April 18, 2022
4
April 23, 2022
Making a start on the driving compartment. I haven't filled the sink holes as these will be covered by the upper floor.
5
April 23, 2022
A little wear on the pedals, thanks to the cast texture.
6
April 23, 2022
Driving seat with leather back rest. Lots of moulded detail to try to bring to life.
7
April 23, 2022
8
April 23, 2022
9
April 23, 2022
10
April 23, 2022
Soo many extra appendages to be removed......
11
April 24, 2022
Too many small, fragile parts to add now. So, I'll use PVA glue to mask the fixing locations til after the hull has been assembled and primed. Then remove the PVA, and add the smallest parts.
12
April 24, 2022
White glue blobs added, and some parts primed.
13
April 24, 2022
Tool box painted.
14
April 24, 2022
Now comes the tricky bit.....
15
April 24, 2022
Next steps: hull walls glued to the floor, and driving controls added to side walls.
16
April 24, 2022
17
April 24, 2022
Enough for today, but will consider adding a wash to the white paint, to make it more 'lived in'.
18
April 30, 2022
Top deck added, and access doors loose fitted, so I can position the two triangular plates correctly.
19
April 30, 2022
Engine hatches added, and blobs of white glue in preparation for next steps
20
April 30, 2022
Preparing lots of panels for the turret. Main gun also being pre-painted ready for assembly.
21
April 30, 2022
Taking shape, slow but steady... All loose fitted for the moment.
22
April 30, 2022
Progress for today. Lots of moulded interior details on all of the hull and turret panels, so the visible panels have had a brown wash on top of the white.
23
April 30, 2022
Barely enough paint in the spray can to cover the main surfaces..... White glue removed, revealing clean surfaces for small items to be glued to.
24
April 30, 2022
25
May 2, 2022
Bogies started, with pre-painting and then tiny drops of glue at the fine posts between each half.
26
May 2, 2022
Coming together..... Everything is articulated!
27
May 2, 2022
First side done.
28
May 2, 2022
Parts for the second side prepared.
29
May 2, 2022
Both sides done, including some basic painting. Lots to do next weekend, so will experiment with paints for the camouflage scheme, on the dark grey primer on the hull, but not on the running gear.....
30
May 7, 2022
Time to try to turn shiny black plastic into slightly rusty cast iron and steel....
31
May 7, 2022
32
May 7, 2022
33
May 7, 2022
34
May 7, 2022
Some pre-shading on the turret and hull. Looking like an old galvanised water tank! Hence the name!!
35
May 7, 2022
36
May 7, 2022
Some colours to the rollers.
37
May 7, 2022
Adding some colours to the teeth.
38
May 7, 2022
Adding some colours to the steel-rimmed wooden wheels.
39
May 7, 2022
A couple of thin coats of the lightest colour added. Inaccessible areas need to be done before the next stages of assembly. Lots still to do...
40
May 7, 2022
Painting underway, but still keeping some small pieces off till all dry.
41
May 7, 2022
Some tiny PE straps to be fitted, so pre-painted. Hatches and doors painted inside and out, after adding handles.
42
May 7, 2022
Taking shape....
43
May 8, 2022
Tail skid assembled and painted. Still plenty to do before final assembly.
44
May 8, 2022
Dry-brushed high-lights in three colours, so now less uniform. Small areas of gloss added, for the few decals.
45
May 8, 2022
High-lights here too, and now the plaques are almost legible! Still to re-visit the large wooden wheels. Later....
46
May 14, 2022
Tail skid added, front hatch doors beaded, and PE strap for tools in process of being installed. Exhaust also added.
47
May 14, 2022
First side running gear added. Sledge hammer added, but shortened the mounting pegs, so that it sits tighter to the hull, and thus the air intake can fit tight to hull.
48
May 14, 2022
I'm going to leave the tool box in-painted, so that it looks wooden, and can be seen against the painted hull. Tiny straps might need to be scratched....
49
May 14, 2022
Driver's seat all visible still.
50
May 14, 2022
Some more kit parts to add, but twisted wire will try to look like chains. Don't want to drop the shackle pins in the mud, do we?
51
May 14, 2022
At last, final parts added, including the tracks. The pivoting bogies really do accommodate the undulations of the terrain!
52
May 14, 2022
53
May 14, 2022
I preferred not to use such a red-brown as the box art. Still looks fine to me.
54
May 14, 2022
55
May 14, 2022
56
May 14, 2022
The one part that I didn't use was the tarpaulin. So, I used foil from a margarine tub and made my own. Looks okay? I'll tone down the shiny shackle with a black wash.
57
May 14, 2022
58
May 14, 2022
All suggestions for improvements welcome. It looks very pristine at the moment, so perhaps some dust?
59
May 14, 2022
New orders!
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May 14, 2022
61
May 14, 2022
62
May 14, 2022

Comentarios

30 18 April 2022, 20:11

Robert Podkoński
Watching with interest, of course! 😉

23 April 2022, 12:48

Bruce Huxtable Autor
Always welcome, Robert.

23 April 2022, 14:09

Dietmar Bogatzki
Taking a seat 🙂

23 April 2022, 17:15

Bruce Huxtable Autor
Thanks for your 'likes', everyone. This is a really nice kit, and all is fitting with no issues so far. Lots of wheels and running gear next. I'll have to plan the pre-painting first..

24 April 2022, 18:01

Bruce Huxtable Autor
Building up the hill and turret, so I can think about priming with a rattle can.

30 April 2022, 12:55

Ben M
Watching 👀

30 April 2022, 18:11

Bruce Huxtable Autor
Can't put off starting the running gear, so that will be next, Ben. Lots of careful work to come....

30 April 2022, 19:34

Bruce Huxtable Autor
Running gear done, so back to the hull and turret for next small items to be fitted before the start of painting. A few brackets and PE straps will be kept off til the very end, so that the pioneer tools, etc can be kept out of the way.

3 May 2022, 11:11

Dietmar Bogatzki
Great job on the running gear, Bruce 🙂

3 May 2022, 14:21

Bruce Huxtable Autor
Thanks, Dietmar. I took the first set slowly, but the second set was much quicker. It all goes together really well. No parts lost to the carpet monster!

3 May 2022, 14:24

Dietmar Bogatzki
Glad to hear 😉

3 May 2022, 14:28

Bruce Huxtable Autor
Lots of painting today, but still some small parts assembly to be done.

7 May 2022, 14:39

Bruce Huxtable Autor
Many thanks for your 'likes', everyone. Let's see what gets done later today 🙂

8 May 2022, 06:54

Robert Podkoński
Fantastic progress, Bruce.

8 May 2022, 11:57

Bruce Huxtable Autor
Thanks, Robert. I'm really enjoying working with acrylic paints: fast drying, no fumes, and can be applied as a wash too. Definitely recommend the kit. Lots of details, very few mould seam lines to remove, and everything fits perfect!

8 May 2022, 14:19