Tamiya Flakpanzer Gepard.

[Ferry_vO]

A quick build in between other on-going projects (I still have a Fokker D.XXI, Starfighter, MiG-25 and a KMW Dingo in various stages of completion lying around..) but I found this kit on the Militracks event earlier this year and it was a kit I wanted but couldn't afford years ago. The box looked OK, all the parts were still sealed in plastic and it was complete so I bought it. Quite a straight forward built as I would expect from Tamiya, even for such an old kit.
Plenty of detail with some nice touches like the steel mesh on the engine cover and all the movable parts like the radars, turret and guns (Complete with a ratchet mechanism that keeps the guns in place while elevated!)
The colour is mostly Tamiya Olive Drab with a bit of black for some smaller parts.

This is also the first kit I completed with my new Revell airbrush set (http://www.revell.de/produkte/airbru.../id/39199.html); the MiG-25 and Starfighter I mentioned above I bought to experiment with the airbrush set. So far I noticed that the Tamiya paint works better than the Revell aquacolors do, as these tend to be a bit thicker and dry up quicker. The airbrush itself is a step up from the very basic sets with compressed air, but simpler (And cheaper!) than the more professional sets. The compressor itself is quite small, with three different pressure settings, while the gun just has a trigger to regulate the paint amount.
Up till now I only used it for larger surfaces but I hope to try my hand at some camoflage painting later on.

Anyway, some pics of the Flakpanzer Gepard:

The box art:

[Sascha66]

A really crisp and well-assembled model!

[Ferry_vO]

Thanks Sascha, it is always a pleasure to build Tamiya models; it's a shame these kits are so expensive but I guess quality comes at a price. I'm looking into the M1A2 Abrams with TUSK kit, but 90 Euros...

Another one I'm interested in is this new kit: http://www.tamiya.de/de/produkte/pla...rtNr=300030057
Bit of a shame they've included a motor as that will no doubt make it even more expensive..

[mirage3]

Hey Ferry! Do you also build scale models? Nice me too. You did it perfect!

[Rawsthorne]

Hi, Ferry; my first entry as a new member, this...

A great model; you can always tell an airbrushed finish. I never got around to using one as a modeller (despite my main interest being the VAST subject of Luftwaffe camouflage!)

If your F-104 is in 1/72nd scale (a scale largely abandoned these days it seems) then I always thought that Esci's was by far the best...

[Ferry_vO]

Hi, Ferry; my first entry as a new member, this...

A great model; you can always tell an airbrushed finish. I never got around to using one as a modeller (despite my main interest being the VAST subject of Luftwaffe camouflage!)

If your F-104 is in 1/72nd scale (a scale largely abandoned these days it seems) then I always thought that Esci's was by far the best...

Thanks; I never used an airbrush before, but this Revell kit, although a bit basic, is easy to use and maintain and not too expensive.

My Starfighter is the 1/48 Revell F-104 in Belgian Tigermeet colours, but apparently that is also an old ESCI kit: http://www.howesmodels.co.uk/product...%20Meet%201:48

It comes with a few spare parts including a refuelling probe which was typical for US Starfighters.
During my next holiday I hope to finish the paintwork on the body (Overall Lufthansa yellow) and paint the smaller parts. All the tiger stripes are decals.

[Rawsthorne]

Hello again!

Tiger-Meet eh? I expect you'll need gallons of Micro-Sol on that model??

[Daveroo]

Hi Ferry,very nice model,i really want to find that revell airbrush set,so many of the small compressors have the dreaded pulse at the nozzle,which will ruin a model in a second..this set you have is like what the Vietnamese finger nail painters have,nice,tiny,and relatively silent compressor,with a steady stream of air.

but can i give you just a bit of advice? if not stop reading here...LOL..cause imma tell you anyway!!

when your model is "done" and you are ready to put your decals on,spray your model with a clear gloss..yes it doesnt make sense to put a gloss coat on a military machine...but when you apply the decals to the gloss finish,using your normal method,,which you should be using all the setting solutions and what have you,,,when completely dry...gloss it again,,when dry,i guarantee,as long as youve done it right,the "shadow" around the decals will disappear,you then just lay a coat of semi gloss clear..or a flat clear coat.

one other thing..you can trim the decals a bit closer to help the shadow disappear.

take a model you will never build,or one thats inexpensive enough buy a second on,,and experiment.like an aircraft that comes with the two piece fusalage,,do one in a custom gloss finish,as if its a Ferrari,then primer,color layer,gloss coat,decal,gloss coat,,water soluble is easiest to clean your airbrush with,but id recommend the Tamiya or testors Lacquers,they work like a real scale 1-1 ,this lays down as primer,as many coats as it takes to get a good smooth finish by sanding and filling,re-primering,,then lay your color coat on,lightly sand to be sure its smooth,,let dry completely.then lay on your gloss coats sanding between each coat,when the last gloss coat looks good,decal it,,then use the (if you are using testors) wet coat gloss ,it lays on smooth for some reason..but once its on,you can sand,coat,sand,coat..use red and the paint will look like wet red lipstick.

in fine scale magazine,theyre allways recomending using "future floor wax",i tried it once,not olny did i ruin the model..but i ruined my airbrush..cost me alot of money to buy,i was pretty upset.

try it..have fun,,,Dave

[Ferry_vO]

Tiger-Meet eh? I expect you'll need gallons of Micro-Sol on that model??

At least!

Dave, I usually use Microsol as mentioned above to make the decals look better on a model and make the shadow disappear, it works equally well on gloss and matt paints. Guess this Tamiya kit is quite old, as are the decals. One of the two Iron crosses on the turret even broke when I tried to slide it onto the model.

I do like the airbrush set when using Tamiya paints, I do not like it when using Revell's own aqua colors. They seem to thick and dry too quick, causing flakes in the paint and clogs in the airbrush gun. I needed a lot more thinning for those paints than the manual described.
There is a pulse in the air stream coming from the gun but with the right paints it is barely noticable.

[Daveroo]

cool..im going to lay paint on my truck,im using rattle cans from testors..the lacquer paint system.