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1/16 Renault FT-17 – Takom Limited Edition part 2

THE Hole.

Once assembled, the exterior needed some touches. The hole was not enough to make it shine.
For example, the springs that Takom provided with that kit are awful. They are below any standard, even in 35th scale. So I decided to scratch
some.
In the end, I did a lot of work on the interior and would’ve been a shame to leave it like that.

That not only changed the overall look, but made the suspension Active. Like on the real deal!
So I was more than happy with the result.
The fit isn’t perfect, but one must know, that the actual tank was not an example for craftsmanship, just the contrary. So whatever mistakes on the kit, from Takom or me or whoever builts it, might be pretty accurate and similar to the real world tank.
The thing that I found hardest to do, was to paint the camo. And that was all my fault.
Skirts holding the wheels and the sprokets are about to be assembled after they are painted. I didn’t noted that. Maybe too distracted with other stuff. So, the painting was a hassle, but nothing too serious.
The model, once completed was weathered twice. That’s an interesting story actually.
The pictures of the weathered model /you can see them below/ make it look decent. However, once at the shows, judges wanted more. I didn’t payed attention to the fact, that twice the size model needs twice the weathering if not more. So, after the third show I did some additional weathering.
The final pictures with the finished pad are actually the ones that shows the final look of it.
Maybe it needed more job, but that is where I ended it.
The chains that you can see are aftermarket /DN Models/ and are two of my three sizes. Tracks are weathered the usualy way I always weather them /you can read about it in other articles/.
The pad was made from real wood, varnished and weathered as the wood goes with time.