Other than the Legacy Collection that was unashamedly aping François Verlinden’s work, I don’t really like the idea that my models look like anyone else’s, so it pleases me to see at least some semblance of a personal style even if no one else can!
4th March 2025
What a busy day!
Having spent Monday dealing with the fundamentals of my weathering, chips, dust and detail painting, today was where I could stretch out have some fun and for much of the time, do, rather than think.
I explained yesterday how I have to relearn most of my steps when painting and weathering a miniature vehicle until the lightbulb goes off once more and muscle memory returns. Today, that happened, so I was able to sit back, relax, and enjoy bringing my little Centurion to life. I had no plans in mind. There were no lists of materials I felt I needed to use. And there were no references to guide my approach, other than the printed renders from the War Thunder game. I had materials, brushes and some background music. That was it.
I’m often asked why I don’t do more step by step videos. Today, answered that question. I would love to be able to plan a video in advance, test the ideas and then reproduce them once the camera starts rolling. Thing is: I can’t. Once I settle into a project, I tend to work almost sub-consciously, never really thinking about what I need to do, just kinda, doing it, which only works once I’m comfortably in the zone. Like I say: difficult to repeat.
With aircraft, that’s easy. Because I build so many of them there is never much of a gap between projects, so ideas and techniques constantly overlap. Armour is only like that when I’ve carried out those preliminary steps that I mentioned yesterday. Once that’s done I’m fine, the juices start to flow and I can see the path ahead.
That was certainly the case today, the Centurion looking very much like one of my models with its broad, sweeping application, of dust and dirt. I really enjoyed dealing with the finer applications of dust, the smaller paint chips and those tiny rust streaks that I really love to apply. As I mentioned yesterday, the model looked rather bland with only its first dust layer in place, so adding colourful swatches of rusty shades and then darker layers of wet dirt, really livened up the finish and started to make me believe I was looking at a Centurion AX, albeit 1/35 the size of a real one.
Looking at it now, it has none of the finesse that I see on models from the hands of armour modellers that I admire, but I guess that’s a good thing. Much like my aircraft, my vehicles are very much painted in a style that I hope is recognisably mine. Certainly, the Centurion looks very much like the Type 90 MCV that I built last year, which I hope, rather proves the point! Other than the Legacy Collection that was unashamedly aping François Verlinden’s work, I don’t really like the idea that my models look like anyone else’s, so it pleases me to see at least some semblance of a personal style, even if no one else can!
So I’m definitely happy with the progress on the Centurion and now feel sure it will look pleasing once complete. The painting will definitely be finished tomorrow, so that gives me some time to add some stowage before its needs to be photographed and written up. What that stowage will look like I have no idea, but then I have plenty of scope to muck around with it given that this vehicle in the scheme I have chosen, is more science fiction than science fact.
See you tomorrow.
TODAY’S MUSIC CHOICES…
Classix Nouveaux: Night People
Classix Nouveaux: La Verité
Classix Nouveaux: Secret
Belouis Some: Some People
King: Steps In Time
SPENCER POLLARD'S KIT BOX 
Another great diary entry, Mr. Pollard. Daily, they help distract me from the madness engulfing my country.
Scott from Colorado
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