I painted some panzers

In preparation for tackling the steam tanks from the All Quiet on the Martian Front starter set I picked up at Historicon, I decided to get some practice on half a dozen Zvezda tanks from my lead pile. Only problem? I've only painted one or two tanks ever, and that was a decade ago.

Zvezda Panzer II

I can whip out a dozen Romans with one eye cocked at the TV, but working through these tanks has proved quite a challenge. During every step of the process I've had to read up on tutorials, check YouTube videos, and experiment with various paints, pigments, and powders. My initial stab at several soviet tanks ran into trouble, so I switched to a pair of Zvezda Panzer II kits with more success.

Building them was a breeze, and they received a coat of black primer, followed by some Plastic Soldier Company panzer gray. I experimented with modulation highlights using a new Iwata airbrush and some of the gray colors from the Vallejo Allied Model Air set.

I picked out details and crevices with a thinned wash of black ink and applied some decals from I-94 (I was too timid to try and apply turret numerals, as there didn't appear to be enough room). I used dark brown/black paint applied with a sponge to simulate chipped paint (I may have gone a bit overboard), and then dusted the tanks with Mig pigments.

It took quite a while, with a lot of trial and error along the way, but I certainly feel I've got a better handle on armor modeling. And look at these tiny Zvezda panzers, they're just adorable.