Nick_Karatzides

If you followed this WIP during the earlier weeks, you might remember the update few weeks ago, when left home for a much needed vacation to the beach. I am having a difficult time transitioning back from vacation. I had an amazing month living on the beach, playing and soaking in sunshine and honestly I want to still be there instead of writing a new post. It has been less than 24 hours since we arrived home and I can already feel the pull of the day-in-day-out routines. I know that the cat in following picture might looks really silly, but it does capture how truly happy I was on vacation. Transitioning back to reality after vacation, is not easy and I need to get my non-vacation groove back. Any suggestions?

Once the acrylic paint dried, the outcome had tonality differences and looked like been faded by the sun. I had obviously overdone on highlighting the areas and therefore I had to fix this and make the shades softly blend each other. To do so, I mixed artists oil paint "Red" by MIG Productions “502 Abteilung” series and artists white spirit by "Winson & Newton“ in a ratio of 5% / 95% (actually a filter) and sprayed over the windsock. I hope now it looks better than did before. Meanwhile I found some time to deal with the green grass. Having a couple of different methods in mind to simulate green grass in scale, I found good idea to follow an old fashioned technique! I planted some grass seeds, watered daily and I'm now expecting to grow high grass soon. I’m just kidding of course - watering once every three days, is enough. Kids, don’t try this at home. Progress has been slow for various reasons, including: I'm slower than a turtle trying to climb a muddy creek bank, I always find errors and later trying to develop ways to make model look more realistic, Mid-July heat & expectation of upcoming vacations, caused laziness that lead building process to slow down, Wife visits my bench, holding a hammer and that could possibly means that it's about time to quit 1/18 model for a while and give full attention on 1/1 model. Due to all the above reasons (aka excuses), once the windsock painting process complete, I had to stop for a short relaxing brake and puzzle things out. Next update ETA, late August or early September. Summer is typically the time for vacations and a good chance to relax, unwind & recharge batteries. We all need a break once in a while and I am no exception. I hope you can do the same and enjoy some well deserved time off. I will be back soon, picking up where I left off and complete this project. In the meantime, I plan to unplug, disconnect from anything for a few days, enjoy sunny beaches & crystal waters and hopefully have some SCUBA fun with playful dolphins - as happened last summer.

At present time, the windsock is under painting proccess. I used the FS31302 "Matt Red" available by Life Color as LC06 acrylic, applied with a soft brush, to establish a basic layer and later blend it, to look brighter onto the points supposedly lightened more, by spraying much diluted FS30257 "Sand Yellow RLM79VAR" available by Life Color as UA081 acrylic, just not to look too dull. After the primary painting & lighting stage, I repeatedly sprayed a very diluted mixture of thinner and FS33538 "Yellow RLM 04" available by Life Color as UA140 acrylic, at a ratio of 95% - 5%, over selected areas such as the fabric folding edges and a few other points, that IMHO should look more enlightened

@ Grant, What I like mostly is someone say "...this is completely wrong...", or "...you shouldn't do that..." or "...I belive you 've done a mistake here...". What I like mostly is someone report to me all my mistakes that I did not spot so far. Few days before, forum member "MikeC" sent me a message, reporting to me a possible mistake in ammunition colouring (click HERE for more). Although it was a false alarm and finally I explained how the actual ammo should be painted (click HERE for my answer) and the meaning of each colour, member "MikeC" gained my truly respect and I thank him, because he did what we all should do. He expressed his opinion free, pointing directly on my mistake, to help me not repeat it again. IMHO, thats what we should all do - spot mistakes, find imperfections and help fellow modeler to become better into his/her next project. On the other hand, applause can help to achieve good public relations between forum members, but cannot help becoming better modelers, because we'll keep repeating same mistakes.

CHAPTER VI - Grass field display base construction When I started this project, I was concerned about the proper display option, on which the model would be placed. For this reason, I asked fellow modelers to advice on how they would do if in my position. Talented & world class scale modelers such as Mr. Rick Lawler from AK interactive team, honored me by sending their kind answers, suggesting what best to do according their opinion - I thank them all. Most of the responses I got, recommended simplicity & austerity with no extra diorama features. Just to place the cutaway shaped model onto a dark colour or black) shiny laminated wooden base, so that nothing would distract viewer’s attention from main subject - the Salamandra cutaway. Following their advice, I tried some dry fit tests with few spare laminated wooden bases I had, to check how it looked like. I tried different shades of wood and finaly black sheet of plexiglass. Evidently the visual experiment clearly proved that the model got nearly disappeared into the natural wooden base's background, regardless of whether the background was light, medium or dark wood. Since the actual IS-A frame was entirely made of wood, it seemed that placing the model on a wooden base, might not be good idea. Black plexiglass tests, also didn’t looked right to me. I also received suggestions for mounting the glider on a clear pole which seemed nice idea, but model’s cutaway stucture was too fragile to be securely pinned on a single point. I also tried to digitaly create a virtual model, with the glider placed on a concrete tarmac or shiny black ground, cut on Poland’s map shape - since the IS-A was a typical sample of pre WWII Polish aviation design. I was almost sure I was going through a non-creative phase and getting ready to pack the model in a box and store it until having some good idea. Unexpectedly, I became obsessed with the idea of placing the glider model on a "grass airfield" dio base. Probably, my opinion had been shaped (aka influenced) by viewing the following two pictures, where the IS-A glider is laying on the Spring green grass. My goal is to recreate a scene of an aeroclub small airfield, where the old Salamandra is now resting in peace. I ‘ll try to place the glider in such a way that will look like an old time abandoned wreck, with all plywood & fabric lining removed, tilted sideways to rest on the short green grass field, with one wingtip touching the ground and the other on air. Some torn fabric & plywood parts would be also laid nearby, some rusted & cut wires, possibly a couple of Marsden matting / PSP - Pierced Steel Planking plates or maybe a waving windsock etc. could be also present in scene. In general, a picture of terse abandonment, without extreme features that could distract viewer’s attention, keeping the glider as the main protagonist of the story. From an artistic point of view, the abandonment might possibly dictate everything to be into a state of complete wreckage. That would not be the desired result, because it would lead into a diorama scene, where the Salamandra would no longer be the protagonist. My aim is to balance the scene, while filling empty space & keeping the IS-A as the only "model" on display. I found the idea of a deflated windsock nice, in order to fill some empty space and break the monotony of green, while remaining in scene's background same time. Although a picture of a torn windsock would be more atractive & interesting, I had to keep it simple and not overdo. Using a small amount of Milliput putty, I made a small ball, dust it with talcum powder and pressed it against the working bench with a roller until it becomes as thin as could get. The use of talcum powder is necessary to avoid Milliput sticking on roller or fingers and get easier to handle without tearing to pieces. While Milliput putty was still soft, I cut it into triangle shape and rolled it up, to form into a right to scale windsock cone. Then, the cone was bended as required to look deflated and simulate cloth’s weight. The result made of epoxy putty (seems like elephant's proboscis or its just my imagination?), left few hours to get fully polymerized and then I cut the tip to achive the correct lenght dimensions. Few epoxy overcast remains that were left, also removed during cutting process. Internal frame added later, using metal wire & styrene rod.

Yes, I'm sure 50% concetrate will also do the jiob. Use an old model for testing before trying the real thing, to check how fast & how strong it works. Also, I give you some results, from the test I tried so far. ADVANTAGES of sodium hydroxide use: Will strip ANY kind of paint! Acrylic, enamel, oil paint, you name it! Will NOT effect glue joints (tested on models glued with CA superglue or Humbrol liquid glue), Will NOT effect putty, Will NOT resin parts, Will NOT fog clear parts & canopies, Will NOT effect plastic parts. PS. Did not tried it yet on rubber parts. DISADVANTAGES of sodium hydroxide use: Since sodium hydroxide is corrosive alkaline substance, some special attention should be given on models containing photoetched parts because rust might build on PE & metal parts. This will happen after paint striped PE & metal parts exposure on air (oxygene). To avoid rust buil-up, wash the paint striped PE & metal parts with fresh flowing water to remove all NaOH after use. Keep in mind that sodium hydroxide is (and thus should be considered) a strong caustic base. You should take all the necessary protective measures (like mentioned in the warnings on the bottle’s label) and is certainly to use disposable surgical gloves made by latex and breathing mask with appropriate filters to protect against possible fumes. Paint stripped plastic parts should be rinsed with soft acid to neutralize the caustic base and produce salt and water. Dunking the colour striped parts in plastic container filled with cooking vinegar and then rinsing with plenty of lukewarm water, plastic is now safe to handle with bare hands.

While trying to build the JT-9T autogyro, I did not expect a sad & bad situation such as total failure on paint applying. Becasue some up to date unexplained reason (possibly old colours or bad white spirit solvent that I used), have led to drying crack. Unfortunately, I ignored all the warning signs such as thick grains left by the white colour in which I primed the scale model before the final painting. I was facing a possible total dissaster and months effort collapsing into few minutes. The problems appeared marked inside the red circles. Unfortunately, I have no photos of the model while looked completely written-off, because at that time I was not in a mood to take pictures! I had no other better choice, than trying a full reset – after all, I had nothing to lose! The model was already FUBAR...! OPTION #1 - MODELSTRIP: This product, was the first thing came up as the most conventional solution to try paint removing. Following the instructions on the box, a generous stuff applied on the model, wrap it with airtight plastic bag to prevent drying and wait about 15 hours to let the chemical work. Opening the bag next day and checking the results, the colour (or rather the colour layers) were soft and could be removed by rubbing vigorously with an old toothbrush. Unfortunately, using the brush on some very delicate spots (even with careful use), had as result to break / or ruin a couple of plastic pieces. Moreover, the paint could not be removed through narrow points and difficult locations.Result? FAIL! OPTION #2 - OVEN CLEANER: At this point and while I’ve already used all the ModelStrip material without being satisfied with the outcome, I decide to change tactics to something more unconventional, such as oven cleaner. Following the product’s directions as always, I sprayed the model with the material, wrap it with airtight plastic bag to prevent drying and wait about 15 hours to let the chemical work. Testing results next day, the oven cleaner failed no more than ModelStrip. I noticed that the colour could be removed but only when pressure and persistent rubbing with brush and that was prohibitive for some parts of the model.Result? FAIL! OPTION #3 - SODIUM HYDROXIDE: Not having another solution, I approached the most unconventional method and visit a science specialist - my local grocery store!- Hey man! I need something really strong to clean up kitchen’s oven? - Really strong? Use this! …and he gives me a dust covered 1lt plastic bottle found in an almost unreachable shelf. Reading the bottle’s label, I found out that it contains sodium hydroxide also known as lye (corrosive alkaline substance) or caustic soda and is a caustic metallic base. It is used in many industries, mostly as a strong chemical base with chemical type NaOH. - Are you sure that this will work? Are you sure that this is safe to use? - Trust me. It’s gonna clean up the kitchen’s oven like a nuclear bomb! - How much? - 3.50 € . Take it or leave it. Thinking about a possible failure, I filled a plastic bowl with the milky liquid contained in the bottle and threw all the model pieces inside. As long as the autogyro model was already FUBAR, I had nothing to loose to try. I sealed the bowl with a cover and leave the sodium hydroxide to act for 20-30 minutes while the instructions sets out to wipe the sodium hydroxide chemical liquid after 10 minutes. Opening the plastic bowl’s cover, a nice surprise followed. Styrene pieces simply and magically totally striped off the enamel colour layers! Absolutely success, without even apply brush cleaning! Amazing product - incredible grocer! Result? THUMBS UP! Just because I couldn’t believe it and I wanted to make sure that the colour striped off because of the sodium hydroxide chemical (and not the previous used ModelStrip product or the kitchen oven cleaner), I decide to experiment. I threw into a bowl, already filled with the chemical, a 1/18 scale female figure that I was about to convert for a future project. The specific 1/18 scale female figure, is made by Fast Women brand and can be found by clicking HERE). The results after just 15 minutes in the sodium hydroxide chemical - Perfect! The following pictures, show the "before" and the "after". Keep in mind that the sodium hydroxide is (and thus should be considered) a strong caustic base. This means that: Throughout the impregnation of the model parts into sodium hydroxide, you should take all the necessary protective measures (like mentioned in the warnings on the bottle’s label) and is certainly to use disposable surgical gloves made by latex and breathing mask with appropriate filters to protect against possible fumes. The colour stripped plastic parts must be rinsed with soft acid to neutralize the caustic base and produce salt and water. Dunking the colour striped parts in plastic container filled with cooking vinegar and then rinsing with plenty of lukewarm water, plastic is now safe to handle with bare hands. Under the above "adventure" circumstances and considering that all these years dealing with the scale modeling I've tried many color striping methods (including ModelStrip, kitchen oven cleaners, blue alcohol, brake fluid, nitro laquer disolvent, etc), I think that sodium hydroxide NaOH is (for me) the best method so far, for the following reasons: Kitchen oven cleaners in spray canisters, may do the job, but they cost 3 - 4 € for a 300ml product in which also includes the propellant gas and you need to brush to remove the paint. On the other hand, the NaOH in liquid form is a pure substance, much less price, taking for 1lt bottle, which equals 3.3+ times more product! Using the liquid form NaOH (which you can fill a plastic bowl), you can sink several plastic pieces, same time! The brake fluid may be effective and remove paint, but it is not plastic friendly plastic and is likely to convert the scale model into a blob of molten plastic. It is clearly more expensive and as far it is highly toxic, flammable and hardly to manege, I will not recommended it for scale modeling use. Nitric acid laquer disolvent, could be a nice solution for metal figures paint striping, but it is not the best for the plastic. Just like the brake fluid, it does melt and damage plastic parts.

I 've used a couple of other vacuum formers before, but I found good idea to build a new one, take some pictures during the building process and present it here, so anybody could use it as a reference for his own vacuum forming machine. I believe anybody can build it - no need for special craftmanship talent. Most important, is that its easy to use and if not have desired results, you just pin another styrene sheet on the frame and vac again! Just for the record, I used this one, to produce a thin-skinned fuselage for my JT-9T autogyro scratchbuild project and a full cabin & clear canopy for my Bo-102 helicopter scratchbuild project. Feel free to check full articles text by clicking HERE and HERE and I hope you 'll find more tips & techniques that might be usefull on your next project.

Vacuum forming is a very simple technique that can produce thin-skinned parts of various forms. I mainly used vacuum forming for producing a variety of components for scale modeling. Basically, it’s all about a box with a connection for your household vacuum cleaner and a series of holes in its top plate and try keeping the box airtight at the seems. The basic idea is to build from scratch or buy one if you find something similar, a wooden box like the one I present. I found the following item (which supposed to be a display box or something, for placing plants, coloured sand & stuff inside and make them look nice as a decoration on the wall) at my local IKEA. Looking exactly like what I've been searching for and considering the low price (not more that 5€), I preferred to buy it instead of building a new wooden box like this from scratch. As you can see at the following pictures, I removed the glass, applied a generous layer of water based white glue for wood (which becomes transparent when it dries) across the inner joints, to keep them as air tight as practical and be sure that no air could escape from there. Visiting my local Dexion store (shelving & racking solutions), I got a 135x85cm hardboard sheet (more than 1 square meter area) for 8€. This is actually a louvred panel, designed to stand against the wall and accept hooks & spigots for easy storage of everything from belts and hose clips to spools and reels and all kinds of other parts. I cut a piece on the right dimensions and slide it into rail to test the fitting. The 35x25cm top plate has many 4mm wide holes to allow air to be pulled through them. The locations of the holes are not important, and can be also drilled by hand using a hand held drill. Just make sure that they are fairly close together. This top plate should be pretty sturdy to hold the subject being duplicated. I made mine from hardboard high-density fibreboard plate, but I have seen them made out of aluminum too. The top plate finally was slided into inner rails - otherwise it would be screwed down with flat head wood screws. Be sure to countersink the holes to make the heads flush with the top surface. I also epoxied it down, just to also make it a little more air tight. As long as 1 square meter area hardboard plate, is more than enough for me and can be used to build more than 5 or 6 vacuum forming device plates, I gave the rest to other fellow modelers who are also interested to build one. Using the proper Black & Decker saw tool, a 34mm wide hole was drilled through the side of the box to facilitate a vacuum cleaner fitting. Luckily, last week I found a real bargain at the local Media Markt store and I bought a 1600W brand new Hyundai HVC-6003 vacuum cleaner for 15€ only. I decide to use in this vacuum cleaner into my hobby room and for vacuum forming purposes only. I cut a plastic tube - you may have an old piece of an old tool laying around the house or you can purchase one at a vacuum cleaner shop - and fix it with Bison glue for PVC on the box. Then, I screw a wooden stick into the box's center to prevent any possible hardboard plate bending because of vacuum and finally slide the high-density fibreboard plate through the rails to close the box. I sealed everything with white water based glue for wood. The following pictures show the vacuum chamber box building progress and where you will plug in your household vacuum cleaner. I also got few wooden picture frames found at the local IKEA store for only 1€ to 3€ each (depending size) and few metal made spring clamps for 0.5€ each, to use them for steady & tight styrene sheet holding while being heated. Avoid plastic clamps, because they might melt while in the oven. It's also possible to build clamping plates made by aluminum sheet and the two plates are clamped together using screws and wing nuts. Aluminum clamping plates is better but might cost more. For these, you are only limited by the size of the oven you have. In order to reproduce, small parts, I use smaller wooden frame to secure the styrene (the pieces to be vacuum formed are small and there is no need to spend big styrene sheet), I need to close the outer holes on the hardboard high-density fibreboard plate. To do so, I cut a plastic bag in shape and covered as required the desired area. To stick small parts on plate, I use plasticine. I pinned a styrene plastic sheet on the wooden frame, insert it into the preheated electric oven as described before and as soon as I noticed that the plastic got warm enough and started drooping down, I removed it from the oven and thrown the sheet on the vacuum former plate, while the vacuum cleaner was already plugged & switched on. This procedure may take some practice and sometimes a mould tips over or the plastic won’t form properly over the mould (folding around edges). This is also the part where I should warn you that you can burn your fingers - I highly recommend Nomex Aramid flame resistant MilSpec gloves, which I personally use for the job. I buy large plastic styrene 50x30cm sheets for 0.5€ to 1.5€ each (depending width), not the more expensive styrene by Evergreen. When an attempt fails, I usually throw the sheet back in the oven and start again. Once you have the machine, you can make all kinds of things. You can make a lot of aircraft wings, airframe, panels etc out of a sheet like that. You can make the master moulds from balsa wood, epoxy, polyester etc and the parts you make depend on how accurate the master moulds are. The moulds must be as accurate and detailed as necessary to achieve the results you are after. I placed the frame into the preheated electric oven and I wait few critical seconds watching the plastic start heating. As soon as I noticed that it started drooping down, I removed the frame while wearing gloves, to prevent finger burns. While the vacuum cleaner was already switched on, I placed the wooden frame with the pined plastic sheet on the vacuum former plate. The plastic nicely formed around the “virtual” airframe mould... and voila! Using a new Nr 11 stainless steel surgical blade, I removed the formed pieces from the styrene sheet. The yellow stuff appears in the picture, is plasticine surplus - the plasticine used to secure the small parts on the vacumm former plate and caged into vacuum formed plastic sheet. Same results can be achieved while using clear styrene sheet, to reproduce aircraft or helicopter canopies. A helicopter's cabin also was made in one piece only by vacuum forming.

Mike, I think that you are mistaken! To give you a general code... Βlue colour, means "Training" ammunition, Υellow colour, means "HE- High Explosive" ammunition, Red colour, means "Tracer" OR "Inflammatory" ammunition, Black colour, means "APC - Armour Piercing" ammunition, White colour, means "White phosphorus" ammunition etc. As you understand, the blue colour, which indicates that it is made for "training purposes", DOES NOT means that it is a "dummy" or "in-active" one! Armed Forces might also dummies or in-active matterial for training, but this does not mean that all "training material" are dummies or in-acftive! See the difference? The actual ammo used on RH-202s cannons during operations, are yellow (high explosive) or red (inflammatory). That means that the shells contain a fuze (armed aprox 8 meters after muzzle exit) which will explode or cause blaze as soon as they hit target or impact or hard surfaces. If not hit target, all ammo self destract after 4 to 12 seconds, depending the type of ammo. On the other hand, the blue coloured ammo, are made of steel and behave as kinetic energy bullets! The blue coloured ammo fuze might not explode or cause flames when hit target, but this does not mean that the ammo are "dummies" or "in-active". Just imagine what could happen on a target when hit by a burst of "kinetic energy" blue painted 20×139mm ammo made of steel, weighing 315 grams each, flying in the air with about 3+ times the speed of the sound! I would not like to stand in front of these "dummies"...! Just for the record, all types of RH-202 ammo, do have tracers, so the projectiles trajectory is always visible, day & night, in all type of ammo, even the training blues ones! At the following two pictures, have a look at the blue painted "kinetic energy" ammo used for traing firing drills and also the yellow "high explosive" ammo used during operation time. Also, feel free to check following picture, showing blue painted "training" ammo (fully active, not in-active as stated) before and after firing and hit on soft sand. Notice the minor scratches on steel made projecticle, even after hiting ground with 3+ Mach speed.

To apply the wood grain on wide areas covered with plywood, such as the airbrakes, I used wood grain colour from artists oil paints. The higher quality artists grade paints work much better because the pigments are much more finely ground. I believe that “502 Abteilung” by MIG Productions, “Van Gogh” and “Talens” are good brands. The colour of the background coat and the oils may be varied for different kinds of wood. However, be aware that selecting a good colour combination that gives that natural look is tricky. I recommend experimenting on a test piece first before committing yourself to apply the mixture on your latest wondermodel. I arrived at my blend of "Burnt Sienna", "Yellow Ochre" and "Raw Umber" in a ratio of 25% / 25% / 50% after trying with "Raw Sienna" (too red), "Yellow Ochre" (too orange), and one or two mixed combinations. Once the base coat has cured, I brushed the oils with a broad, soft brush and spread the paint around until the desired colour density is achieved. Because working in oils is a little bit goes a long way, I started by putting just a little bit of paint on the end of the brush. I kept the brush strokes going in one direction and didn’t really worry about leaving brush strokes - I wanted them there for the wood grain. I tried not to spread it on too thick, or it would make the next step more difficult. At this point the oils would be workable for several hours. With a broad, soft, clean and completely dry paint brush, I draged over the oil paint, leaving wood grain streaks. I jiggled the brush every now and then to give the grain a bit of variation. As the brush picked up the paint, I wiped it off on a clean, lint free cloth and continue process. “Lint free is the key phrase, as any speck of lint would adhere to the oil paint and destroy the finish. The beauty of this technique is that you can clean the oils off and try again if you goof up. Use a clean cloth and paint thinner (mineral spirits or turpenoid - not lacquer thinner) to wipe clean any mistakes and start over again. For my 1/18 scale Salamandra model, it took me about three or four tries to get the paint density and colour right, but it really was quite painless. In some parts of the model which should look more bright, I slightly toned up with "Buff" & "Yellow Ochre" mixtures, or even pure “Basic Flesh Tone" and “Sunny Flesh Tone", while some others had to show darker, using "Brown" or "Raw Umber" color and blend naturally. The areas marked with yellow circles supposed to be covered by plywood and the areas marked with purple circles supposed to be more bright and slightly toned up. As soon as the result was OK for me, I left it alone to dry for few days and then sprayed over selected areas with Tamiya Color X-24 "Clear Yellow" acrylic, because it also helps bring the grain color out more.

WIP thread can be found by clicking HERE. Thank you for following and I hope you enjoyed it. Regards, Nick

CHAPTER VI - Epilogue Using the home inject printer, I created a “MEHMET BUISTERS” water transfer decal to place on the front right shield, as seen on a real Rheinmetall Mk 20 RH-202 AA system and presented few paragraphs before with THIS picture. The decal printed as expected and was accurate on scale, but unfortunately, the picture was not just right – I didn’t liked it and as soon as I took the picture, the water transfer decal, removed. After all, I am trying to represent a Rheinmetall Mk 20 RH-202 AA system, as seen at NAMFI and the “MEHMET BUSTERS” one, was seen in another location. As final, I took some pictures with the final vignette side by side with the 1/18 scale model which I’ve already started, currently scratchbuilding and hoping to finish soon. A Life Color paint and a dummy round are also posing as a size reference for the WIP 1/18 scale model. Thank you for following this thread and I hope you enjoyed reading this article and I hope you like the following pictures: Regards, Nick

Details such as the 20x139mm ammo shells and the red flag indicating that the Rheinmetall Mk 20 RH-202 AA system is loaded with live ammo, were added at last. After being paint black and washed with brown dark rust tones, the ammo shells set in place using white glue. You can compare the size of the real 20x139mm ammo with the 1/35 scale brass.

CHAPTER V - Display concrete base & gravel I found nice idea to place it on a display base, simulating the concrete covered launching area as I actually saw it at NAMFI. From my local store, I bought a 20x30cm polished wooden picture frame. I add some grams of plaster powder and few drops of water with a syringe into a soft rubber cup to make the right mixture. Materials like plaster, start as a dry powder that is mixed with water to form a paste which liberates heat and then hardens. Unlike mortar and cement, plaster remains quite soft after drying and this characteristic make plaster suitable for the job. Keep in mind that adding salt into wet plaster mixture, reduce the plaster's hardening time and adding vinegar into wet plaster mixture, extend the plaster's hardening time. When the first layer of thinned plaster applied on the picture frame, a glass were pushed against the plaster to form a flat basic strong cast. I left it few hours to get harden in order to be sure that the cast wouldn't break when I would try to cut it into desired shape. Meanwhile, I took the soft rubber cup which I used to make the plaster mixture, squized it to break the last hardened plaster left inside, so it would be easier for me to clean it afterwards and prepare it for any future mix. That's the reason this soft rubber cup were used for. Before the plaster cast got harden, I formed the field area into the desired shape to be suitable for the Rheinmetall Mk 20 RH-202 AA system scale model. I thought as nice idea to add few grams of sprinkled sea sand in order to simulate the gravel covered ground, around the concrete base. Water based white glue for wood, which becomes transparent when it dries, is just the right for the job. So, I opened a 500 grams canister bought for 2€ only, pick a small quantity, add just few drops of water with a syringe into a small metal container to make the right mixture and finally I applied on the desired areas to be covered with sea sand. Because the mixture is enriched with water based glue, it is easy to correct possible mistakes. Finally, the Rheinmetall Mk 20 RH-202 AA system scale model glued on the base with silicon. Here are some test pictures. Please keep in kind that this is not final, as some details such as the 20x139mm ammo shells will be added at last, the gunners figure is not placed yet and some minor details will be placed later.

CHAPTER IV - Applying paint, wash & weather effects The first Rheinmetall Mk 20 RH-202 towed AA systems, received by Hellenic Army AA artillery battalions and HAF squadrons, entered active duty on early ‘80ies. Until 1995, more than 800 systems were in Greek service. They were painted with the CARC - Chemical Agent Resistant Coating which is specially formulated to reduce the system’s IR image reflection. From CARC paint manufacturer's brochure (page #5) found in HERE it is clear that "…MilSpray CARC touchup, creates no IR image…". Also, in page #2 you can read: "...Key to survivability in combat is avoidance of enemy detection systems and IR homing weapons. CARC coated vehicles and equipment have signature-reduction properties that diminish the effectiveness of existing and emerging enemy detection and targeting systems. While infrared reflectivity is one element of signature-reduction, other characteristics and their particulars are considered classified information. Infrared Signature (IR) management is one of the least understood, yet most important attributes of the CARC camouflage system. Each of the colors in the camouflage system contains a special pigment package that camouflages vehicles and equipment when they are in their intended theater of operation. As an example, the 383 green color in the camouflage pattern, has an IR signature equal, or less than, that of chlorophyll. When viewed in IR, the vehicle will blend in with the wooded environment and will not create an IR signature that could be used by enemy weapons systems having IR homing technology. IR homing weapons systems can be found in MANPADs and many shoulder fired missiles…". When received by the Hellenic Armed Forces and until today, these towed anti aircraft systems did not have any national markings. Also, keep in mind, that I no Rheinmetall ever seen with the bronze plaque in honor of St. Barbara (which in the manners, customs and traditions of the Hellenic Army protects the Artillery), was installed yet! What I'll try to display, is a Rheinmetall Mk 20 RH-202 AA system scale model as they appeared in Hellenic Army AA artillery service during the late 1990ies / early 2000ies period. Notice the “nose art” style details found on some of the Rheinmetall front plate shields. The scale model carefully washed with liquid soap and warm water to disappear leaving oil traces, fingertips etc. Some fellow scale modelers might prefer to use alcohol to remove leaving oil traces, fingertips etc, but I wouldn’t recommend it, because the alcohol tends to remove or shrink the majority of modelling filler putty products. As long as the model was already light grey primed, I sprayed black paint preshading lines across the lines & around the details. The exact colour the Rheinmetall Mk 20 RH-202 towed AA systems are painted, is quite difficult to define. According to the official Rheinmetall painting guide, it is the FS34086 which looks OK to me, but I found few pictures where the colour tends to seem more brown than green, actually - I think this is so, due to different lighting conditions during picture shooting or old & faded photographs. Here’s something to compare the official FS34086 “Army Forest Green Camo” to FS34087 “Olive Drab” which is more likely in the previous pictures. I believe that the basic CARC FS34086 “Army Forest Green Camo” colour is quite close to the Humbrol's #66 “Matt Olive Drab” or Gunze Sangyo's #78. Because I had in mind to present lighter tones on model's surface, to simulate the scale effect, I tried the official FS34086 “Army Forest Green Camo” which is available by Life Color as UA106 “Aermacchi Green Verde ” acrylic paint, enlighted with right percentage of white colour as the SLC - Scale Lighting effect Calculator program estimates. Using the SLC - Scale Lighting effect Calculator program, I placed as basic colour the FS34086 (RGB code 58x60x47) and set the parameters such as 1/35 scale, appearance of model’s surface in a scale from a “new - just painted” level to “old - paints are fade” level, according to what I had in mind to create, etc. and the program, draw the results. For example: RGB code 71x73x61 as the suggested 7% scale lighting paint for a “NEW - just painted” model, RGB code 81x82x71 as the suggested 13% scale lighting paint for a “MEDium weathered” model, RGB code 89x91x80 as the suggested 19% scale lighting paint for an “OLD - paint s are fade” model. I asked for “NEW - just painted” data, considering that the Rheinmetall Mk 20 RH-202 towed AA systems are well treated, usually covered with tarpaulins when not in use and never spoiled with mud, dirt etc so the paint doesn’t look faded or extreme weathered, despite being in active service for several years. Offcourse, some high lighted details, will be enlighted, using lighter OD tones. The Life Color’s official FS34086 / UA106 “Aermacchi Green Verde ” acrylic paint, enlighted with 7% matt white & sand mixture. The first base very diluted acrylic colour was sprayed with no problem as a light layer and let dry overnight. As soon as the previous very diluted Life Color acrylic paint layer dried, a second (very diluted also) layer sprayed over, so the final result will become dark enough, that can be considered as into a realistic tonality & lighting colour range, while the black preshading lines, are still visible under the applied colour layers. Minor corrections were made in 1-2 spots with a fine brush. After the acrylic paint got dried, I had to add selectively some dirt & dust effects.

CHAPTER III - Gunner figure building & detailing Hecker & Goros provides a soft metal figure representing a German Army’s Rheinmetall Mk 20 RH-202 AA system gunner. The point is, that the figure is offered as one piece with the adjustable seat. That would be a problem for me, because I was planning a no-figure set. You see, figure building & painting is not my field. But, as long as I was not in a mood to spend few hours to build a decent seat from scratch, I decide to include the figure in the project. After all, since I tried building non-aviation related stuff, I could also try myself converting and painting a scale figure too. As you can see at the previous pictures I took at the NAMFI, the Rheinmetall Mk 20 RH-202 AA system gunners did not wear a steel or Kevlar helmet while firing live ammo. That could be against the military rules, but when they need to be concentrated on aerial target and open fire with a 4000 rounds / min rate, they should not worry for such details. For this reason, I cut the German Army gunner’s head and replaced it with his grand father’s head, from an old Tamiya set. The new cap covered head were trimmed, sanded to look realistic and got a new Hellenic Army pin on the upper front. The metal arms also had to be changed because it was nearly impossible to place the gunner’s hands on the control joystick in realistic way. Plastic arms found into my spare box, fit in place with cyanoacrylate glue and the final result were sprayed with primer to prepare for painting process and highlight any deficiencies that had escaped my attention so far.

CHAPTER II - Main model building & detailing Following the simple assembly instructions, I placed each metal piece on place using two-component cyanoacrylate glue for best results. The model parts are molded in such way that no putty is needed to fill any gaps - just clean the soft metal parts from cast line and glue it on desired spot. The kit is very easy to assemble and actual on scale with enough details to make it look realistic. Using styrene plastic sheet, and having the official diagrams and detailed pictures found into Rheinmetall’s technical maintenance manual, I added few more details. Checking the parts carefully, I found that few items (such as the front shield) were more thickness that they should. Sanding with nail file, was just OK to make it look more realistic. The fuel tank hatch release handle, have been detailed according the diagrams and pictures and glued it in "CLOSED" position. The following pictures indicate some of the detail improvements added, using the Rheinmetall’s technical maintenance manual & few of my pictures as reference guide. As soon as all the details, hatch covers, handles, etc were fit & glued on the scale model, I spray a primer light layer over the model to prepare for painting process and highlight any deficiencies that had escaped my attention so far.

CHAPTER I - Soft metal kit preparation & cleaning To be honest, since I’ve already had a first taste of 1/35 scale, I was actually planning to build both the German Army’s Rolland II SAMs on Marder IFV, to remember that day at NAMFI. But, just because I didn’t find available Marder IFV scale model with Rolland II SAM yet, I thought as best idea to start with the 1/35 scale Rheinmetall Mk 20 RH-202 2x20mm AA system model kit by Hecker & Goros (already found into a London UK hobby shop) first and continue with the Rolland II SAM on Marder IFV model as a future project. As far as I tried Google, I didn’t find any additional Rheinmetall kits available, so I consider myself as lucky I found it. The assembly instructions contained in the kit is actually an A4 size sheet, one side only printed guide describes the building steps. The soft metal pieces were carefully placed into sealed transparent bags. Unfortunately, after careful inspection to spot any possible defects, cracks, gaps, etc. I found one piece missing, but no problem as long as I could replace it scratchbuild with plastic styrene sheet. Additionally, the soft metal pieces simulating the barrels, found in quite bad condition in box, 30° warped and I was afraid that giving them back a nice ‘n’ straight line shape, could result a crack. Luckily, straightening the warped barrels was an easy job, but I also had a plan-B option to buy RBM Models 1/35 scale accessory suitable for Marder’s 1A2 Rheinmetall cannon barrel if something didn’t go as expected. Additionally, using the minitool, I carefully opened realistic flash suppressers because I was disappointed with the original ones. Since the Hellenic Army’s 230 pages manual for operation & technical maintenance is not quite suitable for scale modeling use, I preferred the official Rheinmetall’s 500 pages technical maintenance manual which is the best reference I could get before starting the project. Before starting the building, I placed the metal pieces side by side and compared them with the diagrams and detailed pictures found into the Rheinmetall’s technical maintenance manual.

1/35 scale Rheinmetall Mk 20 RH-202 2x20mm Hellenic Army towed anti aircraft system model by Hecker & Goros It’s been long time since the mid 1990ies, I had the opportunity as a young officer in Hellenic Army, to receive an invitation to watch the tactical evaluation of NATO AA gunners at NAMFI - NATO Missile Firing Instalations in Suda bay / Crete island. The German Army AA gunners, launched Roland II SAM missiles based on Marder IFVs and the Hellenic Army AA gunners engaged aerial RC targets with the Rheinmetall Mk 20 RH-202 2x20mm cannons. In the following picture, me as a Hellenic Army 2nd Lieutenant, between the German Army Captain / Hauptmann who was in charge with the German Army’s Rolland II SAMs on Marder IFVs AA Battery at that time and the German Army Sergeant Major / Oberstabsfeldwebel who was the technical maintenance master chief. The date is 15 years before today. Lucky me, I managed to shot few pictures and keep in mind few things for (future) scale modelling projects too. Since this article is about the Rheinmetall Mk 20 RH-202 2x20mm scale model, have a look on few pictures of that day. Few years later, during my summer vacations on an Aegean island, I walked around and examined the Rheinmetall Mk 20 RH-202 system details, while visiting a forwarded AA post, based on the island. According to the crew, the AA post was 24/7 operational, the ammo belts were stored next to the system, to provide a 5 minutes readiness, which is enough time for the crew to load the ammo belts and prepare the RH for operation. As the successor model to the 20mm HS-820 cannon, the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany was planning a development, the Rheinmetall offered under its own name RH-202. This AA system should be not only much cheaper than the 20mm HS-820, but also much better: with maximum of fire readiness, extended operational life, resistance against weather, dirt, sand & water and ease operation and field maintenance. The Rheinmetall Zwillingsflak twin gun anti aircraft system, designed to match the mission of the low level air defence units of the German Air Force, to engage low and very low approaching enemy aircraft with all appropriate means in time to prevent them from firing their weapons or delivering their ordnance or at least to prevent them from carrying out an accurate attack on an Air Force installation. The Budget Committee of the Bundestag approved the Zwillingsflak system in December 1969 and serial production began few months later. Volume production in Düsseldorf and in the second manufacturing site at Mauser in Oberndorf began in May 1970. Initial problems in production were solved quickly, and the RH-202 was promoted in the service of the Bundeswehr into a Rheinmetall success story: In 1967 the Federal Ministry of Defence accepted the automatic cannon for the introduction in all branches of service. Through the consistent use of the 20mm RH-202 at Army, Air Force and Navy is thus guaranteed in the Federal Republic of Germany for a limited time, the weapons & ammunition standardization. The first serially manufactured systems reached units of the Bundeswehr on October 12th 1972. Rheinmetall delivered the last of these systems in 1976. It was used by the Argentine Air Force (FAA - Fuerza Aérea Argentina) during the Falklands War, used in the defense of the airfield at Port Stanley Falkland.. Since 1981, it is used by the Portuguese Army (Exército Português) and the Portuguese Air Force (FAP - Força Aérea Portuguesa). The Rheinmetall Mk 20 RH-202 2x20mm AA system is withdrawn from service with the German Armed Forces, but still in active use with the Hellenic Army AA artillery, the HAF - Hellenic Air Force, the Turkish Armed Forces and Indonesian Army air defence as well. A total of 6630 Rheinmetall Mk 20 RH-202 systems were produced. The Rheinmetall Mk 20 RH-202 20x139mm AA system can be transferred after placed on two-wheeled trailer. It and can be coupled to a light vehicle such as the Mercedes Benz 240GD Geländewagen , or a military truck such as the Mercedes Benz Unimog or the Steyr 680M - all of them are in service in the Hellenic Army & the Hellenic Air Force. In firing position the installation is supported by three pillars. The gunner is sitting back, handles the system with a joystick and aims the gun on the target using the Italian made Officine Galileo R-56 computerized sight, which has an optical viewfinder with an x5 increase, serial connected with an electronic analog firing computer to calculate lead angles, distances and point of impact for firing against aerial or ground targets, the arm control mechanisms, vertical & traverse, a placard to display information the data etc. Mechanisms of -5.5° to +85° vertical & 360° traverse are operated hydraulically with a maximum speed of rotation of 80 degrees / sec and vertical guidance of 48 degrees / sec. System is completely autonomous, equipt with an on-board two-stroke gasoline Wankel typed air cooled engine (established under the gunner’s seat), providing needed electric power to operate the hydraulic servos, the Officine Galileo R-56 computerized sight, the on-board firing computer and the electronic controls. Although, under emergency situations (or if no electric power) it can also be manually operated using handles, but firing computer data cannot be transferred to the optical sight if system is not electric powered. It is a precision anti aircraft system with a high rate of fire, ideal to allow high accuracy engagement against aerial targets that cannot be reached with rifles or machine guns. The two 20mm cannons are fully automatic, gas operated with floating mounted base, thus reducing the recoil forces and achieving maximum accuracy, reliability and service life. The gunner is shooting, by pressing the pedal fitted with a fuse with left foot, setting accurate fire into 2000m effective range, until 7000m maximum range. Single barrel or dual automatic shooting can be selected through the control panel, with 2000 rounds / min, per barrel - that means that the Rheinmetall Mk 20 RH-202 AA system, fires with a 4000 rounds / min rate, when both barrels operation is selected by the gunner. The belt feeders are gas-operated and belt transport is independent of cannon and bolt recoil. A number of 280 rounds of 20x139mm ammunition are stored in each side ammo box - total 560 rounds on the system, ready to fire. A flexible hose connecting the ammo box with a gun, is feeding with rounds all time. Using a variety of 20x139mm ammo, including BS with a detachable tray, BZTS, FZS, FZTS and various training with projectile weight 134g (0.3 lb) full caliber or 108g APDS can provide muzzle velocity 1150 m/s (3770 ft/s) - deadly effective against low flying targets. Two versions of the Rheinmetall Mk 20 RH-202 AA system received by the Hellenic Army under special order to cover the anti aircraft Artillery demands. The main visible difference between these two versions is the iron sight or the telescopic sight (used for pre-aiming) placed over the main Officine Galileo R-56 computerized sight eyescope. These two versions differ (apart from the obvious visible difference as explained before) a few more external details on the electronic control switches. Both versions can also be electronically connected with the S-11 simulator (see following picture), used for AA gunners daily exercise.

WIP thread can be found by clicking HERE. Thank you for following and I hope you enjoyed it. Regards, Nick

CHAPTER VIII - Epilogue Considering that I am an aircraft scale modeler with no experience on tracked scale models, I have to say that I really enjoyed this FDCV building - no, I am not planing to build another AFV for the following 20-30 years. As for this polyester kit, I must admit it was much easier than expected. I also tried black paper background (instead of white) & different light conditions and I was surprised on how the model looks like. From now on, black background and low level lighting only... Thank you for following this thread and I hope you enjoyed reading this article. I hope I’ll meet all of you, right after the summer holidays on Amorgos island, where the “Big Blue” Aegean dolphins are living and having fun. Click on the first picture for video. Regards, Nick

CHAPTER VII - Display base & grass I found nice idea to place it on a display base, simulating a field area covered with grass. From my local store, I bought a 20x30cm polished wooden picture frame. I add some grams of plaster powder and few drops of water with a syringe into a soft rubber cup to make the right mixture. Materials like plaster, start as a dry powder that is mixed with water to form a paste which liberates heat and then hardens. Unlike mortar and cement, plaster remains quite soft after drying and this characteristic make plaster suitable for the job. Keep in mind that adding salt into wet plaster mixture, reduce the plaster's hardening time and adding vinegar into wet plaster mixture, extend the plaster's hardening time. When the first layer of thinned plaster applied on the picture frame, a glass were pushed against the plaster to form a flat basic strong cast. I left it few hours to get harden in order to be sure that the cast wouldn't break when I would try to cut it into desired shape. Meanwhile, I took the soft rubber cup which I used to make the plaster mixture, squized it to break the last hardened plaster left inside, so it would be easier for me to clean it afterwards and prepare it for any future mix. That's the reason this soft rubber cup were used for. Before the plaster cast got harden, I formed the field area into the desired shape to be suitable for the FDCV scale model. I used my airbrush to paint it. After the polished wooden frame was covered with masking tape, different acrylic paint layers were applied on the plaster surface. First, mat black colour covered the area and then a dark and light earth colours, spraying from different directions and angles. Later, the field was drybrushed on selected areas using sand tones. As for he grass & plants, I used three different ways: From my local hobby shop, I got different colours of static grass, empty them into a plastic box and make a mixture. Found into my garden perimeter, I collect few natural stuff, cut and placed into plastic box for such use. From my local super market, I got a small wicker broom. If you look closely, you’ll find some very interesting stuff for scale modeling use and dioramas building. Water based white glue for wood, which becomes transparent when it dries, is just the right for the job. So, I opened a 500 grams canister bought for 2€ only, pick a small quantity, add just few drops of water with a syringe into a small metal container to make the right mixture and finally I applied on the desired areas to be filled with grass & plants, using a wet brush. Because the mixture is enriched with water based glue, it is easy to correct possible mistakes. Finally, the FDCV scale model glued on the base with silicon. Final details were added. The antenna masts, the Browning M-2HB 0.50" 12.7x99mm NATO machinegun, some extra dust weathering effect, etc.

The WIP steps may be slow, but I prefer steady progress rather than hastily. After the Humbrol enamel matt coat dried, I had to add selectively some weather, rust & dust effects.

CHAPTER VI - Applying paint, wash & weather effects The first FDCVs, received by Hellenic Army and entered active duty, on 1986. Until 1990, more than 20 vehicles were in Greek service. They were painted with the CARC - Chemical Agent Resistant Coating. This paint is specially formulated to reduce the vehicle's IR image reflection. When the FDCVs were received by the Hellenic Army and by the mid-1990s, did not have national markings on the side of the vehicle. What I'll try to display, is an FDCV scale model as they appeared during the early 90ies period, few years after first entrance in service. The following two pictures, kindly given by Mr. Christos Simitsis / White Tower Models, show an FDCV as presented during the October 28th 1990 National military parade in Thessaloniki, Greece. The scale model carefully washed with liquid soap and warm water to disappear leaving oil traces, fingertips etc. As long as the model was already light gray primed, using free hand airbrushing, enamel black paint preshading lines across the panel lines & details. I believe that the basic CARC FS34079 “Leaf Green” colour, can be simulated with the Humbrol's H116 or Gunze Sangyo's GSH309. Because I had something different in mind and I was hoping to present more than one color tones on model's surface, I tried the FS34094 "Bronze Green" which is available by Life Color as UA303 acrylic and also got the UA706 and UA210 by Life Color too, for the basic CARC color fading and darkening mixtures. Using the SLC - Scale Lighting effect Calculator program, I placed as basic colour the FS34079 (RGB code 62x68x54) and set parameters such as 1/35 scale, appearance of model’s surface in a scale from a “new - just painted” level to “old - paints are fade” level, according to what I had in mind, etc. The program, draw results (for example RGB code 84x90x77 which is close to FS34094) as suggested 13% scale lighting paint for the model, considering the scale effect and the mid-weathered appearance I set as data. Offcourse, the high lighted or intentional faded areas, will be enlighted more, using sand tones. Here is the way of US M-992 FAASVs are painted, as presented into US Army's TB 43-0209 (pages 252 & 253) and TM 9-2350-267-10 Technical Manuals. As noted before, the Hellenic Army's FDCVs are not 3-tones camouflaged - they are painted with one colour only (FS34079 “Leaf Green”) known as CARC - Chemical Agent Resistant Coating, specially formulated to reduce the vehicle's IR image reflection. From CARC paint manufacturer's brochure (page 5) found in HERE it is clear that "…MilSpray CARC touchup, creates no IR image…". Also, in page 2 you can read: "...Key to survivability in combat is avoidance of enemy detection systems and IR homing weapons. CARC coated vehicles and equipment have signature-reduction properties that diminish the effectiveness of existing and emerging enemy detection and targeting systems. While infrared reflectivity is one element of signature-reduction, other characteristics and their particulars are considered classified information. Infrared Signature (IR) management is one of the least understood, yet most important attributes of the CARC camouflage system. Each of the colors in the camouflage system contains a special pigment package that camouflages vehicles and equipment when they are in their intended theater of operation. As an example, the 383 green color in the camouflage pattern, has an IR signature equal, or less than, that of chlorophyll. When viewed in IR, the vehicle will blend in with the wooded environment and will not create an IR signature that could be used by enemy weapons systems having IR homing technology. IR homing weapons systems can be found in MANPADs and many shoulder fired missiles…". The first base very diluted acrylic color was sprayed with no problem as a light layer and let dry overnight. As seen on the pictures, the black enamel preshading lines, are visible under the first applied color setting a base for the weathering process. As soon as the previous very diluted Life Color acrylic paint layer dried, a second (very diluted also) and later a third FS34094 "Bronze Green" (aka Life Color UA303) acrylic layer sprayed over, so the final result will become dark enough, that can be considered as into a realistic tonality & lighting color range, while the black enamel preshading lines, are still visible under the applied color layers. Minor corrections were made in 1-2 spots with a fine brush. The result was sprayed with Humbrol enamel gloss varnish coat, to prepare the surface for water transfered decals applying and washing. Once satisfied with the result, the model was sprayed with Humbrol enamel matt coat, to seal the paint, the water transfered decals and the washing results. Keep in mind that this FDCV scale model, represents a vehicle as it was during the early ‘90ies period, when no national markings were paint on the vehicle’s side. Also, keep in mind, that during this specific period, the bronze plaque in honor of St. Barbara, which in the manners, customs and traditions of the Hellenic Army protects the Artillery, was not installed yet!