FineScale Modeler – October 2019

Painting and weathering

My intent was to model a well-maintained

M1917 just returned from a training drive.

The tracks were painted to show rem-

nants of black paint that was applied and

worn away from use. I painted the kit tracks

black, panzer gray, steel, and even SAC

bomber green, before applying graphite and

dust for weathering.

Rather than using a multicolored cam-

ouflage, I painted my M1917 with an over-

all dark green base coat.

Powdered artist pastels were applied

with a brush. In some areas I left the pow-

der rather thick, but brushed it off of oth-

ers. The idea was to depict a tank that the

crew has cleaned off with a broom rather

than hosing it down with water.

Something to remember with an

M1917 is that the crew didn’t really walk

over the armor. Instead, the commander/

gunner used the tracks to reach the turret

and the driver just climbed in from a foot-

step on the hull. With that in mind, most

of the tank was left dusty, while areas where

the crew would sit, step, or handle the

armor, were cleaned. In the case of the

commander/gunner, the paint over the fuel

tank was rubbed to a sheen where he sat.

Since the tracks aren’t muddied up, I

placed the model on a quickly made ‘con-

crete’ base to emphasize the fact that it had

found its way from the dirt of the field into

cleaner spaces. On a dry day, the dirt would

quickly shed from the tracks as they

impacted pavement. (If you’ve ever had to

shovel out the gate to a paved tank park,

you know what I’m talking about.)

If you enjoy scratchbuilding and modi-

fying kits when there isn’t a lot of aftermar-

ket accessories to choose from, this is a

good project for you. Next up, I’m going to

crew the tank with a 1/16 scale Ernst Udet

converted into a post-WWI U.S. Army

Tank Corps trooper. FSM

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The kit floor was used and it’s easy to see that

the ammo racks no longer overlap the screen

for the cooling vents in the engine bulkhead.

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The functioning mount allows me to pose the

gun in any position, including slightly askew as

seen here as the gunner gets a sight picture.

All in all, my two-month project that stretched

into six was a lot of fun. The 3-degree lean

back isn’t really noticeable until the model is

placed next to another FT, so I’m happy with

the extra time I put into that.

http://www.FineScale.com 31

I modified the kit’s ammo racks for the interior
of the M1917 by narrowing them and
staggering the ammunition holes.