Calling finished on the Tamiya Rebox of the Italeri Staghound and what a lovely little kit it was. Only thing left to do on it is to add an aerial once my cats provide me with a whisker!
Total time came in about forty hours and I was pleased to get this done last night so I can concentrate on the RFM T-80U which is a serious endeavour!
Base coat was Bronze Green over a three tone black, white and grey preshading layer, highlights were four lightened base coat tones and a spot of very gentle drybrushing with Buff. All painting done using Iwata Micron Takumi, using VMA paints.
This vehicle depicts a well worn vehicle from a British armoured unit in France/Holland in late Summer 1944. The swift but substantial Staghounds were typically used as advance recon assets and tended to have a lot of stowage on them because of this, according to the reference photos I’ve seen. I added extra straps with masking tape on the Black Dog resin stowage set (am not keen on the colour, it either needs to be lighter or darker, not sure but I’m not keen on the brown) to make it look a bit more authentic: I only used two thirds of the resin in the set and it already looks pretty cluttered! I quite like the look though. The stowage was done in a lighter colour than I normally would just because I prefer the aesthetic against the green shades of the vehicle paint. Its somewhere between sand and khaki in some cases, deeper khaki in others, I like the idea that not all the stowage is the same colour and there is some visual interest there.
There are three washes and four different dust passes in four different colours on this build and streaking, mud and rust effects were done with enamels.
It came with some nice Tamiya crew figures but I’m going to save these for a future build, possibly a dio which this Staghound would fit nicely into I think.
The end result here is a slightly worn but not over-weathered (I hope!!) recce Staghound that has come out nicely actually, I’m quite pleased with the final look.
I think you have nailed the worn look you described- its exactly as I imagine such a vehicle would look. The stowage too adds a nice bit of character to the vehicle- the size of it would probably mean not a lot of internal stowage so plenty on the outside makes sense and you’ve painted and finished it really well.
Thanks Richard, that’s high praise coming from you. The kit is a Tamiya rebox and its an interesting one because it comes with a surprising amount of PE and three really nice Tamiya figures and Tamiya-style instructions. It was a little more challenging in terms of the build than I was expecting but all the more enjoyable for it. It comes with a natty little photographic reference book of photos and diagrams etc which is a really nice touch. I watched the Tank Museum video on the Staghound and bought the kit off the back of that. I do tend to buy kits that way: I see something on Youtube and research it and then end up buying the kit as my interest is piqued.
That is a great finish on that Staghound, love the colours of your stowage, it really stands out compared to the car, and nicely filled! The base looks great as well!!
I dont have one yet but might get it now that I’ve seen what it can look like once finished.
That is really well done. All the green tones of the vehicle contrast really nicely with the many tans and browns of the stowage items. The small base is also quite good. Congratulations on finishing this new addition to your personal museum!
Cheers Doug - as i mentioned in the notes, I wanted there to be a visual interest between the green of the vehicle and the stowage. Realistically, the stowage should be a darker shade of khaki and less desaturated but for the aesthetic I think it looks better to have more of a contrast, I am glad you agree.
An outstanding model Chris! Beautiful tonality across the bronze green. Excellent contrast of the stowage items and they add well to the bulky stance of the vehicle. Just enough washes and weathering to convey a battered but well maintained vehicle. Great model!
Nicely done Chris. Lovely colours across all of it, from vehicle to stowage and the weathering/washes. Great balanced kit supported very realistic ground work.
