The onion dome tank - Vickers No. 1

The Vickers No. 1 and No. 2 infantry tank prototypes were developed in 1921 - 1922. They combined the trench crossing capability of the British heavy rhomboid tanks with features from the light French FT-17. Neither the No. 1 nor the No. 2 prototype were accepted for service.

This is another obscure subject from the prolific Vargas Scale Models. Vargas specializes in esoteric subjects from WW1 and the Interwar periods. The kit is 3D printed in a flexible gray resin. The print is very clean - no additional cleaning or curing was needed. The supports are very fine and easily removed and the parts smoothed. The 3D print striations are very minor. As with most Vargas kits the parts count is minimal - in this case only 8 parts! As such it builds very quickly, allowing the modeler to focus on painting and weathering. I had the Vickers removed from it supports, built and primed in a whopping 2 hours.

I primed the built kit with rattle can Mr. Surfacer 1000. This is a magic potion for 3D printed kits. It is a sandable, self-leveling primer which fills minor 3D striations. After checking for defects and striations, I black based it with a coat of Mr. Surfacer 1500 from the rattle can. I preshaded with Tamiya XF-2 White. I used AK Real Colors RC023 Khaki Green No. 3 as the base coat. This is my go-to for the nebulous British “Service Color”. Tracks were brush painted with Tamiya XF-84 Dark Iron and given filters of AK Track Wash and AK Light Rust Wash. I applied a dot filter with Winsor & Newton oils to the flat acrylic base. After allowing the oils to dry, I sealed it with Alclad Aqua Gloss. I pin washed the model with AK Streaking Grime. I used AK Kursk Earth to apply streaks. After dulling the model with AK Ultra Matt, I applied a mix of AK pigments to the tracks and fixed them with mineral spirits. The cleats and edges of the tracks were polished with Uschi Chrome pigments applied with a rubber shaping brush. I applied a fine layer of splatters on the lower parts of the AFV with AK Dust Effects, AK Kursk Earth, and AK Dark Earth. The oh so delicate machine guns were glued in place and the model moved to the photo booth and then the display case.

My total time commitment on the Vickers was 15 hours - a very small investment to add a tank to the display case. These low parts count, obscure subjects from Vargas make an ideal “palate cleanser” between my larger and more complicated builds.

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I know you wrote that this was never in production but I didn’t know tanks of that era had that many, uh, curves :grin:

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I like it. Looks cool like the Ĺ koda Turtle

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Looks great. :+1:

This might be another one of your works that has convinced me to get one of their prints.

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Looks great

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Yes, and your build and paint on this model is outstanding

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Wow, that is about as steampunk a tank as I think I’ve ever seen. Great job with a nice quick build!

Jimbo

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You always manage to paint these obscure beauties so well- your technique really lets the details sing.

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What an excellent job. Great build and excellent finish on a very unusual model!

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Very well executed. Color modulation and weathering top shelf. :+1: :+1:

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@KoSprueone, she is rather voluptuous isn’t she… Thank you!

@Tank_1812, don’t wait, they are great little models, especially the later ones. Each Vargas kit seems to be better than the last.

@Dan, Thank you! See you on the Wednesday Zoom build.

@Jimbo, I love these obscure interwar subjects. There was so much innovation as technology was moving forward in leaps and bounds and everyone was trying to figure out how to harness it to solve military problems. There are lots of lessons to be learned.

@Karl187, @Armorsmith, thank you! These build so quickly that I am bolder in in painting and weathering. I don’t worry about messing up months of build work, and try new techniques.

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Well, it don’t stink like onion. So, you done good :grinning:

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With a British crew of tankies inside it for 5 days it will lol

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I would agree. :+1:

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@Stryker Thank you!

@Johnnych01 That brings back memories of the funky smell of cordite, diesel, hydraulic fluid, and guys that haven’t had a shower or change of clothes in 10 days. It’s good to be an old, retired fart.

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I too have this kit on the shelf looking at me and just begging to be built. Your effort will be inspiration. I agree that the Vargas kits are getting better quickly. I’m working on another one of his newer kits and its a pip.

Paul

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The nice thing about this kit is that the build is so quick. I spent a total of 15 hours for the build, paint, and weathering on the Vickers. I’ve got his US M2A1 Medium Tank, the predecessor to the M3 Lee on pre-order.

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It was 15 hours well spent that paid you back. It’s a great build with really good colour and tones.

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