hello and welcome to model minutes today's video is a quick build of the
Cromwell Mark four tank starter set from Airfix
this is the first ever tank kit that I've built I've always had an interest
in building other types of model kits and this particular kit has been
suggested to me by people in the comments of my other videos so let's get
started the kit comes complete with four paints a small tube of poly cement and a
paintbrush the rear of the box has the printed painting and decal instructions
whilst the assembly instructions are contained inside the box itself the kit
is comprised of a small sheet of decals and two sprues of component parts all
molded in the typical gray plastic and to a scale of 1:76 the instructions
reccommend that the parts be washed in warm soapy water in order to ensure they
are properly clean and give a good surface for the cement and paint to
adhere to. I didn't bother with this step however as I was so eager to get on with
the construction. With these airfix kits watch out for the flying hours
tokens on the boxes if you join the airfix Club these can be redeemed
against more kits. I've never used my flying hours so I have quite a stash one
day I'll join the club so I can use them all! The first step I chose to complete
was to paint the component parts the relevant color whilst they were still on
the sprue the paints included in the set were used and I know some of you will
point out that they really should be thinned but I wanted to see what the
results would be like straight out of the pot to get the best results of these
acrylic paints they can be thinned with water
although specialist thinners are available I tend to do about one to two
ratio of water to paint but you may have to experiment with what works best for
you. The reason the paint can be thinned is
in order to avoid leaving brushstrokes on the finished model keeping the paint
more fluid until it dries will result in fewer visible imperfections my general
rule of thumb when painting is to start with the lightest color first then
progress to the colors I find that it's always easiest
to paint a dark color over a light one rather than the other way round
as a result I'll start with the overall green first and highlight the wheels
with black and the tracks of metallic gray afterwards whilst you watch me
finish up the painting of the kit I'll tell you a little bit about the actual
chrome well mark for tank the tank was officially named Cruiser tank mark 8 and
was one of the most successful British tanks of the Second World War it was
named after the English Civil War leader Oliver Cromwell and it turned out to be
an adept and rugged fighting machine serving in two at the end of the war
while outgunned and out armoured by German tanks the cromwell managed to
hold its own through better maneuverability its relatively small
size and its reliability in combat the paint scheme Airfix have depicted in
this kit is that of a cromwell mark 4 of the fifth Royal Horse Artillery sim farm
at Division British Army in Europe 1944 / 45 it is worth noting that there are
alternative parts for this kit you may be able to notice that the sprues
include the extensions that were applied over the exhaust and in takes in order
to allow it to take part in the amphibious landings of d-day I decided
to discard these parts and build it without them as I've got another project
in mind for this kit when it's finished which does not require these parts to be
used the construction of the kit starts by removing the parts which are all
numbered with a sharp blade and sanding any burrs or flash that may remain from
the molding process Efex recommends that people constructing this kit be over the
age of 8 years old as sharp tools and the use of chemicals such as the paints
and solvents can be toxic and give off fumes as always remember that adult
supervision may be required the base or hull of the tank are the first parts to
be constructed I find that all of the parts have been designed to fit together
really well which is a result of this being a more recently tooled kit I
didn't need to use filete any point in the construction of this
kit the fiddly as part of the construction was the assembly and
installation of the wheels and tracks when completed they do not function or
rotate as the wheels are cemented in position and the tracks are molded to a
specific shape having constructed those parts I made a note to go back and touch
up any paint that have been chipped or removed during assembly the main body of
the tank goes together well and has a number of small parts special care needs
to be taken in order to ensure that they are attached in the correct orientation
more than once I attempted to apply them upside down the turret of the tank is
easy to construct 2 and if careful the main gun can be mated reverse up and
down and the turret be made to rotate on top of the hull I found that in order to
allow for this functionality some of the paint I had applied had to be removed
gently sanding it away from the hull of the tank in order to allow the turret to
turn having completed the construction of the tank any areas that needed a
touch-up or details highlighted were picked out in the correct colors a satin
varnish was then applied and left to dry prior to the application of decals a
satin or gloss varnish should be used as the base for decals as it prevents the
decals from appearing silver and shiny on the model the decals were cut from
the sheet soaked in warm water and then gently applied to the kit which had
already been given a coat of decal set solution in the relevant position the
decals are positioned and left to cure the solution allows for the decals to
conform to the complicated contours and details of the model and look like
they're painted on for more information on how to apply decals I made a video on
this topic so have a look for it on my channel the next step is to apply a
matte varnish to the model which ensures an even finish and helps blend the
decals into the model when this was dry I dry brush silver over the model to
give it a light metallic effect and highlight the details a small amount of
humble 11 was applied to a brush then removed on a tissue the brush then
dragged over the surface of the kit highlights the raised details without
actually painting the entire surface the final stage was a dark wash again
intended to highlight more detail particularly the recessed areas Humber
of 33 was mixed with water to about a 50/50 ratio and a drop of washing-up
liquid added to ensure it flowed easily any excess wash was gently removed from
the model with damp cotton buds or tissue paper I decided not to whether
the tank any further as the project I have in mind for it doesn't require it
to be in a battle worn condition and here's the finished model
I found it didn't take too long to complete it really helps that acrylic
paints a fast drying time so realistically the kit can be constructed
in about six hours it's quite easy to build but perhaps a little fiddly with
all the wheels if it's a first time build if I were to build it again I'd
have a go at using the extra parts which I emitted this time around and also then
the paints for a better finish but ultimately I'm happy with the results
this starter set retails for around 10 pounds in the United Kingdom but I was
fortunate to get it at half price as it was on sale
I'll add the link to the kit in the description under the video if you want
to have a go at it yourself I'm aware that Airfix also retails this kit on its
own and not as part of a starter set so if you've already got the correct colors
that may be a cheaper option this model may not be up to the standard of some
tank kits available from other manufacturers but for a first go it was
a good introduction to the genre as always let me know what you think of my
build techniques and finish model in the comments below I'm keen to hear your
suggestions as to other tanks or vehicles that would be worth a go so
feel free to post that too all that's left to say is thanks for watching this
video and don't forget to leave a like if you've enjoyed it subscribe in order
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