This little guy has been sitting patiently on my “not the stash but not in progress shelf”. Mounted about a foot down from the ceiling, that shelf used to display models. But as I don’t keep what I build anymore, it’s now home to kits that I plan to start soon, or that I started and for some reason temporarily put away.
The trouble is, I rarely look up.
So while some of the kits up there are definitely languishing because I just wasn’t having fun with them, there are a few that somehow fall into the “forgotten” category.
It Happens
I’ve always been a bit of an “absent minded professor” anyway. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve walked around with my glasses in hand, wondering where they were. I once even turned around and drove back to my house because I thought I’d left the car keys at home. 🤦♂️
It happens a lot in modeling too. When I used to have a much bigger stash of models, mostly airplanes, there were plenty of times I’d get a kit at the local shop, only to come home and realize I already had it. In fact, that was one of the clues that made me realize my stash was too big.
As I get older, this forgetfulness seems to be happening more. I’ll be headed to do something in the house, and something else will distract me. After dealing with that, I won’t remember if I had done the thing I intended, and was returning from it, or if I had not done it and was heading towards it.
What was it the Scarecrow said in Wizard of Oz? “If I only had a brain…”
Remembering To Remember
Each year, I try to work ahead on my schedule so that I’ll have some content to publish over Christmas vacation. However, this year has been tough. Between some family medical issues, travel to see my new grandson, and a few other “life comes at you fast” moments, it’s been all I can do simply to publish each week – let alone get ahead a bit.
As I planned for vacation though, I realized I was not only coming up short for that time, I was also needing something to publish the week prior. Then it dawned on me – this little Scopedog from Wave was painted, ready for weathering. It had been sitting on the high shelf since last year about this time in fact.
The hard part for me though was to remember it. If I only had a handheld device that I carried with me everywhere to remind me of things… 🙂
So I entered a reminder in my calendar. “Get Scopedog down from shelf.” I set it for 7:00 that same evening.
Sure enough, as I sat there that night, working along on a model, my phone buzzed. Wondering what it was, I saw the reminder on the screen. “Get Scopedog down from shelf.” Good thing I did that… I’d already forgotten!
A Nice Little Kit
Wave’s 1/35 Scopedog Turbo Custom is a cool little kit. And it is little… not a whole lot taller than a lighter. Still, it has a lot to offer. The model features a very generous weapons array, bordering on the ridiculous. (Which is cool in my opinion… 🙂 ) It has a nice, chunky, hefty look to it, yet easily fits in the palm of your hand. And while it’s not quite Bandai fit, Wave is no slouch. The model does go together very well,
I decided I’d indulge myself when it came to weathering this one. My goal was to make it look beat up, grimy, dirty, well worn, used, and whatever other word can describe a heavy but still usable state for a model. I did not want it to appear as a rusted, abandoned hulk. My target was more like a Soviet T-34 in the spring of 1943.
Chips
The chipping was mostly applied with a sponge, using a two color approach. A lighter version of the base was added first, in a fairly heavy fashion. Later, darker, brownish chips were applied to simulate wear down to the base material.
For the backpack, a lighter gray was used. I considered using a light blue, but it just seemed bit too bright. I considered desaturing it with light gray, but figured “why not just use light gray?” It ended up working out fine.
Just Add A Lot Of Stuff
While I think oils and enamels are far more flexible for any weathering, dealing with softer plastic that is not always friendly with harsher thinners requires a different approach. Wave’s plastic feels much like Bandai’s – unbaked, so not hardened against thinners. And rather than risk damage to the various joints, I opted to stick with only acrylic weathering products.
The streaking and splattering was done entirely with Vallejo Model Wash. Dark green, Blue, and Gray were all used, with some mixing of each colors. Application was with a #0 liner brush, quickly flicked on. There are probably a total of 10-12 layers of streaks applied. One or two layers don’t work as well, but as you add more, good depth is achieved, and the tidemarks often associated with acrylic products are blended away automatically.
Other Vallejo Washes provided some rust tones. I wanted these areas to look like fresher rust, as though it was working in a very wet climate, without time for good maintenance. The darker of the two shades was applied first, then the lighter. Each was diluted a bit with some glaze medium.
More Weathering, Please
More Vallejo Washes were used to be the foundation for dirt effects around the lower part of the feet. I applied this in a dabbing motion in a few layers, building up the opacity as I went. This was followed up with some deck tan airbrushed on lightly, which suggested some outer dust layers over the darker effects previously applied.
Dark brown and black acrylic washes added suggestions of various fluid stains around the model. I tried to place these where it seemed logical, of course, but it’s good to remember that sometimes people spill things too. So don’t be afraid to add some randomly.
A dark mix of two parts dark gray and one part hull red was thinned down and airbrushed on to replicate staining on the guns and jet nozzles.
Finally, I evaluated the model to see what touches of any of the above were needed. This is an important step, I think. Adding in additional layers at the end helps give depth to the weathering. it also suggests time has passed. Stains on stains on stains happen on real vehicles,so having those on a model really imparts life to it.
Satisfied with the weathering, I finished off the Scopedog with a matte varnish coat.
Scoping It All Out, Dog
I really like the look of the models from Armored Trooper VOTOMs. They have a Mobile Suit Gundam Zaku look to them, yet also display touches of Maschinen Krieger. In many ways, they communicate “heavy war suit” to my eye more than the other two. And this Wave kit is quite good. I suppose the only real knock I can give it is the size. At 1/35th scale, it left me wanting a bit more. But as to the build itself, and the fun painting and weathering it, I can’t complain. (And if you want to do a diorama, there are plenty of options in the scale!)
I may have forgotten about this diminutive kit for a while, but that was my fault. It’s definitely a lot of fun in a small package.
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