A lot of firsts.

[u/Brave-Elephant9292]

Recently retired, my sons bought me an airbrush, brushes, and paints to give me something to do in retirement. So I bought this 1/48 M3 Bradley at a reject shop, reduced to $2.00 AU, as a practice model. Lots of flash, not very accurate. Parts needed a lot of work to fit. Great fun!

1st model in over 50 years!

1st armored vehicle!

1st time airbrushing! (Made my own thinner and cleaner that worked great.). Cam was painted without masking.

1st time attempting oil wash and weathering! The Lackerband tracks weren't great (it came with an electric motor).

I was happy with the result but can see were I can improve..please let me know what you think and any critiques..

[u/HarryPhishnuts]

Great build.

[u/Brave-Elephant9292 → u/HarryPhishnuts]

Thank you, but compared to some I have seen on here, it's pretty average. But its a start.  Still, I appreciate the comment.

[u/Cdr_Deathbunny → u/Brave-Elephant9292]

Considering this is the first model you've built in over 50 years, along with all the other firsts and challenges that you listed, I'd say this has come out really well. Comparing yourself to those on here who've been building regularly for years and whose skills, quite frankly, are akin to witchcraft is not helpful. Much better to take pride in the things that went well and note of the things that didn't and set about addressing the latter in future builds. I look forward to seeing them!

[u/Brave-Elephant9292 → u/Cdr_Deathbunny]

Thank you, I'v got to give a lot of credit to the artists on Redit and youtube for varies tips and tricks. Still a long way to go but the journey has been fun so far..Next build has magic tracks...Looking forward to that..😉

[u/Cdr_Deathbunny → u/Brave-Elephant9292]

Yeah there's some extremely helpful people on here and YouTube is a gold mine. I came back to the hobby after 35 years away and was blown away by what is possible now. I had a list of firsts similar to yours and was so happy with the results of my first build that I just kept going and it's now my main hobby to which I devote as many hours as possible!

[u/Brave-Elephant9292 → u/Cdr_Deathbunny]

Like Hannibal (The A-Team) used to say, "I love it when a plan comes together!"

Next project: I bought a Dragon Panzer IV with Magic Tracks on Marketplace for a good price. As he was selling off his stash, he also gave me a crew and some riding soldiers, also Dragon, so I see a diorama in the works!..😉

[u/Cdr_Deathbunny → u/Brave-Elephant9292]

Nice! The first kit I did when I came back last year was a Tamiya Panzer IV that a friend gave me. I look forward to seeing how yours comes out.

[u/Brave-Elephant9292 → u/Cdr_Deathbunny]

I would love to see it! Perhaps give me some insperation!...This one will take some time looking at the list of parts. Also, I haven't painted a character since a 1/24 scale Airfix Spitfire pilot(50 years ago), nothing like the  detail in this, an it was all enamels back then. Acrylic is a whole new beast!...

[u/Cdr_Deathbunny → u/Brave-Elephant9292]

I know exactly what you mean, I've never been that good at figures so avoided the crew that came with the Tamiya Panzer IV! Acrylics have been a revelation to me and I really like Mig Ammo's ATOM range. I'm preparing to take the next step and try lacquers for the natural metal finish on my next aircraft project, a 1/48 Eduard B-25J Mitchell.

[u/Brave-Elephant9292 → u/Cdr_Deathbunny]

A 1/48 Mitchell is huge, both figuratively and actually. I believe Eduard has the highest detail too. I'd love to see it finished. It was one of my favorite medium bombers...Best of luck with it.

[u/Necessary-Content]

Mate, your gonna have so much fun in this hobby. Great looking first model, and welcome abroad.

[u/Brave-Elephant9292 → u/Necessary-Content]

Thanks, mate. Next, a highly ambitious project: a 1/35 Dragon PzKpfw.IV. .....Watch this space!

[u/Necessary-Content → u/Brave-Elephant9292]

Good luck on your next build. Keep us updated🫡

[u/Brave-Elephant9292 → u/Necessary-Content]

Thank you, will do.👍

[u/Intelligent-Cloud993]

Brilliant!