Building the 8 ton Sd.Kfz. 7 Mittlerer Zugkraftwagen (Dragon kit: painting the engine bay, accessories, wheels, tracks and tyres)

The engine details and visible portions of the exhaust were brush painted with Vallejo acrylics.

 

Brush painting accessories.

The tarpaulins, crew equipment, funnel, and rags were all brush painted with Vallejo acrylics. The cab seats received a mixture of gloss black and leather.

 

 

Wheels, tracks, and tyres

The tracks were airbrushed with my trusty Tamiya acrylic 'new track' mix. This comprises Dark Iron, German Grey, and Flat Earth. The rubber track pads were brush painted with Vallejo Dark Rubber acrylics. 

After first receiving an undercoat of red oxide and before the base coat was laid down all the rubber tyres were painted. Airbrushed Tamiya Rubber Black on the front wheels and all the track tyres were brush painted with Vallejo Dark Rubber. The reason for this odd sequence of working is explained below.

 

The metalwork on the wheels was painted and chipped much like the cab and chassis had been. Any overspray on the tyres is not a big issue. In fact, using lightened shades of dark yellow now acts as a good ground in form of tyre dirt. This can be achieved, much like paint chipping only the idea is to 'scrub' away the majority of the paint on the tyre sections.

 

Colour consistency

Working in sub-assemblies can have its drawbacks during the painting stages so it was now important to check and ensure they all worked in harmony. A quick test fit would highlight any stark colour variations in the paint application.

Check complete it was now time to protect all the paint work laid down so far. It would also prepare the surface for decals and future weathering. 

Clear coat

A coat of VMS Satin Varnish was airbrushed over the cab and cargo bed portions. Parts that had rubber tyres received a coat of matt varnish.