The British Are Coming Part 2

I have completed the Matilda tank for my BEF forces.

As always I started with a black base coat. I prefer black as a base for figure and vehicle painting because it enables me to use a very simple block painting technique, about all I can manage. Here we see me learning a valuable lesson. The black acrylic paint has clearly pooled, and tended to slide off the surface. I suspect Airfix use some old-fashioned mold release agent, reminding us why plastic parts and figures should get a wash in warm soapy water before use - as the ancient masters taught us. I decided to persevere, on the theory that the paint would still get into the nooks and crannies. I painted the turret separately so that it will rotate freely.

Here is the tank based and base coated. I have mounted the vehicle on a piece of black "mounting board". It is normally used for framing pictures and can be bought cheaply at art stores. Under this is a layer of magnetic paper, of the type used to make fridge magnets. I purchased several sheets from an office supply store that came with an adhesive backing. This is easily stuck to the base and allows the vehicle to be secured in a metal-lined box for transport. The top is textured with Polyfilla from the hardware store, painted brown with an enamel model paint. The tank has been painted in olive drab, a rough approximation of the light green shade used by all BEF vehicles.

And here is the complete model. The tracks are painted khaki, and the tank has the simple camouflage used in France, large rough "tiger stripes" in dark green. These were added in the field and had no set pattern. The white squares are recognition symbols painted on the sides and front of the hull, and the back of the turret. These were used to prevent friendly fire incidents, but were notoriously said to make great aiming points for enemy AT guns! There are no recognition symbols on the top, because the Allies only had fighters rather than tactical bombers. In the late war years (1944-5) vehicles routinely carried large recognition symbols on the top to prevent bombing accidents.
Now, on to the infantry.