Armor/Military Vehicles Model Detailing

1. Parts that are thick, over-scale, or coarse should be thinned, modified, or replaced.
2. Weld marks should be simulated where applicable.
3. Extra parts should be added if practical, with references used to confirm their existence on the actual vehicle. Such parts should be as close to scale as possible.
1. Add (especially on conversion or scratch-built models) the small detail parts (rivets, nuts and bolts, etc.) usually found in standard injection-molded kits.
2. Add tarps, bedrolls, chains, fuel cans, etc., but be sure to also add some method by which such items are attached to the vehicle (hook, rope, tie down). Jerrycans are not attached to real tanks with superglue.
3. Aftermarket parts (photo-etched, white metal, resin, etc.) should integrate well with the basic model. Photo-etched parts that require forming should be precisely shaped, and any surfaces that require building up to a thicker cross-section should be smooth and uniform.
4. Molded-on parts such as axes and shovels should be undercut or removed completely and replaced. This is especially true of molded screen, which should be replaced with real screen.
5. Track "sag" on tracked vehicles should be duplicated where appropriate.
6. Windshield wipers should be added where appropriate.
7. Headlights and tail lights should be drilled out and have lenses added.
8. Cable and electrical lines should be added to lights and smoke dischargers.
9. Valve stems should be added to tires.
10. Instrument faces on dashboards should have detail picked out and lenses added.
11. Gas and brake pedals should be added to open-wheeled vehicles.
12. Road wheel interiors should be detailed (this is especially necessary on the Hetzer).
13. Molded grab handles and hatch levers should be replaced with wire or stretched sprue.
14. Underside of model, if viewable, should be given the same attention to detail as the top; e.g., motor holes filled, paint applied, weathering on the inside of the road wheels consistent with that on the outside. If the vehicle being modeled was weathered, normal wear and tear to the bottom of the hull from riding over the usual rocks, brush, and other obstacles should be visible on the model.

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