The multi-color, pre-World War II scheme on Takom’s 1/35 scale Skoda PA 2 Turtle is depicted beautifully on the box art, which inspired me to replicate it on the model.
This build was all about the finish, so I built the model straight out of the box. The first step in finishing the armored vehicle was overall dark gray primer.
Using mixes of Tamiya Neutral Grey (No. XF-53) and Flat White (No. XF-2), I painted panels and highlights to obtain the proper preshading and light mapping. The armored car has rounded lines and a unique shape that I accentuated with highlighting.
I started with the lightest color, a light green mix of Tamiya paints. Once dry, I spread Ammo camouflage putty over the color with a sculpting tool in the desired shape (note: you can also use Silly Putty). Then, I sprayed on the next color, a light yellow.
After repeating the painting-and-masking process for all four camouflage colors, I drew the demarcations between them with a Real Colors Flat Black paint marker (No. RCM033). I used AK Splatter Effects Stirred Earth (No. AK8030) to build up mud in the wheel wells and put a little on the bottom to show where mud would build up.
The kit comes with hard rubber tires that needed weathering. I started by coating the treads with the AK stirred earth and rubbing it in with my thumb. I also dry-brushed the side walls to achieve a dusty effect and tone down the rubber.
After a coat of Tamiya Clear (No. X-22), decals, and a coat of Tamiya Flat Clear (No. XF-86) to seal them in, I mixed Abteilung 502 oil paints to make a dark, brownish-gray, thinned it to a watery consistency, and flowed it into panel lines and around rivets using a liner brush. When the panel lining was dry, I put random dots of artist oil colors on the model, with lighter colors on the lighter camouflage colors and darker colors on the darker camo colors. I also tried to put some in places where I wanted streaks, like under salient surface details.
Using a wider flat brush moistened with odorless thinner, I pulled these colors down from top to bottom to create streaking and splotchy dust and dirt on the surface. I achieved that and a dirty, dusty appearance, but I also lost most of my pre-highlight and shading from when I applied the camouflage.
To reintroduce the highlights that accentuate the body lines, I made several mixes of artist oils to create highlights for each of the camouflage colors. I dry-brushed these to blend the oil paints and accent the areas on the armored car that would catch the light.
With this done, I misted on thinned Tamiya Flat Earth (No. XF-52) onto the bottom of the model and on the base to tie them together.
After painting a few more details and adding the flags, this project was complete. I was happy with how the result matched the box art. The color scheme is complex, but with a bit of time invested in masking with Silly Putty, it wasn’t too difficult to achieve. When you take a look at the kits in your stash and see one where the box art just grabs your attention, seize the inspiration and make it come to life. You will be glad you did.