Week Two: Joe Krone I am very excited this week because I was able to stay on target even though I was incredibly busy with travel for work. I spent the majority of my lunch breaks and a little extra time over the weekend to complete my goal. I am happy with the results and I look forward to finishing this army.

Once all of the tanks and transports were assembled I washed them with warm water, a tooth brush and some dish washing soap. This removes any chemicals and all the dust and excess plastic bits caused from cleaning the mould lines. When they were completely dry I sprayed them black and then a nice even coat of Firefly Green (CWP230).

Below: Joe's Half-tracks.

I stopped working with the tanks and concentrated on finishing the half-tracks. Here is my step-by-step of painting the transports after they have been sprayed: 1. Dry brush the entire vehicle with Vallejo Afrika Green (FWP346). 2. Paint the tracks, wheels, and tools Vallejo Black (FWP300). 3. Paint the tool handles and seats Vallejo Oxide Red (FWP382). 4. Highlight the tool handles and seats Vallejo Motherland Earth (FWP383). 5. Final highlight of tool handles and seats using Vallejo Battlefield brown (FWP324). 6. Paint the heads of tools Vallejo Dark Gunmetal (FWP480). 7. Paint areas for decals with Vallejo Gloss Varnish (510). 8.  Apply decals. 9.  Paint decals with Vallejo Decal Softener (212). 10. Paint decals with Vallejo Gloss Varnish (510). 11. Wash entire vehicle with Krone Wash (a mixture of Vallejo Black Shade (201), Vallejo Brown Shade (200), Vallejo Gloss Varnish (510), Water, White Glue, and Vallejo Firefly Green (CWP230)). NOTE: This wash is more of an art than a science. I typically mix up a batch in a big mason jar because no two different batches are ever the same. The water is used to thin the pigment, the white glue is used to keep the wash from repelling against any chemicals still on the miniature and the Gloss Varnish is used to allow the wash to flow into the cracks, crevasses, panel lines, etc. I know I have the right consistency when I can run a brush full of wash across a white ceramic tile and it doesn’t pool and the wash has some transparency. Good luck if you want to try and make this wash but you will love the results if you nail it. 12. Weather the vehicle with a dry brush of Vallejo Wool Brown (FWP328) on the tracks, wheels, front, and sides and back of the vehicle.

Below: Joe's Company HQ Shermans.

I think it is important to mention that during Week 1 I had to purchase some paint, brushes, and spray. Here is the breakdown of what I picked up.

Item Price (US Dollars) Quartermaster’s Paint Set (QPS01) $40.00 Utility Paint Set (QPS02) $20.00 British Paint Set (BPS01) $20.00 US Paint Set (UPS01) $20.00 Vallejo Yellow Green (881) $3.00 British Armour Spray (SP01) $12.00 Paint Brush Set (PBS01) $14.00 Black Spray $5.00 Flat Dry Brushing Brush $8.00 Dull Coat $5.00 Total: $147.00

Below: Joe's First Sherman Platoon.

I didn’t include this as part of my budget mainly because I will be able to use all of these materials for future projects. The initial investment can add up quick but when you average out the cost of materials over several projects its well worth the price.

Below: Joe's Second Sherman Platoon.

To give you an idea of my financial investment versus my time investment I will keep a running total so you can understand that this hobby truly gives you a great value. Total Cost: $485.96 + $147.00 = $632.96. Total Hours to Date: 20 hours of hobby and 0 hours of games played with army. Value to Date: $31.65 / hour.

Below: Joe's Third Sherman Platoon.

My goal for next week is to have my tanks dry brushed and my 3 universal carriers completely finished. I will be travelling with my wife next week so I will not have a lot of spare time to commit to the project. Until next week and happy gaming. ~ Joe.