The tracks of a Sherman

The tank clean up continues and it is mostly done. I decided to move onto the tracks. For the Tarawa Sherman Tank I wanted the tracks to look dusty-dirty without much mud.

The first step is to paint the both tracks Tamiya Flat Black. After the paint dried, I applied a wash of light tan to cut down on the black and make them look dusty. I used enamel paint this time around – mixture of Model Master Armor Sand, Field Drab and Yellow. I kept mixing in paint until I ended up with the color I wanted. The thinner to paint ratio was approximately 70% thinner to 30% paint. Below is a comparison between the original black version and the washed version.

The second step is to add the dark colored dirt. I used Mig Pigments Dark Mud, Europe Dust and a touch of Gulf War Sand. I brushed the pigment over the entire tread. Once done, I washed the entire track with Mig Thinner for Washes and allowed to dry. The step is repeated on the backside. Below is a comparison.

The last step is to add the light colored sand, dirt. This time I used Mig Pigments Gulf War Sand, Beach Sand and a touch of Europe Dust. I only brushed the pigment in the middle of each tread. The back side was completely covered. The track was washed again with Mig Thinner for Washes to “lock” down the pigments. A comparison is below.

Lastly, I wiped away the portion of the tread that touches the ground. You want to remove the excess the dirt and mud without removing the pigment inside the tread. Then I sealed both tracks. I did not trust Vallejo Matte paint so I tried Future mixed with Tamiya Flat Base (approx 3 parts future to 1 part flat base). I am much happier with the results and it came out dead flat. Below are the final results.