1:35 M-2 BRADLEY

The Bradley and its rubber tires

The American army introduced the M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle in 1981 as a machine that is to carry an infantry squad to the spot and support it with fire at the same time. The two-man turret carries an automatic 25 millimeter cannon and a launcher for antitank guided missiles; the hull is welded from aluminum panels. The running gear stands on six pairs of wheels with rubber tires, and those are precisely the most time-consuming part of the whole job when painting. The vehicle went through a long series of modifications, from reactive armor to improved optics, and lasted over four decades in operational service.

When the set comes into play

The discs are stuck onto the wheels at the moment when the running gear is glued, sanded and sprayed in the base shade. It is sensible to hold the wheels on a stick away from the hull, because once the track is on nobody can get at their inner side any more. The mask covers the metal rim, the dark shade of the tire is created in one pass of the airbrush and the boundary stays sharp around the whole perimeter. Lift the film off while the finish is fresh, otherwise the edge tears.

Following on with decals and dirt

Once the film is off, the build continues in the usual order: gloss varnish, tactical markings, matte overcoat and only then filters, washes and dust. A deposit of dust on the rubber slightly softens the transition, so additional retouching tends to be unnecessary. If a tire is scuffed during handling, the disc is laid on again and the damaged place is sprayed over.

Box contents

Two sheets with the cut already done. Paints, decals and the vehicle itself are not in the shipment; the shaping follows the parts of the kit the manufacturer states.