Israel Archivi - Vonvikken Modellismo Statico

Merkava Mk. IV – Photo gallery

Here is the photo gallery of the scale model I made of a Merkava Mk. IV, a main battle tank used by Israel Defence Force.

Versione italiana

This is the fifth model I finished, built from February to August 2013. The particularity of this model is the antislip coating, made with a very fine volcanic ash.

Merkava Mk. IV – Diorama

I decided to put this scale model in a diorama set in a desert environment, a quite common scenario for an Israeli Merkava tank.

Versione italiana

A diorama, even a small one, can do a lot for the model, putting it into a visual context which improves greatly its realism. This time I made a simple base depicting a desertic landscape with rocks and sparse vegetation.

Merkava Mk. IV – Pigments

Pigments are a simple and quick method useful to get a bit more of realism to the scale models during the weathering stage.

Versione italiana

For this model I decided to apply the dust only to the lower hull and to the running gear. Although in the real life the dust usually covers the entire hull —and sometimes even part of the turret— I chose to do so to not hide the details and the color effects.

Merkava Mk. IV – Dry brush

The dry brush allows to highlight smaller details and helps to achieve a better final result. Here’s how i did with this Merkava Mk. IV model.

Versione italiana

The dry brush technique is used to highlight edges, bolts, rivets and generally all the protruding parts of the model. This helps to achieve a better visual depth, and provides also further interesting effects.

Merkava Mk. IV – Filters and washes

You can dramatically improve the look of your scale models using techniques like oil filters and washes, as I did on this Merkava Mk. IV.

Versione italiana

In order to harmonize the shades of the camo and to subtly vary its hue, I applied some oil color filters on the whole model. Then I used some pin washes to highlight small details.