Almost done

The Puma is almost finished. I've added a first clear coat (Alclad semi-matt) and let that dry for 24 hours. It's not sticky to the immediate touch, but if you hold it in your hand for longer than a few seconds, it does stick a little. If you press hard for a while, it will leave fingerprints, as I've noticed on the submarine.

I'm yet to find out how long it takes to fully cure.

The decals are in place now (there were only 9). I've treated them with Micro Set, just to be sure they cling to the surface perfectly. When dry, I'll add a second clear coat to seal them in.

Now that painting is done, I've removed the latex protection I put around the wheel discs and started installing the wheels. The wheels are held in place by a small cap and (are supposed to) freely rotate.

(I predict none of the wheels will rotate in the end, but I'm trying anyway.)

I painted the gear on the side of the tank (shovel, axe, wire clippers) with wood and natural steel colours. On future models, I'll probably leave off the tiny bits, paint them separately and only install them in the finishing phase. This way, for instance, the jerrycans will not be camouflaged, but I don't think it's pretty realistic to expect this anyway. I don't expect, in the field, those jerrycans were always in the same place, or on the same vehicle, for that matter.