AFV Club SdK.fz 251/3 Ausf D WiP

Thanks. There are not that many companies that do large metal figures these days. The detail is not as good as the resin ones, but still nice enough. Its the first time I have bought Hornet figures and I would again.

Very cool scheme Bish, you did one fantastic job on that 251 and a base and figures too... where do you find the time. BTW, your logo looks like Roger Waters' Wall.

Thanks jibber. Now time, that is one thing I don't have. I am just determine not to ad any more armour builds to the waiting list for dio's.

Is he a Star Wars fan as well

Update time again. This week has been centred on the weathering, which apart from some mud and dirt is now all done. I started with some dry brushing using MiG oils. I didn't go to mad on this, just along the edges and high points.

 This was followed by a thin Raw Umber wash all over

 And then some dot filtering with oils. I used white, Raw Sienna and Burnt Umber

 And then to finish off, a pin wash using AK wash for dark yellow, some light chipping and some streaks using AK streaking grime. The road wheels have also been added after some MiG pigments were applied. I still have to remove the excess

Thanks for looking, all comments welcome of course. 

Looking good with the weathering applied Bish, very nice.

Thanks very much Bill, that really means a lot.

Looks great 

Thanks Josiah.

Love the pin washes Bish, layer by layer it just keeps getting better.

Thanks jibber.

Hi Bish,

Very interesting how you bring that camouflage to live.

It really is layer by layer :)

Very Best Regards

Johan

Thanks Johan. I can't take any credit for it, its all what I have been picking up over the last few years from guys like Bill, Karl and others. I should have another update on Wednesday which will hopefully be the last before its done.

Yeah, that's COOL, Bish---a nice, muted finish and grungy look to it. SHould be a winner when it's done!

Moving along nicely Bish, the blending of the camo looks great.

Thanks a lot guys.

Hey Bish!

Its looking very detailed. The interior itself may be set alone on a display for a detailed inside look.

I would be very afraid to go on and glue the top part and then paint the exterior and ruining the magnificent interior.

Thanks garzonh. Yes, I know what you mean, but that's the best way I could work out how to do it. I just pack the inside with tissue and hope I have not left any gaps, especially with those radio's in there.

Its finally that time again. This should be the last update before this is done. There was not to much left to do to the vehicle itself. After adding the tracks and wheels and fitting the last few external bits, it was time for a mud bath. I was trying to get a fresh mud look using a method I picked up online. I mixed some MiG pigments with plaster and some gloss varnish, in this case future. But it has not come out looking fresh but dried

 Most of this week has been spent on the base, figures and other bits of kit to go in and on the vehicle. I wanted a wet mud look to the base as well so added some future to the Celluclay mix, but again it has not worked

 I then added the vehicle before the celluclay was fully dried. I still have some pieces to add but these can be done while on the base. I also fitted the gate and a few other items to the ground work

And the figures are starting to come along. The skin is done and I just need to ad some detail to the faces such as the eyes. SS camo is one of the areas I need to work on.

The two figures on the left, Meyer and one of his Officers, will be in Summer oak leaf, a pattern I find pretty hard to replicate.  The next guy will be in Pz Black, the one after him Reed Green and finally Dot pattern

 All comments are welcome and any suggestion on how to get a fresh wet mud look to both the terrain and the vehicle would be appreciated. I tried painting the Celluclay with future after it dried but it left a whiteish colour so I has to go over that.

the doog

And don't worry about "{patterns", Just spray freehand and imagine yourself being three inches tall!

hey BISH

when i do camo on my towed artillery i think "if i was the gun captain and i knew i was going to be in ____________ type of terrain, how would i paint it? then i do. sometimes i have splotches Iif i'm in the woods, sometimes lots of vertical lines if i am going to be in a wheat field. i never put 2 colors on the roadwheels and tend to paint tire hubs a dark color because i think a DY circle in a tree line would say AIM HERE.

looks like a solid kit. i have the /17 FLAK in the stash. and i seem to be starting doing what you are doing and building vignette bases. most to this point have been generic except for the BEDFORD but i have some cool pics of a libyan BM-21 and a soviet BA-10 and T-35. guess i best improve my figure painting.

Thanks wayne. Is that the /17 Ausf C. I couldn't build a model with a diorama in mind for it. I have been doing dio's for over 25 years and they are finally starting to come together, especially the figures.

Bish

Thanks wayne. Is that the /17 Ausf C. I couldn't build a model with a diorama in mind for it. I have been doing dio's for over 25 years and they are finally starting to come together, especially the figures.

ney BISH

yes it is.

doing a vignette is a new thing with me but it seems the next logical step. doesn't have to be exact, just ideas from a number of pics. given i have almost all THE WEATHERING MAGAZINEs  i have a good start. btw if you ever want a specific article let me know and i;ll scan it in.

I have both the AFV kits of the /17C. They are nice kits, the only issues I have had are the moulds plugs and fitting the top and bottom, which may well have been my error.

Thanks, I will keep that in mind.

Looking forward to the final push on this one Bish! Nice choice of figures and base for it.

Wow Bish- I just read through this thread. Fantastic work from you as usual!

Dave

Hey Bish, I love how that turned out, all grimy and muted colors!

And normally I don't dig the look of vehicles being placed parallel to the base sides, but something about your did composition seems to work OK in that regard. The figures are looking really, really good too! 

When you go to do wet mud, use Celluclay, and smooth it out with your wetted finger and then put in your vehicle tracks, footprints, etc. put in some decent ruts and divots in the road--these are effective for catching "water" and helping to carry off your impression of wet ground.

Now, this is important: wet muddy ground is never universally wet, nor glossy, and even if you think it SHOULD be, artistically it doesn't come off well to do that. Paint your ground a rich chocolate brown or the. Like, and then dry brush some lighter shades on the high points, just like you would on a model. 

NOW use Testor's regular gloss lacquer over it. Get a bottle of it and airbrush it. Give your road or earth a LIGHT coat at first to seal it and prime it --it should be no more than a semi-gloss. Let that dry. Then brush thicker applications of the gloss into the grooves, track and foot depressions, and into the lowest points of the road. If you have deep channels in the road, or a ditch pool for example, use 5-minute epoxy to make "water"-- it will dry clear. You can also then tint any part of that or even the gloss channels with a light wash if you want to show color Lin the water, and then put more gloss over that to get depth.

lastly, dry brush again if you think the effort needs it. You should have a roadway with wetness and wet channels in it with higher, "drier" parts  giving visual interest and contrast. If you over-gloss the road, it will look unnaturally shiny, like you simply lacquered the road.  

Good luck! I hope it comes out. How you want it! :)

That is one more fine half track Bish

Tony lee

Thanks guys.

Karl, the vehicle is at a very slight angle, but only just. In th past I have done aircraft that were facing direct to the front, I know this breaks one of the rules of diorama's, but I do thin it can work on odd occasions.

Thanks for the tips on the mud. I will defiantly try that out and you method for adding mud to the vehicle from your WiP thread. Thanks again.

I got it all finished last night, just going to give it a once over tonight to check I have not missed anything and will get some pics.

Bish

Thanks guys.

Karl, the vehicle is at a very slight angle, but only just. In th past I have done aircraft that were facing direct to the front, I know this breaks one of the rules of diorama's, but I do thin it can work on odd occasions.

as a technical illustrator for over 20 years i have straddled the line between pure art and technical accuracy.  my model building is the same. rule UNO "you have to know the rules in order to break the rules."

in this case the very close  to  parallel works because it gives the feel the road and wall are extending beyond the base. or because it just looks good.

I am calling the 251 done, and just in time. All that was left to do was finish the figures and add the few bits of stowage inside and out. I dry brushed the high points on the mud and went over it with some semi gloss to tone down the shine. Thanks for the tip on that karl, its looks much better than the mirror finish. 

 For the figures, I used Archer dry transfers for the insignia. This is the first time I have used this and they look much better than trying to paint them. I only have two sets at the moment and for some reason, the one with the collar tabs is for Infantry and not armoured troops, so after applying I went over the white edges with pink. The other set includes SS cuff titles but for some reason does not include those for the 12th SS, but I left those out rather than try and paint them.

So here's the final pics.

Thanks all for looking and all your kind words and great advice along the way. I am really chuffed to finally have a completed dio for a 251, its been a long time coming. 

All comments welcome as always.

Bish,

That came out great, man!. And I'm thrilled to hear that you got the results you were looking for with the mud technique!

I hope you won't be bummed if I say that, while the whole scene is nicely-balanced and well-composed, I really found it curious that you put the title plaque on that side? It seems like it should rather be on the other side. You have all that empty space there in the foreground--it's almost begging to be the focal point if you're viewing it from that side. What about maybe putting something interesting in that little yard? Maybe some farm animals, or better yet-- a crouching or "hiding" GI or British soldier? It would add a whole other exciting aspect to the scene. :)