Hi Rudy!

I too am back to modelling, after a break of about 35 years...I've mostly been building various Sherman and Panzer tanks up til now...currently working on my first StuG and am enjoying it. I think you will be ok with the half track you have chosen...one thing about being older is we have much more patience, even more so for those of us that are married...

I've done probably 5 tanks so far, and none of them look as good as your first. Congrats - nice tank!

RudyOnWheels:  I admire a modeller who's not afraid to weather his builds! You tried a lot of very difficult weathering effects and did a fantastic job!  The locations, placement and amount of the weathering is logical and very well thought out.  

In the future, start your thread with an intro/ discussion of what you have in mind (goal) for the build then post a lot of pic's.  Of course you'll want to use discretion and not overwhelm us but you'll get input on stuff like the schurzen BEFORE it's too late to fix.  

Nice work, I look forward to your next project.  That 251's a doozy...interiors (open-top armor) are a real challenge!...not to mention the indies and PE!!!  If you have a few extra $$$ I'd buy another tank (Tamiya, Trumpeter or HobbyBoss) before tackling that one...just my  

O my lord you really are a glutant for punishment, your first Indy link tracks and you pick a Dragon 251. That is a nice kit, built that myself, but your a brave man.

First suggestion, go through the kit and remove the unused parts as indicated on the instructions.

 

Thats what happened to all the models from when I first started building 25 years ago when I was 9. Took a break til 22, then took a break until about 3 years ago. Getting a BB rifle did not help. Fire and fireworks did the rest in.  Here is my new Kit:

 

I think I should have listened and stopped at Tamiya Inc first, never done PE or individual linked tracks... Yikes!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi Rudy,

It looks and reads like you had a fun time building and painting this tank. All the advice and recomendations were already covered so I'll just say that it looks great from here, esp. for a first tank. 

I wouldn't change a thing on this because it's the first one. Well maybe paint the MG but that's it. I'd display or store it but I'd keep it as is for historical sentiment. 

I blew up my first tank with firecrackers already but I kept my very second armor build. Tamiya M3A2 Half Track 

Rudy,

Very nice job...besides the minor errors it turned out beautifully. You did a nicer job on your first tank than I did. Rudy I can't wait too see more of your work. 

Bish, Bish....MY MAN!! LOL

nice paint job...other than the other posts...I'll say this... cut away some of the panels and curl up the corners of the panels...hit em with a BIC lighter...they were made of crappy metal and always got bent :)

 

Aha! Another good catch. MG needs paint.  I'll take another look at the skirts but I'm pretty sure they are not coming off, and off they do, they will break all the mounting brackets off the tank.  They have been decaled and clear coated and the decals on the skirts will be upside down and marked for the wrong sides.... I will have to do a WIP next time and get input BEFORE its all glued/painted/weathered/decaled/cleared....LuKily I can put it on the shelf and 95% of the world will never notice the skirts. 

Thsnks again fellas! Another good catch.

Rudy 

Rudy: She does look good! You can't just pop the skirts off without breaking anything else?

Like Eric/Tigerman to me the hull machine gun looks unpainted- you can just paint it black. If you want to be fancy then you can rub some pencil lead on a piece of paper and use your finger or a cotton swab to rub it on the gun for a metallic sheen.

I built the Tamiya halftrack with the 81mm mortar. It was easy (tracks arent great), but comes with many fuigures and lots of accessories. 

Going back to your Pz IV, in the pic it looks like the hull mg isn't painted. Might just be my screen.

Thanks guys!!! Those skirts are super-glued on there, I think I would have to destroy the tank to get them off. I know for a fact the lower brackets are in their corresponding indentations on the skirts, as that is what I used to locate them. I kind of figured the skirting was to protect the sides of the tank and turret more than the tracks, although a blown track can mean a dead crew as well. I also thought they needed to be high up like that to clear obstacles and the ground... Maybe it's one of the kits failings? (And mine too clearly!) It means a lot to hear decent things from such prolific builders as yourselves! I think I'd like to build a tamiya half track next, maybe with an AA gun in the back and towing another or a piece of artillery..... Rudy

Very nice effort for a first try. Congrats!

And as mentioned your shurzen looks like its on upside down. Just rotate them 180 degrees and you'll be fine.

David.

Yep, thats a nice job for your first piece of armour. And i think the guys have it pretty much covered. Look forward to seeing more armour from you, and maybe a WiP thread.

That will please karl

I think everyone's pretty much called out the corrections needed; I think that the finish puts my first tank in the toilet! Well done, and we'll all be waiting to see your next one!

This is the same kit that started me in armor some 40 plus years ago. Sniff. Aside from the sharp-eyes of my fellow members, I think you put out a solid effort for your first armor build. Solid job on the weathering. Now I think you should graduate to building some Tamiya kits before tackling some Dragon or more detailed armor manufacturers. 

RudyOnWheels

Aw crap youre right. the skirts are backwards.

Not only backwards, but also too high. The upper brackets mounted on the sponsons should meet with the long rail on the back of the schurzen. The fender mounted standoffs fit the indentations on the back of the schurzen below the rail.

 

Aw crap youre right. the skirts are backwards. the pics in the directions are at an angle where you cant really tell, but on th decal pictures it does show them the opposite way. I also see that I need to wash the back sides of all the extra armor shields, they are too clean compared to the rest of the tank. oh well it was a great learning experience!! Thanks guys Rudy

Beautiful build. Love the camo and weathering, but I believe your 'schurzen' might be backwards.