Tamiya Stug IV

Hey you did a very nice job with this kit. I did a 1973 StuG III ausf G, but had to add some stuff too. Unfortunately I didn't add the schurzen because I used Ostketten tracks. As Stik put it the camo is fine and you just have a couple of little touch ups. The figure is well done too. Overall you did a very fine job.

I agree, this came out very nicely. A lot of us grew up on kits just like these. I have an older Tamiya Pz IV of the same vintage that I only hope can look as good as yours.

Looks great! The camo uniform really caught my eye. I'm also fond of having a few inexpensive kits in the stash for trying new techniques. At the moment, there's a Monogram Delta Dagger waiting for my first attempt at freehand SEA camo - better that than some of the more accurate and more expensive kits that used the same paint scheme.

You may want to try one of the fillers that wipe smooth for the intake seams. The one I use is Vallejo. It's water based and wipes off with a damp Q-tip. Another water based one that people like is Perfect Plastic Putty; I have yet to try it. For solvent based I like Mr. Surfacer, which cleans up with lacquer type thinners.

Looking forward to pics of your next builds!

Good, glad to hear that! And yes, those intakes on jets can be a real bear. Especially trying to do any seam clean up in there. Those Eduard 190s are gorgeous kits.

As far as optics on AFVs go, they are made from armored glass, so think real thick stuff like you see for bank tellers or the bottom of real glass coke bottles. Some folks use simply gloss black, or others use dark gloss blue. I like to use clear green. Depending upon the base color of the build, I may or may not add a color under it first. On lighter vehicles yes, on darker ones, no.

Thanks!  I always appreciate comments and critiques.  I didn't know that about the hatches.  Since the lenses and the like were glass, what is the best way to render that?  Next one will get those added.

I have just about finished up an Eduard Fw-190 which I will post soon.  I am also decaling a Revell 1/48 F/A-18E.  It is a tough slog as the kit is also older.  Modern engine intakes are a killer.  

Trying to do one a month here in 2020.

John

PJ, this came out pretty good. Ya gotta love those older Tamiya armor kits. Easy builds and great for practicing techniques. Don’t worry about the “fictitious” camo pattern. In most cases, these vehicles were camouflage painted by their crews to match local conditions and not at a factory by workers following a standard pattern.

A few critiques for you, if you do not mind. 1, the inner faces of the hatches should be the same color as the exterior base color, Dark Yellow in this case. This is true on most every AFV. 2, painting the lenses of periscopes, vision blocks, sights, etc. enhances the final look. 3, some mud on the tracks would help them blend in better with the muddy suspension areas.

Overall, very nice work! What’s next for you?