WIP update: Hetzer engine compartment / interior, May 25

MadMel wrote:

wow- the engine compartment looks absolutely beautiful. I thought I was looking at the real thing when the first picture was starting to load. Did you exclusively use washes or did you use chalks/pigments as well ? The dust/grime looks very impressive my friend.

Thanks again, all who responded!...I first laid down the base of Polly-S gun metal, and then picked out certain parts like the engine base, the horizontal strip around the cylinder head(?!) with various different grays-no plan here, just for variety, ya know?--I painted some caps in flat aluminum and picked out some small details in black--all to provide a variety of hues, that's the key to defeating the monochromatic monster! 

An oil wash of white tinted by a pinprick of both yellow and burnt umber over it all-but then it looks TOO indistinct...hmmm...ok, try some pin washes in dark umber and burnt sienna...yup, that's doin' it!

Stab at the cylinder bank in black to bring it out a bit...followed by silver chipping,,,highlight/lowlight the edges/high parts in metallic steel/dk brown....hmmm...add rust streaks...add various  tiny washes of dirty white where needed,,,dust with powders..retouch with lowlights/black/silver to bring out details a bit more...hmmmm...ok that looks about right!

Hope you can follow that! I had to try to remember my thought processes; when I go into a weathering mode, I don't have any set plan, it's just try this, try that--all along a more-or-less familiar path, but never the same steps or order. I DO repeat alot of steps in order to give depth and layers to anything that I really want to "beat up" Sometimes I get lucky!

BTW, I used MMP (www.modelmakerproducts.com) powders #020 "worn dark yellow" for the dusty look, as well as MIG PO39 "Industrial City Dust" 

Thanks again guys for taking the time to respond!

Roo, the headphones are just those DML ones that come with their figure kits, with some thread added for wiring. I don't have any actual photos of  me sawing off he roof or the like--I just cut veeerrrry carefully along theroof seam with a micro saw blade; I got a little off line around the left side, but patched it uo with putty. Then I had to put a lip on the hull, and add .010 strip around the roof itself to replace what had been sawn away. I also replaced what rivets disappeared in the process. 

I should mention that I just got in the mail a Memorial Day sale flyer from RJ Products, and they have listed both an "early" and a "mid" production Hetzer interior listed from "BRACH MODELS"--a line of resin from Italy. They're listed as part BM015 for the early, part BM018 for the mid...for around $40.00--their number is 360-796-3828 and it says "mention Memorial Day Super Sale 2007" Might be an option for you crockett! I certainly wouldn't reccomend the Verlinden offering!

Thanks again all! 

Nice work Doogster. I've got the Eduard early Hetzer. I just echo the comments that all that beautiful interior work will be only partially visible is a shame. I pirated the drivers compt from the Eduard kit into the Tamiya Marder IIIM, so the kit justs sits there. Maybe some day I'll build it.

Anyhoo, great and accurate work there, can't wait to see the outside.

regards,

Steve

the doog wrote:

So, now that I'm qualified as a Civil War battlefield surgeon,

can't see the pics yet as i'm at work, but i'm following the text until i get off. what did you use to build the headphones? or were they verlinden also? also, do you have any pics of where you had to cut off the top? not sure if i want to glue my top on, and cut it where you can remove it, or just not glue the top halve on, kinda like the academy tiger w/ interior is set up. haven't really dry fitted it yet.