Achtraden! 8x8 Group Build '09-'10

Bob -- she's an absolute beauty! The oil filter weathering and dust treatments came out very well indeed, it's hard to credit that it's the old Italeri, it sure builds up nice!

I'm glad you've enjoyed this GB and I look forward to your participation in future builds -- rest assured I'll be hosting some great new builds during 2010!

I'll update page 1 with your second finished project -- many thanks for being aboard!

Cheers, Mike/TB379 (who only just got his tires sprayed today!)

Well gang, ths one is a wrap!.  Fianlla got it where I wanted till its eventually in a dio.  I have an issue with the decal on one side but I can live with it.  I have totally enjoyed m first GB and a big thanks to Mike for allowing me to join.

Mike; when you start another GB it will be a pleasure to be part of it.

Im watching to see the rest of the group finish thier projects and I am waiting in anticipation.  GO GET'EM!!

Bob

TD -- SOO-POYB, as Bart Simpson said! The salt masking turned out especially well in the end, the scouring of the top coat of paint away from the edges due to windblown sand as this beast charges around North Africa is particularly evocative. Top work, you make me want to grab this kit myself!

I'll update the gallery with one of your shots -- I've taken the liberty of enhancing the image to bring up the lighting and contrast a bit.

Cheers, Mike/TB379

TD and Chris, super jobs.  They look awsome!

Bob

That's a fine job! Getting Panzergrau showing through worn Grungrau is not at all easy to do convincingly, and you've done it excellently! I tried to do it on a Tamiya '232 earlier this year, and made such a hash of it initially that I had to strip the model and start over. Even with my second attempt, I'm not totally convinced:

Cheers,

Chris.

Done!!!!!

Hi Chris -- that makes excellent sense, there could even have been a few gray cans still around at forward dumps when the Puma was first fielded in September '43, even though a year had elapsed since the general order to replace gray with yellow as the standard base color.

I'll mask the attachment points and spray off the model for sure. Paint is getting close, one teensy filler cap left to go!

Looking forward to seeing your build!

Cheers, Mike/TB379

Thunderbolt379 wrote:

Awesome, Bob!  [snip] I'm presently fiddling the teensy handles onto the jerry cans. Tell me, without any positive location devices, how did you attach the cans? Did you scratch through the paint to reveal bare plastic, or pre-mask? [snip] Cheers, Mike/TB379

Hi Mike and others,

I'd paint the jerricns off-model. Drill a small hole where it won't be seen on the completed model, and mount them on a toothpick. Mostly, fuel cans would simly be swapped, full for empty, at fuel dumps, rather than filled individually as and when vehicles arrive, so a different colour - or differnt shade, at least, of colour - would be accurate. Also varying levels of wear and weathering, not all the same.

The jerricans on the Dragon '234s, incidentally, ae composed of five parts each - can halves, etched centre seam, handle and cap clip = the cao itself is moulded, in a wonder of slide-molding, integrally with one of the can halves.

Hope to start my Dragon Puma next week, or maybe late this week. Some tather nice Armor Tech turned brass 50mm shells arrived a couple of days ago, so I've now got all I need to start. I've a review build to complete, and another to get to the paint shop stage, before I can. Both should be done in the next few days.

Cheers,

Chris.

That makes good sense, Bob. They could be any color or vintage, whatever was in the stockpiles when gear needed changing. Sanding the backs makes sense, the open-backed one-piece parts look a bear to attach. I just glued on the first of those microscopic filler caps -- oh, for slide-molding! (But Dragon would probably do them separate anyway, unless it was one of their SmartKits).

I have the wheels mounted to large matchsticks ready for painting, I'm looking at spraying the tires overall first (mixed enamel), then doing a template job for the hubs (acrylic), squared up to the rims with a marker pen and a fine brush (back to enamel). We'll see how that goes.

Cheers, Mike/TB379

Thanks Mike.  I did scratch through the paint to attach the cans.  I also sanded the mounting side a little flat for better adheasion.  I went with the grey thinking that in the field you have to remove the empty cans for refuling and in most cases just drop those and grab what was already full, so they could be any color.  The jack will get some drybrushing and some chipping, it is just easier to mount them and do it that way (imo). the extinguisher will get the same treatment.

Who really knows where, when the tools got to the front.  I would assume some got painted and some did not, its hard to say and no reall good pictures exist to compare and an photos I have found you cant tell anway, they are all black and white, some with no tools or cans and so on.  So  would say its a toss up.

Ill get some more done tomorrow and get some more pics up, lot of little detail stuff left to go.

Bob 

Bob

Awesome, Bob! That is SO the right effect! She's looking great, I think I'll be adding another build to the finished gallery very soon!

I'm presently fiddling the teensy handles onto the jerry cans. Tell me, without any positive location devices, how did you attach the cans? Did you scratch through the paint to reveal bare plastic, or pre-mask? I notice you also went with Panzer Gray for the cans and black for the jack and extinguisher -- I've just been chatting on 1000 Roadwheels on this very point, were the tools painted after coming from the supplier? In some cases it seems they were overpainted at the factory when they were mounted, and then got camo'd in the field along with the rest of the vehicle, so it's a real lottery as to what you'd see on any particular vehicle.

Cheers, Mike/TB379

OK gang got some more shots.  I was playing around with washes and refrencing a tutorial autherd by Doog (thanks Doog) and got a little further but no major weathering yet. 

In my prior post you can see the almost dead tan to the base color, I played around with some washes but just was not satisfied wth the result or the color.  So I grabbed the oils (502s) and thinned out some abt020 faded dark yellow and got this:

BEFORE

AFTER

Thats what  was looking for.  So being happy with that I attached all the little fiddly bits and have some dry brushing and weathering to go.

More to follow.

Bob

Good luck with the move Bertt.  Look forward to the pics.

Bob

Nice work all around fellas. no pics yet as we ar emoving into our new house plus my camera crapped it pants. I have been busy though, as I managed to assemble italeri's 234/1 and Tamiyas 232 just have to get some paint on

 Expect pics in the new year around the second week.

Cheers,

Berttt

Thanks Mike, pigment weathering and some more streaking should do the trick.  Im still painting the wheels and getting the tools and such done as well.  Ill tinker around this evening a little.

Cmon Mike GET-R-DONE!

Bob

Great work, Bob! Looking sweet! The weathering will draw it all together and she'll really look the part! Good definition on the spots too, no overspray!

You're running a couple of sessions ahead of me, I just got the masking done for the tools, axles and turret ring. I had meant to be painting today but real life has intervened as usual!

Cheers, Mike/TB379

Well I got some base coat and cammo on.  Did some washes and dot filtering, more weathering to follow.

Before wash:

After wash and dot filtering, it still dryng and Ill start with pigments later on:

enjoy

Bob

He Mike, well so much for that theory.............LOL.  I did however simulate the holes on the plate so it will look a little better, the Italeri kit is void of detail but it looks somewhat better now.  All is primered and base coat gos on today.

Bob

Hi Bob -- well, re the turret designs, not really -- the /1 had the Haenglafette (sp?) 2cm turret with the grenade screens and open fighting compartment, and it was more or less luck that the vehicle dimensions were suitable for mating on the turret of the abandoned Leopard light tank project for the /2. /3 and /4 returned to open hulls with semi-fixed armament like StuGs, so in their cases the hull top plate would have been configured differently. Still, it's a good bet that the plate was removable. I got mine to fit fairly snugly so I didn't bother with any filler.

I had hoped to get some paint on today but instead found myself doing all the masking where the external fittings go, jerry cans, jacks, fire extinguishers, shovels (not one of them with a positive locator), and redressing the joints that needed a lick of filler. The StuG is nearly ready for paint too, so I'll prime the 234 in enamel before changing to acryclics and base coating both in one operation.

Cheers, Mike/TB379

Thunder, you make a valid point.  I would think that with three of the four variants having almost the same turret design, ease of removal and install could facillitated rather quickly. So it would make perfect sense to me..........but what the heck do I know, my wife swears Im a dumb a$$................LOL

Bob

Hi Bob -- looking good under a coat of primer! yes, that seam around the top plate of the hull, I was thinking about that too. It's a natural division of the faceted plate structure, and you'd expect some sort of detailing. If I'm thinking correctly it was either afixed permanently or could be pulled for maintanance access to the interior. The Dragon kit has the junction line but there's no weld bead around it, and I se what looks like recessed fasteners of some sort at the rear, so I'm going to guess it was a detachable plate. That would mean it is appropriate for the joint line to be there, so long as it's a close, flush fit.

I'm hoping to prime mine tomorrow and maybe get the wheels sprayed too!

Cheers, Mike

Hello all, I got most of the little fiddly bits on and got the beast primed, with the exception of the turret which I am working on now.

Noticed that there seems to be a seam that needs to be filled so when the primer drys Ill attack this as well.  It goes around the whole turret mounting plate.

more to come later

Bob

Nice score Axel.

Bob

Okay, so I found these on the internet for about $20 with shipping

Sorry bout the double post this one was just a screw up and i didn't want to look too bad.

[See Post Below]

Sorry Guys...

Thanks Bob! This is the 1/35 scale Dragon kit, straight out of the box.

Nate

Nacht, sweet build bro.  Which kit is this? Detail is superb .

Bob

Hi Guys,

Here's a few pics of where I'm at with my Puma. I had hoped to post more WIP pics, but I got carried away with the build, and before I knew it, I was done! There are a couple of seams that I need to address, mostly around the mufflers, but It's basically ready for paint. 

I actually got this kit as a birthday present from my brother a few years ago. I bought the Griffon Model PE set for this kit right after I got it, but I have to say I am more than happy with the plastic parts in this kit. I ended up not using the Griffon set at all.  About the only thing that might NEED pe would be the jerry can straps, and IMHO, the kit parts are pretty darn good! The PE and brass you see in the pics are included in the Dragon kit itself. Thanks for looking, and as always comments welcome!

Nate