The Ostfront (eastern front) GB 2010/11

DoogsATX

I'm not planning a dio for this one, but I am strongly considering one for my next armor build, a Panzer III Ausf. L Vorpanzer.

Doogs- I am really looking forward to your WIP on Pz III Ausf L in a week or so.  Again, beautiful work and I am so glad the snow came out better than the first attempt!  I was pleased to see that your build got raving reviews from our armor fellows.

TREY- I think I need help... I did something HORRIBLE tonight.  I brought two airplane kits via eBay and they are my first ever since the last time I build one when I was 15-16 years. old.  They both are in 1/35 scale and they will go nicely with my armor & figures collection. 

Brought them both for $48 including shipping.  Not too bad?  Storch kit itself is usually sold for $40 or even more. 

Richard- I know there is only a week left before this GB expires.  I hope it will not be an issue for everybody to have it extended for a month or longer if others need more time.  I just finished my M24 Chaffee finally for Korea War GB (you can check it out in Armors too) so now I can focus on my Panzer IV until it is completed. 

kermit

Doogs,

Absolutely lovely model and well worth being proud of!. Dont thank me for being the host. I thank YOU for displaying your work in it.

I concur with Eric about all the finer details and the snow but i really feel i must urge you to do more with this model as it is screaming to be placed in a proper, winterised dio or base. Please say youll consider it!

Nevertheless,... stunning model all around and a paint/ weather job to die for. I congratulate you sire.

Richard

Thanks Richard! 

I'm not planning a dio for this one, but I am strongly considering one for my next armor build, a Panzer III Ausf. L Vorpanzer.

In fact, I have to head up north to get the car from the shop today, and the LHS had a figure set the other day that looked mighty interesting...

EBergerud

I'm not quite sure that you'd see snow in with the mud along the lower hull. But I'm not looking at the photos you did.  

Thanks Eric! I was definitely winging significant parts of the weathering, since a lot of this was new territory on this build, and I have to agree that you probably wouldn't see snow mixed in with the mud on the lower hull. I'm still cursing myself for that $*!*!%$^ Woodland Scenics junk. The melting/refreezing ice is another story. I used to be very active in the offroading community, and while it's usually just hot and awful here in Texas, I did manage to do some winter wheeling on occasion. In Texas, that's pretty much ice and mud. And after scraping through some deep mud, driving a bit, then hitting an area of white stuff, then having it melt slightly and then refreeze (say, while the vehicle sat for a bit), it looked slightly similar. 

Not saying it's accurate by any means...but I was basing some of my approach off of Karl's Tiger from the FSM article a few months back, and he added snow on top of mud, and if it's good enough for him, well...

Now do the Spitfire and make the electorate happy.

Soon! I want to break into the Mustang first. My last builds have been the Achilles, Pup, and this. I need a toss-up before throwing myself back into the epic builds, LOL!

Doogs,

Absolutely lovely model and well worth being proud of!. Dont thank me for being the host. I thank YOU for displaying your work in it.

I concur with Eric about all the finer details and the snow but i really feel i must urge you to do more with this model as it is screaming to be placed in a proper, winterised dio or base. Please say youll consider it!

Nevertheless,... stunning model all around and a paint/ weather job to die for. I congratulate you sire.

Richard

Another very fine model Doog. For what it's worth I like your snow a lot. You look at pics from either the East or West and during winter AFVs frequently had snow on them and certainly in the tracks. Most modelers give winter tanks winter camo and forget the snow. I'd think because it's hard to model right. (I'd also guess that's why one rarely sees foliage on AFVs despite it's very wide use by all armies.) Your mud looks properly muddy to me.  (The "plaster" I buy comes in a kind of paste - resin is unnecessary. So I don't know of any difficulties using it. Regardless, you've modeled mud, not dirt, and there was a lot of mud in Europe. And if it's on that thick it's going to be wet. And yours looks good. I do not like to nitpick my betters, but I'm not quite sure that you'd see snow in with the mud along the lower hull. But I'm not looking at the photos you did.) Also really like the subtle color variations along the barrel, the chipped paint on the rear and the fine points in general. So you can take that tank to the bank in my humble. Now do the Spitfire and make the electorate happy.

Eric  

And the Pz.IV is done.

Overall, very nice build. Somewhat frustrating instructions (5 optional approaches...none of them matched to the decal options...I'd like to not have to be a Panzer expert to know which rear bulkhead arrangement to use), but nowhere near as bad as everyone says. 

This was also my first time using Friuls and first time doing winter camo. VERY happy with the first and mostly happy with the second, though I think I still need to get the hang of mud-from-acrylic-resin.

Anyway, pics. Thanks for looking, and kermit, thanks for the great GB!

vetteman42

Doogs I have to agree with you the second picture looks much more real I am having the same trouble with grass that doesnt look fake in O scale for an F-14 base I want to do. Good call sir.

It's a bit pricey, but this stuff is really great: http://www.model-scene.com/x_foliage_1.html

To give you an idea how it looks in 1/48 (granted, this was just laid flat...not glued down or anything, so it popped up a bit in places....

Doogs I have to agree with you the second picture looks much more real I am having the same trouble with grass that doesnt look fake in O scale for an F-14 base I want to do. Good call sir.

Okay. I have to go on record as hating Woodland Scenics snow. It may look great as nice fluffy stuff on the ground, but it's far too coarse to look anywhere near scale on a 1/35 tank. Looks like it's been dipped in sugar.

Thankfully I discovered last night than, when you brush over stuff secured with diluted white glue with Future, ta da, it comes loose!

Took most of the snow off the upper hull (no dice down below, where it's held in by the acrylic resin in the mud...), then hit it with a slurry of Future, talcum powder, and just a touch of the WS snow. As it dried, I went back over it with Future again, going after the look of snow that's melted and then refrozen into ice. Given that this particular Panzer dates to the spring of '43, I think it's reasonable that snow might melt and freeze up again depending on conditions.

Here's the before:

and the after:

Final touches tonight!

Eric thanks and I hope you're job quest is going well.

Richard appreciate the kind words it was a fun build especially on this G/B lots of great builds and builders on this one.Bust out that He111 and get busy!

Doogs thanks, being stuck home sick for days helped speed along the build. I'm not up to snuff in armor but that build of yours looks awesome,really dig the weathering

Andy thanks and appreciate your asking about my health, yes I'm getting better today was my first day back at work ,it was sketchy (97 degrees)the heat about got me. I'm glad I motivated you to build a Storch ,never done a Tristar let me know how the kit is when you get it.

TREY- I almost brought a Storch last Saturday at LHS but it wasn't either Tamiya or Tristar.  They were from Academy and Revell and I didn't know much about those kits.  No hurry!  I am determined to get a Storch kit because of your build.    More likely it will be a Tristar because it comes in 1/35 scale just like all of my armors.  Hope you are feeling better now...

Ozzman-  Great work on your Tiger!  What is the red object on the rear?  Fire extinguisher?

Doogs- Loving how your Pz IV came out with the whitewash!!!   I liked the mud & snow too.  But I would remove the snow from the edge of wheels unless it is left sitting while it is snowing.  Mud splatters on front and rear fenders was awesome!

Won't hurt to add just little rust to the spare tracks on the hull.  They turn into rust pretty quickly if not used.  Just little...

Trey - EXCELLENT job on the Storch! I don't know how you threw that thing together so fast and so well! Same kit will probably take me two months when I get around to it!

Ozzman - digging the fuzzy Tiger! What are you shooting with? As kermit said, if it's a cell phone, try getting back a bit. But focus issues are what they are. One big reason I spent the extra for the Nikon D300s over the D90 at the time...it has a focus selection mode where you can literally select exactly where in the frame you want it to focus. Though I tend to shoot models at really small apertures to extend the depth of field, so it's not a huge worry most of the time.

Now that the Pup's off the bench and safe in the display cabinet, I made some progress on the IV last night.

Did some oil weathering up top, then mixed up some Future, dirt collected from the front yard, MIG pigments (Fresh Mud and Russian Earth) and MIG Acrylic Resin and slopped it on the lower hull and tracks, and dusted some Woodland Scenics snow atop it. Not sure how I feel about the WS snow just yet...but it worked quite well for the doog in his FSM article from a few months back. Maybe I need to do some MIG Ashes White pigment here and there.

Around this time I also realized that the acrylic resin was firming up pretty good, so I went ahead and installed the tracks. Good thing, too, since this morning, they're locked on solid!

Finally, I used a bit of diluted white glue to put some more snow on the upper hull of the tank. Planning to go over this with Future to give it a look of shiny melting snow, and them some rain effects all over the friggin' place to make it look like most of it's melted off from the heat of the tank.

Still have the tow cable and machine guns, but after those and the weathering mentioned above, I think this one's just about done!

Trey,

Wonderful job on that *** sir! The fieldmarshalls will be lining up to do some recon flights over the front in that one. Will mark it as finished...

Said it before and i will say it again: this is no doubt gallery material sir...

Ozzman,

Congrats on the Tiger! I have yet to do a german armor camo with my AB sucesfully myself and i do like yours.

If you are taking pics with a phone try standing away from it a bit. Your pics will be slightly more focused. Just sayin

It has been awhile since i did some work in this GB... and i am quite eager to do another build. But for the time being i am comitted to other builds. I do have this 1/72 HE111 that i would love to do.... Choices choices....

Richard

EDIT: LMAO the nannybot wont let me say k-r-a-u-t

Great work gentlemen.

Liking that Pz IV Doogs.

Cool Storch Trey.

Nice Tiger Oddman. Those are interesting markings. Definitely different.

Hi everyone! I am finished with my Tiger I! Here are some pics. enjoy

sorry for the bad quality.

Thanks Bish ,appreciate the kind words!

Doogd, the Pz IV is looking great, excellent work on that.

Trey, lovely Storch, amazing job you have done.

deafpanzer

Trey- BEAUTIFUL RESULT!  It was fun watching your WIP.  OK I am going to buy this kit... it may be my first plane to build but don't ask me when I will do it. 

This is my fav shot... way too real!

Andy thanks glad you enjoyed be sure to let me know when you start yours would love to see another

Eric thanks for the kind words and the tip on the stand!

Very nice build indeed. You pics make it clear why Tamiya makes a stand specifically for that kit to show the Storch in air with extended landing gear position. It's a very nice display model for sure. (Available at Sprue Brothers for $20: must be a few Storch fans out there.) Look forward to the next one.

Eric

Trey- BEAUTIFUL RESULT!  It was fun watching your WIP.  OK I am going to buy this kit... it may be my first plane to build but don't ask me when I will do it. 

This is my fav shot... way too real!

Thanks Rob!

I'm calling it finished and what a pleasing kit it was. The fit is great and the details are nice and crisp typical Tamiya quality

some in 'flight'

retro

hope all enjoyed all comments most welcome

Treyz: That is a fantastic build so far. Would like to pick one up now!

Rob

I cleaned up some of the markings and applied a dark dirt wash of black mixed with some brown then gave it a very light dirt bath spray with some pastels thinned with alcohol followed by some dull coat. Getting close to seeing the light at the end of the tunnel on this build

Thanks Richard

I got the decals on,some of the markings may be a little less than accurate but I'm going with whats on the actual aircraft based here in Florida although I did go with a more accurate splinter than whats on it. I build for fun so rivet counting is'nt my thing.

Inspiration day on Ostfront. Sweet tank, Storch and submarine.

Next AFV is going to be either going to have desert weathering or winter camo - haven't done either. Do like the PzIV a lot. No idea if there's any connection, but the winter camo techniques imployed are very like those used by Tony Greenland. I have a Mig Jimenez  photo-build of a winter T-34: makes my humble KV-2 look pristine. Lots of ways to get to the same place I guess. (Do like your site Doog: lots of good info there for lesser mortals.)

Storch belongs in the stash too - gotta have something for Rommel to ride around in. And a really nice one developing here. I almost accidentally bought a stand Tamiya makes specifically for that kit for an "in the air" display - thought it was the model. Turns out the kit costs a bit more than $15. Still a really neat airplane.

Lastly I've got a 350 sub (Japanese I-19 that destroyed half the US fleet in one attack in late summer 1942). No question a sub needs some proper weathering and I like Kermit's. Also liked the looks of a FSM Hunley (resin kit I think) that was weathered with Rustall - a venerable brew favored by railroad fans. It's acrylic based however. So if used might mean doing the boat (why does the USN have vessels today as long as a WWII cruiser referred to as "boats?) in enamels. Maybe a good blast of Dullcoate would protect an acrylic base coat. We'll see. 

Real world has me derailed for the time being and I'm getting crabby. KMS Konig on deck though. (Can a klutz do a Ukrainian 350 scale Dreadnaught without total calamity taking place? We shall see.)

Eric

Rob,

Yes i built one about a year ago for the Anti Submarine warfare GB that yours truly hosts. It wasn't the VIIC but the VIIC/41, a later version with Snorchel device added and different anti aircraft gun emplacements. The one i did was meant to be a real rustbucket:

/forums/t/122264.aspx?PageIndex=9

Would sure love to do a standard VII with the 88mm deck gun....

Do apply your build for the ASWII GB please. It would be both an honour and a delight to have you there.

Richard

Hey Kermit- you have built one in that scale? I have Revell's VIIc- it is about 1 metre long- got it off EBay. I also got Eduards and Ensign Models PE and CMK's command and torpedo sections. I think I may have bit off more than I can chew, but it will look amazing when done, in abot 6 months! Rob

Sorry to hear about your fit problems... i know it can be a real inspirational moodkiller. I will remove it from the list for ya. But what is it you say?? Uboat in 1/72?. Been dying to get my mitts on another one myself. Would you consider building it in the (A)SW GB? Would absolutely love to see your take on it

Richard

Kermit, I hate to do this, but mark off my il-2 build. I have come across too many fit issues and I don't want to spend the time correcting them. This kit is now in the box on the shelf for an indefinite period. I have a 1/72 uboat with interior that I am dying to start since I have finished my spit for that group build. Thanks Rob

Doogs,

Excellent and clean build sofar. With some dirt and grime on her she'll be gallery material. And i am not kidding...

Trey,

That splinter camo sure came out great! She's gonna look even better still with the markings. Following your every move

Richard