The Ostfront (eastern front) GB 2010/11

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...

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. 

Andy great score on the kits! Looking forward to seeing them built!

Andy,

You just made me almost choke on my morning coffee Didn't know it was ending so soon!!?? But then i checked on the first post and there it is: "runs untill october 1st 2011" 

So that gives you awhile to maybe do one for the GB? And besides, if i get enough response i will make it a round two as well and start up "Ostfront II" I'd say you have oceans of time my friend

Richard

Richard- LOL!  I am sorry I made you nearly choke on your morning coffee.  I am not sure why I thought it ended on July 1st just like the other GB I am in.  No more glue sniffling for me!  Now I am very relieved that I will have time to finish my Pz IV...   I am also leading a GB on Pz III starting July 1st but it will last for a whole year so it will be fun for everybody!

Guys- I have started working on the aftermarket tracks from Modelkasten for my Panzer IV.  For sure it is a time consuming part but I know it will come out alot better than those old rubber bands that came with the kit. 

That's what they look like straight out of the box...

Tracks have been cut from the sprues... that's the easiest part.

Now that's the hardest part... sanding the tracks with my fat fingers.  The right link one shown below has not been sanded while the left link has been sanded.

Repeat the procedure 200 times or so!  Fun... fun... fun... NOT!  But it will be worth every penny and second when they are completed.  I think I am past half way now...

You have my sympathy my good sir....

Richard

WOW that shook me up too, the July 1st date I mean Gonna be cutting it tight to get my Yak finished even by Oct 1st

deafpanzer

 

Guys- I have started working on the aftermarket tracks from Modelkasten for my Panzer IV.  For sure it is a time consuming part but I know it will come out alot better than those old rubber bands that came with the kit. 

 

Tracks have been cut from the sprues... that's the easiest part.

Now that's the hardest part... sanding the tracks with my fat fingers.  The right link one shown below has not been sanded while the left link has been sanded.

Repeat the procedure 200 times or so!  Fun... fun... fun... NOT!  But it will be worth every penny and second when they are completed.  I think I am past half way now...

Its pictures like this that make me afraid to try building armor geeze Deafpanzer

Those indy link tracks scare the hell out of me as well. Got a few Dragon kits with them in. I mush prefer Fruils, just wish i could replace all my tracks with them. Good luck with those deaf.

If there is an Ostfront II i hope your going to allow carry on's from this one. I am now looking at a late August start for the 251 so going to be cutting it very fine.

If there is going to be one, and that is pretty likely, i will ofcourse have very little to no rules as in all my GB's i have hosted.

I cant possibly think of a reason not to allow crossovers, carryovers or whatever overs

Richard

Nice one Richard, i will keep my eye out for it. I would love to enter another build, but the next 18 months are going to be hectic, so the 251 is one of only 3 kits i am planning on building in the near future, all for GB's.

kermit

If there is going to be one, and that is pretty likely, i will ofcourse have very little to no rules as in all my GB's i have hosted.

If there is going to be Ostfront II lasting for a year, this would be a perfect opportunity to sign up my Storch since I could use your help build my first wingy thing.  I sure could use a break from those darning indies!  Stayed up til 3am last night sanding and they are almost ready for assembly.

Hope I didn't cause anybody to spit out coffee or soda onto the computer screen after reading my comment posted about July 1st. LOL

Update on my Panzer IV... working on the tracks was much longer than I expected.  Because I am dealing with very old Tamiya, the MK tracks will not fit the wheel.  Here's the pictures...

The teeth were way too large...

If I was building a Dragon kit, it would have been a perfect fit... unfortunately I didn't have extra parts to steal.

However the instructions that came with the MK tracks show that old Tamiya parts need to be trimmed...

It worked... not the best looking but they fit now after an hour of trimming and sanding...

I went ahead and had the links glued to the wheels...

Now I can proudly say that the MK tracks are completed and ready to go...

Andy I've a new found respect for you tread heads thats a lot of tedious work!

vetteman42

Its pictures like this that make me afraid to try building armor geeze Deafpanzer

Bish and Randy- I realized I missed your comment earlier... I agree sometimes they can be so tedious but I enjoy my time at the workbench... sure beats watching some crap on the TV other than Military Channel and old war movies.

Trey- Thanks buddy!  Now you understand why I am so ready to build a plane or an armored car with real wheels... not tracks! LOL  My package with Storch and Piper hasn't arrived yet... tomorrow I think. 

No modeling time tonight... my boys are having friends over for sleepover and they have kicked me out of the basement..  My army isn't large enough to fend the off at this moment with only five built models... gonna build more!

However I thought you'd enjoy couple of pictures of the fully assembled tracks... they are workable but very fragile! 

You can see how details are far superior than the rubberbands on the right... there are even holes at both sides of the tracks.  I love those MK tracks... it is my third so far but wish they don't cost a fortune!

Later...

Update on my Panzer IV... I took the biggest leap ever by applying Zimmerit as it is my first attempt doing this.

First practice... used a very fine tiny screwdriver and I didn't like the results on spare parts.  Too rough...

Second practice- Switched to Tamiya Zimmerit tool applicator. 

Yes I like it better!  Practiced on many spare parts first until I was ready.  Still it wasn't that easy.  I wish I applied the Zimm while parts are unassembled.  Lesson learned...

 Now on my Panzer IV...

I liked the look of chipped Zimmerit on fenders on cover of my favorite reference book Achtung Panzer issue #3.

Right rear fender...

Left rear fender...

I am afraid it is taking me few days to do this.  Then I will sand them down to make look less rough.  Thanks for looking... happy July 4th!

Excellent work and a keen eye on the little detail that makes a model interesting to look at like the chipped zimm on the right rear fender. Great job!

And while i have the chance to do this, ebven if i am too early: Enjoy your 4th of July my American friends and watch out with the fireworks as sometimes even ten fingers seem too little in this hobby

Richard

Thank you Richard for dropping by!  No need to be concerned about the fireworks as I didn't buy any this year because I spent too much on kits and reference books.

I hope to apply more Zimm on the panzer tonight if I am not too tired after pressure washing the back deck for four hours. 

Happy July 4th!

kermit

Excellent work and a keen eye on the little detail that makes a model interesting to look at like the chipped zimm on the right rear fender. Great job!

And while i have the chance to do this, ebven if i am too early: Enjoy your 4th of July my American friends and watch out with the fireworks as sometimes even ten fingers seem too little in this hobby

Richard

Great job on that zimm, Andy! I'm too chicken to try that stuff freestyle like that - I've got resin zimm waiting for a late production Tiger I.

Richard - Ha! It takes stupidity indeed to blow your fingers off with a firecracker (rule 1 of firecrackers, don't close your hands over them - rule 2 - if it's a 'splodey kind, like an M80, don't be holding it when it asplodes). Burns and, here in Texas, starting grassfires...those are the bigger dangers. I had a friend burn the crap out of his nose a few years back lighting a bottle rocket with a cigarette - that was in his mouth! 

Once, in my younger days, a group of us gathered at a big church parking lot and had a massive vehicular roman candle war. One driver, one spotter (collision avoidance), and two "gunners". Wow that was fun!

This year, I'm home alone with a rather intense honey-do list, so no asplosions for me except what the neighborhood kids set off. Although I did get to clean several pounds of acorn shells and squirrel *** out of the grill this afternoon in 108-degree heat. That was fun!

lovely job on the Zimm deaf. Its a slow process, but its deffinatly worth it. Are you useing Miliput for that.

Bish

lovely job on the Zimm deaf. Its a slow process, but its deffinatly worth it. Are you using Miliput for that.

Bish- Glad you liked the Zimm job.  Nope, I used 3M Acryl White Glazing Putty.  Guys here recommended 3M Blue Putty but it was no longer in production so the clerk at the auto shop recommended this white putty.  I think it dries too quickly... not a perfect substitution.  I haven't tried Milput yet... I remember reading comments that it dries way too quickly.  Is that true?

Doogs-  I would have gone for resin AM stuff but unfortunately it wasn't available for this real OLD kit.  Since I brought it for only $7, the guys suggested Zimm putty job was perfect option as I have nothing to loose with this.  I brought Dragon Panzer IV Ausf J for only $23 via Facebook promotion and for sure I am going to use resin thing for the new kit. 

Guys- I applied more Zimm last night... here's an update!

 Once the tapes are taken off, I sanded very lightly to take off the rough edge.  Here's the new look...

 Hey you!  Quit looking at my rear...   That was the easiest part... flat long surface! 

I am not looking forward to this part.  How am I supposed to apply Zimm without covering the hatches?  I think I have a plan... hope it will be the last stage!

Closer look of the Zimm... if you sand too much, it won't look right.  Fortunately that area and big gap will be hidden by spare tracks. 

I can't wait to finish this so I can get it primed and painted! 

I have not had a problem with it drying out. But then i always make sure it stays wet. I mix it in water then take small bit out at a time, adding a little water every so often to smooth it out. I do one surface at a time, then put in the Zimm pattern then move on to the next surface.

Bish,

So you mean the miliput is acrylic/ waterbased in nature? Sounds very interesting as my usual putty (revell plasto) dries very quickly but is not very smooth nor does it respond well to trying to dillute it with mineral spirits... Learned to work with it the hard way but always looking out for the "holy grail"

Richard

Richard, i have no idea. I will check the packet when i get back to camp on Tues, but i am sure someone else will know. I think it does set under water, it just slows the process down. I also find that water helps to smooth it down and thin it on the model. It also helps when applying the pattern. I use Airwaves stamps, which come in 4 Zimm patterns. I only dampen it a little, as to much means it can lift off the plastic when i apply the Zimm.

Miliput comes in different grades. I started off useing Grey i think, it was only but not very smooth. Then i found out that the white stuff is smoother. I think i picked up the tip on water from a Modelling book, possably the Osprey masterclass on German armour, but i will ahve to check.

If I had to do Zimm putty again, I would try Elmer wood putty... somebody used it and it looked great.  Alot cheaper too.  And it has longer drying time too.  Have you guys tried this yet? 

Aves Apoxie Sculpt is a lot like Miliput but gets better marks from many on armorama. Both are two part epoxy formulas. The techniques used for zimmerit are illustrated on Auswerks (a neat little site for armor nuts):

http://ausfwerks.com//techniques/zim/main.html

I'm not sure that any home technique will be truly scale. One advantage of Aves and Miliput is that they're water soluable and very easy on plastic. I stripped a turret completly after it had dried overnight - you couldn't do that with any putty.

Eric 

Eric- Thanks for the tip and the link... he used same tool I have.  You are correct about my putty... once it is dry and hardened, it would be very difficult to remove it.  That's why you have to be careful while applying and if you are not happy, removed it right away. 

Guys- Another Zimm putty update... I used a thin styrene sheet cut to fit inside the hatches to keep putty out... it helped a bit. It was little awkward holding it down while applying the putty.

 

Why not I said to myself since I was having fun doing this so I went for it...

That was the easiest part except for the area where the hinges are. Then the skirt has been glued to the turret. I really hope CA will hold the skirt real good...

 

Now I am thinking about applying Zimm to the hull skirts too. But after looking at several reference books on Panzer IV I don't see that it is common to have Zimm on those hull skirts.  Anybody might know?

I have never seen Zimm on side skirts. Possably because they could easily come off. They did often Zimm the lower hull though. To be honest i am not sure why they Zimmed the turret skmirt, but they did and your right to add it.

Keeping the putty out of that area can be a pain. I just find it easier tyo be as careful as i can and remove any that gets in there with a scalpel blade.

Bish- I agree with you.  In the other forum, somebody found out that Zimm was applied to the hull skirt but it was quickly discontinued.  It makes sense... heavy vibrations and bangings Zimm wouldn't have stayed on for long just like the fender guards. 

Guys- I am so glad the Zimm putty part is finally over so I can move to the next stage... I applied Mr. Surfacer 500 primer to rough up the muffler surface. 

I think everything is all set for major primer job... thanks for looking!

Andy thats looking great ,more than I'de care to try and tackle. I'll not complain about filling a few bad seams after seeing what you went through putting that zimm on!