The Ostfront (eastern front) GB 2010/11

Everyone,

If you are currently building a model for this GB by all means feel free to complete it here.

Saturday has started here on this side of the pond so today i will fire up a new thread for round two. Since there are people still building for round 1 and wanting to finish it here i will hold the final post and the attaboys untill we are all there at the finish line So not to worry and just keep going guys

And since we are discussing tracks....

My first brush with indy links.... 8 down...202 to go...

My next update will be on the new thread as i am still some distance away from completing my Panther

Richard

Well, Richard, I was hoping you'd have Ostfront Two up by now, but since not, I'll post this here then repost it there when it's up!

Here's my next build for Ostfront - Dragon's Tiger I Late Production 3-in-1.

I'm planning to build this one up in the markings of s.Pz.Abt.505 in 1944. The color scheme is dunky with dark green striping and a yellow barrel band. The kit includes markings for tank 334, but I may opt for some Archer transfers for #312, which can be seen here. Is it just me, or is the barrel just primer?

This kit is dense! Lots of sprues, excellent detail, and so far, excellent fit. Very reminiscent of the Panzer III and IV, not the Cyber-Hobby M4A4 Orange Box I'm also working on (NOT a fan of that kit).

There's been some discussion elsewhere on the forums lately about tracks...well this one comes packing some DS tracks, which I think are just fine since the Tiger has so many wheels there's not really a chance for sag. But...the detail on these DS tracks has to be the best I've ever seen on rubber bands.

Here's where it's at so far - completed step 1! Richard, you'll note that it has the same weird suspension getup as the Panther. New to me, since I'm by no means a German armor expert.

Okay...now on to the fun stuff! Aftermarket!

First, a metal barrel. I believe this is an RB barrel. I think. 

Next, Cavalier zimmerit. I know Dragon's making a zimmed version of this kit now, but this isn't it. I considered the Eduard PE zimm, but I saw it on a Tiger at the show last weekend, and it was awful. The Cavalier set includes not just the ultrathin resin zimm for the hull, but replacement mantlet and hatches.

Have to say, I'm looking very forward to this one! 

Matt,

So sorry but i was busy elsewhere this morning... I have started up the new thread just moments ago so feel free to slap in whatever needs to be slapped inthere

It is just plain spooky to see you are planning a tiger.... I just came home with an early production tiger (Italeri Tiger I Ausf.E/H1) myself, planning on doing something "kursk-ish" with it.... Also been frantically looking around for an early 88mm Kwk36 L56...nothing sofar.. The friuls are just too spendy for me being the stingy dutch guy i am but i am seriously thinking about adding a PE set this time. In any case i do not have to worry about zimm on mine...

The dark colored barrel reminds me of a build log i have seen today where the builder explained that the guns were coated with a heat resistant dark colored primer before the base color went on. Not sure if that is true but if it is, that would be my best guess: primed but not painted. It could also be green paint since the shades on the hull and the barrel are very similar...

Sure looks like you are going to sink your teeth into this late tiger! Taking a front seat with this one too.

Richard

P.s.: DS tracks you say..? Is it another term for link and length?

Hi all, some progress to report (no pics yet).

Masking of the Bf 109 is underway, leading edges, under the tails and trailing edges are done with tape and I've drawn up a set of soft masks that I'll cut out tomorrow. I've added the upper halves of the split flaps and am hoping to spray the RLM 75 tomorrow. I'll be working in Acryls; I've been spraying Acryls on an armour model in the last few days and I think I'm getting the hang if them.

Check out my blog for the low-down on the soft masks...

Cheers, Mike/TB379

Andy L- Thanks buddy!  Now I remember...  so many WIPs and I was trying to remember who likes to use pins instead of wires. LOL 

Doogs- Tiger? Man, this is going to be fun... how many unpainted kits do you have now?!?!  I lost count... four I believe.  Sherman, KV-2, Tiger and one more I forgot...  Yes go for the chain thing on your KV-2!!! 

I am a pretty lame participant....in addition to not posting and commenting enough, I don't even know whats going on in the GB

Richard -  I just found out about the new Ostfront GB that started today!  That's awesome, I'm definitely interested!  Please sign me up....I'll post my kit on the new thread.  And thanks for keeping this GB alive until we're all complete with our current builds!  Barring any major interruptions I should have them done by next weekend.

As for an photo update, here you go (sorry in advance for so many photos):

Bronco F22 Divisional Gun - decals applied and I'm just getting ready to do a pinwash.  BTW,  the decals are on the inside of the gun shield and a couple are on the right side of the breech.

Italeri BT-5 - hull assembly finally done (turret was complete a couple of weeks ago).  It looks a lot better now.  Maybe not super accurate or detailed. but enough to make me happy!

As you can see I had to add quite a bit of detailing due to the mediocre quality ot the kit.  PE engine screen and fender straps are pretty much the only AM stuff, the rest was scratchbuilt.  Most of the work was done on the rear.

Not much detail added to the front.  The front fenders fit terribly so I had to do a little surgery to alter some of the angles....its not perfect, but again, better than before. 

Here's a set of the MasterClub BT-5 tracks which are workable, compared to the kit's link & length tracks.  As you can see the MC tracks have more and sharper detail.  Although both tracks are similar in width, the individual track pitch is more accurate on the MC tracks (the kit's are too long). 

Many reviews of the Italeri kit state that the tracks are half a link too short to fit right, but also don't fit around the front idler very well....here's a couple pics from the web to show the problem.

And the fit of the MC tracks around the idler....I'd say that's an improvement!

The only problem I'm having with the tracks is when complete there's a very noticable set or curve in the track run....I hope it won't cause problems when installing them. 

Last night I was able to primer and apply a base coat.  

Color is a mix of Tamiya acrylics:

• XF-58 Olive Green (7 parts)
• XF-4 Yellow Green (7 parts)
• XF-55 Deck Tan (5 parts)

I know this seems really light, but the filters and washes I plan on applying will darken it considerably.  Plus I'm aiming for a lighter, faded color as I figure these tanks had been in service for a number of years and the invasion caught them unprepared....I don't imagine they had time so slap a fresh coat of paint on these old war dogs!!

Ernest,

Would be over the top with it if you added another build this year! That field gun looks awesome, especially like how you made the riveting pop out at you and the wash on the outside of the shield looks amazingly realistic!

And then you surprise us with your BT-5. How i love those fast little BT tanks..... That scratchwork is nothing but breathtaking and makes me very jealous i lack (totally) the skills and eye for detail needed for such an undertaking. The green looks good to me, especially knowing that washes will darken it up a little. Looks spot on to me And it is generally accepted that russian green is food for endless debate as every factory used its own shade or so it seems. Add weather wear and tear to that and you have alot of leeway.

Lovely work!!

Richard

WOW !!!!!!!! guys all this great work coming up to the very end, my complements to one and all man Can't wait to see what round 2 brings.

Kermit your camo looks great to me, I for one wouldnt change a thing. 

I have made some progress on the Yak, just giving it some drying time then will post a few more pictures for ya'all.

Progress on this holiday Monday in Aus:

The Bf 109 was soft-masked, my third go-round on this technique, first in a year so I must havebeen a bit out of practice as I mis-queued on some of the masks, necessitating some touchups to follow. Here's the masks drawn out on card around virgin kit parts:

And the rest of the plane drawn out:

Fuselage masked prior to laying down the RLM 75:

All the bits cut out and ready to apply:

RLM 75 on:

RLM 75 masked:

The preshade wasretouched, and the RLM 74 is now on with the masks mostly removed -- easing the bluetac away takes longer than painting the model, I must try to find something else to use as this stuff is just too sticky. Some 75 and 76 areas will need to be resprayed, which is par for the course with soft masking, but hopefully I'll be all tidied up and unmasking the yellow areas soon, then onto clearcoats, decals and panel wash...

M/TB379

Ernest- Outstanding work on the gun!    Is it the same gun Pvt Mutt (Tony) has for his "Diana" build right now?  Dig the tracks and PE screen for your little tank too!  Looking forward to see more of this...

TB- I like your technique of masking... is that stock paper or thin styrene sheet?  I tried that approach on my Panzer earlier and I liked but I used wrong kind of paper as it was too soft.  Can't wait to see how your 109 comes out at the end...

Guys- Quick update on my figures that will go with my Panzer IV.  I used decals for collar patches and shoulder straps for the first time on the figures and I loved it!   They look alot more nicer than trying to paint for yourself.  Maybe it is considered lazy or cheating but look at the figures... nothing can beat this! LOL

Tank commander for the Pz IV:

Crew for Marder II I built for Marder Madness earlier:

Decals were from this aftermarket set... Alliance Model Works.  Bought it at IMPS show last spring... that's why I love going to those model shows.  They also come with award badges and brass PEs.

Unfortunately patches and straps for the infantry didn't come with for this set.  I am gonna look for it at next show...

I have added PE straps to the MP40s...

I hope to finish the figures tonight... eyes and lips were painted last night.  I only need to apply dark wash before I can call them done.  Thanks for looking!

Ernest, how much did those tracks go for? They look pretty sharp. Will they fit a BT-7 as well?

Richard - Thanks for the comments, you're too kind.  Actually in the photos I hadn't yet put the wash on.  You're probably just noticing the postshading that I did to help make the details "pop".  Plus I use the "sharpen" feature in Irfanview.  That's the software I use for simple photo editing....my camera isn't the greatest and has problems with color and macro pics.  I usually have to alter the color back to more accurate shades for posting.  Anyway I was actually afraid that I went too dark with the color on the gun, but after applying the wash to the gloss surface and spraying a dull coat it came out just right!

Tbolt379 - Didn't I see a recent article in FSM on using paper masks for a soft demarcation line on camo patterns!  Looks like you've got in down pat....can't wait to see how the camo turns out!

Andy - Thank you sir.  You're right, it is practically the same 76.2 mm gun on Tony's Diana WIP!  I didn't notice it before, but since its a Bronco kit it make sense to use the same parts, The only real difference is the chopped down trailers.  Man, Tony is doing a great job...I hope mine turns out half as nice.  Especially that breech block...SWEEET!  Great figures and I LUV the decals for the patches!  Maybe be when I finally do some figures I'll try them out.   BTW its only cheating if your caught!!

Eric - Hmmmm, I can't even remember where I got those MasterClub tracks, but knowing my cheap self, I'm sure I got them because they were significantly cheaper than Fruils or MKs.  $17 US seems to come to mind.

Not much of an update fellas.  All I was able to do was bring the F22 gun a little closer to completion.  It took nearly an entire day to apply a pinwash to all those rivets!  There's actually more rivets on that gun than on the BT-5 I just built!!  Then today I gave it a flat coat, and the dark color that I was worried about lightened up quite nicely!!  Now I just need to paint the few details (I gotta figure out the Mutt's breech block painting style!), chip it up a bit and slap on some MIG pigments and she's done!

Kermit we aint gonna let you close this group, just look at all this great stuff still goin on here

Thunderbolt I like your preshading and plan to try your masking method soon too. Lookin good there guy.

Deafpanzer those figures are over the top awesome man !!

Bufflehead I have been waiting to see your big gun, its lookin good for sure.

I have a few WIP pictures to offer finally. You know how it is, I gotta do just one more thing then take pictures. That one more thing leads to another then another and so on. Anyway I am waiting for the liquid tape to dry then I will place the cowl on and start masking for paint, that is if it doesn't rain tomorrow I gotta tell ya this crystal looked cloudy and I thought it was gonna look terrible, but once dipped in future it sparkles and is very very clear. 

Vetteman- Thanks buddy!  Looking forward to see how your plane comes out again.  Promise you will not make me into buying another plane this time. LOL

Ernest- How cool!  I thought the gun looked way too familiar.  Your gun is looking great too! No question about it...

Glad you liked the figures.  I did something terrible today.  I brought a new Tamiya patch & details decal at LHS today... it has to be new and it looks alot nicer than what I had earlier.  And it offered more choices too... thought I'd let you know about Tamiya decal set.

Guys- More pictures of my guys... I am calling them DONE finally!  Applied W&N Raw Umber heavily thinned with Mona Lisa thinner.  It always bring out the details at the end!  My favorite part...

Tank commander for my Panzer IV Ausf H...

German infantry to go with the Panzer IV too...

I am not too sure about the helmet hanging on the officer's back according to the instruction.  It hasn't been glued yet.  Please let me know if you like it or not...

And I thought you'd like to see my two figures I have been working for my earlier build Marder II I built for Marder Madness but I didn't have the chance to work on those figures until now.

Comments and feedback is always welcome... this GB has been great and I look forward to second round.  Again, I will not be able to join til very late spring or early summer.  I have four builds (StuG III F/8, Huey 1H-1D, Char B1 and Pz III Ausf E) ahead of me before I can jump in your boat.

Cheers!

vetteman42 - That YAK is looking pretty nice!  The canopy does indeed look crystal clear!  I have the same probloem about needing to do "one more thing" before taking pics....before you know it the dang thing is done and no photos!!

Andy - those figures are looking great!!  I love the 5 o'clock shadow you've given them, how did you do that?  I wasnt' too sure about the drybrushed highlights, but then I reminded myself that these are super close-up photos.....so I backed up to the other side of the room and voila!  The highlights looked absolutely super!  Great job dude!

No update on any of my builds.  I had to break away from modelling last night and tonight to take care of other things, but hopefully I'll be able to get back to the bench tomorrow evening!

bufflehead

Andy - those figures are looking great!!  I love the 5 o'clock shadow you've given them, how did you do that?  I wasn't' too sure about the drybrushed highlights, but then I reminded myself that these are super close-up photos.....so I backed up to the other side of the room and voila!  The highlights looked absolutely super!  Great job dude!

Thanks man!   You may have hard time believing me... I used MIG pigment 'Fading Panzer Grey'.  I think you can use other pigments for the five o'clock shadow.  I choose grey because the officer looked little older... LOL  I learned about this trick from one of the masters here a while ago.  I can't remember who! 

I think pigment is alot easier because you can easily correct or add more.  Appreciate you taking your time.  Looking forward to see your next update...

Deafpanzer man those figures, each and every one are a work of art. Very very well done sir

Got some color on the Yak today, course I just had to finish one more thing before doing the paint. I want to get a bit more on it then I will post some wip pictures. tomorrow evening or maybe Sunday morning. So far I am very pleased with it and thank you all for your kind words.

Deaf,

What can i say... Your figures look briliant and the three day beards really give em that war weary look. Great job!

Randy,

You are getting to the end stages of your yak build you say...? Hmm..... wonder if that means i can take out my Mig3 soon *cracking of the whip sounds*

Richard

deafpanzer

bufflehead:

Andy - those figures are looking great!!  I love the 5 o'clock shadow you've given them, how did you do that?  I wasn't' too sure about the drybrushed highlights, but then I reminded myself that these are super close-up photos.....so I backed up to the other side of the room and voila!  The highlights looked absolutely super!  Great job dude!

 

Thanks man!   You may have hard time believing me... I used MIG pigment 'Fading Panzer Grey'.  I think you can use other pigments for the five o'clock shadow.  I choose grey because the officer looked little older... LOL  I learned about this trick from one of the masters here a while ago.  I can't remember who! 

I think pigment is alot easier because you can easily correct or add more.  Appreciate you taking your time.  Looking forward to see your next update...

MIG pigment Fading Panzer Grey?!?  Are you kidding me?  That's brilliant!  and soooo easy!  Why didn't I think of that??  Especially since I have that in my MIG Piggies box!!    Thanks for the tip Andy!

Thanks guys  And the the story of the Tacky Yak continues, but first . I gotta remember that pigment trick for figures as I need all the help I can get with those. Thanks for sharing the trick Deafpanzer.

Ok on the the Yak-7A WIP pictures and well you guys aint gonna believe this ........ but here goes.

Got the bottom painted Russian Blue. I had to use enamel ( Its the only correct color ya know ) and I don't like using it as it never seems to dry for me, stays tacky for EVER ! So I let that (cough) dry for 2 days and masked and painted the top side color.

So this morning my sister and I go to breakfast and get back home to find the mancave a wreak. ( Side story ) Mickie has a Hungarian hunting dog called Bella and shes only 6 months old, ultra high energy kinda mutt. I call her Bonehead and she answers to it too. Anyways we get home and Bonehead has emptied my whole bench on the floor and played toss and kick I think. So I picked up and dusted off all my tiny treasures and inspected them for damage. Surprisingly there were only a few teeth marks on the Yak, and I found everything less a bottle of paint. If I am lucky she swallowed it but I consider myself very l;ucky to have found all the parts that were on my bench. Well I fixed the teeth marks and touched up the paint, then carefully cut out the masks for the next round of paint. Flat Black over the green.

The black went on without a hitch, but man that green is an ugly shade isnt it. So I let that dry, I am using MM acrylics on the top side, goes on really nice. Now this evening I am thinking things are goin great considering the mornings events. So off comes the masking.

Sweet !!!!!!!!!!!!!! but man that green is ugly, gotta come up with something to do there in the way of weathering or something. Ruhrow !!! Here comes Bonehead Dawg !!!!!!! So I take the masking off the other side and...................................

I gave up for the rest of the evening.

I swear that dawg was laffin at me.

vetteman, I have to ask what enamels you were using? The only ones that have ever really given me crazy dry problems are White Ensign. Just take forever to cure. Also - I found a pretty decent formula for getting that Russian blue out of a Vallejo mix I believe. Need to see if I can retrace my steps on that one.

And...DEAR GOD WHAT IS THAT GREEN? Did the Soviets have a fondness for mint chocolate chip?

That can't be AMT-4, can it?

Hey Doggs

 I use Model Masters enamels for brushing and acrylics for spraying. The Russian underside blue is MM # 2123. But for me sprayed or brushed the MM enamels never seem to dry and always remain tacky to the touch. I did thin the blue with testers universal thinner by about 25% and then I have to spray it quickly as the paint seems to clump up and become unusable. Its even worse with regular thinner. I have to be doing something wrong but cant figure what that would be.

LOL That green is MM acrylic Pale Green # 4739 For the camo I scanned and blew up the instruction sheet and cut my masks from that using frisket paper. As you can see in the pictures I did have to use masking tape to hold it down in a few places but to me thats normal as the frisket is very low tack and doesnt bend well around curves.

Vetteman- Thanks man for the nice words about my figures.  It was fun!  Your Yak-7 is looking real good.  I have to agree with Doog's comment... mint choc chip!  Russians sure knew how to pick ugly colors... I knwo it will look great at the end as usual.

Richard- Thanks buddy!   Like I said earlier thanks for leading a great GB and I look forward to do it again for the second round.

Ernest- LOL!  No kidding... just give it a try.  I loved it!  I still can't remember who did this earlier.  Maybe Ed from Washington... he is no longer around even tho.  Looking forward to see your updates...

Well guys I had a good day at the bench today Saved the Yak paint job, got a clear coat of future on and even got the decals on. They are drying as I type this. I did make a great discovery today, about a year ago I bought a lettering brush, ultra fine of course. Anyway after masking and repainting the mint green back where it came off I was wracking my simple mind trying to figure a way to mask for the black paint So that brush finally came to mind, don't ask why but it did. So I broke it out, filled it with paint, that thing holds a bunch of paint let me tell ya, and started messing with it on playing cards. It worked GREAT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So I grabbed the Yak took a deep breath and lined the black paint back on the cowl and the front of the windscreen.

So we are back on track, the second coat of clear in the morning then a bit of weathering.

Ruhrow I bet Kermit sees some Spitfire parts there in the back ground

vetteman - I was going to question the mint green camo color, but now I see that it looks fine!  Nice work correcting the painting problems and overall great camo job!  BTW, what exactly is a "lettering" brush?

Whoever said the last 5% of work takes up 95% of time sure is correct!  It has been absolutley slow going finishing up the T-26T and the F22 Gun.  I guess its because I'm trying some new weathering techniques that I'm not too versed with.  Anyway both are nearing completion:  all detail painting is done and half of the weathering also.  I just need to do some fading and then apply some dust in the form of MIG pigments.  Here are some photos:

I still need to fabricate the replacement driver hatch that was lost in the move.  The handrail on the right fender kept breaking off so I left it off until work was done.  The tow hook broke off at some point....guess I'll have to make a new one.

I over chipped the finish on the gun....  I was trying to represent a long used piece of equipment, but ....Ah well, live and learn!  Hmmm...I forgot about the ranging rods.  I'll do those today.

and together:

Almost there guys, almost there....

Vetteman- Yak looking good!   Can't wait to see how it comes out after the weathering job.

Ernest- Outstanding work... you did great doing the chipping work on the gun because they look spot on.  Missing hatch and tow cables?  You can say it saw alot of action...  

Thank you guys I hope my build doesn't disappoint

Ernest I have to echo what Deafpanzer said the chipping and weathering is spot on IMHO. Love the figure in the tank and, one can really see the effort that went into detail on both the tank and gun. Can NOT wait for the finish man ! The brush I am talking about is called a lettering or script brush, about the size of a 0 brush but the  bristles are around 1 1/4 inches long, it holds a lot of paint and follows where you pull it so you can get very nice smooth lines with it. Just play with it a bit before you use it and you will see what I mean. I plan on getting 2 more of them on my next visit to the LHS and I have seen them in art supply stores.

Guys and Mr Kermit, I am calling the ICM Yak-7A finished. Although the weathering didn't come out as I had hoped the pictures really don't show it very well on top.

Now the cockpit

And for me the best part I wanted to display the Yak with open or closed cowl, so for painting and to hold the cowl on I used Microscale Liquid Tape. LOVE THIS STUFF !!! No paint leaked under it and with only one application it still holds the cowl on and I have removed it close to a dozen times. It also allows easy removal of the cowl too.

On hindsight I should have wired the back side of the IP but I didn't think I would be able to see it once installed.

Thank you to a fantastic group host for a very well run group and for allowing us slow guys to finish.

Ernest,

Excellent work!!. Especially that gun really catches my eye. IMHO it is not overdone at all, not in the least bit! Absolutely stunning to see!

Randy,

Congrats on another jewel That fuel staining is beautiful; really gives you the impression of a hastily topped off warbird. Camo came out great too! I have used long bristle brushes myself in the past just for that kind of retouching thing and i must say it really payed off for you. And that engine...... gorgeous.

But on the side..... Don't you think that the liquitape is smelling and looking a suspicious lot similar to their aluminum foil glue? I kinda really think it is the exact same stuff... I used it on my spitfire for the scratchbuild GB too on the cowling....still sticks like theres no tomorrow

Richard

Randy - whoa, you finished that fast!!  I agree with Richard, it came out just beautiful!!  Excellent work on the Yak sir!!  Oh, and it turns out I do have some script brushes on the bench, just never heard them called lettering brushes before....doh!!

Thanks to all for the kind words on the two Russian vehicles nearing completion!  I just hope I don't mess up on the pigments!!