Panzerjager GB (March 1st - June 30th, 2011)

OOOOOH Eric that camo looks GREAT!!  If you ask me, its perfect for that huge cat!!  When I finally build a JT I think I'll camo it just like yours!

Yesterday I finally tackled my FAVORITE (sic) part of the build.....indy links .  Actually I don't mind putting them together, its the cleanup I detest.....as anyone who has had to scrape, file, sand, trim, etc.  200+ links can attest to!  Once the 3-4 hrs of cleanup was done I used the "doog" method to assemble and install them.  I learned this from our fellow FSM member Karl "the doog" Logan:

Blue masking tape was taped onto a piece of flat cardboard, with enough tape (sticky side up) to accommodate an entire track run.  The links were laid down, link to link, and butted against a straightedge to keep them straight.  The kit instructions didn't say how many links so I Googled it and found one spec that said 96 per side, to that's the count I used. 

Then I applied Testors #3502 liquid cement to the entire run, using it quite liberally.  The doog recommends the glue for this method because its much slower drying than other liquid glues, but is still thin enough to get into all the nooks and crannies....I have to agree!  The longer working time give you plenty of time to get the tracks installed properly

After 45-60 minutes I gently removed the track run from the tape and wrapped it around the suspension.  At this point the glued track run is strong, somewhat stiff, but still quite flexible....like some cheap vinyl Italeri kit tracks!!    Note that none of the wheels or sprockest or idlers are glued on at this point.  After a bit of fiddling to make sure the track run was OK, it turned out 96 links was too much and I had to remove 3 links from each side.  Once everything was in place I put little wads of paper towels between the tracks and the fenders to establish the proper sag, taped the wheels in place so they wouldn't fall out, and set it on a flat surface to dry.  I also put a little weight on the hull to make sure the tracks sat flat.

Now all I have left are some tools and spare tracks.....whew!

Pis look great to me Eric !

Thanks Bob and Carl. I'm fairly happy with it. I just hope i can weather it enough to make everyone happy. LOL

It's a Sony Cyber-Shot. I took the pics outdoors, but I can't seem to find the right settings. Stupid camera. LOL

ERIC !!!!

Oh ya, that camo job is COOL !!!

What ever your taking the pics with has a great depth of field . I couldnt get the end of the gun barrel in focus along with the model with my cheap camera .

Thumbs up on this one buddy !

Nice work on the paint scheme Eric-well worth the extra effort.

Thanks Andy. I used a late war chocolate brown with olive grun. I'm okay with it. There are a few things I'd do differently, but I did want the yellow to be noticable. It's seems that (at least on models) the wheels were also painted to break up the outlines of the vehicle. 

WOW!  I love the camo... great job Eric!

Another teaser update. Mind you there is some touching up and the such on the camo, before I proceed to weathering and putting on all the other little things like tools and extra tracks.

Oooh, looking good there T-man!

Still plugging away on my Sturer...was there a decision as to what the "new official" end date is going to be?

tigerman

 

bobbaily:

 

John-Love the shields.  You did a great job with them.

Eric-tracks look great.  Hate to hear that you've got some 'creative modeling' to do with the periscopes.  I have a tendency to not follow the instructions in order and find out later that they are in order for a reason....these are the types of things that make us stronger....can't wait to see some more pics.

 

 

No, I'm okay stil Bob. It's just that I ALMOST glued the casemate on sans persiscopes. I'd be a up a river without the paddle if that were the case.

Glad to hear that Eric.  I've learned the hard way this build to put the tracks on in order of the instructions....got it done but it wasn't pretty....

Thank you John.

Slow going today. I got the periscopes in, but they don't look as though they stick out far enough. i don't see how else to do it.

I weathered my tow chains and did some misc. painting. I'm scared to glue the top down for fear of making a mess. I hope i learned something from this build. 

I'm considering no markings for this. i don't see too many late war Panzers with markings. Would I be wrong on this?

Looking mighty fine Eric!

bobbaily

John-Love the shields.  You did a great job with them.

Eric-tracks look great.  Hate to hear that you've got some 'creative modeling' to do with the periscopes.  I have a tendency to not follow the instructions in order and find out later that they are in order for a reason....these are the types of things that make us stronger....can't wait to see some more pics.

No, I'm okay stil Bob. It's just that I ALMOST glued the casemate on sans persiscopes. I'd be a up a river without the paddle if that were the case.

John-Love the shields.  You did a great job with them.

Eric-tracks look great.  Hate to hear that you've got some 'creative modeling' to do with the periscopes.  I have a tendency to not follow the instructions in order and find out later that they are in order for a reason....these are the types of things that make us stronger....can't wait to see some more pics.

I almost fubared. I was going to glue the casemate, but I forgot to install the persicopes. So, tomorrows goal is to do that. I think I'll have a bit of a mess with touching up the top. My fault really. I should have glued the fenders on last, but probably would have made a gluey mess there requiring touchup too.

I like !!!

Eric , ive never put together a set of tracks yet that hasnt been a hastle some how . Your tracks look just fine .

*Teaser alert*

Here's a side shot of the lower hull. I need to do some touchup, but you can see the off-setting cammoed wheels. The left side tracks were a bear to get together, despite the one unglued track, which i need to touch up. Next time, I won't make it on the bottom of the run. The other side was at a better angle and there was no problem of attachment.

Just checking in ................Eric ?

Hope to get the wheels, tracks and upper hull glued to together. Then she'll start to look like an AFV.

tigerman

Shellback:

Good . Now your closer than ever !

 

At least closer then yesterday. LOL

True . Maybe closer by the end of tomorrow ?

Shellback

Good . Now your closer than ever !

At least closer then yesterday. LOL

Good . Now your closer than ever !

Shellback

I didnt realize i could use it yet Eric . Thanks !

Yes. Once your build is completed, it's yours.

On a positive note, I completed my camo job. I'm okay with it. I need to tone it down and probably touch some spots up, otherwise it's a go.

Shellback

I didnt realize i could use it yet Eric . Thanks !

Yes. Once your build is completed, it's yours.

On a positive note, I completed my camo job. I'm okay with it. I need to tone it down and probably touch some spots up, otherwise it's a go.

I didnt realize i could use it yet Eric . Thanks !

Those look great and I mistakened them for one piece PE. Nice.

Carl, don't forget your GB badge on page 1.

Nice work john .

tigerman

John, any chance of getting a closeup of the Thoma shields?

Aye laddie, this is the left front :

This is the backside of the left rear. The plastic mesh is glued to the PE rails, real fiddly too! Glad I used Gator Glue instead of CA as it would have been very much more frustrating. Gator Glue is great!

John, any chance of getting a closeup of the Thoma shields?

ogrejohn - work on your Jagdpanzer IV is coming along great!  Love to see it with the Thoma shields on.

I've had some delays with the Hetzer.  I tried installing a better jack, which meant using some PE for the mount.  After I managed to get everything to fit right I found out the rear schurzen wouldn't fit because of the new jack!! DOH!!

Now I have to completely remove all that fancy jack work and try to install the kit jack......grrrrr   Delays, delays......