The OFFICIAL Panzer III and Its Variants GB

Finally my Pz III has my attention now after having many out-of-state visitors staying at our place for last 2-3 weeks.  

Used MM Gunmetal and Burnt Umber for chipping on the Pz... they will be toned down after couple of dark washes soon.  

Closer shot... focused on area where heavy traffic would be or where troops would be sitting while hitching for a ride.  

More to come... 

Looks great, DP! I've always wondered what others use colorwise for chipping on Panzer Grey paint schemes. To me it is always harder to get colors that show up well enough to reveal the effect on the darker color and still look realistic. Thanks for sharing.

Trying to finish up the StuG III F and PzKfw III E I've got on the bench before the Steel Cats GB starts! Probably not gonna happen. One can dream... (Of course it would help if I stopped breaking stuff off while assembling the magic tracks... )

Looking almost there! Deafpanzer - I used a couple of drawing pencils to reveal bare metal from wear and tear on the vehicle. Used MM Gunmetal on the tools then dry brushed steel .... Hasenpfeffer - Sorry about your difficulties with magic (Not!) track ... had same problem building the Early J with magic track. Armor86.

Nice looking hatch, Andy! I always get bad results when I try using brown colors (i.e. burnt umber) for chipping effects, mainly because I over-do it. I pretty much only use them for washes because of my previous experiences. HOWEVER, you made those handles around the hull look totally awesome with them, so you have given me confidence to attempt using it for chipping on my upcoming Panther. The rust looks real and to-scale, but definitely grabs your attention. Nice work!

Hasen- Thanks man!  I learned from the masters in several forums... they like to use burnt umber.  I figured I'd use both gunmetal and burnt umber.  First I started with gunmetal then top it with burnt umber for deeper chipping.   

I am trying to finish this so I can join Steel Cats GB.  Everybody can tell you that I tend to start my GB builds very late and finish it last. LOL  It will be fun! 

Armor86- Thanks!!!  Believe me graphic pencil is my best friend.  I usually do it at very end after weathering.  Planning to drybrush steel tonight but I am hooked to cable news regarding latest news of Hurricane Isaac... scary times for everybody out there.  

Mike- Hey!  Always good hearing from you!  Back to college yet if I am correct?  

I know it is so easy to go overboard on chipping or weathering.  I used very little piece of sponge... I will take a pic for you if it helps.  And it doesn't hurt to take breaks and stand back to look at the work to see if it needs more or not.  At first I was worried I may have gone overboard this time... hopefully dark washes will tone them down. 

Am really looking forward to your Panther build.... thanks for tagging along! 

Yup, school starts next week. Big mix of excited/prepared/unprepared/nervous etc... lol!

Yeah, it definitely helps to step back and look at how far the weathering has gone before going too far, though I usually get too excited and take it too far anyways! Very nice job, I actually would appreciate a pic of the sponge. I'm currently widening my range of modeling tools and supplies, and it's nice to see what works for others.

Steel Cats starts this weekend!!!

Mike- Recall you did very well last semester so I am confident you will do very well as long as you don't let Steel Cats GB intervene your studying. LOL

Guys- Moving slowly... more detail painting on the other side.  Hopefully tonight I will do more detail painting such as dry brushing steel on tools, etc. 

For everybody out there in path of Hurricane Isaac, hang in there! 

Hey Andy ................the tracks are missing !

I see you have been doing some improvements in your weathering . Looks great my friend

Remember ..i'm too good for you !

Carl- Thanks man!  Tracks are missing!?!?!  Nah, they will be on very soon... glued the wheels to the hull last night.  I am afraid the tank commander is becoming way too excited now...   Hell, you are way too good for me! 

Mike- Here's the picture of the sponge I used for chipping... sorry about the delay.  Keep in mind I added small amount of thinner to the paint so they wouldn't look too thick on the surface.  It really helps if you can use tweezer with clasp so you don't have to hold it forever... sponge was brought at Michael's I think. 

Hope this helps... 

Hey Carl!  The tracks are finally on... LOL

Tracks were perfect fit on the diorama from MIG.  That's what I will work on as soon as I am done with the panzer. 

Thanks for looking!  And have a great LONG weekend... cheers! 

My Archer dry print decals came in, they look great. I'm trying to finish a deadlined project this weekend, and look forward to getting back to the StuH 42 asap...

M/TB379

Hey Andy,

Looking sweet! Great all round work - impressive!

One thing that I though looked a bit wrong was the very tight Friuls - I reckon an extra link added each side would look better as they look too 'live' right now but it's your baby!

I bought a big fat stick of Graphite to highlight metal exposed areas - I'm going to try it on my Steel Cats Tiger and my current Pz II wip. It can de sanded too to make a metallic pigment.

Finally, I CANNOT GET THEM DAMN PINS that you have! what are they called? I ended up buying 5 lengths of Brass Rod (0.5mm dia) to use for my Friul links on my Pz II Friuls as the thin wire they give you is terrible and VERY weak!

Lovely build mate - pop over and see my Pz II now she has decals and cammo.

Ben

Andy , the tracks look really good ............but they do look tight on the left side my friend .

Hey Andy, looks great, man. Always makes a big difference with the tracks... As for them being too tight, I wouldn't worry about it. It is all a taste thing. Preference. I've seen just as many photos (like below) where the tracks look taught versus having some sag in them. I will say this... it does make the model look a little more realistic in the sense that it gives "weight" to the tracks. In modelling, perception is what we strive for, right? Chipping, color modulation, weathering, etc. All to fool the eye into believing it "looks" like a real tank, etc.

Great job on that commander too. Getting ready for that next counterstroke. Who's the manufacturer?

-Dave

Thunderbolt- No worries, I know the deadline is up tomorrow but I am not going to use it as an excuse to stop all of builds.  There are few builds near its completion so another week or two will be fine.  I predict we will have 4-5 more completed builds... wanna make a bet? LOL 

Can't wait to see your update buddy!

Ben & Carl- Thanks for the comments!  Glad you liked!  I am with you about the tight track on one side.  That's what I struggled with last night.  I added one more link then it was way too loose so I took it off and left it that way.  Both sides have same number of links... 94 links.  Weird... 

I went thru my reference books especially my bible 'Achtung' Panzer when I was struggling with the tracks and I was surprised to see how tight tracks were on Pz IIIs.  I found it strange that the tracks often looked loose on StuGs... that's something I want to do more research. 

Another great example... Ausf M which is closest to Ausf K I am building.  Absolutely no sagging at all!  

Ben- Don't hestiate to go to fabric stores to get those pins.  That's where I brought mine... I was probably the only male in the whole store. LOL  I will stop by ur thread after this.

Hasen- Thanks buddy!  Glad you like the result so far... about the tracks it got me so interested that I want to look further into this.  That's something we should bring up in Armors forum?

The resin figure is from Alpine... I think its one of the early releases because its model number is 35001.  Loved the posture firing the flare gun as a leader... bought via evilBay for only $13.  

Andy , was the axle for the idler wheel in the back adjustable before you glued it in place ? It could be at a slightly different angle making one side tighter than the other . Another good reason to use for the tracks being at different tensions in the tank could of been turning when it stoped . I probably wouldnt of said anything if both sides were the same tension ..slack or tight .But hey what do i know ? I just wanted to pick on you anyway .

I don't think it was adjustable because it was an old imperial kit.  I didn't even know that axle can be adjustable. LOL  Probably new kits only?  

Let's hope the judges will look at one side only of my Pz III. LOL

On some kits it is . I've seen it mentioned before .  Good luck

Greetings Deafpanzer - Built the old Imperial Panzer IV Ausf F1 (short 75) DAK and the idler wheels were adjustable ... had same problem with  Friuls that were uneven track sag and adjusted rear idlers to resolve the different tensions.

Update to the PZ III Ausf. J (late) applied dust / pigments to it. I purchased the new AK Interactive Africa Dust Effects ... enamel based. Tested and found it can't be removed once dry ... like to use old brush to remove pigment until I think it looks good. So I went back to old tried MIG Productions Gulf War Sand (PO37) - mixed with water and applied ... allow to dry and then go back brush off ... almost finished. Post photos over weekend when complete ... Armor86

Carl- Thanks for the head up!  I really dig your signature pic by the way... 

Armor86- Sounds like you will finish it over the weekend... can't wait to see the final pics and scratch that variant off the list!!!  

Working on my Pz III right now as I am using AK Streaking products.  You are correct... it can not be removed once dried.  I'd allow them to dry for a minute or two before I use flat brush little damped with white spirit.

Hi guys, have started my Steel Cats build with an experiment, my first putty-rake zim patch, and it turned out so well that I'm sure I can do some extra zim work on the StuH 42 on the rear areas, using the pattern stamp Cavalier supply.

Cheers, Mike/TB379

Completed Photos - Late Pz III Ausf. J (Vorpanzer) - looks like its had some fun in the sun & sand ....  Armor86

Armor86 -- that is absolutely fantastic! This is a classy model by any standards, and really looks like it just came off a North African battlefield! Congratulations on a top job!

Mike/TB379

Thanks Thunderbolt379 - Next up is reorganizing the work bench and then getting started on CATS GB - Armor86

Armor86- Absolutely stunning work on the Pz J!  Everything looks just great.  Perfect choice of pigments for N Africa theater.  It was a GREAT pleasure having you part of our GB.  I can't wait to add it to the Hall of Fame and scratch Pz III J off the list. 

Thank you so much for being a great team player.  And looking forward to another GB together as I will join you at Steel Cats GB when I am done with mine.  

Guys- Another update... thanks to remnants of Hurricane Isaac it thought ALOT of rain here today so we all spent whole day staying indoor.

MIG base has been primed...

Used AK Interactive Panzer Grey streaking product... I still plan to add Rust streaks tomorrow. 

Still need to work on the muffler... 

Deafpanzer - thanks again for hosting the GB and looking forward to Steel Cats - building an early Tiger I .... Armor86

Armor86- I had fun hosting because of you guys... I couldn't have asked for more.  I have updated the roster and added pic to the Hall of Fame.  

See you at Steel Cats! 

armor86 - fantastic job... I am hoping mine looks half as good when I finally get around to finishing it. Of course it is somewhat delayed due to my first official GB over in Steel Cats. Guess I'll see you fellas over there.

so better late than never fellas