The OFFICIAL Panzer III and Its Variants GB

Stik,,,  making some good progress,, looking nice!

I hear ya Chazzer... Aside from outright errors like I already mentioned, the instructions were also very vague as to the how toattach part of the idle wheel assembly, the track tensioning portion to be more specific. It took some test fittings to figure out as the instructions were of minimal help. Sort of like being  small child again and fitting the various shaped blocks into the different shaped holes... Good thing I had kids (actually my wife had them ) during the 90s to refresh my memory on that problem solving stuff... Thanks for the kind words. I think looking at Dragon kits in the box and the instructions is more intimidting than building them. Afterwards I am usually left with a sense of, "that was not so bad" (much like on a jump when as I neared the ground I would be thinking "oh this is gonna hurt", and then it did not ). Just take them slow and be sure of your move and fit before applying glue...Congrats on the win of kits BTW.

Stik, It's great to see you in the build. You are another who's talents I can "feed" off. I won a few dragon kits in a raffle few weeks back and about eight of them are Dragon kits. As I was exploring them I noticed a consistency in the very vague directions. Some of the kits directions are very, very difficult to follow. I actually e-mailed them with a complaint about their terrible instructions to try to get better instructions on a couple of kits. The kit parts and PE parts are fantastic! The kits are an 88 and and a Panzer III. Unfortunately my complaint was answered with suggestion that I goggle other modelers for help. That tells me that they are NOT interested in finding a remedy for there lousy instructions. I have herd many complain about them and I am in that group! I'm sorry for the rant. I am looking forward to your build. As from your previous builds I'm looking forward to learning. Thanks

looks good Stik

Shell and Bill, thank you for the greetings here. It's good to be starting up a new build in this GB. Especially of a kit that has languished for so long in my stash. Today was more work on the supspension... attaching road wheel arms, shocks, and such. Of course there were a goof in the Dragon directions, instructing to put what should be the opposite side parts on. Fortunately that was figured out and corrected quickly. I am not too big a fan of trying to get multiple kits out of a single molding with all the filling, drilling, and sanding this kit entails, but hey, how else will I get a Mk III H? I don't see Tamiya releasing one of these anytime soon. Anyways here are pics of today's progress.

Lower hull w/roadwheels and idler wheels mounted. Rear Hull plate assembled. Sprockets and return rollers still need to be attached...

Upper hull assembly so far...

Everything as built up to this evening

and in place on the lower hull

I go back to work tomorrow, so there will not likely be much progress over the next few days until Monday...

"RICHARD BLICK"...haaaaahahahhaaaaaa! Too funny!

Lots of good work getting cranked out fellas. Hope to get back on that StuG III A soon (and the Panzerbeobswagen not toooo long after that).

Glad to help Carl

Stik,,,  nice to see you jumpin in!

Stik , good to see you at yet another G.B.

I'm going to get back into this one and finish up my Ausf M .

BaBill212

Carl,,,    Roger that on the built-in rejection / data base.   It did seem rather a tad over the top,, but it is totally understood.           No Richard Blick stores about?,,,  no worries,,,        there are plenty of good craft like stores about,   as you have noted.      I'll pass on the Crapctor for now however.....  

Chaz,,    Glad you are feeling better.     There sure are a lot of pics, but you know,  that is what we all enjoy!   Your shop area looks good too........         

Bill , thats funny man .................

I neededthat after my Pz. disaster tonight .

Nearly four months after this GB kicked off, I have enough other stuff out of the way to begin my Mk III. This is Dragon's Panzer III H, probably of mid 1990s vintage if I were to take a guess. It has been in my stash for many years. Anyways this evening I completed step one, which is assembly of the road wheels, drive sprockets, idler wheels and return rollers. I also did one little bit of step two, which was filling a hole on each side plate of the hull that the instructions said to fill. Anyways here are the first pics...

Carl,,,    Roger that on the built-in rejection / data base.   It did seem rather a tad over the top,, but it is totally understood.           No Richard Blick stores about?,,,  no worries,,,        there are plenty of good craft like stores about,   as you have noted.      I'll pass on the Crapctor for now however.....  

Chaz,,    Glad you are feeling better.     There sure are a lot of pics, but you know,  that is what we all enjoy!   Your shop area looks good too........         

Hey Chazzer ! So thats an example of your work while in a fog ? Well it certainly looks great , cant wait to see your stuff when things clear up for you . Nice assortment of tools , paints , research material ............and of course the casual reading peek a view ..............

Get well

Hey Guys, It's been a while. I've been having a tough time with being sick. God I hate saying that! To try to keep my sanity I have been doing some work. I haven't had a camera for a while. So there is some gaps, just like my memory. LOL. Any way: I tried my hand at scratch building. The tool/stowage bin was my first scratch build ever. I painted with artist oils and the hinges and lock were cut from left over metal from PE scraps. I think it's alright. So here goes. Please keep in mind I am still in somewhat of a fog from medications. The good news is I'm on the mend. WARNING THERE ARE ALOT OF PICTURES. Just skip if you don't like going off subject here and there. Here they are....

I won a raffle a few weeks ago. The winnings:

The updated man cave. A little flat screen to keep me company:

I got a badger Anthem 155. A great airbrush. Heres the set-up

What is it with the booklet? It keeps popping up:

I would love any comments.

Scott

Thanks for the explanation Bill . I dont think we have a Richard Blick art store out here but i'll check out at
Hobby L****y some time , they should carry something like that .

The *ick censorship is probably built into the data base as a bad word .

Cracker anyone ........................................?

Holy Crap on a Cracker,,,    the art store name was censored,,,  unbelievable

It is a D*ck Blick arts and craft store

Good Lord Allmighty

Guess if my name was D*ck, I would have to alter it for posting purposes,,,    no offense FSM, but really

Carl, Andy,,,       Thanks my friends.        The resin water is not all that difficult really. I use EnviroTex Lite. I have a *** Blick art store very close and they have all sorts of great modeling gear. The resin is not very expensive either.      You absolutely have to build a dam around your pour though. For this little scene I used some acrylic square lengths for the dam... which meant I could just leave them in place after the resin dried.  You can make a removable dam too.   Coat the inside with some cooking oil or Pam so the resin doesn't stick to it.               Once you mix the resin, the drying time is pretty lenient.... you don't have to go crazy trying to get it poured before it sets.  Pour slow as it will seek it's own level.    Too much at once and you're screwed.   It will flow over the sides and it is messy.      A big word of caution.... be sure to measure as close to exact with both parts of the resin and hardener.    Use some cheap plastic little cups, one cup for resin and one for hardener.  

Practice a few test pours into a 3rd cup,,, try tinting the mixed resin and get a feel for how it mixes, measures, pours and tinting.    Give it a few days to dry,   If you do it right, it dries hard as a rock.

It doesn't heat up very much either,,,  but I would keep any pour under a half inch just to be safe.  You can do consecutive pours too,  which will really give you some depth,,  if you would want to.

There is a great how to article (and some great photos) in the FSM Building and Detailing Sherman Tanks....    If you like Shermans you will love this publication. Even if you don't, the dio's and details are amazing....    I think I only spent about $20.00 on it....

Jmart- Thanks for sharing tip about using Dremel tool to thin the fender.  That's something I haven't tried and I wish I used it in my previous build Tamiya Panzer IV... next time I will!

Ben- I used candle on my StuG fenders... it was risky move and I don't think I want to do that again.  Then I used knife to remove the melt part or thin the fender further more.  I would try Jmart's approach next time.... just wait until you get married you will have to take your wife to nice places once a while.

Bill- Love your diomara and I want to marry it!   Like Carl said, the water effect is just perfect!  How in the world did you make it work? 

Oh man Bill that water really looks wet . Just curriouse because i've never attempted using resin to simulate water , but does it take a while to get the hang of doing this ?

My pleasure JMart.......

Here are a few scant pics of where I am at with the micro pz base....

I painted the groundwork with some tan and green mix. Nothing too elaborate as much of the base will be covered in grass and vegetation. A few highlights and lowlights to add dimension.               After the basic base prep I poured the resin and let dry for a few days. I tinted the resin with just a hint of light green artists acrylic Thalo Green.       Once dry I used a bit of brushed on polyurethane to simulate some soft waves.

I added some basic vegetation and some very rudimentary tank tracks.    All of this will be blended in as the base progresses.

From here I added sparadic patches of railroad grass (the kind  you just sprinkle on).  A white glue brushing prior to sprinkling on the grass to adhere.

This grass still has to be painted and high / lowlighted ,     Again, as lame as this looks now, it will be blended in as it progresses.       

I have a few other things planned before I put a lid on the build.

Well,,,   it's not much but things are still moving along

Hope you like and all comments welcome

Bill

BaBill212

JMart,,     your pics took a powder,,,  something must have happened with the transfer.

Oops, I renamed the photobucket album AFTER I pasted the links. 

Thanks! 

JMart,,     your pics took a powder,,,  something must have happened with the transfer.

Andy,,      looks like fun in Utah,,  those AR-15's are slick indeed.   I have never seen that brand of brew...   gotta luv the catch-phrase                 And,, behave?  me??   well, yeah mostly,,  maybe.

Ben - Here is a couple of pics of a T34/76 I started for a winter warriors GB, was shelved. I used a Dremel to thin the underside of the fender, put the fender near a light source to soften the plastic, then used forceps to bend the fender:

I also put a drop of tenax on the middle of the fender to it would "eat up" a bit of the plastic and form a dip on the fender:

For the front fender, I used the dremel (from behind/under) to thin out enough of the plastic to 'feather out" " the edge of the fender:

You can then sand a bit the rough edges.

I am not saying it looks good, but hope this tips help a bit! 

PS - great Utah pics!

deafpanzer

Ben- Congrats!  No I didn't miss anything... just catching up.  Beautiful work on your Ausf N!    This is my favorite shot because it shows the stowage and great view of the winterketten tracks.  Love those dirty streaks on the hull!  You are allowed to add second badge to your profile.   Looking forward to follow your WIP on Tiger I in Ostront GB...

Hey Andy,

I'm loving them photos of your holiday (sorry, vacation ) Beautiful scenery and interestingly labelled beer!

That photo of mine is one of the better ones, shame it's ever so slightly out of focus. I'll gladly take a second badge! Keep an eye on my Tiger I wip!

Keep the StuG III build updated - it's starting to look really interesting now. What did you use to soften the fenders to beat them up? Hairdryer?

Cheers Andy,

Ben

Hey Andy looks like you had a good time at the in - laws .

Anthony- Awesome!   Don't forget we just love pictures... looking forward to see your latest process. 

Ben- Congrats!  No I didn't miss anything... just catching up.  Beautiful work on your Ausf N!    This is my favorite shot...

Because it shows the stowage and great view of the winterketten tracks.  Love those dirty streaks on the hull!  You are allowed to add second badge to your profile.   Looking forward to follow your WIP on Tiger I in Ostront GB...

Jmart- Great having you back. I will definitely shop at Michael's and Hobby Lobby when I have the chance.  I remember seeing many wood bases but never really took a good look at them but next time I will.  Gonna love those 40% coupons! 

Thanks for the nice words on my StuG.  I don't think I will do PE clasps for a long time... my next build will probably be OOB build especially that it is a French tank with not many tools on it.

Carl & Bill- Thank you for behaving during my absence...

Guys- Thanks for the comments about the weld beads... glad you liked.  I was pleased how it came out as it was my first attempt.  I wouldn't have known about this great tip if I didn't spend my time here at FSM. LOL

My wife and I had great times in Utah celebrating our 15th wedding anniversary.  She got to see her brother who she hasn't seen in nearly ten years.  One thing you need to know... Utah is one real beautiful state! 

Goblin National Park... middle of nowhere.  That's where her brother lives near.

View from his backyard... no kidding.  Great elk and deer meat.  I drank plenty of beer for you guys.  Suggest you look at the beer closely.   It was OK but I loved its statement...

"Why have just one!" it says on the bottle... LOL  Here's the best part I get to shoot many of his toys... he's a deputy sheriff.  Jeez, he was really armed to the teeth...

That's my fav toy... was surprised how easy it was to hit targets 250 yards away at the range.

Another favorite toy... AR-15.  12 rounds in three seconds.  It was just great! 

I am now back in Salt Lake City for next four days for a conference and I have access to internet.  Gonna catch up!!! 

JMart,,   thank you!    Still working on the base and actually making some progress. Looking forward to your Tamiay Ausf L         From what I recall, I don't remember any big issues with it.

Rob, Ben,,          big thumbs up (hobby)

and Ben,,    your pz III looks fan-friggin-tastic......  great job!  Top to bottom, back to front,   excellent work my friend.    Be proud,,   an awesome build!                Will keep an eye out for the Tiger and the Comet too....  and yes, do stay in touch.

Hope to be posting some base shots soon,,,        I'm making some headway.

Have a great week all,,,,,  

Bill

Catching up a bit…

Chaz/Scott – I was not able to make the show or the seminar. I am down in Stamford; about an hour and a half from the Naugatouk club, the Hudson valley ones and the northern NJ ones. At least the AMPS Danbury show is close! 

Andy/DeafP -  I get a armful of bases at Michael’s and use my 40% whole purchase coupon. I use the Home Depot sealer and picked up a couple stains. The more coats the darker it gets; looks ok to me. I can post pics. Many different shapes and sizes; a nice sanding all it takes. I also get some small wooden pic frames (2-4$); they are great for waterline 1:700 ships, you can fill in the inside with water material (or anything really).

Your Stug looks great. The Dragon kit has some nice hull detail; I will look at the Tamiya more closely see if I can dress it up a bit. The PE clasps look good; hope mine come out half as good as yours! I will make sure I don’t mount mine till I mount both hull halves together. Great craftsmanship with the additions, gun/mantle fix,weldings, etc.

Hinsky/Ben – Tracks look good; the weathering looks great (yes, I am still on page 69 lol). The stowage looks good to me, personalizes the tank.  And there is the end! Great job, looks fantastic

Bill – The base looks sweet.

Tojo – Good start, lots of work! Look forward to the rest.

At my end, I did start the kit (Tamiya Ausf L); just working on the bottom hull, will look at some references to see if it needs some detailing. Also started on the wheels, since I cannot do them all at once, drive me nuts : ).  I did order a RB Model 50mm KwK 39 L/60 barrel from Luckymodel (I hope that was the right one, got the info from another thread in here). I also ordered tristar’s 40cm  workable tracklinks to replace the original vinyl ones. Will post some pics once I get the cam back from better half.

Any issues or tips about the Tamiya Ausf L kit? (#35215).  Most online review are favorable; the one issue with the horn/searchlight is addressed by the Voyager PE set.

satch_ip

Very nice, Ben.  An excellent model of the III.  Weathering is a matter of personal taste and mine tends to run a bit less than yours.  Yours, however, was well executed and that is what counts.  Are you planning a ground work base along with the Tiger to bring them both into context?  That should be super.

Cheers mate and a tip of the Guinness, or bitters  if you prefer.

Hey Satch!

Thanks buddy - that means a lot (and everyone else too guys).

I do like my weathering techniques and trying out new methods - I've still got a LOT to learn and try out too!

I decided on this particular Tiger (the 6600 Dragon Tiger is the 'Leningrad Winter '43 Tiger I) just like my Panzer is also the Leningrad Winter schemed version - I thought the pair of them painted in similar schemes would be excellent but the two of them on a base together? No room I'm afraid as much as I'd love to do it. They'll be sat next to each other in the cabinet and when I'm in a position to make a decent base (i.e. I can afford to move out) that's definately something I'd like to do.

Cheers for the Guiness btw, funny you mentioned that because it is actually my drink! I can't drink the fizzy stuff (yuck) as it gives me horrific heartburn/acid reflux and I'm not a spirit guy at all. I'm also partial to the odd fine English ale like Old Speckled Hen, Black Sheep and Hobgoblin - mmmmm

Cheers buddy,

Ben