The OFFICIAL Panzer III and Its Variants GB

Guys- Sorry not much update on my StuG.  Months of October and November has been a busy month for me at work and home.  However things are slowing down so I hope to have more time at the work bench before the holidays. 

I have to say this... I LOVE Friulmodel tracks.   They are alot easier to deal with than ModelKasten tracks.  No question... I don't have to worry about it breaking apart.  I am using dress pins like you and Ben guys suggested.  The store was out of 50mm so I got 35mm pins... they worked just great.  $3 for 250 pins. 

There's another reason I have been busy... was doing inventory on my boys' HUGE Star Wars Lego collection for more than four days.  I forgot how huge it was!  Boys haven't played with them for more than a year so we agreed to sell them all.  They are selling like crazy on eBay... $200-$250 for big sets. 

Wondering if your kids or grandkids are into Lego too...

Andy , those Fruils look cool . One of these days i'll put out the $$$ and get a set .

Big collection of star wars and lego stuff there . My granddaughter is a dolls and girly stuff 5 yr old as you might suspect . Think i'll get her a toy tool kit and see what happens .......that'd be fun , not !

Andy,,  nice work on the Fruils.   I have never tried the pin method. I have always had good luck with the supplied wire.   I would be afraid that when I cut the pins off one would jab my jugular or something,,    ha

Quite the collection your lads have there,, thats for sure. When you previoulsly mentioned the Lego's I had no idea of how much stuff they had accumulated,,,, and the possible  nice little return on them too....   good luck with the sale!

deafpanzer

I have to say this... I LOVE Friulmodel tracks.   They are alot easier to deal with than ModelKasten tracks.  No question... I don't have to worry about it breaking apart.  I am using dress pins like you and Ben guys suggested.  The store was out of 50mm so I got 35mm pins... they worked just great.  $3 for 250 pins. 

Wahoooooo!

Andy using Friuls - I thought I'd never see the day  Trust me you'll be hooked! The smallest dress pins I can find locally are 0.65mm diameter so no good. Like I said I just buy 0.5mm diameter copper wire which is strong and doesn't bend like the wire suppiled by Friul. The Friul wire is a perfect scale for make detaied wire conduit runs for headlights etc.

I know a lot of guys, like wbill for example, use MK tracks to great effect but I tried them once and hated them. They were smaller ones, very fiddly and very brittle but I reckon that the big MK's for T-34's and Tigers will be easier to use but that said, I won't be using them again.

I'm a total Friul devotee - it's just a shame they are so expensive. The added wight from all those extra white metal tracks give the model a superb 'feeling' as it has a nice scale weight to it.

The cheapest I can find Friuls in the UK are £28 inc. postage but I haven't checked Flea Bay. I buy mine from Armour-Models (a great stockist of barrels and other metal stuff in all scales) and Hannants stock them too but they are even more expensive. MK's are about £20 plus post depending on what tank they are for so after postage you may as well just get Friuls imo.

Anyway, looking great Andy and I'm very glad you took my advice on the pins - it would have took you twice as long to assemble each run using the Friul wire!

Looking forward to photos - watch out for an Inital Tiger I update from me tomorrow, too

Off to work now so have a good day chaps,

Take care,

Ben

Carl- You and Barbie dolls? Oh for your granddaughter.  I think you will like those Friulmodel tracks... get one for yourself for Christmas  

Bill- Yeah hope we ll see a good return of investment from those Lego sets.  Was hoping I can sell them before Christmas but it won't happen.  People buy Star Wars Lego all year so will do after the holidays.

I think using pins is alot easier.  Took me only a minute or two to do ten tracks at a time.  No need to pre-drill the holes so far...

Ben- Looks like I owe you many .  Carl is not going to like this.  I have to say... screw Modelkasten tracks.  They break apart easily especially with me being clumsy.  Sometimes it is the only choice to use Modelkasten for certain tracks.  Wish I can buy a set for every build but I have a wife and two boys... will buy one if the kit doesn't come with nice set of tracks.  I am OK with Magic Tracks...

Thanks again!

Andy , just stick with your DRESS PINS !

deafpanzer

Ben- Looks like I owe you many .  Carl is not going to like this.  I have to say... screw Modelkasten tracks.  They break apart easily especially with me being clumsy.  Sometimes it is the only choice to use Modelkasten for certain tracks.  Wish I can buy a set for every build but I have a wife and two boys... will buy one if the kit doesn't come with nice set of tracks.  I am OK with Magic Tracks...

Thanks again!

No problem Andy,

I can't afford Friuls for every build for example this Tiger I'm currently building comes with DS tracks and seeing as it's a Tiger no sag is needed and I know they'll sit just right. I'm also quite happy using Magics too so the only time I'll buy Friuls is when I'm building Tamiya - which is a lot! My Bronco Comet will also be treated to Friuls as that only comes with iffy quality one piece rubber tracks which unlike Ds are very stiff and just don't look quite right.

Glad you like them, I can't wait to see photos!

All the best,

Ben

Guys- I am not kidding... I want to marry all of Friulmodel tracks out there.  I timed myself... ten links assembled every 3-4 minutes.  Not too bad.  So it took much less time doing those tracks than ModelKasten or Magic Tracks because there was no cleaning up at all this time.  Yes, it may be expensive but time is so valuable for me at this moment. 

Finished first set before dinner...

Gonna do second set tonight since I am finally done going thru 95% of boys Lego sets.

Dupes- I have updated the completed build roster to include your StuG.  Again beautiful work!

Hope I didn't miss anybody.  I know Stik is almost done with his Pz III so he may be next...

Andy,,   I do agree,,    the Friuls are great.       You certainly seem like you have a quick assembly method. Takes me about 10 min to do a set of 10,,      Looking good too Andy

deafpanzer

Dupes- I have updated the completed build roster to include your StuG.  Again beautiful work!

Hope I didn't miss anybody.  I know Stik is almost done with his Pz III so he may be next...

Andy , do you miss me ?

deafpanzer

  I know Stik is almost done with his Pz III so he may be next...

well now that I have my LAV C2 knocked out of the way, I can get back on the Mk III tomorrow... It feels so good to be finishing some builds lately...

Finally catching up with the GB, peeled myself from playing Panzercorps….

Shellback /Carl – that is a great pic-tutorial with the tracks (waaay back in pg 84!). Great replacement glue for CA is Gators Glue, which I use extensively for ships’ PE; water soluble, you can brush away the extra globs but dries hard like CA. I have yet to see anything fall off…    http://www.gatorsmask.com/gatorglueorder.html

The rest of the build is gorgeous; congrats on the finish!

Deafpanzer/Andy – Stug looks real nice; figures are fantastic!

Stik – nice progress on the Mk III.  In terms of badges and photobucket, you can generate a TinyURL for your badge url location and decrease character length of the link.

Tojo – Very nice final product, love the figures….

Armor – Good progress and update, hope wife is doing better.

Detailfreak/Greg – nice Bergpanzer; sorry about the wheel.

Dupes – Nice looking Stug; great sequence of pics…  congrats on the finish,boy you work fast, ever sleep? lol

Chazzer/Scott – Hope all ends well and you have a speedy recovery!

I made some progress on my build, will post some pics later this week when I get the Dig Cam back from better half.  One thing to share; I wanted to paint the inside of the rollers (sp?) before assembly both halves together.  I HB some Model Master enamel Panzer Dunkelgelb 1943 (#4796) and was waaay too greenish. Search of this forum revealed that is a common issue; MM Dunkelgelb is closer to olive green that to yellow. Bill plunk suggests adding 20% Light Grey in a post. I got some Floquil Armor Up Yellow  (enamel) from my non so local LHS. Very close to a Dunkelgelb variation, but Im not too thrilled with the coverage of the Floquil paint (first time using Floquil). Acrylics is not an option at the moment; all my meager knowledge is enamel-based, not to mention inventory of enamel paints.

 cheers 

JMart

Finally catching up with the GB, peeled myself from playing Panzercorps….

Shellback /Carl – that is a great pic-tutorial with the tracks (waaay back in pg 84!). Great replacement glue for CA is Gators Glue, which I use extensively for ships’ PE; water soluble, you can brush away the extra globs but dries hard like CA. I have yet to see anything fall off…       http://www.gatorsmask.com/gatorglueorder.html

The rest of the build is gorgeous; congrats on the finish!

Deafpanzer/Andy – Stug looks real nice; figures are fantastic!

Stik – nice progress on the Mk III.  In terms of badges and photobucket, you can generate a TinyURL for your badge url location and decrease character length of the link.

Tojo – Very nice final product, love the figures….

Armor – Good progress and update, hope wife is doing better.

Detailfreak/Greg – nice Bergpanzer; sorry about the wheel.

Dupes – Nice looking Stug; great sequence of pics…  congrats on the finish,boy you work fast, ever sleep? lol

Chazzer/Scott – Hope all ends well and you have a speedy recovery!

JMart , hey thanks for taking the time to look and make the comment . I've heard of Gator glue b4 but havent looked for it and should do that and give it a try ...........................will i remember ? Thanks much for the info and link .

Bill- Give dress pins a try.  I think Carl will like them too.  Much faster to insert than a loose wire I guess.

Carl- Always!

Stik- You have been definitely on roll!  Centurion, F-9 Sabres, Jeep, LVT and one more I am trying to remember.  Looking forward to add yours to the hall of fame soon!

JMart- Good having you back!!!  Thanks for the comment about my figures.  I always wanted to try those Gator Glue.  LHS don't supply those so I have order online somewhere.  I agree with you and wBill about MM dunky being too green... I mix 50/50 MM light grey and dunky based on his tip and it came out good. 

Looking forward to see your pictures!!!  Don't leave us hanging... LOL

deafpanzer

Bill- Give dress pins a try.  I think Carl will like them too.  Much faster to insert than a loose wire I guess.

Carl- Always!

Stik- You have been definitely on roll!  Centurion, F-9 Sabres, Jeep, LVT and one more I am trying to remember.  Looking forward to add yours to the hall of fame soon!

Andy , still talkin about your dress pins ? HEE HEE

When i get a set of fruils i'll give those pins a try ........... fabric pins ?

Carl- Actually I finished the tracks last night... forgot to post.  It took me only 40 minutes to do the second set of tracks.  Last time ModelKasten tracks took me nearly 4 hours... huge difference there.  I'd rather to pay merely $5 more for Fruilmodel tracks... time is not always in my favor you know?

Dig my bunker I created for the commander? 

deafpanzer

Stik- You have been definitely on roll!  Centurion, F-9 Sabres, Jeep, LVT and one more I am trying to remember.  Looking forward to add yours to the hall of fame soon!

So far since August I have completed: 1/35 Kfz 251/1C, 1/48 FW-190A8, 1/38 Centurion Mk.3, 1/48 F9F-5, 1/35 Renault UE Armored Carrier, 1/48 PCF Swift, 1/35 M151A1C Gun Jeep, and 1/35 LAVC2. While most of them were long time projects that came together for me recently, several were not. My new residence and work area are speeding up my builds. I wouldbe happy to be completing one a month normally, but that is 8 in a bit over 4 months... I dont know how long this roll will last, and the holidays are fast approaching to cut in to bench time... but it feels good

 Well I got back to work on my Mk III today. Nothing fancy. Since I was not overly happy with how the Tamiya Panzer Gray went on ( a few "shadow" areas were missed), I applied a top coat of Gunze Acqueous Panzer Gray. The Gunze shade doesnot have teh hint of blue to it that the Tamiya color does. It almost has a slight brown hue to it instead. This stuff has a gloss finish which will help with decals and the washes that are coming soon. Ad I did some more mud texturing work on the running gear and hull front/bottom/rear...

anyways here are a few pics...

JMart,welcome back and thanks for the look

Andy,figures and tracks look great

Stik,You hit it just right on the mud texture.

Andy,,,   I may just give those pins a try, the next time I attack a set of Fruils....  I will probably be buggin you to get the right size when I do....

Stik,,,      I like the mud effect.     Can't wait to see the finished version...   very nice!

deafpanzer

Carl- Actually I finished the tracks last night... forgot to post.  It took me only 40 minutes to do the second set of tracks.  Last time ModelKasten tracks took me nearly 4 hours... huge difference there.  I'd rather to pay merely $5 more for Fruilmodel tracks... time is not always in my favor you know?

Dig my bunker I created for the commander? 

Andy , your commander is all Fruiled up .................................

As usuall you do great looking figures ................

Stik- Bingo!  That's one I was trying to remember... Renault Armored carrier for BITW GB. You did planes too?   Wish I am on roll like you... let's see how things go in 2012.

Anthony- Thanks!!!

Bill- Anytime!  I didn't use CA glue and I wish I did.  I assumed it was not necessary.  Pins crawl out of holes if I move tracks alot. 

Carl- Good one!  Thanks.  That commander still has a long way... it is about 50% completed. 

Yup, military things that fly, roll, walk, crawl, sail, or float are all game for me to build... This has been my most productive year in a long time. Just had a down span there for the move and after my mom died. I Think this year my review of builds will be a good one. This Mk III should be there.

deafpanzer

Stik- Bingo!  That's one I was trying to remember... Renault Armored carrier for BITW GB. You did planes too?   Wish I am on roll like you... let's see how things go in 2012.

Anthony- Thanks!!!

Bill- Anytime!  I didn't use CA glue and I wish I did.  I assumed it was not necessary.  Pins crawl out of holes if I move tracks alot. 

 

JMart

Dupes – Nice looking Stug; great sequence of pics…  congrats on the finish,boy you work fast, ever sleep? lol

James - I try not too! I can sleep when I'm dead...too much fun stuff to do between now and then.

No new pics yet. Took some, but now I have to figure out how to import them to my pc. Different method, as my old camera was...old. Still hoping to get something up! Glad to see me on page one.

Finally getting some paint on it - Did some extra detail work with crew hatches will be open - the interior of the Turret comes with a full gun and vision blocks. Add more detail to the commander's seat back support, cabling, on turret rear wall. 

5cm L/48 gun breech 

Interior floor / turret ring / commander's position 

Dry fit with all major parts of turret. 

Command hatch will be closed with the side crew hatches left open. 

Hey 86 ,