The Official 1943 70th Anniversary Group Build

A well tapered mast is a tough one. I've seen them available at specialty shops and they are very expensive and there's no guarantee you'll find one for every kit. Top ship modelers are incredibly good and I don't doubt some folk figure out a way to scratch build them. (I know some modelers buy metal tank antennas which taper and will suit some ship kits for masts.) Fortunately a lot of masts are modular and have varying widths per section. As you can see the plastic mast on Tamiya's Scharnhorst does have a taper. The plastic mast isn't bad for the scale, but on the advice of uber-meister ship guru Jim Baumann I build all my masts in brass because it will handle rigging so much better. (I also didn't attempt to align the yards correctly - I don't think epoxy would have held such a fine join. (I've bought a solder gun and might try that next time.)  So the next best thing is to use thin brass tubing that will fit inside a slightly larger tube. Has evident use for all kinds of scratch building. Albion Alloys sells this stuff on several sites. If you go to their web site they have their own offerings available along with a very nice download on which size tube fits into another - I'm sure if you're careful you could get the right stuff at a well stocked hardware store.

www.albionalloys.co.uk/metal-for-model-makers

I'll be using more. I've got an old Revell Campbelltown that I'm going to build as USS Ward as part of my planned Minnesota Navy. (Ward's guncrew were Minnesota reservists and they fired the first US shots in WWII - and hit something - a IJN mini-sub entering Pearl Harbor. The gun is in front of the state capital in St. Paul.) Anyway, the Revell gun is awful and I plan on building my own. We'll need slide tubing for that no question.

Eric

Now that's a sweet looking build Eric. Love the paint job and great work on that mask.

Oh that is looking gorgeous. I really like that camo scheme. In July that camo scheme made perfect sense with the long daylight hours. But five months later... I always loved the lines of the German warships.

Hi Eric, that is looking really good.  I think the bravest thing here is cutting masks right on the hull - wow!  Excellent scratch building on the mast.   I can see a number of benefits of doing this, but how do you address the tapered look since the mast is larger at the base end, or is the kit part wrong?

regards,

Jack

Thought I'd report in because I'm still thinking about 1943. Am toiling on Tamiya's old 1/700 waterline model of Scharnhorst (who bit the dust during the Battle of the Cape on December 25 1943). Have some very fine PE from Tom's which I've mangled a bit. The kit itself is much better than I expected considering its age - this one is made in Japan and the fit has been terrific.

I made things a little tough on myself because during its last battle Scharnhorst wore a very complex camo scheme which was put on in July. By December camo was pointless because there really wasn't any daylight, but that's the way she was painted.

I'm using all water based acrylics on this one: mostly Vallejo Model Color but I did the deck with Golden Fluids. I got a very fine micro-blade for my Xacto and hand drew/cut a mask. Took a lot of time but it could have been a lot worse.

And the result is:

After the deck:

I'm not heroic, but I always scratch masts out of brass. The aft mast was complex on this kit:

Ships are modular and I've actually got more done than it looks like. But there's still more construction, a little PE, railing and rigging. Won't be done overnight. Here's where we are.

Later

Ah seeing that picture sure makes me wish Tamiya made a 1:48 half track, sigh...

There is one alternative to Flory's stuff as near as your kitchen. Download one of Finescale all too few public access "how to" articles on the Sludge Wash. I'm not sure who cooked this up initially - I associate it with Swanny but the Finescale article was written by Paul Boyer. Google "Sludge Wash" and it'll take you right there. There's even a 15 minute YouTube tutorial.

The Flory washes are very simple. They consist of a very fine clay or pigment that's suspended in water and perhaps some kind of chemical. I wouldn't be surprised if there is a little dye or acrylic ink in there too. It's certainly more user friendly than enamel or solvent based washes. They're  a little more forgiving than the acrylic washes sold by Vallejo. (I strongly recommend anyone give a sepia or black Vallejo acrylic wash a shot - they're very useful.)  So if the Flory wash looks a little like grime that's because in a sense it is. (The old Rustall system for railroaders is also effective because you apply liquid rust to the model - looks like rust. When applying a final blast of "dust" to a tank I greatly prefer very fine artist pigments to heavily thinned acrylic paints, simply because a very fine pigment is a kind of dust.) I've not found the Flory washes to be the "only thing you'll ever need" as they're advertised. Nor have I found them to be as easy to remove than as advertised - but I can't think of anything else that is completely idiot proof. But because they aren't really paints you can tone things down pretty easily. If you buy something from Flory they will sell cheap and get it to you very quickly in my experience. They also have a very inexpensive pay to use forum that gains access to a large variety of Tom Flory's video builds. Flory is a fine aircraft builder so the selection runs heavily in that direction and there's much for many modelers to learn. (He did a tank the way an aircraft guru would approach it which was interesting - although it ended up looking like an airplane.) I used to belong to the forum and found it of great value. They started doing group builds and one of the associates there got on my case for not forwarding enough WIP pics to prove that it was I building the model and not a hired gun from Detroit. I told them that was bloody crazy and we had a parting of the ways. Too bad actually. But check it out at http://www.florymodels.co.uk/.

Something very along the same line is used only by yours truly. Iwata has a huge line of acrylic paints they call Com.Art. They are not made for plastic but are widely used by professional air brushers for other craft work. They do make a set called The Real Deal Weathering Kit aimed at railroaders. If you have a fine art store nearby they probably carry these things on the shelf. I think they're terrific once you get the hang of them and they are my wash of choice for panel lines and fading. (I often use them in conjunction with oils.) You can get the idea at www.iwata-medea.com/.../com-art-real-deal-weathering-kit.

I'm not sure how I'd weather a Tunisian Tiger. No museum model is going to give you a guide to how something would have looked in the field. Stik is certainly right that allied forces found that mud was a plague in the theater - it was key in stopping the allied advance in December 42. But heavy mud inhibits serious operations both ways. The German offensive toward Kasserine in February 43 was launched just as the ground was drying. So the roads and nearby ground would have been both muddy and dry. The pic below gives you and idea: it's of Rommel and Bayerlein chatting with troops that were driving off in a captured US half track. I'd be thinking of dry mud and a lot of dust but not the kind of sandbox one might have seen at Alamein.

Eric  

For aircraft, I have managed nicely with the Black and Dark dirt. If you want a dusty look, I would go for the sand or grime ones, they are the next one son my list. I haven't use them on armour, I tend to go for oil washes and AK products for those.

I can't afford all of them right now,  what's good to start with?

If you can afford it, I would get all their wash and pigment products.  You can also throw in a black weathering powder.  

Their wash product is quite unique because any sloppiness when using it can easily be wiped off with water and a section of an old t-shirt.  The way I look at it, the more colours you have, the less you have to mix yourself.

regards,

Jack

I never do weathering on my models, but would like to start.

Well time to put an order in. What colors should I get to cover the basics for aircraft and armor?

Yes, Spruebrothers carry the Flory line of washes:

https://store.spruebrothers.com/SearchResults.asp?Search=flory+wash&Submit=Search

regards,

Jack

edit: Bish beat me to it - man my internet must be slow as his response arrived faster from across the pond - lol.

No need.

store.spruebrothers.com/.../2120.htm

I didn't know they did pigments as well.

Do they still this stuff in the USA? Would suck to be close to finishing this then have to order something and wait for it to come in.

Its used to be called Pro Modeller weathering wash. Its really nice stuff, I use the black and dirty grime on my aircraft all the time. I am defiantly go to get their sand colours.

This is their website. They are UK based, I am not sure where you would get them in your part of the world.

www.florymodels.co.uk/washes

Whats the Flory's product?

ww2psycho

Whats the best way to paint tracks to give them a dirty look but not extremely muddy since this is North Africa. More or less a dusting sort of look.

ww2psycho

Whats the best way to paint tracks to give them a dirty look but not extremely muddy since this is North Africa. More or less a dusting sort of look.

Actually much of the 1943 campaign in North Africa was very muddy. Especially in Tunisia.

Hey guys....I'm in the middle of changing jobs.  From a job that took me away from modeling, to getting a lot of time back.  (Basically, I'm losing an hour+ of commuting time.)  I can't wait to get back to this group build.

Whats the best way to paint tracks to give them a dirty look but not extremely muddy since this is North Africa. More or less a dusting sort of look.

Thanks guys, I'm hoping to have 90% of it done over the weekend.

taxtp, you are right, I forgot about the early tiger. Most of the time it seems they are molded in a tan or dark green color.

ww2psycho

Never seen one of their 1:48 vehicles in grey plastic before, or is it someone else's molds like that 88mm gun?

I think it's gen-u-wine Tamiya this time. Their Tiger 1 early also had grey plastic, maybe they use it when the scheme they show on the box top is grey.

Cheers

Tony

ajd, welcome aboard.

ww2, ouch. Hope you get well soon, and as stik says, just keep building.

No worries... keep on building...

Unfortunately I'm not getting WIP pics, I may have a few, but nothing since breaking my foot.

Oh that sucks, but at least it's temporary. Get well quick my freind. I have been in similar straights due to disagreements between myself, a runway, and a parachute... but not for so long. I look forward to the progress photos when you can post them.

AJD the host of this GB has been MIA for a bit now, so I doubt he would argue with jump in and share if you can and care to partake.

Stik, I broke a bone in my foot so I'm in a cast for 3 more weeks (6 total) and then have to go to a walking boot. It's the worst place to break it so I have to be careful. Luckily I live with my parents still so they get my model supplies when I need it, but I have no room to take pictures with my limited work space in front of the couch.

ww2psycho

Sorry, I'm progressing and not taking pictures. The whole not walking things sucks. I painted the Tiger MM Rust, and I am now painting it Afrika Braun 1942. I'll try to post my work over the weekend, but then again I wanted it done a week or two ago, sigh...

Cant walk????

What did I miss?