That's why I keep the two widely separated on my workbench since that incident ;)

Exactly, Stik --  they both have blue print on the bottle, and it was standing next to the red MicroSol, so I didn't look, just dipped the brush -- ARGH!

The good news is the tools are dry to the touch now, so I can go ahead and mount them before I call it a night.

Pics coming soon,

M/TB379

Ernest, it is all me... I look and see empty space and think, "gee, I oughtta make somehting to go in there to fill that..." Well, I did do that today. I'll get some photos up in the morning tomorrow.

TB, I am looking forward to seeing your next batch of photos. Intersting about the interaction between decal film and paint. I made that same mistake once myself. I presume your using Microscale products which look nearly identical in their blue labeled bottles?

Hi guys -- I should have been posting an update but sometimes we make oopsies...

I was adding a third cross to the tail end (best guess assumption that it was there on this one) and instead of dipping my brush in setting solution, I dipped it in -- liquid decal film! Ahem -- it lifts paint instantly. I ended up with a patch under the rack that is clearly compromised, and I'm thinking of shooting a touch-up tomorrow (it's a good job I kept the last of the mixed 8020 batch...)

In other news, I've done the small repairs needed, painted and applied the spare track links; they may have been oversprayed in 8020 on this one, but I'm not sure, so for visual variety I did them in dark metallic and then brushed them over with oil wash, which doesn't look too bad. The tools are painted but I'll let them dry through til tomorrow before mounting them, I used enamels for brushability and the metallic is taking its time going off. I also did some extra wash detailing in a few places, painted the MG barrels, and started dirt/rust work on the jerrycans.

M/TB379

Ooops....I hope I didn't amplify those impulses with my comments Carlos!!  Maybe I should just...!!

Well, you can see them thru the open top hatch... The side hatch is also not glued in place so I can pose that open at well.... now I have a wild idea to add some other stuff in there... I'm raiding my spares bin now to dig up stuff that resembles my Semovente's interior... at least in general appearance instead of just a big open white space... I really need to learn to govern my impulses...

Thanks, guys -- I'm trying to replicate what tony Greenland did about 25 years ago, so using the same kits and AMs wherever possible, though many of the items are no longer available -- the dry print decals by AM or Verlinden are long OOP. I've had a poor experience with Archer decals here -- the crosses applied perfectly, no bother at all, but there were black DAK palms to go on the turret and they simply wouldn't release from the sheet! GRR...

She's in the home stretch, I want her essentially complete today, with the stowage well in hand. I did some bare metal drybrushing on the jerry cans the other day, now to get some rust and dirt onto them. I have the crates to look at, plus stick grenades, teller mines, gas mask containers, helmets, ammo drums, packs... I may have to keep scouting for some items and add them whenever they turn up. There was a tool box and a vice in the original fit that I've not spotted in the AM sets so far.

I'm also aiming to get the base coat onto my Jagdpanther today as well, so here goes...

M/TB379

Still following along here!!

Mike - looking very nice sir!  Gotta hand it to you, even though the Tamiya kit is an old one and not on par with the newer Dragon and Tristar releases, you really made it shine!

Carlos - wow!  Super job on those radios!!  Too bad they're going to be tucked away in the hull! ...such a shame not to have them out for all to see!  Oh, and the rest of the Carro Commando looks pretty spiffy too!   Darn fine job with the washes and accessories!

Very nice work, Mike and Stik!

TB, Damn she looks might purty! Very nice!!!

so now onto the home stretch with my little Italian Job... (yeah it's about 99.5% done now but...)
radios for the interior mounted after painting...

sandbags drybrushed...

and how the little beast looks now overall....

and now to get those dang crew figures painted up properly...

SP: Again nice work, I really do love what you've got there.

Mike: Yeah I guess she could use a ferw washes but otherwise she looks done other than painting the headlights.

Thanks, Gamera and Stik (and great work Stik too!)

Okay, the paint came in and I took a dive at the running gear. With the exception of some oil wash on the return rollers, all's installed at this point:

I'll be away tomorrow, but hope to get the tank completed the day after, plus move the stowage along. T
There'll be a few repairs, and I have some thoughts on the ID flag to go on the turret roof, so I guess we'll see what I can come up with...

Cheers, M/TB379

Gamera

Looks good to me Mike, almost there!

That looks really good indeed!

I am gonna put some radios on the right side sponson inside for some visual interest. So I found these in my spares bin. They have a general resemblance to the two different types found in the real vehicle.

and then on Tuesday before work I assembled up these sandbags for the glacis, based upon a photos that I found of one so "decorated"

and this morning I painted them up in Humbrol Khaki Drill

a little drybrushing on them, some pigment dusting and then this build will be fully completed...

Looks good to me Mike, almost there!

Hi guys, today I cleaned up a lot of masking, tackled the decals and got into final assembly. The mufflers and grenade launchers are on, all axles are cleaned up ready for running gear, and the declas are more or less done -- I say more or less because I had problems with both the waterslides by Armour Decals and the dry prints by Archer.

The former were fragile and took some coaxing to conform, while the latter were a mixed bag -- the crosses went on fine, the small black DAK insignia refused to part from their backing under any circumstances except far more pressure than can be brought to bare on the model itself.

Here she is as of this moment:

The mufflers were treated with Mig pigment for a rusted, beat-up look, and the idlers were rubbed with graphite. Tamiya slightly mis-cued with the fitting for the small auxiliary muffler, there is no way it will meet up with its hull port connect and sit square behind the main muffler -- fortunately it's not so visible.

The paints I'm waiting on did not come in today, I'm hoping they'll be in tomorrow's post, so I can get the wheels finished and all running gear mounted.

Then the remaining jobs will be fine detail painting, radio mast, MG barrels and stowage (and remount the inevitable couple of parts that fell off during handling...) I'll not attempt the air ID flag in the short term, unless I get a rush of enthusiasm and just go for it!

Cheers, M/TB379

A bit of progress today, I got the bare metal dry brushing done on the hull, turret, running gear and tracks, plus rubbed the idlers with pencil graphite -- not sure how effective that was.

Object for tomorrow, tackle the decals, and, if the paint I ordered is in the mail, do the touch-ups on the tires then go ahead and mount the wheels and tracks. After that she'll be waiting on a few details, bow MG, paint the lights, radio antenna and stowage.

M/TB379

Well I got some sandbags set up for the glacis on my M13/40, but no time to get any photos before work.

I really like the weathering on your Panzer, Mike!

Thanks, Gamera! Yep, it may be too subtle, but I'm trying to follow closely Tony Greenland's build, and he seemed to be pretty restrained with the weathering on this project.

I'm about to get some wash onto the wheels. I didn't get to the hobby shop today, so I'll mailorder the paint -- I'm out of NATO Black, which I use as a basic tire black.

Cheers, M/TB379

Hey guys, great looking vehicles heading to the finishing line.

Ernest, I'd go with the first tropen scheme containing RAL 8000/7008 for both vehicles, unless the Panzer II is the later F version, then you have the option of the second set of tropical colours for that particular vehicle.

I've never mixed my own yet, but some ideas here:

http://www.network54.com/Forum/47207/thread/1411764643

regards,

Jack

Thanks guys! I am still gonna add a little more to this project in the next few days. I stumbled across a photo of one of these with some sandbags on the glacis, so I am working on prepping a few for addition there. Then it will be pigments and finito!

Ernest, for DAK colors, I just use the Model Master colors, they make all of them. Although I did mix up a batch of Tamiya by eyeball just to see if I could. It pretty much matched the MM colors spot on. I used their Desert Yellow, Buff, and Deck Tan, but I did not record at what ratios. I just kept adding drops of the different colors until it looked close enough...

Hmmmm.  I decided to go back and find out when I posted my last WIP update.....

April 2...!!!!!

wow

I suck

Wow!  Nice work Stik and TBolt!  Nice to see both of these builds nearing completion! 

I read TBolt's thread on his paint mix.  What about yours' Stik?  I'm trying to figure out a good Tamiya paint mix for DAK armor around 1941/42.  That way I can get started on the two DAK Pz. Is that are just sitting around.

Oh, and sorry Gamera to get you mixed up with TBolt!  I must have read the last couple of pages too fast and got the names mixed up!  I do remember the sweet Mk.1 Crusader that you built! 

Nice job Stik-very nice build.

TB-your build is coming along nicely too-looking forward to seeing more progress pics.

Think I'll pull the SAS Jeep out of storage and give it an oil wash and try to darken up the color this week.

SP: Again, looks good, as you said a little more dust and you're done.

Mike: Looks fantastic, I didn't really notice the drybrushing either till you pointed it out. Very subtle nice sun-bleached look there.

It is dry brushed, Stik -- all edges are done with white oils... It is subtle! The bare metal will hopefully be more prominent, especially if I mess some dirt and rust into the treadplate areas so it creates contrast...

M/TB379

That is taking shape quite nicely there TB! I am looking forward to the dry brushing and seeing how much that will bring out in the raised details.

Stik -- thanks for the tips, I dropped rust from the track finish, and I'm looking around for the 6006 helmet colour.

I got some done today. I did another round of oil wash on the hull and turret, sprayed a dust coat on the tracks, assembled the wheels, and got an experimental base coat onto a couple of items of stowage. Here she is:

I'm not sure how much I'll get done in the next few days, I have work, but my objectives are to wash and dry brush the wheel hubs, do the bare metal dry brushing, touchup the wheel rims and start painting fine details as necessary. Decals and tools are not far away.

Cheers, M/TB379

Today's updates...
this morning I applied the decals...

and then after lunch I applied a flat coat followed by a dusting coat....

Looking at these photos, I think I will add a dusting of pigments either later this evening or tomorrow morning, and then call this one done...

Well it's time for AMPS, so I am off for now....

I airbrushed on a gloss coat last night after dinner. Today will be decals, flat coat, and final dust coat.... Then another long drawn out "quick project" will be done!