Thanks a lot guys.

For the ground cover, I think I used at least half a dozen, plus grass tufts, flowers and nettles, all from different Green Line sets. One product I used was from reality in Scale and from there Forest in a Pot range. For the celluclay, I colour that with Acrylics while mixing. I used to paint after it dried, but that's a real pain.

As for the vehicle, no, I don't attach it. While the celluclay is drying, I press the vehicle into place so it leaves an indentation, then remove it. Once the base is dry I add the ground cover and then I lay thin layer of celluclay in the track marks and then add the vehicle. I can then go along squeezing some celluclay into any gaps and in this case along the out side edge where mud may have squeezed out. I can then add a bit more ground cover along the outside edges.

I have never added glue and not had a problem with it sticking. But I do add papier-mâché to the base before the celluclay and that seams to give it something to grip ti.

Bish - wonderful job on your JP and scenery. 

I can appreciate the difficulty in photographing due to limited lighting from the tree canopies, but honestly, there are some really unique effects in the final results.

The ground work really stands out for me, it does look quite real and natural - so how many different products did you use for the surface?  Regards the CelluClay, do you add a ground colour (paint, dye, pigment?) to it while mixing it up, and do you add any white glue?  If I understood correctly, you attached the vehicle while the CelluClay is drying, but how do apply vegetation underneath the vehicle?

regards,

Jack

Bish, Cliff, Bruce, Hoggarth - thanks all for the positive comments.

A special thanks to Bish for hosting, always glad to partake in your group builds.

regards,

Jack

Wow, amazing work gentlemen!

@jgeratic - Those figures are spectacular. Very smooth work, and the colors are fantastic!

Jack & Bish, outstanding pieces of work! Great job gentleman!

Jack & Bish: Both of those look fantastic! Great work guys!!!

Jack, that's lovely work there. I do like the finish on your figures, especially the faces. I really have some work to do to get mine like that. I do like the first pic as well, its great how you blend those in.

Thanks very much for building it here, and for all the great tips and advice, always a pleasure to build a model along side you.

Time to wrap this one up. To finish off the vehicle, I sprayed some AK interactive effects, starting with Dark earth, then earth then earth mixed with a little dust effects. Along the side skirts, I sprayed upwards with a fine spray at a low pressure.

Then it was time to bring everything together. The base was covered with celluclay, while still weight I used the vehicle to make an imprint of where it would sit. I also used some spare track links to make impressions behind the vehicle.  The base was then covered with an assortment of ground cover and the trees were finished off. Once all set, I then added some left over celluclay into the vehicle tracks, the vehicle was then pushed into place, being held firm by the celluclay, and behind it I added some more ground cover and used the spare tracks links again to leave the impression where the vehicle had driven into place. The figures were added, all masterbox, along with a tool box and a few water bottles.

Overall, I am really pleased with the finish of the vehicle. I am rather happy with how the trees have turned out as well for a first attempt. But of course there is room for improvement. Doping three for a first attempt might have been a bit ambitious, but I wanted to give the impression of the Jagd hiding away from the prying eyes of allied aircraft while the crew did some vehicle upkeep.

So here are the final pics. One problem I had not considered was the problem of trying to get good pics with the trees blocking the light, but hopefully it gives a good impression of a vehicle hiding in a wood.

Really pleased to finally add one of these to the completed pile, its long over due.

Calling this one done.  Had a lot of trouble capturing the proper colour in the photos, both the ground work and dunkelgelb would shift to a strong yellow.  Though it could be corrected in photo shop, that in turn would alter other colours that already looked fine.  One fix was to repaint the ground to a more neutral grey, but I also shifted the hue setting on my camera one tic mark to the left of center.

Anyhow, the photos:

regards,

Jack

Wow, I was right about two things in one day!?! I"m going to have to write this down on my calender!

Thanks Bish for the idea of using the horsehair/horsetail. And thanks Jack for the Scenery Express website, I've never heard of them but there's a pile of useful stuff here I've never seen before.

So you guys call those suspenders, right, didn't know that. Over here, suspenders are not something usually worn by men, ye, we call them braces.

Thanks jack, both for the pic and the colour call out. I am slowly building up my range of Vallejo, but don't think I have that one yet, but am sure I can find an equivalent.

That horsetail does look similar except that its coloured. You are right about the upholstery, I have found many comments on line saying it is or was use in that business. I have come across a number of posts on different sites that go back several years where people are asking where they can get it in the America's.

Cliff - I think you are right X2.

First, the rubberized horse hair.  Some places might call it horsetail, and if you go to this site and use that as the search term, it will give you several different coloured products:

http://www.sceneryexpress.com/searchprods.asp

It isn't cheap, so you could try an upholstery shop as an alternative, some places used that for padding in chair seats and such.

Braces, of course the suspenders!    I found this online picture and tried to mix an appropriate colour using Vallejo Green Ochre (70.914) and white for the cloth sections.   A sharp blue pencil crayon was used to draw in the stripes;

regards,

Jack

Hmm, I don't think we have rubberized horsehair here due to not having rubber horses! Ok, all joking aside I wonder if it's simply known by a different name in the US/Canada? I might have to poke around on the internet this weekend and see what I can turn up.

Jack: Not to speak for Bish but I think what he means by braces is the figure's suspenders.

Hi Bish, thanks for the low down on the rubberized horsehair.    It reminds me a lot of those cleaning products like brillo pads, (or S.O.S. pads here in Canada).  The horsehair though looks more course and not as dense.

I'd be happy to answer the question you have about my two figures, but I'm not sure what you mean by braces?

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Dan - looking forward to markings and weathering - yea, I too thought you were announcing a completed build.

Sorry for not posting the last couple of days, I have hardly been on the site, just been plugging away at the Jagd. I have no update tonight, but the vehicle is all but finished, just the antenna and MG toad, but a bit more to do on the base so hoping to have it done by the end of the weekend.

Jack, I think Rubberised Horsehair is exactly what it say's. It seems quite common on UK sites, I just got two new pieces off e-bay, luckily so as the trees have used almost all of what I had. I originally came across it as a means of making bramble bushes, its mentioned in a couple of the modelling books I have, including the Osprey Masterclass on terrain modelling. You recall the 251 I built at the end of last year.

The small bush on the left is horsehair with some scatter materials added.

But in searching for it in the past, I have come across comments by people that they can't find it in America, so maybe its a British thing, not to sure. This is what it looks like, you have to pull it apart. Its quite sticky, but not enough that you don't need glue to add materials to it.

 Its not expensive, the two pieces I just bought are A4size and just under £4 each. While for most build's I won't use much, for the trees I used most of the two A5 pieces I already had. But I don't think I will be doing 3 trees on one build to often.

I do like the look of the foliage on there. I am going to add a little to mine using sea moss, but I might look into getting some of the stuff you have used. And I meant to ask, what colour did you paint the braces on your figures.

Thanks Bruce. Nice work on the PE, it makes sense about that section of PE in the middle. But I do wonder how it will blend in when painted.

Dan, looking good there, can't wait to see the markings.

And don't worry about the end of the GB guys, of course you are more than welcome to keep posting up dates after VE day. I am only rushing because I really want to get mine to the model club on Tues.

Ah, when you said you were calling her done I thought you meant you were totally done, whoops!

Thanks Gamera.  I'm not sure about the insignia, I'm going with decals for StuG.Brig. 185, L 04.  Can't really find much on the internet.

Dan, she looks good!

Just wondering though, did this StuG not have any German cross insignia?

Thanks Jgeratic, Gamera, Hogfanfs.

Well think I'm going to call her done, all the tools have been added and finished with touch up painting.  The jack didn't go in straight so it was glued at a angle, one of the tools glued to the rear hull is in the way, think I'm just going to leave it like that.  Also added spare tracks to the rear of the crew compartment, have also been scratch building a replacement for the machine gun mount.  I'll post pictures when it complete.  Tired to gently push on some of the tracks to give them more sag, one broke in the process.  Should be able to airbrush Future tonight.

Ahhh, ok Bruce when you mentioned hatch I thought you meant the big one on the back of the turret!

Jack, I found this on a review for the Atak Zimmerit kit for the King Tiger:

One pair of side panels has a rectangular cut out in the zimmerit and is designed for schwere Panzer Abteilung 505, which had “charging knights” painted on the turret sides.

Dan, Cliff, thanks for the nice comments.

Jack, in my infinite wisdom, I had it in my mind they were some type of access hatch. But, without hinges or any handles, I see that is not the case. My best guess, and I'll do some research on this, is the area is for adding graphics. The Eduard Zim kit gives the option, but only calls it an option. If I find out the true reason, I'll post it.

Bruce: Looks good! I used PE zimmerit for the first time on a Porsche Royal Tiger back on Tigerman's Big Cat build and I think I felt the same way- I sorta liked it but am not totally sold. I expect I'm going to miss the cut off date too- hopefully I won't be too far behind though.

Dan: Your StuG looks good too, always nice to see the tracks on and everything coming together.  

Bruce - like the look of the King Tiger PE zimm.  I can see an advantage in that medium, it gives some really fine detail to the pattern.    
What are he two raised sections the sides of the turret?  Never seen that before, and only familiar with s.Pz.Abt.505's knight on horse logo falling in that area:

Dan - looking sharp the StuG is, good sag on the tracks too.

Bish - yes definitely remember seeing your building of the huge 88, but must of missed the warping issue with the base.
--------------------------
Thanks all for the comments, appreciate those.
No photo updates, but I did have to apply some more CelluClay on my base.  The warping caused  the tracks I had imprinted onto the surface to widen, and no longer lined up with the vehicle.  Thinking back, I had added some white glue on my first layer, but I can't see that causing a problem.

regards,
Jack

Thanks Gamera:  This is my firth or sixth model using Magic Tracks, lots of pratice pays off.
Yeah I'd say the easy part is gluing them up, the hard part is fitting them around the idler and drive wheel's.  They always like to break at those points.  Nice work on your Panther, yeah the panther doesn't look right in olive drab.

Thanks Bish. Your Jagdpanther is look great.  Those tree's are lookin' good to.  
Not sure if I'll have time to try and make a base for my Stug.

Thanks Jgeratic: Great work on your figures, and nice foialge.

Thanks Hogfanfs:  Yeah the key is keeping the tracks as straight as possible, while the glue is setting up to a flexable state.  Nice Zimmerit on you King Tiger, the color is fitting for a King.

I'm in the final stages for my Stug,  I removed the paint off the contact areas for the drive wheel part to glue to the hull.  Also had to break off the return wheels to get the tracks off after they dried.

Be gluing on the tools, painting the tow cables( using a mix of flat black and metallic gray) yesterday and today.  Glued on the road wheels, then carefully mounted on the tracks with the drive wheel on idler.  Glued them in place with CA glue, one of the tracks broke so had to wait till the glue dried to refit them on again.  Did some dry brushing on the tracks, and other areas on the tank.

@Dan, the tracks look spot on. Great job! I like your method for keeping the link straight.

@Jack, the figures are painted perfect. And the branches look very realistic on the jagdpanzer. 

@Cliff, keep up the good work on the Ersatz. And glad you are healing well. But it never occurred to me what an air bag can do to passenger in a vehicle. Hope it all over for you soon.

@Bish, The jagdpather is looking very good. I have to admit, when I first saw you making the tree, all I could think of was Charlie Brown. But the later pictures they look very realistic. can't wait to see the whole Dio completed.

Here are some pics of the King Tiger. I do like the Eduard zimmerit, but, I feel I could have applied it better to the model. The doors on the turret did not apply well, which was my fault for not lining them up better. I'm going to tear this beast apart and start getting it painted. But, I'm not sure I'll have it finished by the deadline. 

Jack, don't know if you recall the big 88mm gun I did last year, but that happened to the base for that kit when I added the celluclay as well. I use celluclay all the time and have never had it happen before. I just thought it was because I had added to much celluclay in one go. Nice work oin the foliage, it looks similar to sea moss.

Thanks gamera, I came across rubberised horse hair a few years back in one of my books and I have been using it since, usually for brambles and bushes. So really it makes sense to use it like this, its handy stuff.

Thanks Cliff, and thank you for the history on your particular build - I knew I had remembered some details about a deception/confusion attempt on  the Bulge Battle.

That be cool dio with the sheep.  Funny you should mention that particular animal, just saw a video clip the other where it took out a cow with a head butt.

---------------------------

Bish - yes, what is this rubberized horse hair??

regards,

Jack

Bish: Really nice work there, I really love how the tracks are coming along. I've got a bunch of pigments but still keep doing mud with paint- I just sprayed the fake M10 with it this afternoon. I love those trees too, rubberized horse hair??? That's something I haven't heard of before! Can't argue with your results though...

Jack: Love your foliage too, I have some of that material but somehow haven't worked around to using it yet. I have an idea of a camoed US TD with foliage on it I want to do with the crew returning to the TD and finding a goat eating their camo.....

Apparently the ersatz M10s never were used for the infiltration that they were designed for. Their unit, Panzer Brigade 150 ended up due to delays thrown into action with conventional German troops according to this site:

 'On 14 December Panzerbrigade 150 was assembled near Bad Münstereifel and on the afternoon of 16 December it moved out, advancing behind the three attacking Panzer divisions, the 1st SS Panzer Division, the 12th SS Panzer Division, and the 12th Volksgrenadier Division, with the aim of moving around them when they reached the High Fens. However, when the 1st SS Panzer Division failed to reach the start point within two days, Skorzeny realized that Operation Greif's initial aims were now doomed.'

As a consequence, on 17 December Skorzeny attended a staff conference at the 6th Panzer Army's HQ, and suggested that his brigade be used as a normal army unit. This was agreed, and he was ordered to assemble south of Malmedy and report to the 1st SS Panzer Division's HQ in Ligneuville.'

Gamara - it's getting there, keep at it.   I imagine the only troops the Germans wanted seeing their disguised Panthers up close were prisoners ... or were they expected to create havoc behind enemy lines?

Bish - looking the part, should be a great little dio with the landscaping.

-----------------------------------------

Some base work to show.  I've used CelluClay to create the ground surface, resulting in some really nasty warping.   Now I know why this particular wood plaque was so cheap.  Hopefully it won't effect too much how the vehicle sits on it

 For the foliage, I'm using a natural product from JOEFIX based in Belgium.  I'm guessing it might be some kind of herb from the strong smell - but no idea exactly what.  It's overall colour was too yellow for my taste, so the leaves were lightly sprayed with olive green paint.

A couple shots with the shrubbery in place - now you know why I put a crew member with axe in hand:

regards,

Jack