Thanks check. This story is not over yet. I still want to do a base for this.. and incorporate the Tamiya Kubelwagen I picked up a few weeks ago, along with some other odds and ends.

OK tank fans. I'm getting close to the end of basic construction on the PKW IV. Have a load of tools. As noted before, if you see pics of knocked out armor tools or anything else carried is pretty much not there. Salvage or theft probably more than destruction. I'll use them for a little extra scenery in the snow cover.

Here's the Q. Hamilkar Barkas has a really good modeling channel on YT. He's German but his long stuff has sub-titles. (Another factoid - Hamilkar Barca was Hannibal's brother - until killed by Scipio's legions in Spain before Zama.) He's got an interesting series of "rants" where he challenges some received wisdom - like Tamiya super thin is not the all purpose wonder glue (he's right there.) One of them dealt with tank tools. I know a lot of modelers love to really spiff up the tools to give the build some extra visual interest. Hamilkar takes a spin on one of my little themes - war is the enemy of art. He claims that German armor at least normally used tools that were painted the base color - no lovely wood grains etc. That sound right? Would a Panzergrau tank have carried Panzergrau tools? I know artistic license etc (I've always wanted to paint a Spitfire British Racing Green and give it twin white stripes up the side.) But in the real world I think he might be right? Anyone have any serious knowledge on this factoid? (Actually not so minor if you care about reproudcing - to the extent possible - a kit that reflects the real object.)

Nice 109 Stik - I've got the new tool 109E and am looking forward to it.

Eric

Interesting point there Eric. For tools on vehicles when being painted in the field, i could imagine them being left on and over painted. But for anything painted in the factory, i am not so sure. The tank itself would be painted before assembely was finished, so no tools would be on there. And why would you paint the tools seperatly, its not like wood colour is un-natural.

So i would say no, as a rule, tools would not be painted. But i will stand to be corrected.

Thanks Stik, that is very much appreciated.

Really nice finish on the 109, i agree with you about dealines, i find that even with selfimposed ones. But that looks damn good to me, and to come 3rd with a kit of that age. Very well deserved. Well done mate.

People seem to have been getting the Airfix bug lately.

jgeratic

Hi Bish,  great looking dio!   

Lot of rubble, but enough structures still standing to provide cover.  I like all the figures, but particularly the one carrying the fuel can, as he makes the viewer return back to the center of the scene.

regards,

Jack

 

Thanks jack, from you that means a lot.

Bish and Eric, thanks for the kind words on my 109. In spite of the time constraints, I really enjoyed this project. And with this build, as Bish said, the Airfix bug has bitten me...

Eric, I certainly agree with your point about the tools, war, and art. I have no firsthand knowledge of the German army practice of painting tools or not in WWII. But seeing how they were a leading proponent of camouflage uniforms and equipment before most everyone else, the idea does make sense. I suspect that the Wehrmacht Heer likely had their tools painted in the same color as much of their other metal equipment was such as helmets, mess tins, and gas mask canisters were painted by the subcontractors during production. Or at the very least, a typical industrial tool color like black. I do know that US Army practice was pretty much to have everything painted in OD at that time. Paint in addition to its camouflage properties also helps the tools last longer by sealing and protecting the metal and wood underneath. Of course once you start using the tools for their intended purposes the paint is worn away. But we all know how militaries love their "Spit and polish" appearances, and during downtime soldiers are given taskings of repainting everything that is not growing... just some of my thoughts on that point...

stikpusher

Bish and Eric, thanks for the kind words on my 109. In spite of the time constraints, I really enjoyed this project. And with this build, as Bish said, the Airfix bug has bitten me...

Eric, I certainly agree with your point about the tools, war, and art. I have no firsthand knowledge of the German army practice of painting tools or not in WWII. But seeing how they were a leading proponent of camouflage uniforms and equipment before most everyone else, the idea does make sense. I suspect that the Wehrmacht Heer likely had their tools painted in the same color as much of their other metal equipment was such as helmets, mess tins, and gas mask canisters were painted by the subcontractors during production. Or at the very least, a typical industrial tool color like black. I do know that US Army practice was pretty much to have everything painted in OD at that time. Paint in addition to its camouflage properties also helps the tools last longer by sealing and protecting the metal and wood underneath. Of course once you start using the tools for their intended purposes the paint is worn away. But we all know how militaries love their "Spit and polish" appearances, and during downtime soldiers are given taskings of repainting everything that is not growing... just some of my thoughts on that point...

 

Early on in the RAF GB i did jokingly suggest an Airfix GB given the number of Airfix kits we are seeing. But then when i looked further, i found out that 2019 is the 80th Anniversary of Airfix.

Seems like good timing to me

Now I would go along with an Airfix GB. Of course it would only be proper for an Englishman like yourself to host such an endeavor on the 80th anniversary year. And I'll tell you what, the new Airfix stuff is quite popular at the two main local hobby shops, and with the guys at IPMS. Not so much at AMPS, as there are only a few 1/48 modelers there and their 1/48 line is limited. But the shop that did host the Airfix contest is sending the contest information and photos to Airfix to show our support.

I must say, i am pleased to see them bounce back. Airfix is what most of us grew up on, probably like Monogram to you guys. You tell anybody here you build model kits, and i bet they mention Airfix even if they have never built one.

Their new stuff is certainly getting atention, i have gone from avoiding them to looking forward to new releases, and i have not even built one of the new ones yet. Nice to hear the shop over there giving them there support, hopefully Airfix will put it in their mag.

So, keep a kit or two safe and wait out for the end of next year. Nothing like planning ahead

Ok, as stated yesterday, here are some better photos of this build to close out this thread. I will also do a completed build more through photos thread for this thing as well.

I'll get the other thread up later on...

RE: Stik's 109. I'm quite sure you built the exact model and gave it the exact camo scheme imployed by English modeling guru and judge at big time shows Geoff Isley. YouTube Video "Expert Model Craft - Realistic WWII Aircraft Finishing Techniques." Hour long video with some very neat tips. I think yours looks as good as his, but that's a tough comparison via pics. The one thing he did that I found to be spot on was to use Windsor Newton "Artist Matt Varnish" for the final seal. (This is not the same as their acrylic varnish: I cut it a little with Mr. Levelling Lacquer Thinner and it worked great.) The result is just a little "eggshell" - not dead flat like you'd get from Dullcoate. That also means a smoother finish. Isley claims he likes it because of the final finish and lightening effect any matt varnish gives, but also because it elminates any remaining decal film. I used it on my last kit - a Tamiya Beaufighter. Tamiya's decals are tough and thick but not famous for their overall effect. I found the Windsor Newton varnish really civilized them at the end. (I switch back and forth between gloss, satin and matt depending upon what stage of weathering I'm at - but only used the Windsor Newton at the very end.)

RE: Tools. I was looking at buckets of color WWII photos in the wee hours of last night, and I'd say that the photo record - while not absolutely clear - appears to me to strongly support Hamilcar's claim that German Army tools where base color. One pic of a Tiger was very clear - the visible tools were Dunkelgelb despite the fact that the tank was mostly green and brown. Another photo close-up clearly showed a wooden storage box with very badly worn Panzergrau half covering an unvarnished looking pine or other light color. I don't know how it's done in a factory, but if you're going to seal a wooden tool, I'd think putting a coat of paint on it would be pretty simple.

Eric

Thanks Eric. I am sure that his 109 turned out better, either a little or a lot. Mine has numerous small flaws due to my building for a time deadline and not having enough bench time to fine tune out those flaws. It looks good but not great to my eye, as I know where all those gaffes are. None are really glaring, but they stand out to me because of that. My sealing coat was Humbrol enamel Matt Clear varnish, the newest stuff in the jar, not in the tin. So far it is my favorite flat topcoat. I added a thinned coat of their "Dust Wash" airbrushed on in varying levels in certain areas to give it that extra desert use look. I can really see myself doing more of that. It works better than the old Polly Scale "Dust" that I used to use for the same effect. With a little extra time, effort, and some additional stuff here and there, this kit could really be a "wow" build.

Hello Stik, a fine looking build, and congrats on the contest placing.

regards,

Jack

stikpusher

Thanks check. This story is not over yet. I still want to do a base for this.. and incorporate the Tamiya Kubelwagen I picked up a few weeks ago, along with some other odds and ends.

 

Jack and check, thank you. I hope to have the base and Kubelwagen ready by late November. But now I need to focus on a T-55 for an AMPS GB that our chapter is doing....

Hey Stik, I know you know where the gaffes are, but I can't see any, and would be very happy to have that model in my display case (when I get one ).  Looks great to me.  Congrats on the award.  Well deserved.

Interesting discussion on the finish for aircraft.  I have been noticing more of an eggshell finish as opposed to flat.  Can't argue with the result.  It just looks right.

Bish, fantastic dio.  Tells a story in a believable way, and all elements very well done.

You guys keep pushing me to up my game.  Have not done figures or dios yet.  Well, this is only my third tank (2nd in 1/35), and the dio and figures can always come later.  I plan to button up the T-34, but only white glue the hatch so I can add a figure later.

Thanks for sharing.  Outstanding work!

D 

Thanks D. Dio's arehard work, but i really enjoy them. But deffinetly best to get the basics on the main kit first.

Swinging back to vehicle tools, I think it's 'carte blance' once the vehicle is operating in the field. I can't say what standard vehicles left the factories, but one thing I recall reading in the past was that metal surfaces had some sort of protective(?) black paint applied to them.  This included the spare tracks, and one photo (see below) has even the air filters finished this way.

Once delivered to units, it's likely the  commander immediately had these standout features painted over in the vehicle colour - similar idea to having the inside of crew hatches repainted if necessary to replace the interior buff.

Two items I've seen mentioned that wouldn't be painted are the gun cleaning rods and possibly tow cables.  It has been suggested the latter were regularly maintained with oil to prevent rust - but wouldn't these have been made of  galvanized steel?  Maybe it was the fittings they were referring to, in which case I can see it difficult to paint over when covered with oil.

Just throwing this one out to show going with unpainted tools can also be correct:

regards,

Jack

Past week was spent on the torso:

On the left is just filling in with large wads  of putty to get an appropriate volume look to wearing of the early style jacket, known as the gimnasterka.

Then the fun began with adding details in the form of pockets and center flap (buttons hidden), followed by some cloth wrinkles.  Those on her right need to be sanded down.  Have also added the beginnings of the collar.  What's there now is just the inner section, which will be trimmed to shape before accepting the collar lapels.  Still need to add some semblance of her upper arms as well.

regards,

Jack

Very impressive sculpting Jack! Wow!

The basic construction on the Tamiya PzIVD is done. It is a Tamiya kit and the fit is quite good. However, the company now makes far better instructions than previously. The instructions had no solid guide for how many of the parts were to fit or the components created. Good view of side, front and rear, but forget it if something is being done that can't be seen - like from above. You have arrows pointing to the destination of the parts, but not always any solid guide of how it's to look when attached. Fortunately for yours truly a good Turkish modeler had a photobuild of the kit on YouTube - it was extremely valuable. Might add that new Tamiya kits have splendid instructions - best that I know of.

It looks a little rough right now, but I think the primer is going to leave the kit ready to go. But ready to go where? I want the tank knocked out - not abandoned. I want to combine rust colors, black soot and dust. I also want to do some proper physical damage. But I don't want the kit in pieces. I've got lots of guides but some artistic license will be needed. See....I don't really know how to do any of this stuff. And to make things interesting, I want this to be winter - the Wehrmacht didn't build a boatload of D models, but I'm sure there were scores of them spread across Russia in a bad way say in February 1942 when the Germans were fighting for dear life. (The post-Moscow campaign may be the least known of the vital battles in the East. One can almost sympathize with Stalin for pushing things much too hard - there was a whiff of panic found in the minds of many Wehrmacht bigwigs in late December 41: thoughts of Napoleon, no joke. Unfortunately, many kept their heads - including Hitler. The initial preparation for the Stalingrad offensive was underway in late February.) In my case this is going to include the use of Precision Snow products. If you've never seen this stuff, you should check one of their really neat YouTube videos. It's not cheap, but it has a crystaline quality that I've never seen anywhere else in the modeling world. And as a Minnesotan in exile I can testify that's exactly what you see right after a fresh snow - I need dark glasses when driving in such conditions more than in the summer. But as I found out in 2015 when doing to the 1945 GB, the very quality that makes Precision products so unique also makes it really hard to photograph.  Hope this isn't overload.

Eric

unprimed by Eric Bergerud, on Flickr

Jack,

Stepanov and Danilov are Russian surnames.  The Russian language uses both a masculine and feminine gender for surnames. Stepanov would be the masculine, Stepanova would be the feminine.  Sorry I can't help you further.

Bish and Stik, outstanding work!

Jack, that is some real amazing modelling.

Coming alng nicely there Eric.

Thanks lewbud.

Thank you Steve, Stik, Bish, and thanks lewbud for the extra info on Russian surnames.  So possibly an example here of a double surname, not common but does happen.

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

Eric, should be  a fully interesting build from your bench.  Any plans to upgrade the Pz IV with a turret bin and extra armour?

regards,
Jack

Outstanding work, Jack.  She looks exceptional!

You've built up the tank really well, Eric, and it's looking great.  I'm sure you'll get everything else in hand as well.  It's going to be fascinating watching everything you've planned come together.