Panzer Aces GB January 2007 to May 31, 2008

espins1 wrote:

Ron, these may not be what you're looking for, but you might find these interesting anyway.  The first is a pic of Bolter in the commanders cupola.  The other 3 show the unit org numbering on several different dates.  You'll notice there are some single digits there for a short period.  Stark testimony to how mauled they got, although they dished it out better than they got.

From what I read, about his involvement in the early Leningrad offensive during Feb 1943, He was a Sergeant.  Therefore, it would seem to me that he would have commanded one of the tanks with the single digits, most likely 3 or 4.  As far as I can remember 1 Companie 502nd had only 4 Tigers at this point.  I'll keep digging, since I am still a long way from the finish.

 Thanks for all your help!

Ron

Ron, sorry but I couldn't find anything in my references on Bolter's Tiger.  I'll keep my eyes open and let you know if I find anything.

Thanks for the effort.

Ron

I'm almost done reading Cassel publishing's "Das Reich" by James Lucas.  The 2nd SS went through some tough times on the Eastern Front, but they were brutalized on the Western Front as they were parceled out piecemeal to other units to help "shore up the line" so to speak. 

Anyway, Ernst Barkmann, while being successful on the Eastern Front, really came into his own on the Western Front.  Some of his exploits were amazing!  If I get a chance I'll summarize the story of his actions in the St. Lo area.

All right guys, I haven't got much work done on Von Rosen's King Tiger but here's what I have so far.  This is Dragons KT # 6232 and added Cavalier's zimmerit for the kit.  First time with Cav zim; made some mistakes but overall it came out pretty nice.  Still have to clean up some seams and add a few more pieces of zim.  Screwed up the back when I glued the top to the bottom.  The rear panel pulled away from the lower hull side, no way to push it back so I guess I have to fill it somehow.  Textured the gun mantlet and added a casting seam, but now I'm not sure if its even supposed to have one.  BTW the gun assy looks loose because it is....nothing glued yet.  Also, those are Magic Tracks from Dragon's # 6312 Prem Ed KT and there's NO glue on them either!!  Gotta say these are quite nice.  EPMs on every link, but they came off really easily with a sharp #11 blade and they press fit together pretty good. Not sure if I'm going to stay with them or go with Friuls or MKs. 

OH YEAH..PHOTOS: 

Been alternating this build with the M-47 Patton for the Italeri GB Part 2 so its not going as quick as I'd like, but its been fun!  The Dragon kit is quite nice.  No problems so far, minimal clean up of parts and great fit!  Let me know if you see anything wrong!  Enjoy!

There we go!  Looks great Ernest! I can't wait to see it with some paint! 

That Cavalier Zim is some nice stuff.  I used that on my Elefant and was pleased with the way it turned out. 

I think part of it is that the Panzer IV Ausf D wasn't quite a tank killer.  There really weren't that many produced compared to all the other Panzer IV variants and other tanks of the time.  The only reason I picked this kit is because it was recommended by several people as a good starter armor kit.  I later saw this GB, but never could find an ace for it.  Armor model building definately takes some getting used to after being an aircraft only model builder.

For some reason I thought that Rudolf von Ribbentrop used a Panzer IV Ausf. D in his career, but could not confirm this after thoroughly rereading his chapter in Panzer Aces I.  In Hermesminiature's Panzer Aces list von Ribbentrop supposedly used  Panzer IV Ausf. C, but according to PA I it appears the earliest Pz IV he might have used would have been an Ausf. G. 

Can't find anything else in any of my other resource materials, but I'll keep looking.

Well, considering the following information, the fact that only 229 total Panzer IV Ausf Ds were produced leads me to believe I'm gonna be hard pressed to find an Ace, lol.  Just considering these main types of tanks, Pz IV Ausf D's made up only 1% of the tanks produced. 

Panzer IIIs - almost 4700

Panzer IVs - over 8300 

Panthers - about 6000

Tigers - around 1350

King Tigers - almost 500

I have the Dragon 1/35 King Tiger Ardennes kit in my stash.  I could obviously find an ace easily enough for it.  But I was blown away when I opened that box.  I needed to get my feet wet with a simpler armor model before tackling that monster.  There are a TON of pieces to that kit.  I'll see how this Panzer IV Ausf D comes out before messing with that one.

While I'm posting in here , lemme ask a few questions I'm sure you guys can help me on.  What is your preferred steps in building and painting a tank?  I've read where most guys like to put all the pieces on before painting.   However, I assume you paint the tracks seperately, right?  Do you wait to put the top half on to the bottom half before painting?  I would think it's easier to get the tracks on without the top half, right?  What are some of the basic techniques  or tips or tricks to the painting and weathering?  For this model, I'm going with the standard grey.  I have put all the pieces together except for the track is not on and I still have not glued the top and bottom together.  In addition, I still have the turret off (though that obviously comes off and on easily.  I have painted everything black first hoping to get some shading out of it once the grey coat is put on.  I'm guessing I just paint everything grey (except the tracks) and then paint the details that need to be painted such as tools and stuff.  Then, I guess I need to paint the rubber part of the wheels black.  Then perhaps some drybrushing with silver or a darker equivilant.  I'm not sure what color to use or technique to apply dust and dirt.  Perhaps a oil wash at some point would be necessary.  Hmm, as I'm typing this, I'm sorta getting an idea of what I should do myself, duh...  Anyway, any suggestions would help.

TryintoModel.

Generally with armor I like to build up the major subassemblies, lower hull, upper hull, turret.  I attach any parts that will be sprayed with the camouflage, leaving off tools and other tidbits that will have their own color.  I also wait to attach the roadwheels until after all the painting is done. 

I like to lay out the roadwheels on strips of masking tape (sticky side up) and strap the strip down onto paper or cardboard.  That makes it really easy to spray the basecoat, and even camo patterns if necessary without have to fiddle with a ton of toothpicks or whatever to hold them all while painting.  When it comes time to paint the rubber, I will stick the wheels onto the end of a paintbrush, using it as a holder.  I dip my brush into a mixture of black and gray paint (the gray gives a slightly "faded" look to the rubber) hold the brush up against the edge of the rim and slowly spin the brush handle.  I've found that for me, it helps me have a nice smooth and straight edge, minimizing the chance of accidentally getting black on the rim. 

Once all the camo and rims are painted, I'll attach them to the lower hull, attach the upper hull and then move forward on attaching all the rest of the little tools and tidbits (all ready painted of course), attach the decals, then seal everything up with a coat of Future. 

At this point come the oil washes, paint chipping etc.  I like to do a light dust coat all over the tank to help blend everything together and add to the weathering, with particular attention paid to the upper surfaces that would have had the most exposure to the harsh effects of the sun, as well as the lower hull which will have a lot of dust and dirt.  I tend to paint and weather the tracks separately, but may have them on the tank when I spray the dust coat. 

I finally seal everything up with a flat coat of 4 parts Future mixed with 1 part Tamiya Flat Base.  Attach the tracks if I haven't already, attach the turret and commanders machine gun (assuming it has one) and put it into the display case. 

Hey espins1,

 I want in but I am still looking into what to build. TY! 

TryintoModel wrote:

Excellent info, Scott!  Thanks.  What color do you use for your final dusting?

On the Panther I did a month or two ago I simply used the Dark Yellow base coat color.  About 20% or less paint, 80% + Tamiya Thinner.  On the P-40E I'm finishing up as we speak, I used about the same ratio but used Tamiya Buff XF57 for the dust. 

Theoretically you could use all sorts of shades of tan and brown.  A lot probably depends on what you feel would look better aesthetically, or perhaps the terrain the vehicle was fighting in.  More reddish hues for red clay type dirt, lighter colors for desert etc. 

Jmcmenamin wrote:

Hey espins1,  I want in but I am still looking into what to build. TY!

Cool!   aboard!  I'll add you to the roster now, and add your entry once you decide. 

TryintoModel, the Dragon Ardennes King Tiger is the kit I'm using for my build!  Its really nice and not as difficult as it looks.  A lot of the parts you see are just "leftovers" or extras from previous releases.  For example there are 3 types of sprockets, 2 types of idlers, 2 types of mantlets, etc, etc!  Plus several of the sprues are for the track links.  The hardest part is knowing which version you want to build and using the appropriate parts.  You don't even need to worry about zimmerit on any of the Ardennes versions. Whether you use it for this GB or not don't let this nice kit sit idle! 

As for building tips, I really can't add much to what espins1 has posted.  Is your Panzer IV the old Tamiya kit?  If so it will have the vinyl tracks that fit the suspension nicely.  You can paint them off the model and put them on afterwards.  I believe all the bogies, sprockets and idlers have poly caps inside that will allow you to remove them for painting and easily put back on.

Whichever kit you decide to use, good luck and have fun! 

Scott - Thanks again!  I'll have to give that dusting a try.

Bufflehead - Yep, I'm building the Tamiya kit.  It went together pretty nicely.  I picked it because several people suggested starting on that one or the Tamiya T-34, so I picked the Panzer.

Here are before and after photos of the dusting on my 1/35 Italeri Panther Ausf. A.  I like how the dust coat tones things down a bit, and makes everything seem part of a cohesive whole. 

Before:

After:

TryintoModel wrote:

Well, considering the following information, the fact that only 229 total Panzer IV Ausf Ds were produced leads me to believe I'm gonna be hard pressed to find an Ace, lol.  Just considering these main types of tanks, Pz IV Ausf D's made up only 1% of the tanks produced.  Panzer IIIs - almost 4700 Panzer IVs - over 8300  Panthers - about 6000 Tigers - around 1350 King Tigers - almost 500

Ribbentrop, DeGrelle, or Meierdress. They all used the IV ausf D (not absolutely certain about DeGrelle but I'm fairly sure)

Hermesminiatures wrote:

Ribbentrop, DeGrelle, or Meierdress. They all used the IV ausf D (not absolutely certain about DeGrelle but I'm fairly sure)

Hermes, I'm glad you were able to confirm this for TryintoModel.  I thought von Ribbentrop used a Ausf. D but couldn't find any info.  If it was in the Eastern Front would it have been painted schwarzgrau?