PAGE 5--FINISHED PICS!!!--- Revell Jagdpanzer Kanone

the doog wrote:

squeakie wrote:   being as this kit is based on the M47/M48 hull; why not just opt for a better set of aftermarket tracks? I know that AFV makes them, and also think that Friul does as well. gary Well. it's not that they're bad tracks, Gary; they'll just be a bit tedious to do...but I've already spent the money on them, so I'll make the best of 'em. Besides, the vehicle itself as far as I know was NOT based on the M47/48--just the gun is the same calibre. Do you have documentation of that claim? I'd love to have that info, if it was! As far as I know however, the tracks are an entirely independent creation from the M47/48 series.

I no little if anything about this track, but I thought I read somewhere that it was based on the M 47 hull. The running gear sure looks like it right off an M47/M48 tank. And remember the NATO standardization thing.

gary

Hey Doog. Looking Good!

Maybe it's just me, but the Xenon light box(?) on the gun trunnion for the Revell kit looks better detailed than the Modelhaus.

Well Karl, This one i want to see. Its a very interesting subject.

Terry.

Well, guys, here's the next big update:

I jave assembled all the components in these next three photos.The sides had to be putty'ed and sanded, as there are no seams on the real vehicles.

I decided to build periscopes rather than use the kit parts, as the kit parts are simplistic; the perisciopes and guards are molded as one unit--cheesy. So I used .040 X .060 strip to form periscope guards, and .040 X .100 for the periscopes themselves. Here's the comparision.

The wheels have no detail on the back--I don't know if that's correct or not. I leave them on the sprue, glued togethe, for ease of painting.

I also started on the tracks. The good news--they were a cinch to remove. Just snap the bar off next to the link, here...

... and then you can snap off the link cleanly--wouldn't you know for the photo that I didn't get a clean snap! (99% of them come off clean though.)

And what you're left with--the remains of the bars, and the links.  It takes 92 links per side for the track runs, and the little open guides are quite fragile--at least one of them is broken on every bar of tracks. You can see the broken guides on thelid of the plastic container. Yes, I eventually reattached each one of those little half-circles with super glue and my Optivisor!

I put a solder wire lead into the searchlight...

and gave the whole thing an undercoat of Tamiya Khaki Drab + Olive Drab + Black.

...then a sloppy coat of pure Olive Drab...

...and then, the coat that "counts" --the highlight "post-shading", of Olive Drab + Dark Yellow + White. I accentuate the insides of all panels; weathering will tone down the sharp contrast somewhat later. Hee it is with the wheels added. The tools are not yet added.

All in all, I have to say that the kit's quality is less than I would have liked. The moldings are somewhat heavy, and the tools especially are clunky-looking. The Modelhaus hull really dresses it up a bit more to acceptable standard. The kit's parts--especially the hatches and mantlet---are consistent with the rest of the inferior molding,but the Modelhaus hatches are thankfully correct.

Another modeler who built this kit said that he felt that this was just like an old Italeri kit, quality-wise; I must concur with that assessmnet. I am grateful still, for the release of a kit I've wanted for a looong time!

Well, now on to the tracks......they have to be cleaned up a bit, and then I'll have to figure out how to best assemble and paint them...stay tuned, as well, for the doog's decal tutorial!

Comments and questions welcomed!

 Doog, This is one "RAD" build! Too cool for words, it looks like you took on a challenge with this kit. But if it's the only game in town your the man to do it.

 The paint and shading are fantastic man, can't wait for the next episode!

Karl - Looking great, love the OD shading

Rounds Complete!!

Great start doog!  I haven't looked at my kit yet but those mirrors are really too big compared to the real thing.

Looks awsome! I want those airbrush skills too!

As said, too cool for words.

Thanks, Mike, doc, and Huxy! I appreciate your comments!

Jeff, I agree--in your photo there, the mirrors are definitely oversized! I'll definitely have to see if I can find something smaller--I'm not optimistic though...!

Weird--that pic you posted has a number of very distinct mods; even different tracks. I know there were changes made in the production run. That pic seems to be a later version?

Nice work getting those tracks off the sprue doog even if you did have to use the Optivisor for some of the repair work.

Paint job so far has some cool foundation layers going for it, looking forward to the next stages.

the doog wrote:

Weird--that pic you posted has a number of very distinct mods; even different tracks. I know there were changes made in the production run. That pic seems to be a later version?

It's one of 5 or 6 prototypes built before the production run.  It has 6 road wheels instead of the 5 the final production model had.  Pretty interesting vehicle history.  Too bad this model is marred with a lot of accuracy problems.

Good luck with the build!  You're off to a great start Karl.

...your WIP's always inspire me Karl. Thanks for your extra efforts to show us how you achieve your great results...this build is looking really good! I'll be watching for your updates.

Cheers

Panther F wrote:

the doog wrote: Weird--that pic you posted has a number of very distinct mods; even different tracks. I know there were changes made in the production run. That pic seems to be a later version? It's one of 5 or 6 prototypes built before the production run.  It has 6 road wheels instead of the 5 the final production model had.  Pretty interesting vehicle history.  Too bad this model is marred with a lot of accuracy problems. Good luck with the build!  You're off to a great start Karl.

This model is no better or worse than a lot of older Italeri kits, but what gets me is that for a new kit, the quality of molding id really soft--surprising for a "new" kit. And the molding lihes--everywhere! UGH! 

Still, I'll put some lipstick on this pig and take her out for a night on the town! LOL! 

Hi guys!

Well, here's where I am so far! I thought it a good idea to do a short tutorial on how I put my decals down, and then talk about a minor "tragedy"...

Now to be fair, I have not used any "sealant" coat per se, but because of the thread on "gelbolive" paint here recently, I did decide to put a coat of Model Master Semi-Gloss acrylic over the Tamiya flat base. Still, there is only a slight semi-gloss sheen.

Here I put a puddle of Solvaset on the spot where I want the decal:

...and put it down...

...then, taking a wide brush dipped in Solvaset, I press the bristles down against the decal...

...and then use a soft facial tissue to press against the decal and set it while diluting the Solvaset, stopping the "softening" action of the chemical...

.

If I get air bubbles, I just repeat the process with the brush first, and then the tissue.

Here's the decalled model so far.

You might also notice that I have fashioned new mirrors from the spare parts box, as "Panther F" correctly observed that the kit parts were just way too big--I used a disc of appropriate size, and built up "rims" around the edges with Squadron White putty, and then put them on brass rods into the holes which I drilled out in the kit. They're much more correct-to-scale.

Here is where the "tragedy" part comes in--here you can see the progress going along on the tracks...

I have tried, and tried, but alas......to no avail--I just cannot figure out a reasonable way to assemble these resin tracks along a curve, when they don't "lock" or "snap". I have tried to get them to "sit" on the sprockets, but they don't fit well, nor can I figure out a way to attach them to themselves on the curve adeqautely enough to be able to remove them for painting. I might be able to just assemble the tracks whole, around the wheels on the tank, but then I would have to paint them on the vehicle, which I am at loathe to do--and besides, given the difficulties I am already having in getting them to line up corrrectly and glue along a straight line, I just don't think it woul dbe worth trying to salvage them. 

I don't want to say that they are a "bad product", as they are finely molded, and I'm sure a more talented modeler than I might be able to assemble them in a satisfactory manner; I'm just saying that I don't have the skill at this point!

What I can do  however, is improvise!

I have decided ot use the kit tracks, but to correct the most obvious "flaw" with them--the lack of the prominent circular guide horns by cutting 184 separate circlets from a piece of 1/8th, .125 diameter plastic tube, using a razor blade.

So I cut off the incorrect teeth-like guides of the kit's rubber band tracks...

The Jagdpanzee Kanone does not have any slack/sag in the tracks, so I don't need to worry about that--here I use tweezers and gap-filling superglue to add the new guide horns...

..and....VOILA! Not bad, eh? The kit tracks are black, the resin ones which I gave up on are the gray ones. I'm just thrilled that I can salvage the kit tracks, and not have to deal with trying to muscle around those resin links!

Last thing I did was cut out the MG mounts from the kit's hatch rings, and appply them to the ModelHaus resin hull top.

Well, alll I have to do now is to finish one more track length, and then mount the new tracks and start the weathering process..

Comments welcomed!

Nice work on those mirrors!    I think they stuck out more to me than the tracks do but it looks like you're on the right 'track' fixing them! 

Nice save on the decal! 

P.S.  I use a smaller brush than the one I would use to paint the house with. 

Lots of good looking work here Doog - nice save on the kit tracks. That's an awful lot of patience to be slicing hundreds of teeth...then attaching said hundreds of teeth!

I'm kind of surprised that you don't trim your decals (removing some of the clear film around the outside) - have you ever had any problems with silvering? Or has the Solvaset pretty much prevented that in the past? 

All I can say is ADHD, you ain't!

Good going! You are really getting something good out of it.

Cedric

   Another great job doog on your build and the wip also

   Ditto the comments on your track save. Sometimes you just gotta go that extra mile to make it right and it looks like you went about a half a mile farther.

Wow, Karl.... I thought I had patience...

Can't dispute the results... it looks great.

It seems kinda like pounding yourself in the head with a hammer so it will feel good when you stop. LOL

On the resin tracks, could you build them in short sections? My son recently built a Tamiya 1/48 scale British tank of some sort... the tracks were in about 8 sections.... one long flat run, then various curved pieces. Think you could do that? Maybe use some tape on the outer part of the tracks to hold them together, then use fine wire to tack them together when in place around the wheels?

Course, that might be as tedious as cutting and gluing 184 little circles....

I feel your pain.... I drilled the dive brakes on a Monogram SBD.... 256 little holes....

Thanks, guys! I have to say that the resin track problem almost caused me to put this kit aside--for about half a minute. I've wanted tgis kit for so long though, that I'm thrilled that I've figured a way to slavage the tracks in a way that at least looks accurate. Luckily, they are nearly identical on the outsides, having big square track shoes, and being of identical width.

RRbaer, MECHTECH, and panzerguy--thanks for the kind compliments! I'm glad to hear that the improvised fix on the tracks seems to have met with approval!

ted nichols--wow, I never thought of trying that with a hair dryer! I might have tried it too, were it not for discovering that the spacing of the links around the sprockets might be a real problem; this was one issue I was having with trying to make them fit. But I will keep that in mind if I ever attempt a second pair!

Panther F--thanks, Jeff!; great call on the mirrors! I agree; they do look better than the huge kit mirrors!A good call on the semogloss coat as well!

dupes--I actually do trim my decals down as close to the decal as I can. I just forgot to report that...however, the way I do the decals, I very rarely ever see any silvering. As you know, I don't like to use sealants or gloss coats underneath. I only ever sometimes have a problem with really old, thick decals--but then, I WILL use a "spot" gloss coat to be safe.

jwb--You know, I actually thought about sticking every single link to a piece of scrap with tape somehow, and painting every single link and then weathering every single link so that I could then just assemble them without having to worry about removing them...and then I actually did hit myself in the head with a large hammer and say "Snap out of it man!!" LOL! I would have used the un-modified kit tracks before doing that! 

I agree that it might have been possible to do it in short link sections, but like I said--the real problem was going around the sprockets; also, I have seen tracks done in that menner---the "short link" section--and somehow they look a little "cobbled together", where the links sometimes on't mate imperceptibly. Some 1/72 tracks go together like that, and they're tough to make them look contiguous.

Thanks all for commenting!! I do appreciate you all taking the time!