FINISHED PICS!--Page 10--DML HORNISSE

detailfreak wrote:

doog,those locating tabs your were pondering are to hold securely one six pack of russian bee reppellant

He's right, if I remember my reference correctly they worked almost like a smoke grenade launcher. Kind of a last ditch effort to ward off swams during a retreat. I feel like a later variant had something similar to a flare launcher on an aircraft- it would shoot off clods of honey in an attempt to divert the bees attention similar to the flare's role as a heat seaking countermeasure.

I got it in a book somewhere I'll scan a picture for you.

Looks like it's coming along great though! Other than a few Murphy's Law hickups (which you've fixed very well I might add). Starting to follow this a bit late but always look forward to these open top vehicles. You planning on stickin a few people in this one when your finished? You're doing a Summer paint job on this one right? So Hans and Franz going to get little shorts and little flower lei necklaces, kick back and take in some sun? You can scratch build a little 1/35 stein with an umbrella in it right?  

the doog wrote:

Thanks, dupes! That would be so cool! I'll trade ya something, or reimburse ya for the shipping--just let me know!

Doog - PM me your mailing address...I'll look for those racks tonight. If I get lucky, I'll put it in the mail tomorrow morning after breakfast!

the doog wrote:

Verlinden actually has a nice little radio set available as well, that has like three radios and accessories in it; you can probably still get it--I have a set of it, and it's been useful to have one around.

Good to know.  Thanks again!

Thanks, dupes! That would be so cool! I'll trade ya something, or reimburse ya for the shipping--just let me know!

Thanks, Ron--nice to see you around again! When are we going to see another creation from your tank factory? I do remember that outstading Nashorn, by the way--one of the best I've seen!

Thanks too, Boyd! The Verlinden set actually DOES come with a resin radio and power module. Verlinden actually has a nice little radio set available as well, that has like three radios and accessories in it; you can probably still get it--I have a set of it, and it's been useful to have one around.

doog

I am on the edge of my seat waiting for more!  As always, your WIPs are a great guide and resource.  Thanks man!

By the way, does this kit come with a radio?  I have the Nashorn Premium Kit and was a little disappointed to find out (and how I missed it when I read the reviews is beyond me) that they include a great little photoetch radio rack, but no radio to go in it!  Is this common to all Dragon open tops?  If so, any ideas where to get a radio?  Sorry to go off on a bit of a tangent here...

the doog wrote:

Thanks, too, dupes--hey if you still have thise PE racks and aren't using them, I'd love to take 'em off your hands!? I could use them for my Nashorn!

Hey, let me root around in the spare parts box and see if I still have them...I can't imagine I wouldn't, but I built my Hornisse a while ago, and don't remember if I already gave them away. If not, they're yours!

Mansteins revenge wrote:

Amazing PE work and great tootiledge...I am begining to fall in love with your "Horny-Z"...

Thanks, too, dupes--hey if you still have thise PE racks and aren't using them, I'd love to take 'em off your hands!? I could use them for my Nashorn!

Thaks, Marc--I get ya about the "Copper" thing--I saw two guys stealing it on "Cops"! LOL!

Thanks too, detailfreak! Glad to help you avert the side panel disaster!

More updates soon!

Dang Doog. Great work, especially the PE! I avoided those ammo racks like the plague when I build mine...some major patience (and dexterity) involved in putting those together correctly.

Keep it up!

Update page 2?  I totally missed page 1.  Oh well, found it now and as usual you are up to your old tricks. Beautiful work there doog.  Redleg makes a good point.  How is that you are speeding up as you age and we are slowing down? 

I think Ps1scw is refering to the color of the Verlinden PE being copper and there appears to be a ton of it in there.  BTW nice work on all that bending too.  Copper tneds to get ripped off a lot.  Every  now and then there is a story about the wiring pulled out of a construction site for the copper.  Seems like a lot of work to me.  I always thought the idea behind stealing was to "take" and not "work".

Thanks, Huxy, and TOW gunner! Make sure you seek out some of wbill76's builds as well, if you're new to the site here--he has some great tutorials as well in full picture WIP's!

Thanks too, for commenting, psc1w--I'm not getting your reference to copper--do you mean the shells?

Thanks too, Bill-- yeah, I think I'll find a box of some sort to stick there--I might also check the directions for the "Nashorn"--perhaps it's a remnant of the shared hulls for the late version? 

Tony--Thanks, buddy! How'd that oil wash turn out? By the way, that's just Squadron White putty, sanded in the pin marks...

Very nice work on the shell racks Karl, given how much space they occupy in the interior they are really going to be a centerpiece! Your method of breaking down the interior of an open-topped vehicle is very similar to the way I've approached that same aspect on other builds. Looking forward to seeing this one painted but can't help you out on that mystery mounting point...looks like a box of some sort, maybe a med kit?

Copper? 

Better not bring that to Detroit, I work for the phone company and we always have trouble reports about stolen copper cable!

To re-iterate what everyone else has said:  A  M  A  Z  I  N  G!!!

So that's is how those fiddley bits in the newer kit are supposed to look like all folded up.  Great visual guide for fitting, partially glueing, then painting an open top critter.  As they say 1 picture and 1,000 words!

Can't wait to see the painted finished work of art!

Just one thing from me...

Mein gott!!   

Hi again, guys!

Thanks to Pvt Mutt, Glamdring, panzerguy and Mike for comments! Interesting that the new kits have the "amended" directions! 

Well, I've been working away, and I'm finally finished up the building and will soon be on to the painting stage. Here's what I've got so far...

Here's the Verlinden ammo racks PE assemblies. The ones on the left are the individual pieces; the 2nd-from-left row of 4 "letterboxes" there are three assemblies each. On the right is the finished rack. They were a bit of a PITA to assemble--in order to get those shell trays to fit, I had to remove approximately 1mm from each of the aforementioned "letterbox" "ears" coming up off of them, otherwise they wouldn't fit! Lots of filing done against a small sharpening stine was in order as well, in order to fit certain parts...

Man, the side panels are just chock-full of knockout marks to be filled!

I'm going to say a bit about my method of using sub-assemblies to do open-top kits like this. On eof the daunting teasks to doing a kit like this is to be able to adequately paint all the interior details. I like to break the painting down like this--the sides are test-fitted to the sides. The rear panel there willl be glued to the hull. The sides panels and little front panels are glued to each other carefully, and held in place until they set--here, the panels are drying hard in place, so that they will fit perfectly after they are totally painted and weathered inside--only at that point willl the exterior be painted!

They come right off...

Here's the parts as I willbreak them down to paint them; the main hull, sides, gun assembly, rear doors, ammo racks, and radio. SOme small details will also be added later like MG's and crew fititings...

As you can see, it would be impractical to paint them in situ; you can see here where the radio would be ("R"). And here's one fix to be careful of--don't glue the hull lifting hooks against the rear bulkhead as they show--they should be in this position, NOT as indicated by the red position!

The other side. The scissors periscope mount there was scratched from plastic strip--the Verlinden set gives you a piece of PE, but it's way under-scale. 

Here's also the correct position of the travel lock. It should angle backward at an angle, to connect to the rear of the gun breech travel there...I have attached it at the bottom as per those damned guides, which I saved after I pried them out and used them to pencil in the positions of the mount bases. That traversing wheel also locks into the bottom of it there.

Hey, does anybody know what's supposed to go here? It looks like a bunch of locating tabs, but there's no call out for it in the direction?

Well, I'll be going on to the painting next.I'll be using a slightly darker DY shade inside, to simulate the lack of fading inside--artistic license, interpretation, call it what you want.

A question to anyone who might know--who knows what the proper colors would be for the shells of this tank? There are two different shells--anyone have any dea of the colors used to paint them? The directions say just black tiops, but ref photos show white tips on the AP shells; anyone know what the HE shells looked like?

Thanks for looking in guys! Comments and info welcomed!!!

Damm....you are either getting too fast or this old man is slowing down.....almost missed this.

As far as the a good modeler can make things look good. A great modeler can figure things out. Especially when an is involved. No one is perfect. Every build has any number of imperfections or not quite right that may not show but the builder knows what is there and has done a great job fixing it or hiding it. With you being the king of finishing, this type of work/repair makes your royality!!

Nice recovery Karl. Now.....either the kit only has 10 parts or you have been working on it day & night. Grest initial progress.

Rounds Complete!!

   Doog as always a great start of what I know will be an exceptional finish. Between you and Bill I'm sold on those Migs.   

DML instructions plain suck.  I've lost track of the amount of pieces I have glued in place when they weren't supposed to be.

Looking good though, gotta love those Panzer IV variants!

PS: I'm glad you don't do GBs, you'd put the rest of us to shame!!!! 

Doog, You know that the template mistake was really a good thing and serves to prove to           the mass amount of us duffers that the builders that we admire are human after all.

They can make mistakes just like us mire mortals. The next time I pull a bonehead i'll think back on this and smile. I Thank You Sir for the inspiration you provide with these step by step builds.

PS: I just checked my DML Nashorn kit(6314) and the direction showing those have bright blue instructions telling you the two parts are "For positioning L4 only".                                                                                                   

T26E4 wrote:

Sorry I couldn't avert the glued template thing Doog.  Nice work w/the barrel.  I did the same thing when I built VP's 8.8cm Pak 43/41 (before the AFV Club one was available) several years ago.

Thanks for looking in and commenting, guys!

Looks good Karl and very interesting. I hope those bees were not camo'd as T34!!

Jeff