#3 DML Pzkpfw III Ausf N sPzAbt 501 Afrika (W.I.P.)

wbill76 wrote:

Schnobs wrote: I really appreciate your comments and honest appraisal of my work so far.  I knew the tracks were handed and I understood the DML color codes indicating left and right but I must of missed the direction thing. I examined my other models and what I am obeserving is that the correct direction is that one of the ends of the trank links for lack of better verbage is more pointed out than the other. Lesson Learned! Now did you you appreciate the more subtle weathering? Most certainly did appreciate your more subtle weathering, it all blends together well and is the progression I mentioned in my first post. Love your philosophy, words to live by for sure.   The easiest way to remember which way to mount Pz III/IV tracks is that the triangular shapes on the face of the track link should always point down when looking at the front of the vehicle. This in turn causes the smaller end of the track that inserts into the next link to be at the top and the widest portion at the bottom. This is reversed when looking at the rear of the vehicle due to the direction that the track runs in. It's a common mistake to make with these types of tracks, don't feel bad! I have one myself still sitting on the shelf from when I first encountered this type of track.

Thanks for the compliments about the weathering because I see you as a great example of balancing weathering and reality. Great info about the triangular shape on the face of the track link pointing down.  I really see it now!  Well, here is the thing I am a perfectionist which I am sure doesn't suprize anyone on this forum!  I was ready to let it got but my wife knows that I plan to enter this one into the IPMS Seattle Spring Show on April 18th and after she read your post she looked me in the eye and smiled and said what are are you waiting for? I really love that Lady!  I was encouraged to enter the show this by some of the local IPMS people as a way of getting my feet wet and meeting local guys and continuing to learn. 

I did end up with duplicates of this kit so I am going to redo the tracks on that side.  I am also going to start painting the Jerry Cans and other stowage tonight as well.

Convoy!

Thanks again Bill.

Schnobs wrote:

I really appreciate your comments and honest appraisal of my work so far.  I knew the tracks were handed and I understood the DML color codes indicating left and right but I must of missed the direction thing. I examined my other models and what I am obeserving is that the correct direction is that one of the ends of the trank links for lack of better verbage is more pointed out than the other. Lesson Learned! Now did you you appreciate the more subtle weathering?

Most certainly did appreciate your more subtle weathering, it all blends together well and is the progression I mentioned in my first post. Love your philosophy, words to live by for sure.  

The easiest way to remember which way to mount Pz III/IV tracks is that the triangular shapes on the face of the track link should always point down when looking at the front of the vehicle. This in turn causes the smaller end of the track that inserts into the next link to be at the top and the widest portion at the bottom. This is reversed when looking at the rear of the vehicle due to the direction that the track runs in. It's a common mistake to make with these types of tracks, don't feel bad! I have one myself still sitting on the shelf from when I first encountered this type of track.

model maniac 96 wrote:

hello again! this is an absolutely wonderful build, and I am amazed at your abilities. Jim

Thnaks Jim I am glad you like it.  It's not done yet! 

wbill76 wrote:

Edmund, I hate to be the one to break this to you...but you've got one of the tracks installed backwards. Both tracks should run the same direction on both sides. In the head-on pic, the track on the right side is facing the correct direction while the one on the left is reversed. You obviously learned a lot with this build though and can definitely see a progression in your skills from the last one and I look forward to your next one!

Hi Bill,

I would like to share with you a quote attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson about success which I try to live my life by.

To laugh often and much;

To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;

To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;

To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others;

To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;

To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.

This is to have succeeded.

I really appreciate your comments and honest appraisal of my work so far.  I knew the tracks were handed and I understood the DML color codes indicating left and right but I must of missed the direction thing. I examined my other models and what I am obeserving is that the correct direction is that one of the ends of the trank links for lack of better verbage is more pointed out than the other.

Lesson Learned!

Now did you you appreciate the more subtle weathering?

Edmund,

I hate to be the one to break this to you...but you've got one of the tracks installed backwards. Both tracks should run the same direction on both sides. In the head-on pic, the track on the right side is facing the correct direction while the one on the left is reversed. You obviously learned a lot with this build though and can definitely see a progression in your skills from the last one and I look forward to your next one!

Build Update:

I was able to get some great traction this weekend on weathering and track assembly while balancing quality family time.

On Friday night I was able to finish applying the dot filter method to the turret and hull followed by a pin wash of black and brown wash oil paints.  I then very carefully using Model Master Schwartsgrau enamel rather than the Poly Scale Acrylic Reefer Grey I had used on the last tank applied a light chipping effect over the entire hull and Turret.  I used the swing out magnifyer and chanted "Less is More" the entire time.  I then appiled a variety of MIG pigments again sparingly to the turret and hull.

On Saturday after some plannned family time I sarted on the Magic Track assembly, painting and mounting.  My confidence was high due to the success  I had on my second set of Magic Tracks which was short lived!

I set up my first set of tracks according to Karl's tutorial and applied Testors slow setting glue whcih gave me an hour window to mount the road wheels for that side.

The first three suspension arms snapped off in my hands trying to mount the the road wheels!

I almost lost it but I reminded myself that this was "fun" and methodically glued each suspension arm back on with thick CA and then still had time to basecoat, drybrush and apply an oil wash to the track before mounting!!

I also had a slight problem because I doubted Bill.  On his build log he had indicated to use 92 links for each side and I disagreed with my vast amounts of experience compared to him that it should be 94.  I was incorrect it was 92.

It turned out okay so here are a few pics:  I still need to mount the antenna, and I just basecoated all the Jerry Cans and other stowage I am going to mount on the rear rack.

Hey Bill,

Yeah I am a night owl it's the only time I have to find peace through working with my hands.

I have been busy doing my first dot fading\streaking which has been fuin and interesting and started chipping the turret.  

Thanks for the kind words I am glad you like it so far.

I picked up 26 watt flourescent natural light bulbs at Target for $5.95 a piece and they are equivalent to 100 watt incandescent.

My goal is to finish the weathering on the turret and hull by Sunday so I can start putting on the tracks.

Have a great weekend and thanks for taking the time to comment Bill.

Hi Edmund, it seems like you and I are the night owls around here, West Coast and awake, huh?

Anyway, I haven't checked in in a while, but I have been following your photos, it's looking really nice, I agree with Doog (like I'm qualified to DISagree with him), a bit more rusty-dusty streaking, but it's really stunning.

I like your photo booth, I built one, too, but I think my incandescent lights are too bright, they are blowing through the tissue and washing out my color.  Your photos are an amazing improvement.

I'll look at getting some compact flourescents, those 100w incandescents are just too much.

Anyway, very very nice, you are really killing this one.

Keep it up,

Bill

Thanks Karl, Wayne and of course Bill for your feedback on the Plunkinator.  I actually did not like the shots I posted last night because I forgot to turn my flash off on the camera itself and I had to make some adjustments to the lighting and the lightbox itself.

Here are a few after I correctd my previous mistakes and then I am back to work on the model itself. I am way behind.  Thanks everyone for your patience as I went off on a learning tangent!

Edmund, the photos and lighting are PRIMO now! Excellent lighting!

You can see the results of your efforts muc better now! And it's looking great, seriously! The weathering is really coming along very nicely!

Gotta get some subtle streaking in there now; rust streaks, dirt streaks, etc.

Looking good!

Introducing the Plunkinator!

I went to Office Staples and Target and the total cash outlay including two lamps, a tripod, two natural light 26 watt Flouresent bulbs, a pad of tracing paper, and a white poster board was $45.00.

I spent about an hour making it and then another hour testing different angles and lighting and here are the results:

Thanks again Bill for doing what you do so well and naturally which is to freely pass on your knowledge and experience. It has made my enjoyment of this hobby so much more richer.

Now guys what do you think of my weathering so far and what should I do next?

Cheers!

Edmund,

I can only claim credit for saving that link that someone else posted somewhere else (can't even remember where!) and I put in my Favorites. In an online community, the photos are the model so getting good photos is something that takes on more importance IMHO. You don't have to spend a fortune though with solutions like this but can still get good/great pics in the process. The idea of their being Plunkinators running around in posts gave me a smile though!

Schnobs wrote:

I would assume the guitar.

wbill76 wrote:

The reason natural light works so great is that it's diffused...and the easiest way to get that indoors is with nice even lighting. Here's a link I always point people too, easy way to get yourself a very simple photo booth setup without spending a fortune or needing a lot of space. You'll be amazed at what such a simple little thing can do for your photos. http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/07/how-to-diy-10-macro-photo-studio.html

Excellent link Bill!  You must of read my mind in between meetings today I was doing granular web searches for digital photograph booths.  I had turned of my search filters on my work machine so I was a little suprized at some of the search results.

I am going to get right on building this week and I am going to officially name it the Plunkinator and every future build log will reference it as the final stage of the build. 

Pictures coming but I wonder if I should make a Grand Daddy Punkinator to take pictures of the Plunkinator?   hmmmmm....

The reason natural light works so great is that it's diffused...and the easiest way to get that indoors is with nice even lighting. Here's a link I always point people too, easy way to get yourself a very simple photo booth setup without spending a fortune or needing a lot of space. You'll be amazed at what such a simple little thing can do for your photos.

http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/07/how-to-diy-10-macro-photo-studio.html

agentg wrote:

This is looking really really good Schnobs. I love all things DAK, musta been reincarnated LOL, and cannot get enough of Afrika armor. Did the rack come with the kit or did you make it? If you made it share the wealth, I'll be putting those on every build LOL

Hey Wayne,

Thanks man I really like Afrika armor as well and the only reason I purchased this kit was because of the Jerry can rack.  It's a long story but I ended up with two identical kits so I want to reverse engineer the extra rack I have and scratch build some.  I will definately share that info as I go forward.

I love the music here as well, but not the rain I just endure that.

the doog wrote:

Schnobs, UGh! I sympathize with you, buddy! I remember playin in Seattle, and it rained, rained, rained, the two days we were there. People said it was "normal". I remember thinking I would kill myself if I lived there with the gloom and gray! No wonder "grunge" came from Seattle, lol!

I moved out to Seattle from North Dakota on Jan 3rd 1996.  Like most bad decisions it involved a woman.  In North Dakota unless it is actually raining or snowing and often at the same time the sun is shining.  When I first moved here everyone kept on asking me if I had seen the mountain yet and I had moved out here with my girlfried and was very busy looking for employment and had a strong suspicion that everyone out here was lazy. 

The first sunny day I saw Mount Raineer in it's full glory through my windshield I almost hit a parked car!  Interesting enough Seattle sells more Sun Glasses than any other metropolitan city of comparable size and we have actually have sun slow downs during out commutes! Don't ask!

I am way So I will try your ideal of turning off extra lamps and just use florescent lighting for pics on the 265 days a year I have no natural light.  Hey BTW what instrument do you play?  I would assume the guitar. 

Schnobs,

UGh! I sympathize with you, buddy! I remember playin in Seattle, and it rained, rained, rained, the two days we were there. People said it was "normal". I remember thinking I would kill myself if I lived there with the gloom and gray! No wonder "grunge" came from Seattle, lol!

I have a big ol' picture window behind my modeling desk, so I usually getgreat daylight photos. The only other thing I do at night is use my normal flourescent desk lamp with a flash to avoid as many shadows as I can. I don't have a photo booth--no room for one anywhere.

If you have the flourescent lamps, I would say to try possible not using ALL those lights you have, and tryjust the flourescent lights with your camera's flash? Maybe you have too much light hitting the model and causing all those shadows?

stick man wrote:

It looks very good I hope all your weathering works out well!

Thanks Orion!

wbill76 wrote:

The top-down look really shows off the detail work Edmund, making good progress.

Thanks Bill and also thanks for your tip about calling out the wrong part number in the DML instructions for assembling the jack in your build log that saved me some time. 

the doog wrote:

Schnobs, It's a little hard to make out the tinting of the paint in your photos because of the shadows--can you photograph your model outside in natural light, perhaps? That's really the best way to get a good look at the true color of your finish. It would be better to see what you've got going on in terms of the true finish. As far as what I can see here, it looks like everything is going proceeding to plan? I can't see anything that jumps out at me worth critiquing?

Karl,

I absolutely agree that pictures in natural light would show the true nature of the paint and weathering effects but I live in the convergence zone in Seattle!!  I laughed when I read it because to heck with the model I would love some natural light!  We have approximately 265 days of out of the year that it is cloudy and rainy and at my house because of the convergence zone it rains east to west and then an hour later west to east!

I also have an hour commute to and from campus so I do not see my house in the daylight except for weekends except for a few months in the summer.  It is a challenge painting and weathering and I look forward to days that the sun shines through the clouds and into my garage!  I use a combination of Sylvania daylight florescents and one 100 watt and one 60 watt incandescent GE Reveal lightbulbs in swingout lamps.

Any suggestions on how to improve the lighting for painting and taking digital pictures would be appreciated other than moving.    Do you use a dedicated photo booth?  I see some posts were people obviously do I need to do some research about that because I am enjoying taking the pictures as much as everything else.

Anytime you and Bill do not find something to critique is a good nights work!  My plan is to walk through as many weathering techniques as I can without forgetting less is more. 

I will try to get some outside natural light shots if possible later this week or weekend.

Thanks again Karl,

It looks very good I hope all your weathering works out well!

The top-down look really shows off the detail work Edmund, making good progress.

Schnobs,

It's a little hard to make out the tinting of the paint in your photos because of the shadows--can you photograph your model outside in natural light, perhaps? That's really the best way to get a good look at the true color of your finish. It would be better to see what you've got going on in terms of the true finish.

As far as what I can see here, it looks like everything is going proceeding to plan? I can't see anything that jumps out at me worth critiquing?

Build Update:

I was able to finish detailing and mounting the remainder of the pioneer tools.  I also applied a pin wash and dark brown wash to the entire vehicle before I detailed the tracks I wanted to mount on the hull front, glacis and additional space armor.  I had to make a mounting bracket for the small track run on the space armor which was fun.  I just bent some extra PE I had left over nothing really earth shattering but new to me. 

Here is where I am at the moment on weathering and have some oil fading, chipping and pigment fading still planned.  Please provide feedback as I go forward so I do not overdo or over state the weathering.  I am forcing myslef to slow down and think through each step as I proceed.

model maniac 96 wrote:

wow......well, I suppose that I can't say anything I have not said before, but still, great job man. Jim

Thanks Buddy.  Here is a build update from today:

I wanted to tone down the rust on the struts and finish detailing pioneer tools and get most of them mounted.  I also wanted to paint the antenna tray that had a nice wood grain to it to match the jerry can rack.  Here is how it turned out: