Aaron, thanks for the comments. While the dot filter method is commonly associated with oils, I've never had any problems using the same method with enamels. Enamels have a lot of common qualities with enamels but with a shorter drying time.

Mike, HvH , I've learned my lesson about getting non-alcoholic induced hangover headaches the morning after a long modelling session!

 I really like the effect of the dot wash! I too thought it was eclusively for oil paints but you have proved that wrong!

 I have 2 big window fans in two windows that are  right next to my bench. I turn them on to blow outside and it gets rid of the dust and the fumes. Even pulls up my directions sometimes but I don't smell a thing.  I did spill a whole jar of Mr Surfacer 500 once and it even overcame them. I had to leave the room for a couple hours cuz man that stuff is potent!

 Think it made my hair grow out really fast Hans!

wbill76 wrote:

Marc, better late than never! Thanks for the comments and for dropping by.  redleg12 wrote: Sounds like you need a paint booth/vent hood in the bench area..... Mike, as much as I would love to add a paint booth to the bench area, the configuration of the room doesn't allow for it. It's something I've looked into and tried to come up with various ways I could incorporate one but nothing ever seems to quite work out. So I open up the windows, use the cieling fan, and wear the breather mask. It doesn't cause a problem for the rest of the house in terms of fumes because I'm not airbrushing. I'm the one affected because I'm usually working inches away from the surface and using raw thinner at the same time!

DAMM.....I wish I could help.....but, this explains why you are..the way you are 

Over the years in my line of work and all the solvents I have delt with....my brain puts me in the catagory of

Rounds Complete!!

Marc, better late than never! Thanks for the comments and for dropping by.

redleg12 wrote:

Sounds like you need a paint booth/vent hood in the bench area.....

Mike, as much as I would love to add a paint booth to the bench area, the configuration of the room doesn't allow for it. It's something I've looked into and tried to come up with various ways I could incorporate one but nothing ever seems to quite work out. So I open up the windows, use the cieling fan, and wear the breather mask. It doesn't cause a problem for the rest of the house in terms of fumes because I'm not airbrushing. I'm the one affected because I'm usually working inches away from the surface and using raw thinner at the same time!

Bill - somehow I've completely missed your updates on this thread...where the heck have I been?

Looks great! Whether it's the "web" or whatever you want to call it, very cool scheme.

Bill - Very nice work along with your usual excellent explaintion. Love the photos of the dot filters.

Sounds like you need a paint booth/vent hood in the bench area.....

Rounds Complete!!

Bill,

As is your standard the build and the build log are brilliant!  I really like your step by step method it's like looking over your shoulder and much appreciated.  The paint job is awesome!

Anthony, David, thanks for the comments!

Bill, thanks for the kind words and glad this is helpful. I experiment a lot with different colors depending on the underlying basecoat/camo colors and the effect I'm after. I've recently started playing around more with the layering effect and so far am happy with the results.

Steve, definitely recommend you give this method a whirl! It's extremely versatile and can yield some pretty good results right out of the gate. I like the "Panzer Makeover" line, good thing I wasn't drinking anything when I read it! The Grille H is a squat/squarish little gun buggy but that's also part of its appeal, to me at least!

Mansteins revenge wrote:

Very nice...do you usually use enamels for the "dot" treatment or do you alternate with oils???

MR, I use the enamels as a rule vs. oils. The enamels have a shorter work time in terms of the dots so you have to work in smaller sections at a time as a result. I've found that to be an advantage in the sense that I can keep it all manageable and avoid rushing/fatigue and also not have to wait long periods of time for drying in between applying the filters. 

  At first I thought this thing was a little homely looking but not any more.

I think will have to start calling your wips Wbill's Extreme Makeover, Panzer addition.

  I've put off trying the dot method but I think I'll give it a go on my 251/22 build.  

That's looking mighty fine, Bill.  I really like seeing the factory fresh scheme become more real with your methods, it really helps me moderate my colors when I paint my own projects to see examples of what washes do to the base coats.

Bill

Originally I had thought that I would get everything completed this weekend on this particular project but, as it turned out, I didn't quite make it as far as I'd hoped. The first order of business was to add the last detail in the form of the radio antenna and get it painted up and installed. I applied a sealing coat of Future by airbrush and let it thoroughly dry for 1 hour before applying the kit-supplied decal markings. The markings were treated with Solvset and then a second sealing coat of Future applied. The second coat was allowed to cure overnight before the weathering process began. The markings were pretty straightforward, just the balkenkreuze on the superstructure sides and hull rear along with the LAH insignia front and back.

The first step was to apply an overall light wash of enamel Raw Umber using a #1 round sable brush.

That laid the foundation for the next round, the application of dot filters. The arsenal for that consisting of enamel Panzer Olivegrun, Deep Yellow, Flat White, and Military Brown, and a mixing bottle of clean thinner. 

The first dot filter used the Olivegrun, Deep Yellow, and Flat White to introduce some color variation and fading to the underlying paint scheme. Small dots of paint were applied in sections, working slowly around the vehicle one section at a time, and the dots blended in and away with a flat tipped brush dampened with clean thinner.

This was followed by the second dot filter using the Military Brown. This was applied with fewer dots and the initial blending done the same way as with the previous filter. To introduce/simulate dust/dirt streaking due to rain and prolonged exposure, I turned the flat tip brush 90 degrees and used repeated strokes to produce the desired amount of streaking.

Because all of this work involves working with thinner, I wore a paint breather mask the entire time even with the excellent air circulation at my work bench as a standard precaution.

Once that was complete, a pin wash of enamel Burnt Umber was applied to all the raised detail using a pointed 3/10 brush. Excess wash was carefully removed using the same brush and clean thinner to tighten things up. The Burnt Umber was was also applied to the road wheels and running gear in anticipation of the application of pigments, something that was scheduled for today but I didn't quite get to.

I will let this sit for a few days and then come back to it with a fresh set of eyes to evaluate if additional adjustments are needed before sealing it up with a flat coat and starting in on the final pigment weathering.

Total Session Time: 7.25 hours

Total Time to Date: 71.25 hours

Thanks Steve! The "tortoise" designation sounds as plausible to me as anything else...I've heard it referred to as a "giraffe" scheme when seen on the Ferdinands, "web" scheme, or even just simply "green stripes" scheme depending on who's doing the reaching for a handy name for it! I guess that's the limitation we deal with in trying to attach a descriptor to what was really a non-standard type of thing.

As for the tracks, the only time I encounter a problem with the links trying to separate is if either 1) there hasn't been enough time for the glue to set properly or 2) I try to handle too long of a run and it comes apart due to weight/strain. Normally #1 is taken care of simply by the amount of time it takes to assemble, paint, and then install the tracks. In this particular case, it took me about 45 minutes to get the links all together once I'd started gluing (I clean up all the links first to cut down on the time) then another 30 minutes or so to do the painting, dry brushing, wash, etc. By the time I'm ready to install the links, they've been glued together for anywhere from 30 minutes to 75 minutes (I build the "solid" run for the lower portion first since it will have set the longest) and that's usually plenty to keep them together but still allow them to be flexible enough to fit around the sprockets/idlers and introduce sag with the toothpick method.

Eric thanks for the comments as well! While we all know and accept that "three tone" ruled the day from Feb '43 onward there are a lot of "exceptions" to the rule where only olivegrun or rotbraun were used over the dunkelgelb, usually due to prevailing Spring or Fall conditions and unit preferences, so there's room for variety even within the confines of the three-tone approach. The Kursk timeframe in particular provides a huge variety of schemes depending on the unit, vehicle type, and location. Glad you like it!

   Wow bill looks like I missed a little bit while I was gone.

   That cammo is really cool. I think I might have read somewhere that this was called a tortoise shell pattern. It does kind of remind me of a turtle.

 Interesting that you paint the tracks before the glue has completely dried. Do you ever have a problem with the tracks coming apart?

  Looking forward to seeing this guy with some Russian dust on it.

Bill - I apologize for not getting back but this week was a zoo with AMPS.

Nice gun buggy!!! Love the wizz green camo. Great shot of the toothpicks for tracks!

Rounds Complete!!

Panther F wrote:

Wow!  I really like it!  The camo is fantastic.

Very Good Bill, the 33 gave her some dignity.

Idlers even with the top of the last road wheel huh? Didn't know just how they should sit. I see the light.

You're a good man Charlie Brown                                                                                     Tony the Mutt

Today's efforts turned out to more of an endurance challenge than I first anticipated. Things got off to an easy enough start with the final installation of the sIG 33 and mount into the hull. I added the hinged armored piece as well to round things out in that department. In anticipation of adding the tracks I also added some light scuffing/weathering to the lower hull and road wheels by stippling some Burnt Umber with a round sable brush.

Next up were the magic tracks. The kit instructions call for 96 per side but that's way too many. Normally the 38t family need about 92 links per side so I cleaned up 184 links, removing the small ejector marks and the small scar in the middle from where they were once attached to a sprue. Some of the links also had some minor flash on the guide horns, so that was also removed as required. My assembly process for indy links is pretty simple...I assemble them 5 at a time as that seems to be about what works until the glue has a chance to set. I use regular Testors Model Master glue in the black bottle and will daisy-chain the groups of 5 together once I've got three built with the first and second getting added together while the third sets up a bit and I assemble the fourth. Once the fourth is assembled, the third gets added to the run and so on. As each group of 5 gets added, I use a pair of metal rulers to press down on the run using the guide horns to keep everything straight.  I assembled two runs, one of 23 links for the lower and one of 70 for the upper to give a total of 93.

My next step is a little unorthodox but is a method that works well for my needs...I paint the runs while the glue is still setting up. The runs were brush painted with non-buffing Metalizer Gunmetal which dries very quickly since it's lacquer-based. I wear a paint breather mask as the fumes can be pretty strong even with good circulation. The runs are then dry brushed with Steel and given a quick wash of enamel Raw Umber to blend the Steel in and give it a used look. As soon as the wash dries, the runs get installed. I built and installed the right hand side first using a pair of toothpicks to help produce the right amount of sag. Turned out that in order to have the idler sit properly level with the last road wheel, only 90 links were required.

In order to insure a nice level set while the track is drying, I built the left hand side of 23 links and placed it under the left side while I worked on the rest of the links for that side.

The process was then repeated, installing the left hand side also with 90 links.

The tracks will set up overnight and then the toothpicks will be removed. There are a few odds and ends in the detail department for me to take care of and then it will be on to the decals and weathering stage.

Total Session Time: 7.5 hours

Total Time to Date: 64.0 hours

Bill, thanks for the kind words. Glad to hear the techniques are proving useful on your Princess build, I'm following that one with great interest.

Pvt Mutt wrote:

Well DMLs kits seem to have many major and minor flaws that would have been just as easy to get right when designed as to get them wrong. Is it because builders are becoming more knowlegeable of their subjects or is it that the model companies are just getting by with thinking they can pull the wool down over our eyes? Bills Grille still looks really nice to me and i'm sure to many other average modellers like myself.     We being the core group of sales are the bread and butter to these companies and I guess they figure the hard cases will fix the mistakes that are intentional or otherwise. Thanks Bill for taking the time                                                                                          Tony the Mutt

Tony,

Thanks for commenting and dropping in! My philosophy is a simple one. We are model builders and not just model assemblers, so there's always going to be some work to be done to overcome various things in every kit. I've yet to come across a "perfect" kit even though some have come very close, they all still have something small that has to be dealt with in one way or another. 

Sure DML could do some things that would make it easier to build their kits but at the end of the day their goofs in the instructions aren't anything that can't be overcome...you just have to be vigilant. As for the accuracy errors that creep in, I chalk that up to being about economy of scale in terms of reusing parts/molds from previous kits more so than deliberate inclusion of errors thinking they can skate by. They do that to cut costs and get the most out of their investment vs. creating all new sprues for just that vehicle. That doesn't excuse the errors and sometimes the errors that get introduced as a result of that choice can be pretty big and DML has been known to produce some real accuracy dog kits as a result. The AM guys will normally step in and fill these kinds of vacuums depending and the major kit manufacturers know that.

Even with the vast proliferation of reference material and forums on the Internet, there's still a very large portion of the model building world out there that's not online or doesn't particularly care if the kit is 100% accurate or not and will buy it anyway. The majors also know this...so sometimes the question comes down to being "good enough"...and when you consider the competition (none) in regards to a Grille H kit in styrene, they probably have a little more leeway in what constitutes "good enough" on this particular kit. Even with its flaws it is still a big improvement over the previous kits that are long OOP by Kirin, Alan, or even DML themselves.