Panther Ausf A late 2-20-10 I'm calling this one DONE!

Dave that looks really great.  The figs are going to look great painted. The only thing I would say though is the guy on one knee had better hold on or he's gonna get tossed on the 1st big bump  That is a king of unstable position.

The figure painting is slow by steady.  They are not completely done but it is proof that I am getting bench time in. The first figure is OOB.  I used the plastic head with some minor "Plastic surgery" Sorry I couldn't resist it.

This is the one who I did the arthroPLASTy on his knees/legs

Here is of the three Amigos.  The one on the far right isn't quite done.  These are all Hornet heads. The one on the left is the one that was kissed by the errant paint bristle. The second pic of the heads will show it.

Cheers

Dave

The uniforms only have their base coats on.  No highlighting or shading has been done yet.  The faces will receive a wash when the figures are ready for it as well.  

Cheers

Dave

I never thought about it but instead of starting another kit during this cold weather I could have tried doing some figures huh. Maybe next time.

Dave yours are lookin good                                                                                                                                Tony Lee

Stunning brother Dave.  I have to have you and Ed give mee a good toot on techniques (dont say it)!  What figgy paints are you using??

Bob

Those are great looking figures! Nice work.

That's what I am talking about Willis!!

Great work Dave!!  They are looking fantastic!!

Marc,

Thank you for the comments.  Yes, that one guy may get tossed at the first big bump.  I briefly entertained the idea of taking the Saw to him and making him more stable.  I was rather disinclined to do that.  Sooo, I figured that he was one of those guys who gets into situations due to their inattentiveness and yet they skate through the ordeal somehow.  Surely, you've known someone like that.  

Tony,

Thank you for the support.  No time like the present for figures.  Say one to go with your current beastie.

Bob,

My brother, thank you for following along on this build and your support. I prime my figures with Tamiya Flat White airbrushed on.  The colors are all Vallejo.  There was a bit of a learning curve for me as I had used oils when I first started painting figures.  I'd be glad to help you out with figgies.

psstoff995,

Thank you for the comment.  They are far from done as yet as I still have to get the base coats finished and then there is the highlighting, shading, tinting and a multitude of other finishing steps.

Edmund,

The figure bodies are turning out much better this go around thanks to the Vinnie Branagan (sp) toot you guided me to.  I am looking forward to the following steps where the colors really start to make the figures shine.  So to speak.

Cheers

Dave

Dave I am so sorry!

I wish only the best to you your family!

Sometimes this hobby can provide solace and comfort to guys like us that are in situations that we don't have a lot of control over but I can paint and weather something Gosh Doggit!

For me it;s important to be where my hands are so i don't go insane with worry and fear!

PM Inbound!

Dave I am sorry to hear that.  Im here for ya brother....anything you need!

Bob

Edmund & Bob,

Thank you so much for your support and PM's.  By the way Bob you've got an inbound PM. So do you Edmund.

I've had a few moments in the last couple of hours to shake the head and clear the thoughts.  The internal DI that hides in the recesses of my mind came out and told me to pull it together.  Well it worked.  I'll be taking the good Dr Schobs advice and putting in some serious bench time this weekend.  Keeping the hands and mind busy.  Well at least the hands.  I find the best way to find myself is first to loose myself.  A kind of reset button.

The Pity party is cancelled!

Cheers gentlemen

Dave

Ok, so I found out toda that my Vallejo paints have shipped....WooooooHoooo.  So I think after the F4 I will have to dive into some figgies.  How to the vallejos paint on...Nce or what?

Bob

Bob,

You are in for such a treat when those paints do arrive. Oh boy howdy! For me there was a steep learning curve as all I had ever painted figures with was oils.  I didn't know one needed to thin them. First thought was " this".  Then I started paying attention to the figures that were painted with them.  The more I played with them the more I really  like working with them. I've taken to painting some details on the armor with them. You know, those details that need a little tonal variation to stand out but, not looking like it went through a paint booth at Disney Land

Cheers

Dave

Dave, this whole build is an inspiration.  I built the Panther as my fourth build, let me tell you, your work is truly top notch.  I only wish my panther was as nice, your building is super clean and the attention to detail is incredible. The figures are really excellent.  My favorite thing about vallejo paints, and figure painting in general, to paraphrase Lynn Kessler, it's not about how neat you can paint, it's about how determined you are to keep touching up until you get what you want.

Bill

P.S.  Prayers sent  for your family.

Bill,

Wow! That is high praise indeed!. Thank you very much for following this build (albeit, bogged down at times). I was/am very passionate about this Panther which makes the attention to the detail easier.  When I saw the color plate that came with the Echelon decal set, I thought, "I've got to build this one".  Having references within arms reach during a build certainly helps. You nailed it on the head about Vallejo paints!!!!! The ability to keep touching it up until you get what you want.  When I realized that, I started seeing the possibilities.  I'm not sure if you're interested but here is the link that Schnobs posted. It is by Vinnie Branigan and, it will show you how to get resin quality  out of your plastic figures without the $$$.  The cost to you is time.  Heck! It's a hobby.

http://www.modelarmour.com/index.php?option=com_jfusion&Itemid=81&jfile=viewtopic.php&f=12&t=866

Some of what I do is self-taught.  A lot of what I do is picked up from others as I've gone.

Thank you for the prayers.  They are very much appreciated. Everyone here has been most supportive. Everyone is given a heartfelt thank you from this house.

Cheers

Dave

Here is proof that I haven't been completely slacking off.  I still agonize over painting figures, until I plugged some headphones into my iPod and put on some instrumental music.  I shuts out distractions and it helped me relax about painting.  Productivity went up! Woo hoo

Mind you the figures aren't completely done.  The gun stocks and shovel handles are going to get an oil wash.  There are fiddly details on the figures that will get touched up. but here's what I've gotten so far.  Oh yeah, the TC is still in the works.

Cheers

Dave

Missed you Dave!

The prep work you performed on these guys is really starting  to pay off here! 

Great work and the equpment details look great!

Great work!  I get in the Zone with the Military Channel or the History Channel in the background!

They're not to bad Dave but i'll do you a favor, just send them to me and i'll hide them in one of my SPGs.

That's the least I can do for a friend.                                                                                                   Tony Lee

Edmund,

Oh, I've been here. Just not actively posting, since I was agonizing over painting the figs.  There are some things I would do differently next time. One of them is cutting the ammo pouches into separate units and then gluing them on.  Im not sure I'll do it this time as they are on there pretty solidly and I'm not big on the finish. Between the VB toot and use of a 4/0 brush, the details are the best I've gotten with plastic figs.

Tony,

That is a very nice gesture on your part.  But, these guys are infantry (no offense to any infantry types out there) do you really want them knocking around INSIDE one of your  SPGs?

Thank you gentlemen for your support on this build!

Cheers

Dave

may i ask, what paints did you use to paint your figures? (enamel, acrilic ect and company) can i have those figures because if you don't give them to me i will snatch them. Absolutely amazing work. thank you

-Adam J.

Adam,

Thank you for the praise.  The paints are Vallejo acrylic's.  Fantastic stuff to work with, covers well without obscuring detail, thins wonderfully for highlighting and shading.  What more can I say?

I think Tony had dibs on them.

Cheers

Dave

thank you. i hear very good things about Vallejo acrylics. time to give them a shot!. (would you choose Vallejo over Tamiya?  Thank you.

-Adam J.

Dave,

Those figures look really nice!

Adam,

Vallejo has a line of paints that you can airbrush with.  I can't attest to them as I've never used them.  However,  their model paints (for brushing) are fantastic.  Tamiya paints are great for airbrushing, not brushing.

IBuild148,

Thank you very much for the compliment and stopping by.  By the way what have you got in the pipeline?

Cheers gentlemen

Dave

Nice to see you haven't been totally slacking off there Dave, figures are coming along nicely!

G,

Thank you for your patience and comments. This is the first time I've painted this many figures at once.  So, I've been painting them production line style.  making corrections and improvements as I go, along with mental notes on how I will do things differently the next time (e.g. sutting the ammo pouches for the K98's into individual pieces and then gluing them on that way). I'm off to the bench to work more on the figures

Bill,

What is thy bidding, master?  Thank you for the comment and support.  Some of the progress is so incremental that it seems silly to post pics. It's been busy around here but hey, at least I'm getting some bench time.....eventhough this project has slowed down to a pace.  That having been said, I'm now off to the bench.

Cheers

Dave

Hi Dave,

On the bench and floor:
 
Tamiya 1/48 - F-16C Block 25/32. Thanks to "daywalker" in order to make a Block 30 I have to use parts from Tamiya's F-16CJ (Block 50).  Aftermarket add-ons - Two Bobs "Wisconsin ANG 60th Anniversary" Decals, Steel Beach FOD Covers, Eduard PE Set, Tamiya's PE Stress Set and DuPont "Blockbuster Blue" from and MEGA TANKS Scalefinishes - Jameston Kroon.  40% Complete.
 
BANDAI 1/48 - Anti Tank Gun IV "NASHORN". 90% Complete.
 
Tamiya 1/35 - Flakpanzer Mobelwagen 35237. 10% Complete
 
AFV 1/35 - German SW-36 Searchlight/with Sd.Ah.51 Trailer. 20% Complete
 
Monogram 1/48 - F-106. 70% Complete
 
Tamiya 1/48 - King Tiger Tank Porsche Turret, Eduard PE in winter camo with figures. 80%
 
Take Care and keep up the awesome work,

IBuild148,

You have a fair number of irons in the fire sir.Do you have postings of the F-16? The other builds? I've built Tamiya's Block 50 and that was a sweet kit! Let me know about those other postings if you've got 'em. I would like to see them.  Thank you for the compliment!

Well I did get further along today.  Not leaps and bounds but I did work on the shading of the faces and worked on their 5 o'clock shadows.  The gun stocks and entrenching tools got oil washes today. The look much improved.  At least I think so.

More 5 o'clock shadow on one of the Hornet heads

This was the best shot I could get showing the oil wash on the K98's.

I posed them up for a group photo. I know the tooth picks sticking out is rather macabre but, it does minimize the direct handling of the figures and, there has been a fair amount of time put into each of them.  I just haven't gotten to the level of "cranking out" figures.  Yeah, I know the guy kneeling down is not the most stable pose but, I figure, there is always at least one yutz out there that you know that you think, "Something bad is going to happen to that one".  Right?

Cheers

Dave

Dave the look stunning brother.......However it must have been a bad day on the battle field getting skewerd with huge lances like that...................LOL

I have to call this weekend to discuss Vallejo paints....I need help.

Bob