Tristar Pz IV Ausf B DONE 8/12 page 11

That tree is beautiful! There is definitely a lot we can learn about groundwork from the Railroad guys  

I will have to try one of the Tristar kits when I get a bit more experience, I am just starting one of the Dragon smart kits and that is intimidating enough  

Your Panzer is really looking nice, I am looking forward to seeing it finished. Thanks for sharing with us!

Yesterday was fairly productive. Got a number of items done on the Honey-Do List and, bench time.

I completed a run of track.  Of which I'll post when I get them painted. First, I need to complete the right hand run. Also, I got a goodly amount of foliage on the tree.  There will be more painting to get done but, I wanted the foliage on so that way I can tie it all together with the colors. For the foliage I used Caspia Basil purchased from Michael's.  I cut sections off and glued them on with CA and accelerator.  Think of it as the art of Bonsai that even a black thumb can't possibly mess up.

Cheers

Dave

Rick,

The 364 is for family.  Outside of the family, if anyone remembers then, the grace period is double that.  Thank you for the compliment and, the birthday wishes.  High praise indeed!  I saw your bulldozed panzer at the last Evergreen show and was greatly inspired by it do better on the dios and vignettes.  Oh by the way the box of oils I got for my birthday, my wife ordered from you.  I am looking forward to using them.  Bob (aka M1Carbine) and Edmund (aka Schnobs) sold me on them.  I may be going back to my Panther build and touching up a couple of things with the oils.  As for the weather, I'll most certainly be enjoying it.  I may even get to break out the Trek and go for a road ride.

Tony,

It's nice to see you back at the bench and, by the by, nice work on the figgie.  The tracks make me nervous with each link, as I've never assembled this type before and, watching the link flex just before it snaps into place makes me wince.  So far so good.  Just 166 more links to go.  As for the birthdays, definitely celebrate them.  As for the new wife, keep her.  Sounds like she supports you and your hobby.  And with the quality of work I've seen you turn out, I'd have to day she definitely supports you.  Keep the posts coming and, if your wife has a hose in her possession then announce your intentions prior to advancing.  Just a thought.

Cheers

Dave

Dave I see you're doing fine and dandy. Those tracks will be a tough act to follow.

I need to start having birthdays again or find a new wife, Never Mind.

Tony Lee

Since your family has the 364 grace period I'll go ahead and wish you a happy birthday as well.

I'm like you, I enjoy(ed) working on these detailed kits as well.  Your's is looking great!!!  Enjoy the nice(er) weather and talk to you soon.

Rick

Bill,

Thank you for the compliments and checking in on this build.  I've got a few of the superkits lurking in the stash and will get to them on of these days.  I am one of those who would rather have the bogies articulate and , I like the high parts count.  Not that I am adverse to a kit that does not have a lot of parts.  I have to admit that I did think about the railroad tracks and thought better of it.  It does look dramatic but, it has been done quite a bit.  I opted to represent the tank how it would most likely be traveling.....on a road. 

Eric,

Thank you for the compliment and following along on this build.  The track to appear fragile but, they never have given me the telltale sign of breaking while assembling them (so far).  You know, that whitish area on the plastic that tells you, "If you push the issue with me any further, I WILL BREAK!".  If I can get the bottom run of the tracks (the part contacting the road) done without any breakage I'll be happy.  the top runs will be easier as there won't be any uneven road to make them conform to. 

I'm looking forward to getting back to the bench in the next 24 hours.  I got a little bit done before coming into work tonight.  It was just some touch up work on the base. 

Cheers

Dave

Looking good. I'm glad the tracks are working out, they look fragile and all, but the pins are a good idea.

Nice work on the wheels, tracks, and ground work. The articulated suspension on the Pz IVs by Tristar (and also by DML) for the early Ausf was intended to be a "super" detail item but that practice ended due to the complaints of the high parts count and limited appeal I guess to dio builders vs. stand-alone builders. Still, you've shown it off to excellent effect and bravo! to you for not resorting to the old trick of crossing a railroad track/bed to do it!

Railfan233,

Thank you for the Birthday wishes and the compliments.  Don't worry about the late part.  In my family if one is within 364 days of someones birthday then they are still within the grace period. 

Though I have a few Tristar kits in my stash, this is the first one I've built.  It is not a kit that drops together, but if you take your time with it, it will build up into a very nice kit.  The detail is absolutely exquisite.  The tracks are very nice, though there is a little bit of clean up needed due to some flash.  The up side is that there are no ejector pin marks to have to deal with.  The spelling on the Fruil tracks is close enough to get what you were saying.  They are quite spendy.  Another option you may wish to try is Modelkasten.  They are cheaper than the Fruils.  

I am looking forward to geting back to the bench this week.  Only one more night shift after this one.

Cheers

Dave

Happy (late)Birthday, hughes2682.

I whish you the best of luck, both in life and in your hobby.

I like the Panzer IV greatly, and I wouldn't mind building this kit, if I can find it. I'm not sure why, but I like the articulating tracks. I thought about the furimodel (did I spell that right?) metal tracks, but those are out of my price range for now. Mabe the plastic tracks will be what I need.

Exelent work so far! I can't wait for the finished result.

Brian,

Thank you for the compliment.  The suspension on this is quite nice.  Tristar sells (or at least used to) their bogies as a separate item.  Go sparingly with the glue and they will articulate.  The build has ground to a halt for the next 4-5 days as I got called into work a day early.  It affords me those things I like to do.

bbrowniii,

Thank you very much for the compliments and the birthday wishes. Don't worry about the belated part,  in my family one has a 364 day grace period.

 The build is rather fun.  The tree has been easy (so far).  The paints I have yet to use but, am looking very forward to using them and, the rain marks effects.

The glue take paint right away.  What I did was to prime it with a much darker color then apply the Dark Taupe.  That way the rececces are "pre-shaded" and I do not have to worry about absolute perfect coverage. The tree will be coated with a clear flat acrylic coat and then highlighted with Vallejo acrylics, shaded with some filters done with oils. Perhaps toward the end of this next week.

Cheers

Dave

WOW!!!

I love the build!

I love the tree!!

I love that box o' paints the wife got you!!!

Happy (belated) Birthday!

Hey, a question on your tree - does the hot glue take paint straight away, or do you have to do something to give it 'teeth'?

Still moving along real good!  I did not realize the suspension was workable.....now that is a REAL nice touch!

Brian

The eyes are crossed for the night.  I just finished cleaning up one run of track and cutting it from the sprue.  I got enough track put together to place it under the road wheels on the left side and get the initial lay of the track over the rocks on the base.  The urethane glue finally set up for the tree, so I laid down the wood filler around the tree.  Tomorrow it may be dry so that I may get more ground work done or start on the tree.  Either way I am done for the night. .

I put on a couple more layers of MIG standard rust.  The smoke candle chains got the light rust treatment.

Cheers

Dave

I've been able to cover a fair amount of ground the last couple of days.  Literally and figuratively.  You'll see in the last pics. The road and return wheels are on.  Wooo Hoooo!

This is what the sprues look like for one run of track.  There is a wee bit of flash that I'm having to clean off using a #11 scalpel.  It's not horrid, just that there is 98 links per side.  The tracks articulate.  There are small pins that allow the links to click together.  I'll just need to be very careful with the assembly when it gets sizable. 

I have gotten started on the base yesterday.  I took the pic before it was all covered so you could get an idea of how the base was constructed.  Just a couple different thicknesses of styrofoam affixed with urethane glue. The crown in the road was done with a couple of triangular pieces of balsa and glued with urethane glue.  After this dried I sanded down the peak to give it a rounded cross section.  I covered the styrofoam with Elmer's Wood Filler.  its consistency is somewhere between frosting and cake batter.  I slather it on with a thin metal spatula and then let it dry.  The tree has since been repainted Dark Taupe from a rattle can.  Once it dries I'll coat it with a clear coat of acrylic and then hit it with Vallejo paint for high lights and oil washes.  I may get to the foliage this weekend.

This is not in the current pic of the base.  I made some top cover rocks from Woodland Scenics molds and hydrocal plaster to represent some rock poking through the soil after centuries of the road being used.  And, to allow me to articulate the bogies.  The tracks will lend themselves well to this.

Cheers

Dave

Happiest of birthdays.

Your wife is one sharp lady for sure. Kudos to her.

Speaking of ales, I have a Full Sail IPA as I speak. Tasty stuff.

Thank you all for the birthday wishes.  Yes, she is a keeper and YES she hit it out of the park with this one.  I didn't get much done this weekend, what with b-day, assisting with a women's self defense seminar, and fathers day.  Oh yeah, she got me a case of a locally brewed IPA.  Man oh man that stuff is tasty.  If any of you are ever in this neck of the woods just drop a line and I'll share it with you.

I got some work done on the mufflers and the road wheels.  I'll try and get some posted before the end of the week as this is the start of my work week.  

Cheers

Dave

SWEEEEEEEEEET! bro.  Man Mamma hit it out of the park with that present....LOL

Bob

Looks like she knew just what to get you Dave, Happy Birthday!

NICE~!         Happy Birthday Buddy!

You think she likes you?  NO!  She LOVES you! LOL  I have to give that tree making idea a try one day.  Thanks for the great toot! 

Happy Birthday and dang if you ain't a LOGGER to boot.

Nice haul,she did GOOD.

Tony Lee

Looks like your wife is a keeper!   I wish my birthdays were that good. 

Brian

Oh man, hold on to her, she's a keeper!

Bob,

Thank you my brother for your continued support.  I picked up some color for the tree.  I'll post some of it when I figure out how to get some more done on the beastie.  I got to open my B-day present this am.  See the last pick.  OOOOOH BOY HOWDY!!!

Indy,

Thank you for the compliment and checking in on the build.  The tree was about 15-20 minutes work.  There will be ground work covering most of the plinth.  I lightly sanded and steel wooled the base today and, then gave it its second coat. I looks much better today.  There will be about a 1/4 - 3/8" edge around the base before the ground work covers the rest.  The base will be approx three tiered.  The Tree at the highest, next the road with the tank and , then the lowest will be closest to the viewer.

Shoot&scoot,

Thank you for the compliment and stopping by.  Thank you so much for the quick toot on tree making.  I like the hot glue effect because, how can you mess it up?  Some others at the LHS have asked about some of my other practice trees and told them about the hot glue approach.  They liked it even more when I told them that one tree was only about 15-20 minutes work.  Not included color or foliage.  They liked the idea.  I'll be doing more of these.  I've got a kit in my stash, a 88mm PAK and, I have an idea rolling around in my head about placing it under heavy cover.  We'll see.

Here is the bison reverse stenciled.  I touched it up but the unforgiving digi won't let it go.  Looks like there may be more to do.

I painted the exhaust with Vallejo Dark Rust.  I be hitting it later with MIG light and standard rust.  Probably with oils as well.

Here is what my lovely wife got me for my B-day. A bunch of 502 Abteilung oils, Light rust effects, Standard rust effects, Water marks effects, and a couple of brushes.  I think she likes me.

Cheers

Dave

Great looking paint job. This is shaping up to be a real winner.

Been making hot glue and wire trees since the early 90's for model RR layouts, they're cheap and work great in all scales.  For young birches, maples and popples use the side of the hot cone of the glue gun and run it slowly along the trunks and branches for a smooth bark effect.  For rough bark like oaks and elms use the side of the cone in a quick wicking/lifting motion toward the bottom of the tree.

I just paint the trunks with the color of the bark of the tree being modelled and dry brush with oils for high lights.

I like to finish the branches with dark green clump fooliage dusted with one shade lighter ground foam held on with 3M spray tack.  When that sets up hit it with 2 shades lighter ground foam for a nice 3D effect.

I use similar techniques for pines but use pieces of split cedar shakes that have been rounded for the trunks.  Nice to see someone else using the hot glue and wire technique, hope more people pick up on it.  Fantastic build and keep up the great work!

Dave~ Excellent work so far on the panzer--really looking great

I love the tree too--I've seen some really realistic stuff done this way--your making me wanna try my hand at it too---that thing should look awsome.

 Now I guess three will be some groundwork the tree is attached to, yes? Coveing most of the plinth? I  noticed the polyurethane stain raised the grain of the wood--very normal--requires some light sanding and re-staining if you want to get a smooth look to it--if only the edges will show in the end, that's not much area to continue finishing....     

HOLY GUACAMOLE BATMAN!   HES MAKING HIS OWN TREES TOO!

Brother Dave....this is looking awsome.  I cannot wait to see the tree with some paint on it.  Everything is looking AWSOME! bro.

Bob