DML Hetzer Early COMPLETE Pics p7 03-13-11

Marc, and Terry, thanks as always for the comments. Was travelling for work this week so sorry for not commenting sooner.

Ben, the DY shade is 50/50 Model Master enamel Light Gray/Panzer Dunkelgelb as the base coat and then of course the weathering was applied over that. Metalizers are great stuff, can't go wrong with them, just make sure you've got good ventilation as the lacquer-base is pretty strong.

Finally managed to get this little guy across the finish line today! The remaining steps involved applying pigment weathering to the running gear and tracks. This was accomplished using a dry powder combination of Mig Rubble Dust, Europe Dust, and just a touch of Dark Mud and Light Dust as I wanted a lighter weathering finish to go with the rest of the finish. The dry powders were combined in an old prescription bottle lid using the end of a paint brush and then turned into a wet mixture by adding regular tap water with a drop of dish washing soap added to break the surface tension. The wet mix was applied using a round sable brush and left to air dry. Once dry, I removed the excess pigment first with either a round or square stiff bristled brush. Then I adjusted the look further using dry q-tips to remove more pigment and settle things in place.

The last remaining detail was the antenna for the right hull side, this was added using a Lion Roar brass 2m antenna glued into position with CA gel. Once the CA had set, the antenna was painted with MM non-buffing Metalizer Gunmetal.

I made a couple of minor adjustments, reset the white balance on my camera, and then it was time for the completed walk-around shots.

As usual another little piece of eye candy form you Bill.  But you got a little carried away with darkening the muzzle

Looking good Bill.  

What color did you paint that little light on the back?

Excellent build log and another great job Bill

Thanks Marc, you caught me on the muzzle blackening for sure!

Eric, thanks as well, for the rear light I laid down a base of MM Steel and then painted over it with Tamiya Clear Blue. That way it kept a little bit of its reflectivity while still being "blue" for the lens.

Anthony, glad you like it. Definitely set a new record for longest-build-time-ever for me on this one and it felt good to get it across the finish line.

Very nice....I like the solid greay color....looks like the armadillo of tanks

Beeeeee Goood

Rounds Complete!!

Those colors are super.

  Another excellent "Kill" for Bill.

Come to think of it, some kill rings on the barrel would look pretty cool.

Keep working on the build time and just maybe some day if you're lucky you can take longer than it takes me.

wbill76

, the DY shade is 50/50 Model Master enamel Light Gray/Panzer Dunkelgelb as the base coat and then of course the weathering was applied over that. Metalizers are great stuff, can't go wrong with them, just make sure you've got good ventilation as the lacquer-base is pretty strong.

Ben

Thanks Bill,

I really must do another Enamel paint job. I've still got all my stacks of Humbrol enamels left from when I first started out and this MM stuff does sound (and look, in your case) VERY good indeed!

Beautiful job - a stunning Hetzer 

My LHS has my replacement StuG in now so I might have to bust open the Enamels for the rebuild. I've got various Humbrol 'Metalcoat' tinlets - I wonder if that is the same as the MM Metalizers? Does anyone know?

Great job Bill, superb!

ATVB

Ben

Thanks as always Mike! Have to agree with you about the squat nature of the Hetzer...I really feel for the crews on multiple levels. Tight/cramped work environment but also minimal protection. The hull front was 60mm angled armor but the sides and rear were just supposed to be proofed against small arms and grenade fragments!

Always a pleasure to have the smiley-king give an award Steve! I hear you about kill rings on the barrel, that would've added a nice little touch but it was a practice that was increasingly frowned upon by the time the Hetzer entered service. Changing fortunes of the war and all that. Glad you like her!

Ben, the Testors line of Model Master paints are excellent IMHO and are my preferred medium. Thanks for the comments on the build, can't really comment on the Humbrol stuff as I've never used it.

Always looking great!   Nothing beats the 'good feeling' when you bring one across the finish line.  Thank you for doing this so everybody can move on with their lives.  I couldn't take my eyes off the laptop for your updates since day one... that's how much control you have on our lives. 

Thanks Andy, I'm glad to have you along for the ride anytime just hope the next one doesn't take quite so long. I actually started this one in mid-December as a "quick Christmas break" project!

Sure looks great Bill!

Another very fine build. Glad to see you finally were able to finish her up, but definitely worth the wait. What's next?

Bill, you forgot the parting gift. Are you going to tease us with your next build?

Thanks ogrejohn, panzer88, and Eric! As for what's next...I honestly haven't a clue. I need to spend some time looking at the stash and seeing what strikes a spark. Under "normal" circumstances I would've already had the next victim picked out but with the drawn-out pace the Hetzer required, that didn't happen this time around, so there isn't anything slated as on-deck for the bench just yet.

Hmmmm, what haven't you built? You've already knocked out so many, there can't be much left, especially in the German arsenal. What to do, what to do? Have you built anything Brit lately, or is Allied not your cup of tea?

Really nice work Bill.

Nate

I've got a Hetzer in the 'on-deck circle', Bill. This one will certainly serve as some inspiration! Great job!

Hey Bill!

I'm on my way to Greece this morning, but just wanted to say before I head to the airport that this model came out simply elegant--I love the plain yellow color and think that the shade is just perfect.

A nice tutorial on making a simple kit look great without any real camoflaging eye candy. That's the sign of a confident modeler! Great job!

Thanks Nate and Boyd!

Eric, there's still plenty that I haven't built yet...I have very few duplicates in the stash so am sure I will find something suitable. Don't have anything Allied except for a KV-2 that I've had for ages in the stash, I purged all of the others a loooong time ago.

Karl, safe travels my friend! Glad you stopped by and appreciate the comments, I enjoyed working on this one when I could get to it.

Bill, I think I have a perfect solution... build a plane!  Perhaps Ju-87 Stuka or Storch scout plane.  It will make things easier for you to travel and visit your vast empire of built kits in the house. 

Like always, looking forward to your next WIP no matter what subject it will be because I will end up buying it...

Andy,

I used to build aircraft a long time ago as a kid and when I first got back into model building that's what I picked up. That was 9 years ago though so has been a looooong time since I last built an AC. Guess I will have to pick something out of the stash super-tempting now in order to provide you with the needed excuse for your own procurement exercise.

Well, youve covered so many in your logs, but I don't see a King Tiger or Sturm Tiger........

It would also be helpful if put the kit number down also, because Dragon has remade so made older kits. Just saying.

Eric,

That's true, I've never blogged a build of a KT or ST. I've never actually built an ST (and don't have one in the stash) but did build 1 KT a very long time ago (the Tamiya kit) but that was before I started blogging my builds. The "big cat" tanks never held the same fascination for me, not sure why, maybe because they were literally "everywhere" in terms of subject matter vs. the other stuff that caught my attention.

Okay, I checked again. I don't see a Panzerjaeger I or a Jagdpanzer.  Dragon just released these as smart kits as you know.

It just so happens that I have kits of both in the stash.

Glad to help out.

I vote for Panzerjager I...

If you need our help to feel motivated, list all of your kits you have in stash or your top five picks and and let us do the dirty work by voting just like we did for your 100th build.  That was fun... just a thought. 

Full stash is at 70 kits so that's not going to happen Andy.

Don't worry, I will have time this weekend to properly survey the stash and get the motivation to pick something.