Tamiya Panzer II Ausf B - COMPLETE! (19.09.12)

Friuls look great Ben. Wish I could have followed the thread better.

still looking great i'm keeping a eye on this one its been really helpful as i build mine... i've never used them tracks before i mostly have just stuck with either AFV or dragon MT how hard are they to assemble?

She is coming along great Ben. I do like that colour scheme. I am deffinatly hooked on that for my early war Pz's.

Hi guys,

A quick progress report:

Because I was working from home this afternoon/evening I couldn't commit to anything serious incase I got caught up on a 30 minute phone call. Luckily it was pretty quiet and due to the fact that I worked yesterday (from home aswell) too, the remaining weekends this month are all mine - sweet. That should allow me to get this Pz II totally finished and I'll be ready to begin my Tiger I Ausf E build for Tigerman's 'Steel Cat's' GB!

Anyway - today got one complete run of Friuls finished and made a start on the other half run of Friuls.

Also, I raided a huge fret of Dragon tool clamps and pinched the clasp release handles and fixed them to the kit tools - they look sooo much better as do the Friuls:

Tool 'clamps' fitted:

Friul run one sorted! Wheels still to be painted!

Slow progress but getting there!

Have a good week fellas,

Ben

Can't go wrong with the Tamiya kit Ben, builds up very nicely OOB and even better with just a few little upgrades here and there.

Cheers Bill,

The antennae will be coming off again soon whilst I do more work on the tank. It will be upright in position.

I'm loving your Wespe - I'm going to have to build one with upgrades.

A new year build I reckon! The first build of 2013!

Update tomorrow!

Ben

Nice work on the aerial marking Ben! Other details are looking sharp and the tracks will be a plus as well. Just be sure that you position the antenna in the fully upright position when the time comes...it was raised/lowerd via a locking handle on the inside of the hull and basically only had 2 positions...up or down.

Looks Great I just started this kit about two weeks ago and was trying find out about that two tone camo i thought that most panzer IIs had that going into Poland but never found a solid case till now great build and can't wait to see what you do on that Wespe when you get it

Hi guys,

First off please read last post if you haven't already then this one!

Update - with photos:

Paint is on, white aerial marking is on the engine hatch and the antennae is dry fitted. Light filters have been applied and before I start on heavier weathering and apply a matt coat (LIGHT chipping and streaking etc) I'll be using the very glossy surface to assist with pin washes.

I'm working this weekend so now I'm up-to-date I'll be completing the Friuls tomorrow. I bought about 6 0.5mm dia 12" lengths of Brass Rod to use for the links as the Friul wire is so thin they can be pulled apart!

I'll be finishing the Friuls tomorrow and hopefully I'll have time to blacken them too with the AK Blue Burnishing Fluid. I've pre-drilled all links so it's just a matter of inserting the Brass rods now. Then it's FUN TIME! I'm not going to use the PE clamps but will instead use the Tamiya tools and I'll add a thin piece of flat hammered metal wire (5 amp fuse) to fix on to look like clamp releases. I'm keeping my PE clamps.

I've looked at wbill's Pz II chassis Wespe blog on his site - I have to get one! GREAT WORK BILL!

http://www.bpmodels.net/Model/Album/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=48

Note: RB Brass Antennae in place and Friuls slowly taking shape! Also note the handpainted aerial recognition marking:

I hope you like her so far - remember she is FAR from complete which is why she is glossy! FEEDBACK NEEDED!

This 312 decal at turret rear really gave me some hassles but after plenty of Micro-Sol she was fine!

Note: RB Brass Antennae in place and Friuls slowly taking shape!

Friuls, 0.5mm dia Brass Rod for links, AK Blue for Panzer Grey Filter and 'Stencil' paint used for the Aerial Marking - also some of the bits of stowage I'm using:

I hope you like her chaps. I'd love to hear any suggestion for weathering/chipping (basically how much)?

Tomorrow I'll get the Friuls finished and Burnished too IF I have time.

Then next week I'll be on the finishing run and starting the weathering and adding stowage!

Take care guys,

Ben

Hey DP,

Nothing really show yesterday. The paint had all set well and the decals were sitting PERFECTLY after a couple of treatments of Micro-Sol.

Basically I was wondering about best procedures. The tank was glossy all over because I want to get some good capillary action for when I do my pin washes. Usually I'll just do the decal areas before and after decal application.

Last time I put down AK filters over a glossy surface there were lots of 'bits' left sitting on the surface - AK recommend that their filters be applied to a Matt surface to capture these 'bits'. Today I tried Blue for Panzer Grey Filter and a Brown for Dark Yellow Filter and they were fine. This obviously should have been done prior to varnishing but basically, in my haste to make some progress, I forgot! D'oh!

I've got one more light layer of Blue for Panzer Grey Filter to do and we are done with the Filters. Pin washes and washes next then the heavier stuff.

I've got rusty mate, I need to speed up! It's easy to forget you best methods that work for you after 3 months!

Today I wanted to put a white aerial marking on the engine hatch that most of the 1940's Panzer's going into France would have had. I masked off a nice square using low tack/no residue Scotch Tape and air brushed Tamiya Flat White onto the spare rectangle. After 5 minutes I removed the masking and the ENTIRE square of white paint lifted clean off. It didn't take to the glossy surface!

I had to rough the deck up a bit and ended up painting a square with a brush and Vallejo Model Colour 'Stencil' white. It looks good.

I'm working this weekend but it's very quiet today so now the white marking is on I'm assembling more Friuls.

Photos in a couple of hours!

Ben   

Hey!  Where are the pictures?  

I am not sure which procedure works best.  I sprayed flat clear on first before I applied AK filters on.  The of course I sprayed flat clear again at the end to protect all of jobs.  

You will start your Tiger at end of September?!?!?!  It means I will start my build before you do if I can finish my Pz III. LOL

Hi guys,

Quick pre-weekend update:

I'm off to work in a minute and will be working from home tomorrow and Sunday but that means that the rest of the weekends this month are ALL MINE! HA HA HAAAA!

At present my model is decaled and painted in full - it also has a very glossy finish which I put on for the decals and to seal everything.

I want to add filters but I'm sure that the AK filters like a nice matt surface and pin washes want a glossy surface? Any ideas on the best way to go about adding filters and washes now?

I'm thinking filter and pin wash now on the gloss surface. Then matt coat, then add washes and pigments and chipping/heavier weathering/streaking?

What do you experts think re the gloss and matt surfaces and which way round to apply filters and washes?

I'd appreciate any advice - I'm not applying heavy damage, just weathering effects and a few light chips maybe.

I'll be finishing the Friuls this weekend and doing whatever else I can - it depends on how busy I am. I want to have this build finished by the end of September so I can start my Dragon Tiger I Ausf E with Zim for Tigermans 'Steel Cats' GB at the beginning of October.

Take care,

Ben

The sprue has arrived!

A new Jack and Barrel toolbox/tube!

Thanks Hobby Co.!

darson

Hinksy

• My friend from the 'UK' forum ,John Pridgent, has said that all vehicles involved in the Westward assault on France had a white air recognition sguare or rectangle painted on the engine hatch at the rear. Should I do this, in your opinion anyway?

Cheers Bill,

Ben

Ben in the decal sheet from the lovely people at Bison Decals they definitely show an air recognition on the engine hatch on the rear deck.  You can see what I mean here click me

Also from the pics that I have, the PzKpfw II didn't seem to carry a heck of a lot of stowage in Poland or France

Loving this thread by the way, it's a really interesting read.

It looks like I need only paint the bottom hatch white. The 'Blucher' (if you can read it) has the whole hatch painted and my version has the bottom half painted. Nice link - thanks Darson

Ben

Hinksy

• My friend from the 'UK' forum ,John Pridgent, has said that all vehicles involved in the Westward assault on France had a white air recognition sguare or rectangle painted on the engine hatch at the rear. Should I do this, in your opinion anyway?

Cheers Bill,

Ben

Ben in the decal sheet from the lovely people at Bison Decals they definitely show an air recognition on the engine hatch on the rear deck.  You can see what I mean here click me

Also from the pics that I have, the PzKpfw II didn't seem to carry a heck of a lot of stowage in Poland or France

Loving this thread by the way, it's a really interesting read.

Cheers guys - great photo Bill

Good news - Hobby Co. are sending me the new 'H' Sprue with the entire Jack assembly on it and the barrel changing kit box/spare barrel tube too. Only £5.50 inc. post.

I've got something else that will do just as good for the small tool box so I'm not buying an entire other sprue just to get that!

The Pz II is back on track!

Ben

Good point about the jack bill, and ye, any jack, as long as it can take the weight, is better than no jack.

I have seen that photo and i few others but i wsn't sure. I thought maybe it could have been a trick of the light due to the angle of that part of the vehcile. But your pic is a lot clearer than the one i have and shows it clearer than any otehrs.

Ben,

The Pz II jack isn't the same as the 38t or Pz III jack for the A/B/C variants. Now, having said that, there's nothing to say that an enterprising vehicle crew that had their jack lost/stolen/broken wouldn't have commandeered an available jack (so long as it was rated for the vehicle's weight) from another vehicle or unit type if one was handy as an expedient solution. Having "a" jack on the vehicle is better than "no" jack IMHO.

As to the question on the air recognition flag/emblem, it's hard to get top-down shots showing it but they were used. I don't know that I would say they were used on "all" vehicles as there's also a lot of photo evidence of red cloth Nazi flags being used for the same purpose. I did find a color photo that shows, at an angle, the presence of such a white panel, from Panzerwaffe Vol 2: The Campaigns in the West 1940 by Mark Healy (posted for discussion purposes only).

Looks good Ben,the stowage will look good on it

The Pz III Jack is a bit different in shape - a bit longer too (I have a spare here).

The 38T Jack is perfect but I'm assuming some 'artistic license' is required?

Cheers Bish!

Ben

I'm not sure about the 38(t) jack, but i think you said you had a Pz III. From what i could tell, the Pz III jacks look the same as those on the Pz II.

Many vehicle carried an Air recigntion flag, and there are a few photos of vehicles which have what looks like a white patch on the back, but its hard to tell. And it does not seem to have been confined to the campaign in the west. And many vehicles carried a lot of equipment on the rear decks, so this patch would be covered up anyway.

Cheers Bill,

The basecoat was kept simple. If you look back on this thread you'll see my original basecoat made up from Tamiya paints which turned out ok but it was no good for this scheme. If I were going with a basic Panzer Grey I'd have stuck with it as it would have weathered up nicely but I felt it needed to be a much darker grey to allow the scheme to work - hence my using of the basic Model Air German Grey colour, as you can see the Model Air Tank Brown looks really good on the Dark Grey base.

I'll start laying down some filters and washes to start knitting the two colours together.

I haven't overcome the dilemma yet but seeing as the problem is only missing items it means I can continue with the build as normal. I'm hoping to at least source the sprue with the boxes on from the UK distributors of Tamiya which apparently is pretty easy, particularly with the newer kits? Hopefully someone will have a Pz II Jack going spare too!

A couple of questions:

• The Jack - can I use a 38T Jack in it's place? I have a Dragon one and it's still on the sprue?
• My friend from the 'UK' forum ,John Pridgent, has said that all vehicles involved in the Westward assault on France had a white air recognition sguare or rectangle painted on the engine hatch at the rear. Should I do this, in your opinion anyway?

Cheers Bill,

Ben  

Good for you Ben in terms of sticking with it and overcoming the dilemma! Nice job on the camo pattern and markings.

That wasn't spelling-that was a typo!

Like you say, try them out and see. I'd love to hear what you think buddy?

Ben

Thanks Ben, remember, i'm just a GRUNT, spelling isn't my strong suit lol.

Thanks for the tips, i have been eyeing up the winter and Pz Grey Grimes and the Pz Grey washes, just as a starter. I will give those a go and see how they compare.

Heh!

Streaking CRIMES Bish? Have you been going to Cricket matches again! LOL! Did you steal a policemans helmet?

As for Streaking GRIMES I had three different ones up until I bought the 'Streaking Grime for Panzer Grey Streaking' one the other day - I can't comment on that yet as it's unopened.

The three I use are Streaking Grime (mud colour), Winter Streaking Grime (Dark mucky colour that is very effective and finally, the best of all - Streaking Rust! Now that stuff is brilliant!

I also use MIG's Grease Stain and thin that down to apply around engine gatches. It's too gloopy from the bottle for making streaks - it makes a great pinwash too, they all do.

Buy the winter and Rust ones and the odourless thinner and give it a go. It takes a while to master the 'art' as you paint the lines on thickly then using a brush humidifies with the thinner you have to thin the lines down to make faint streak marks. If you buy the first AK DVD or look on you tube you'll find a guide.

The filters are ok but ones made yourself are just as good. Again, buy a bottle of the colour that you think will help you most and see.

I hope this helps matey,

Note: I do not work for AK and am not on commission either - more's the pity!

Ben

Thats looking great Ben, really glad you stuck with it.

I have a question about the AK stuff. I am planning on getting some myself soon, those streaking crimes look really useful, but i am in two minds about the filters. As you say these can be done with oil's, but i still like the idea of specific ones. Would you still recomend them.

Hi guys,

Wingnut - I love the AK stuff. I know a lot of it like filters etc can be made using your own oils and thinners but the streaking colours are superb and so much easier to work with than trying to make streaks from dots of oils.

A quick update:

Having brushed myself down from the setback of losing the boxes and the Jack I'm on the go once more. I'm hoping to get the two replacement sprues that I need from the UK distributor of Tamiya, Hobby co., and have already sent them an Email. It's Bank holiday today so I'll phone them tomorrow.

I went over the basecoat from Saturday which, in the end, I did think was too light, with Vallejo Model Air German Grey. Today I added the Brown parts of the scheme using Model Air Tank Brown - I love that paint, it's the first time I've used it and my God does it airbrush well. I had heard that it can set a little soft so I added a few drops of Vallejo Gloss Varnish into the cup for good measure.

The wheels are sprayed, mostly grey hubs but a few are brown. I need to paint the wheels yet.

The decals are on and looking ok. The one at the back of the turret that sits over the vision slit doesn't want to sit down so I'm treating that with more Micro-Sol. Some carrier film is slightly visible on the Turret left hand side but that will be fine too.

The model will be left to set properly this week and next week I'll start the tools and when they are on it's weathering time. The Friuls are still a wip but I'll get them done - no rush.

Photos - remember any dodgy decals have been sorted and due to the decaling it's as glossy as my Dad's bald head at the minute so ignore that. It's had a final light coat of gloss varnish to seal it up:

Stowage - I've got this nice Resin box with clasp, Jerry cans, a 'K' Ration box that can be painted, a Pz III toolbox and this Marder III M ammo crate to help plug the gaps left by the lost items. I've tried everywhere but can I find anyone with a spare Panzer II Jack? NO! I have a Dragon 38T Jack, could that, in theory, be used? I was going to also make some small sandbags?

I hope you like her so far guys. I didn't feel like carrying on with this after losing all that stuff but I'm glad I did - she's turning out really nicely now.

I've just checked and that decal at the back of the turret has sat down PERFECTLY on that vision slit.

Now let's hope I can get these parts replaced!

Take care fellas,

Ben

Hiya Ben.  How the heck did I miss this?  Looks good.  How do you like the AK products?  i know there are so many out there but I do like them a lot.

Quick update lads:

I've actually just sprayed it again - the basecolour was a bit off and too light and the brown would have looked wrong.

I used Vallejo Model air German Grey with a couple of drops of Vallejo Gloss Varnish to help harden the paint up - I'm liking that paint. I've never used Model Air before.

The brown I have is also model air and is called tank brown - a perfect match, near enough!

I'll do the brown tomorrow.

Ben