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DML Beute T34 Complete 12-02-2012

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  • Member since
    October 2009
Posted by PANZERWAFFE on Sunday, November 4, 2012 6:33 PM

Looks like you had a really productive day Bill Yes  Everything is looking really good.  It's a bit odd (in a good way) to see all that German gear on a Russian tank, I like it!  All the work looks good but those tool clasp are sharp.  Those things always give me problems and it looks as if you made light work of them.  Really like the added light bulbs too.

Will be waiting and watching for the next weekend for the next up-date.

Rob

  • Member since
    July 2004
  • From: Texas
Posted by wbill76 on Sunday, November 4, 2012 7:24 PM

Thanks Rob, yesterday and today made for a lot of good progress. Felt like the 'old days' when I used to get in a solid 6 hours a day crankin' on a build! The Griffon clamps are nice and easy to work with, just 2 pieces, so they've become my standard. Check 'em out, they come in a large fret with plenty of clamps to last a while. The light bulbs were one of those 'aha!' moments as I was considering melting some sprue to do the same thing but didn't need to...the nubs were the perfect size and diameter all by themselves!

  • Member since
    March 2006
  • From: Right Side of a Left State
Posted by Shellback on Sunday, November 4, 2012 11:47 PM

That trick with the sprue nubs came out great Bill . Looking good my friend .Beer

  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: New Jersey
Posted by redleg12 on Monday, November 5, 2012 10:17 AM

Bill

Very nice work with the weld seams. I always hate the molded on clamps on tools. They are a PITA to carfully remove without breaking the tool. Looks like some seams are a problem...seeing lots of green putty.

All in all moving along well. Hopefully soom the internet will be back here and I can catch you on a regular basis instead of the alternate firing position!!

Rounds Complete!!

"The Moral High Ground....A Great Place to Emplace Artillery."

  • Member since
    April 2007
  • From: Schroon Lake, NY
Posted by SMJmodeler on Monday, November 5, 2012 10:19 AM

Bill:  I feel like I should put on my robe & slippers, grab a pipe, make a cup of teaCoffee and sit next to a roaring fire when I read your updates...they are so pleasant and relaxing.  The work is superb too...I'd say crisp is a better word ...love the German detailing!

Looks like you got the crowd on the edge-of-their-seats waiting for the winter camo'!

  • Member since
    July 2004
  • From: Texas
Posted by wbill76 on Monday, November 5, 2012 11:23 AM

Thanks Carl!

Mike

It's an older DML kit in terms of the fit and other areas needing a little 'help' here and there. The fit on the turret was good in some places, not so good in others. Most of the seams could be closed up fairly tightly with finger pressure on the roof and the use of the putty was just an added insurance to fill any tiny gaps that remained, especially since the green provides a nice visual contrast and dries quickly. Gaps on the mantlet were another story altogether! Clamps were a must to replace on this one since the tools are numerous and occupy such a prominent place on the hull. Hope you can get back to normal quickly with power and internet access! We need your fire to be regular and on target as always! Wink

Steve

I like that analogy, glad it's easy to read and follow along! I have to admit I'm on the edge of my seat as well with the whitewash, definitely looking forward to playing with it and seeing what comes out in the end! Wink
  • Member since
    August 2012
  • From: Parker City, IN.
Posted by Rambo on Monday, November 5, 2012 3:46 PM

All looking good Bill the headlights are a nice touch

Clint

  • Member since
    July 2004
  • From: Texas
Posted by wbill76 on Tuesday, November 6, 2012 10:54 AM

Thanks Clint, appreciate the comments! Beer

  • Member since
    July 2004
  • From: Texas
Posted by wbill76 on Wednesday, November 7, 2012 12:02 PM

Sunday NFL Football games + Tuesday Election Night Results = Track Completion and a small mid-week update as a result.

Got the MK workable tracks assembled. The T-34 track system uses a paired-link design with the guide-horn links requiring 6 sprue clean up points and the flat links 4 clean up points per, so repetitive work there but worth it. Pins insert using the handy jig and then twist off once the glue had set. Worked 8 links at a time until the runs were fully assembled.

The MK instructions say 70 links are needed per side for the DML kits but I found that 72 were actually called for. Test fits with the suspension and tensioned idler produced the ideal sag at that length on both sides.

That clears the decks for painting to begin this weekend!

  • Member since
    April 2007
  • From: Schroon Lake, NY
Posted by SMJmodeler on Wednesday, November 7, 2012 12:26 PM

BILL, WAIT!!!...let me go grab my robe & slippers, ahhhh, OK.  

Tracks are spot-on, are those painted or is that the plastic coloring?  Is that engine cover seated down properly..it appears a bit-askew in the photo, maybe just a shadow...

...do you take one lump or two in your tea?Coffee

  • Member since
    July 2004
  • From: Texas
Posted by wbill76 on Wednesday, November 7, 2012 12:39 PM

LOL Steve! When I used to drink tea (don't take any caffeine these days in any form) it was always Earl Grey with cream and one lump of sugar. Smile

Tracks are in their 'native' MK brown styrene and not yet painted. Could just be the angle/lighting you're seeing, the engine cover is seated properly. Beer

  • Member since
    August 2012
  • From: Parker City, IN.
Posted by Rambo on Wednesday, November 7, 2012 3:36 PM

looks good all seated together Bill will be waiting to see what you do for painting

Clint

  • Member since
    July 2004
  • From: Texas
Posted by wbill76 on Wednesday, November 7, 2012 7:34 PM

Thanks Clint! It's always nice to clear the tracks hurdle as a necessary evil...kind of like working on road wheels! Wink

  • Member since
    March 2006
  • From: Right Side of a Left State
Posted by Shellback on Wednesday, November 7, 2012 8:08 PM

No caffein Bill ? Probably something i should look into . I drink too much coffee .Its my last habbit left over from my working days .

Thats cool how the tracls are molded in that browmish color . Everything looks good .Coffee

  • Member since
    April 2007
  • From: Schroon Lake, NY
Posted by SMJmodeler on Thursday, November 8, 2012 8:05 AM

Bill: Isn't no caffeine an LDS thing?  Doesn't matter...I'd be sunk without my Mountain Dew so I can't imagine going caffeine freeTongue Tied

I do like those tracks in their native color.  Is the paint flying yet?

  • Member since
    July 2004
  • From: Texas
Posted by wbill76 on Thursday, November 8, 2012 9:08 AM

Carl

thanks! Giving up caffeine is a tough thing to do but was necessary for me several years back. Does wonders for keeping your hands steady too. Wink

Steve

, It used to be an LDS restriction but they loosened those rules up some time ago. A good fried of mine who is LDS is like you, addicted to Mountain Dew and I give him a hard time about it regularly! I myself am not LDS, the choice for me was related to health and weight issues several years ago, not religious, and made a huge difference in both blood pressure and metabolism. Very tough to do though, no question about it. Now though if I have a Coke or some chocolate, the effects are much stronger so a little goes a long way since I no longer have a built-up tolerance for it. Big Smile No paint flying yet, that's scheduled for the weekend as things stand right now. Yes
  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Winsted CT
Posted by jimz66 on Saturday, November 10, 2012 8:06 AM

Looking great as always Bill. I wonder if you could do me a favor. When you update your page after doing some work on your homepage I wonder if you could date your last update. I check your site like three or four times a week. If I see you haven't updated it I would move on a little faster... VERY NICE... How are you going to paint this one?

Phantoms rule the skies!!!
  • Member since
    July 2004
  • From: Texas
Posted by wbill76 on Saturday, November 10, 2012 10:23 AM

Thanks Jim! I had been posting dates for updates when I was making frequent changes to multiple areas of the site but stopped doing that once it settled down. I can add the date back to the WIP section of the home page as a handy reference without any problem to make it easier on you and others to see if things have changed. As a general rule though the updates are posted on Sundays for WIP builds just because I do my building on the weekends as a normal practice. If you have Facebook, there's also the option of 'Liking' there that would ensure you got notices of updates to the site if that helps.

As for painting this one, I'm going for the box art finish of whitewash over the russian green and will start that process today in fact. Wink  

  • Member since
    July 2004
  • From: Texas
Posted by wbill76 on Sunday, November 11, 2012 2:40 PM

First off I would like to say a big 'THANK YOU' on this Veteran's Day to all our veterans, past and present, for their commitment to service. --------------------------

Some good progress to report after some quality time in the spray booth. Since this is going to be a whitewash finish, there was no need to apply a primer coat as the base coat was essentially going to play that role by default for most of the vehicle. I applied a base coat of Testors MM enamel Russian Armor Green by air brush and also airbrushed some MM enamel Panzer Schwarzgrau for the cupola and other small details while I was at it.

Road wheels were painted as well at this stage. Rubber rims were airbrushed with MM enamel Gunmetal and the inner hubs airbrushed with Russian Armor Green in combination with a draftsman's circle template to mask the rubber.

Returning to the vehicle, I applied a mist coat of heavily thinned MM enamel Flat White to set a foundation for the whitewash. It also gave me a feel for how well the Russian Green would show through under the white before moving on to the next step in the process. I used a cut-out piece of sheet styrene to mask the rear engine intake screen to protect its contrast with the rest of the finish.

Continuing to work with the Flat White but with a standard airbrush mix instead of the heavily thinned mix in the previous step, I built up the finish over the vehicle while still allowing the Russian Green to peek through here and there. I also used two small circle cut-outs to mask the base area for the German crosses on the turret sides rather than rely on the decal sheet 'patches' for that effect.

The road wheels also got a dose of the Flat White given their prominence on the lower hull.

This will now be allowed to thoroughly cure before moving on to the next steps which will be adding some wear to the white wash in various places as well as working on the tools and other small details.

  • Member since
    September 2005
  • From: beacon falls , Ct.
Posted by treadwell on Sunday, November 11, 2012 4:53 PM

Hi BillSmile

She's looking great, and one thing on the conversion I really like is the cupola,as vision was sadly lacking in the ' original ' Russian version. At least the Germans could see where they were going with the upgrade ! Big Smile

In your post you said ' gunmetal ' for the tires. This is unusual... or typo or it has a nice flat gray look ?

I know the gun metal I use (MM buffing type ) is to metallic, but have never used enamel gun metal.

No mention of using hairspray or other products to help you scrub away some of the white wash. This surprises me, as I thought you might go that way.

Back to football and Happy Veterans Day... Never Forget !

treadCool

   

 

  • Member since
    August 2012
  • From: Parker City, IN.
Posted by Rambo on Sunday, November 11, 2012 5:34 PM

looking good Bill so what are you going to use on the white wash??

Clint

  • Member since
    July 2004
  • From: Texas
Posted by wbill76 on Sunday, November 11, 2012 5:58 PM

Tread

Thanks as always and you're right about the cupola...I'm sure it's part of the reason that the later designs of the T-34 added one eventually! Wink The enamel Gunmetal is a very different paint than the Metalizer Gunmetal. The enamel version is a nice dark gray and works perfectly as a base for weathered rubber tires. I can't use the 'hairspray' method with enamel paints so I will be introducing wear with other methods in the steps to come.

Clint

Thanks as well! I will be using a combination of dry-brushing techniques and washes to wear and weather the whitewash. Stay tuned! Smile
  • Member since
    March 2006
  • From: Right Side of a Left State
Posted by Shellback on Tuesday, November 13, 2012 12:45 AM

Looks great Bill !

  • Member since
    July 2004
  • From: Texas
Posted by wbill76 on Tuesday, November 13, 2012 10:57 AM

Thanks Carl, much appreciated! Beer

  • Member since
    February 2007
  • From: Brunswick, Ohio
Posted by Buckeye on Tuesday, November 13, 2012 11:46 AM

Very nice work.  Thanks for posting this WIP.

Mike

  • Member since
    July 2004
  • From: Texas
Posted by wbill76 on Tuesday, November 13, 2012 5:37 PM

My pleasure Mike, thanks for the comments! Beer

  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Winsted CT
Posted by jimz66 on Friday, November 16, 2012 2:17 PM

Thanks BIll. Very nice. I really like the way that one is painted. Came out awesome.

Phantoms rule the skies!!!
  • Member since
    July 2004
  • From: Texas
Posted by wbill76 on Friday, November 16, 2012 2:49 PM

Much appreciated Jim, thanks! Beer

  • Member since
    October 2009
Posted by PANZERWAFFE on Sunday, November 18, 2012 9:28 AM

Looks like a nice foundation for the white-wash.  Looking forward to seeing her getting dirty Yes

Rob

  • Member since
    July 2004
  • From: Texas
Posted by wbill76 on Sunday, November 18, 2012 10:19 AM

Thanks Rob, more to come on this one here in a little bit. Wink

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